Spring Break 2010

While my break may not have been as "wild" as the traditional Cancun drunkfest, I was able to do a little New England museum tour of sorts that was quite satisfying. During the past week I made it to:

• the deCordova sculpture park and museum in Lincoln, MA
• "Nari Ward: LIVESupport" installed at Lehmann Maupin in New York
• "2010 Whitney Biennial" at the Whitney Museum in New York
• the Neuberger Museum at SUNY Purchase
• MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA
• and a whole mess of galleries that opened in Chelsea this past Thursday in New York

Highlights included watching Tania Bruguera eating dirt while only wearing a lamb carcass around her neck at the Neuberger and viewing Pawel Wojtasik's engulfing video elegy for New Orleans entitled 'Bellow Sea Level' and Guy Ben-Ner's humor at MASS MoCA. Disappointments included everything that I saw in Chelsea except for Nari Ward.

After everything, I don't even know where to begin. Well, the 2010 Whitney Biennial is exactly what I expected (trendy, nothing really remarkable), but I have to give it another chance because I moved through the show pretty quickly due to time constraints. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the Neuberger, despite a rather weak collection of modern art, they have a beautiful permanent installation of traditional African art. And it was rather interesting to see objects from African masquerades and accompanying video in one room and in another Tania Bruguera in action surrounded by props scattered around the gallery from her other various performances.

The deCordova's sculpture park is beautiful and a rather different viewing experience. The museum sits atop a hill overlooking a pond, with the sculptures strategically installed around the central complex. The best part of the park is that you are allowed to touch many of the sculptures, there were even children climbing on some of them. It was a nice departure from the usual separation of viewer and object in the white box. The most memorable piece from the collection was 'Requiem to the 20th Century' by Nam June Paik, which is a 1936 Chrysler Sedan with video monitors in the windows. And I got to watch a couple take wedding photos with a professional photographers in front of the car. how cultured.

I would like to say more than a couple sentences about my visit to MASS Moca, but I think that will require a later post. But I will say that the experience was worth the trip, and the drive through the berkshires was an adventure.

--- All around pretty successful week.

THIS LOVE

THIS LOVE

My most recent video creation/sensation is a Valentines day inspired reflection on our idealized conception of love and how lovers act (established and reinforced by on screen hollywood romances), in comparison to real world couples, whose passionate love ultimately has disastrous consequences.

Soundtrack: 'Moments in Love' by Art of Noise.

Link to My Article in The Daily Free Press

Here is the link to the final version of my article, "Dancing Through the Night", written with Amanda James, for The Daily Free Press about the Alonzo King Lines Ballet, which we attended last weekend at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston.

Check it out: Dancing Through the Night

Alonzo King Lines Ballet at the ICA Boston

Although the theatre was packed, and the show sold out, our Friday night excursion to the ICA for the Alonzo King Lines Ballet was an energizing and evocative experience. The strikingly unique and surreal performance was the perfect remedy for the monotony of college parties. The welcoming spirit from the much older attendees was refreshing, who seemed impressed that we’d made the effort to try something different. We felt proud to take our seats among the seasoned crowd.

We were immediately mesmerized when the glowing figures took over the empty stage and moved their chiseled, statuesque bodies with incredible vigor. The focus was just movement and light. In a variety of groups, the ten dancers in the company thrust into unexpected poses, even climbing over one another and rolling on the floor.

As their muscles twist and distorted in the dramatic lighting, the dancers transcended traditional notions of grace and beauty. The cast exhibited a sense of total commitment to their craft, fused through their linked arms and flowing out into the audience. It seemed as though Henri Matisse’s painting The Dance had come to life when the dancers pulled and dragged each other across the stage.

In the first act, the heavy African drum beats and shamanistic chanting that accompanied the precise choreography created a chaotic, ritualistic mood. The following act contained similar gestures and moves, however the audio, reminiscent of gothic hymns, serenely transformed the performance. This spiritual presence unified the performance and ignited conversation about the nature of religious ceremonies.

