As psycho-historian, I try to diagnose the schizophrenia of Western civilization from its images, in an autobiographical reflex. (Joan Jonas, The Shape, the Scent, the Feel of Things) Joan Jonas’ retrospective exhibition From Away occupies two buildings at DHC/ART in Montreal. Arriving at the basement’s miniature cinema felt like entering a cauldron of the Jonasian universe, and moving up and down in the tightly vertical first building[…..]
Continuing our Best of 2015 series, regular contributor Jordan Amirkhani writes,“I am always eager to clear a few minutes out of my day to read a new article or post by Anuradha Vikram. I am continually inspired by the style and substance of her writing, in particular, her commitment to confronting the political (or the lack of it) in each article she writes. Vikram’s breakdown of the[…..]
Context grounds contemporary art, and placing a work into a different framework allows for new layers of understanding to be revealed. This year’s Venice Biennale illustrates this point perfectly with one of the most cohesive curatorial efforts in its 120-year history. Thanks to curator Okwui Enwezor‘s creation of three overlapping “filters” that he calls the Garden of Disorder, Liveness: On Epic Duration, and Reading Capital,[…..]
#participation #politics #capital #religion #access #inclusion At the center of All the World’s Futures—The 56th Venice Biennale is the ARENA. Designed by architect David Adjaye, it is meant to serve as a platform for “live art” throughout the exhibition’s run. The space is defined by a large, low platform, flanked by risers and backed with a projection screen. Above the stage, a mezzanine provides another vantage point. The[…..]
On a dirt road surrounded by low buildings, the inhabitants of a remote village in Haiti gather for an unusual purpose. A cohort of Haitian musicians with string and brass instruments sit on folding chairs, tuning their instruments. At the center of this panoramic view are three performers, incongruous for their obvious European-ness, and for their 18th-century period dress. The orchestra commences, and the performers[…..]
#nationalism #institutions #power #access #globalization #protest #labor #capital The 56th Venice Biennale, “All the World’s Futures,” has been hailed as the “political” Biennale both by its curator Okwui Enwezor and by the international art press. That designation has come in for significant criticism from some who feel that contemporary art either can not or should not address political concerns, given the commodity status of art objects[…..]
Continuing our Best of 2013 series, today’s pick comes from co-founder and former managing editor Julie Henson, who explains her choice: “The Venice Biennale is the Olympics of the art world. An event of this scale always manages to reflect the state of the artworld in both intended and accidental ways — drawing parallels between complex relationships such as nationality and race, or economics and globalization. That’s[…..]
