We always like to see artist Mark Bradford’s name pop up in the press. Of course, there’s the fantastic news that Bradford will be representing the U.S. in this year’s Venice Biennale, in addition to last week’s cheekily delivered critique of art auctions (while onsite at Christie’s). Today, we’re republishing Bean Gilsdorf’s meditations on the tactility of Bradford’s work in relation to textiles. This article[…..]
In the South Central Los Angeles neighborhood of Leimert Park, an art and social movement is gaining steam. Art + Practice is a community outreach and education center as well as a gallery in partnership with UCLA’s Hammer Museum. Founded by artist Mark Bradford, philanthropist Eileen Harris Norton, and social activist Allan Di Castro, Art + Practice aims to educate and prepare disadvantaged foster youth[…..]
Back in early March 2012, I reviewed Mark Bradford’s solo show at SFMOMA and learned shortly thereafter that the oft-repeated narrative about the circumstances of his early work—that he grew up in poverty in a depressed African-American neighborhood of Los Angeles—was simply not true (he was raised in Santa Monica, an affluent suburb). Given that I’ve heard this myth repeated even by knowledgeable curators, I[…..]
L.A. Expanded: Notes from the West Coast A weekly column by Catherine Wagley “It was mainly about trying to escape my own good taste, or good taste in general,” said John Baldessari, when asked why, in the 1970s, he first took his own photographs, then had someone take photos of him, then started using photos he’d found. Fashion matriarch Miuccia Prada has said the same[…..]
The difficulty in viewing photographs of artwork is that the camera flattens the object in its focus, relinquishing subtleties in order to capture a whole. Because his oeuvre is very subtle indeed, Mark Bradford’s work requires a viewer’s presence to be fully appreciated. Very little of the slender lines of collage, delicate papers built up in thin layers or washes of paint almost completely sanded[…..]
Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. I’ve always had a problem titling my artwork. My question is how much should an artist “give away” through the title of an artwork? And when viewing a piece of art, how much should[…..]