Occasionally, the music would stop short and the dancers’ heavy breath was the only sound that filled the auditorium. This effect reminded viewers that despite the supernatural appearance of the dancers, they are still human.

The intense concentration of the audience was only interrupted once, when two male dancers walked on stage in shimmering silver tutus, eliciting laughter from several audience members. Gender stereotypes were challenged further when two male dancers were paired in a sensuous routine.

Although the location of the ballet—a contemporary art museum was initially surprising, after the performance it became clear that the experimental institution was a more appropriate venue than the Boston Opera House. This contemporary dance company from San Francisco challenged our preconceived ideas about ballet, the limitations of the human body, and definitely made us more aware of the many different, worthwhile ways to spend a Friday night in Boston.

After witnessing the human body be pushed to it physical boundaries, it felt a little pathetic that the only way to show appreciation for the performance was by slapping two hands together.

(Credits: Written with my companion to the ballet, Amanda James)

II Mondo Della Luna

Despite the ambiguous New York Times review about the performance, I would love to see "II Mondo Della Luna" at the Hayden Planetarium just for the visuals. It looks a lot more stimulating than IMax Avatar.

Review: Nine

Well, I think the world would have been a better place had they left it at 8 1/2. When Nine finally came to a close, my mom's boyfriend turned to our party and exclaimed "thank god that's over". The entire section laughed with us. In the lobby, we decided Daniel Day-Lewis should be arrested for cultural terrorism.

It is difficult to find one redeeming aspect of Nine. It was hard to watch. Besides the plot, acting, and Kate Hudson, the most unfortunate thing is the name of Day-Lewis' character--Guido Contini, because every five minutes you are forced to think about the controversy surrounding the juiceheads on MTV's Jersey Shore.

Although, I will admit the costumes are beautiful, Penelope Cruz and Fergie's vulgar antics make you turn from the screen in disgust. Many of these actors are well respected in Hollywood, the recession must really be hitting them, because Nine seems so desperate to bring in the cash $$. And it is official, Daniel Day-Lewis has lost his mind. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Overall, the premise of Nine--a musical Fellini movie, may seem like a good idea when two stoned film students are sitting in their dorm with a dvd of 8 1/2, but can this please be the last Fellini musical anyone attempts to translate to film?

Airport Art

While traveling from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Boston this afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to find one of Duane Hanson's tourist-look-alike sculptures in the Fort Lauderdale Airport! I made my dad snap the following photo with his iphone:

You can even see our shadows over the sculpture. I love subtle public art and this one is perfectly playful for its' functional and literal site. Well done.

KEEP IT UP FORT LAUDERDALE

Review: ICA Boston's Permanent Collection On Display

The past thirty years of art history have been symptomatic of crisis of cultural authority. In the modern period, works of art claimed to represent some authentic vision of the world based on universal truths. Postmodern work attempts to undermine the reassuring stability of modernism’s master narratives. The breakdown of binaries has allowed for the emergence of a more encompassing art world, with the presence of voices and materials previously denied by modernism. Artwork being produced now comes directly out of postmodernism, and in many cases works that are distinctly postmodern are placed under the banner of contemporary. The problem with this combination is that it extends the term contemporary to art of the past thirty years. The ICA Boston faces a similar problem by thematically placing work from the 1970s along side work produced several years ago. In our fast-paced society, cultural institutions are unable to stay up to date with the mass amount of works being produced, consequently many contemporary collections rely on artists and mediums that have already been canonized instead of taking genuine risks.

This fall on display at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston is the fourth exhibition of the permanent collection, entitled In the Making, which offers “an in-depth look at how artistic approaches to medium transform familiar subjects into resonant images and experiences” (ICA Website). Each gallery in the exhibition focuses on a single medium, either photography, painting, sculpture, or video. However, the only practice that is well represented in the show is photography, which accounts for seven of the twelve artists whose work is displayed. Even so, there is a strong female presence in the exhibit, which features the contemporary art veterans Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman and Marlene Dumas, as well as recent recruits to the museum circuit Tara Donovan, Rineke Dijkstra and Cornelia Parker.

Sherman and Dumas are members of the recently termed Pictures Generation, whom found their subjects from photographs culled from newspapers and magazines. Their work is symptomatic of postmodernism because both seek to undermine traditional, master narratives by ambiguously displaying the female body in a variety of imagined environments. Sherman and Dumas’ works are essential to understanding the immediate history of contemporary art, however, the work itself can no longer be described as contemporary. Since the 1970s, Cindy Sherman and Marlene Dumas have had very successful and noteworthy careers and are no longer really cutting edge. Their work has been canonized and is represented in many public and private collections. They have their own market and are safe investments for an institutions such as the ICA. Furthermore, their highly refined critiques of the social constructions of gender and sexuality, feel very characteristic of 1980s postmodern art. It is hard to divorce these objects from their cultural context and connect them to the present. As well, they do not speak to the technology driven contemporary era.

While Cindy Sherman and Marlene Dumas’ work feels static in the collection of the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Tara Donovan’s sculptures are more representative of contemporaneity. However, these works are connected by their denial of traditional narratives and modernist myths. Sherman, Dumas and Donovan similarly use alternative means, such as household objects and subjects from popular culture, to confront the viewer. In order to understand the progression of contemporary art and the relevance of Tara Donovan, it is necessary to be familiar with the work of Cindy Sherman and Marlene Dumas.

Overall, the ICA's permanent collection provides a good introduction to the changes that have occurred in the art world over the past thirty years, as a result of postmodernism, and its effect on younger artists. However, the collection has failed (like many other institutions, particularly the MoMA) to address the current condition of art (globalism, "festival culture", multiculturalism). Ultimately, the collection is trapped by its limited, Western conceptions of art that view the contemporary as a continue of modernism.

BEARDEER

Check out my new band, BearDeer, which we created during the snow storm in Allston this past weekend. we rage, hard. 

http://www.myspace.com/beardeerband

 

I play the synth/keyboards, be sure to look for my awesome audio textures.

Holiday Season Survival

The fall semester has finally come to a close and the majority of us (students) have returned to our respective parents' houses/cities for seasonal celebrations. Its nice to finally have a break from the daily grind of the past few months, however, heading down to my father's in south florida typically means one thing--movie marathons. My own holiday tradition is watching apocalypse now on christmas eve.

With that in mind I wanted to make a list of my favorite movies to watch while your feeling bored/lonely, stranded (unable to drive or get far enough away) and without the usual gang of delinquents by your side. Here are some classics and favorites i will be living vicariously through over the next couple of long days:

1. Blade Runner (1982)

This Sci-Fi thriller is perfect for escaping from the dysfunction dynamics of family dinner tables and questioning whether your relatives are truly human or actually robot replicants as you have always suspected.

2. Beyond The Valley of the Dolls (1970)

This crazy Russ Meyer movie has almost absolutely nothing to do with Valley of the Dolls, except that both classics reveal the downfalls of the decant hollywood lifestyle. More importantly, this favorite of mine, reminds us that some down time from the party life is necessary for avoiding manic, homicidal episodes. It won't ever kill you to miss a few parties to hang with the fam, but you definitely will have to fight for your life when running with this crowd.

3. Charade (1963)

Audrey Hepburn + Cary Grant + suspense + 1960s Paris... need i say more? Charade is just a straight up good time no matter what the circumstances.

4. Far From Heaven (2002)

Whenever confronted by elder family members about the crisis in the morality of today's youth and told stories that take place 'back in the good ole days', I remember this compelling Todd Haynes movie and remind myself that I would never want to live in the extremely repressed 1950s America, despite the problems that plague us today. At least now I don't have to abide by such rigid social conventions and could channel by energies/frustrations outside myself, leave my gay husband, or have an interracial relationship. Isn't our new generation progressive?

5. The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)

While I have only been recently acquainted with this movie, The Baader Meinhof Complex should be on everyones' must see lists. The film portrays Germany's homegrown terrorist group, the Red Army Faction, whose radical, young members where a serious threat to German democracy during the 1970s. Its something different. Just watch it.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS. STAY WARM. SPEND $$$.

The Wild One: Pauline Kael...?

Bellow I have posted my introduction and conclusion (so FAR) for a paper on (my problems with) the New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael for my class on arts criticism with Professor Marx:

“The hot-pants Queen Victoria of American film criticism”, Pauline Kael is considered by many to have been rebellious for adamantly attacking mainstream values and championing alternative sensibilities in her reviews of popular cinema. Her racy and occasionally vulgar prose was shocking for many readers, which made Kael’s criticism seem defiant, even though the ideas she set forth in her reviews of movies were not radical for the time. Despite the perception of Kael as a rebel, she did not actually champion the subversive filmmakers of underground and art house cinema. Kael dismissed truly revolutionary and experimental films in favor of New Hollywood movies, which challenged the way that major studios produced movies. Kael only references the work of avant-garde filmmakers, such as Kenneth Anger and Andy Warhol to strengthen her reviews of New Hollywood movies. Ultimately, Kael remains a conventional film critic because she overlooks or entirely ignores filmmakers that operate outside of the Hollywood sphere. In addition, Kael dismisses art house films because they threaten her argument that intellectualism kills the visceral pleasure of movies.

Kael disregards experimental films that are actually subversive to champion studio films that make small subversive gestures. Kael never clearly defines her idea of a “subversive gesture” and Alan Vanneman asserts, “Kael sounds like she's back in high school, where "freedom" is making some smart remark the teacher doesn't hear” (Vanneman). Kael claims that movies are successful when they make the audience feel alive, yet she overlooks avant-garde films that provoke an intense audience response. In her famous review of Last Tango in Paris, Kael’s compares the first screening of Bernardo Bertolucci’s film to the first performance of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, The Rite of Spring, at which the audience degenerated into a riot that required police intervention. Kael argues that the erotic film is a breakthrough movie and “Bertolucci and Brando have altered the face of an art form” because the movie elicits an intense response from the audience (Kael). Kael’s enthusiasm for Last Tango in Paris is elucidated in the following passage:

The closing night of the New York Film Festival, October 14, 1972: that date should become a landmark in movie history comparable to May 29, 1913—the night Le Sacre du Printemps was first performed—in music history. There was no riot, and no one threw anything at the screen, but I think it’s fair to say that the audience was in a state of shock, because Last Tango in Paris has the same kind of hypnotic excitement as the Sacre, the same primitive force, and the same thrusting, jabbing eroticism (Kael 450).

Even though, the screening of Last Tango in Paris did not elicit a violent or aggressive response from any audience member, Kael still considers this a historic moment in movie history. However, Kael never mentions the screening of a film by Luis Bunuel that provoked the audience to totally trash the theatre and slash the film screen itself ( Joan Hawkins 60). Furthermore, Kael completely ignores more experimental filmmakers that provoke overwhelming audience responses, such as Jack Smith, whose movie Flaming Creatures was seized by police at its premiere and officially determined to be obscene by a New York Criminal court for its surreal, graphic depiction of sexuality.

In the end, Pauline Kael wants coherent movies, filled with wit and feeling that make little jabs at the establishment, not radical films that question the entire structure of society. Kael identifies herself with “the plain folks” who go to the movies for trashy entertainment. Watching Jack Smith’s Flaming Creatures while smoking marijuana at the Charles Theatre in New York is too intellectual and primitive for Kael.

Works Cited:

• Kael, Pauline. For Keeps: 30 Years at the Movies. Plume (September 1, 1996)
  
• Hawkins, Joan. Cutting edge: art-horror and the horrific avant-garde. Univ Of Minnesota Press; 1 edition (May 8, 2000)
  

Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

Jack Smith is my idol. I want to wholly consume everything he ever made. I need the documentary about him entitled "Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis". It is not even on netflix, goddamn.

Fred Wilson: Installations of the Hidden

Tonight I went to see the artist Fred Wilson give a lecture on his work at Boston University. I was happily surprised to discover that he is an engaging and funny public speaker and doesn't take his practice as seriously as some similar artists (ahem, Andrea Krasner). I had heard about Wilson in several of my classes, such as "Theory + Practice of the Museum", "Contemporary Art", and "Likeness, Identity + Culture" and was interested to see his current work and how he thought of himself in the history of art. Honestly, I really love going to see lectures by canonized artists to see if they've become complete pompous assholes or are still down to earth. Wilson's demeanor was pleasantly approachable and he acknowledged the many different perspectives and artisans that went into the creation of his installations.

Wilson is most well-known for his 1992 installation "Mining the Museum", which entailed rethinking the collection of the Maryland Historical Society. Wilson juxtaposed objects from the collection, some of which had been hidden for generations in "deep storage", to expose a slave narrative that is usually ignored by the museum's heavy focus on upper-class material culture.

In his lecture, Wilson asserted that he hopes to shift the notion that museums are objective spaces to reveal that each institution has a strong point of view. In addition, Wilson argues that museums focus on aesthetics not really the meanings that objects connote. Furthermore, throughout his work, Wilson plays on the preconceived notions that visitors bring to various kinds of museum displays. While I find Wilson to be an incredibly conceptual artist, interested in a symbolic gesture that evokes institutional critique + revisionist theory, I also believe that he is very aesthetically attuned. All of Wilson's pieces are beautifully balanced and symmetrical, even though his intention may seem obvious and simplistic.

Moreover, I was happy to find that Wilson's newer work has evolved to encompass the deconstruction of larger narratives, including the horror of war and the corruption of the contemporary oil trade. Overall, I am very happy I decided to drag myself over to Morse Auditorium instead of going home and napping.

Greatest British Painter of the 20th Century: Francis Bacon at the MET

Although, this post is several months late (especially since I was first at the exhibit its opening week), it is never too late to discuss and view the wonderful British painter Francis Bacon. The show at the MET this past spring and summer elucidated the powerful impact of Bacon's paintings on the viewer. This was the first chance I have ever had to view so many of Bacon's work in one visit. Here are a couple of photos I snapped at the exhibit:

I will include a through review of the exhibit shortly, its midterm season at the moment, cut me a break!

The Cultural Arbitrators of YOUTUBE

Last month an ART video i made, entitled "AN EROTIC TALE" was taken offline and i received a warning from the highly esteemed youtube arbitrators, but there is NO NUDITY in the video, and all of the content was FOUND ON YOUTUBE. The more titillating scenes are derived from fan videos of famous popular movies such as the Blue Lagoon, Wild Things and Jungle Fever. I am not exactly sure what they consider inappropriate considering all i have done is recontextualized and edited their material to flow to Madonna's "Erotica". This erotic tale has expanded to address the arcane distinction between erotica and pornography in this country as well as the legacy of Puritan moralism on supposedly democratic inventions. This video was originally created for a one night gallery show in New York City, where the video was projected on a wall of the venue. Furthermore, this was made with the intention to be work of art, NOT something for old men surfing youtube to masturbate to.

I have posted the "controversial" video here with the hope that it will not be censored for attempting to address how BIZARRE the erotic truly is.

Besides hating on youtube, this new semester has been extremely busy and tiresome, it feels as though i don't even have a second breath, but i sort of like it that way. I am currently taking a course on Arts Criticism so hopefully sometime soon i will post some of my commentary on legendary arts critics such as James Agee, Pauline Kael and Noel Carroll, as well as some of my own reviews of recent exhibitions. Until then, keep it real.