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Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch

Tuesday Links: A Black Flower With Seven Pods

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on June 11, 2013

If you can come up with a catchy URL, artist Rafaël Rozendaal will turn it into art. This summer, he’s collaborating with MOCAtv to create a new website, with the title chosen from YouTube commenters. Submissions will be accepted through June 15th. [MOCAtv]
In more west coast news, Carolina A. Miranda gets a sneak peak of Peter Zumthor’s redesign for LACMA. She likes it. We’re unsure how LACMA’s going to pull off raising $650 million for the project, but from the sounds of it, the “black flower” with seven “pods” could be compelling enough to persuade funders.[ARCHITECT]
The Wire’s David Simon wrote last week that we shouldn’t be too upset about the news that the Government has been collecting emails and phone calls made by everyone in the country. Yesterday, he sat down with Alec Baldwin for a chat. [Here’s the Thing]
George Orwell’s 1984 surges up Amazon’s bestseller list by 6,021 percent since yesterday. Everyone’s trying to fact-check reality to see if we’re already in an Orwellian state. [NPR]
Two billion dollars worth of art is available for purchase at Art Basel in Switzerland. Apparently, the mood is “buoyant” [Businessweek]
The Art Newspaper agrees that spirits are high, but questions how long the “art fair marathon” will last. From one interviewee: “We’re keeping up with the fairs, auctions and private sales opportunities, but we’re not necessarily making more money.” [The Art Newspaper]
Walter Robinson notes that our deepest hatred seems to be reserved for successful male artists. That seems accurate but only because successful male artists tend to be richer. [ArtSpace]

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This Week’s Must-See Art Events: Outside the Norm

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on June 10, 2013

This week, we’ll be watching really rich people spend their money in Switzerland during Art Basel. It’s the world’s largest art fair, so if you like reading about champagne and fancy dinners this will be a great week for it. The rest of us will pass our time in New York, sweating and going to openings. That’s not so bad.

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Monday Links: I Can Manipulate That Universe Just By Flushing

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on June 10, 2013

Comedian Louis C.K. was doing his bit in the 90’s to keep art stereotypes alive. Here he is, playing a swirling-paint-in-toilet-bowl-photographer, addressing his critics and stating his goals. [Gizmodo]
Big news this weekend: the United States government is spying on everyone, and social media companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook are providing the bulk of the information. Whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked a bevy of National Security Agency (NSA) documents to The Guardian, who interviewed him while he’s holed up in a Hong Kong hotel. Gawker has a great guide to knowing the extent of what was leaked, and uncloaking the legalese of Facebook’s response. [The Guardian, Gawker]
Here’s a dose of future shock: Cisco and iRobot have developed a 5’5” robot with a video conferencing monitor in place of a head. At a $70,000 price tag, it’s being developed for companies with employees who work from home. Not only will this make working from home less fun, it means you’ll never be alone again. [TechCrunch]
A message from Michigan State House of Representatives: We’d like to make sure that a law is passed that will keep the city of Detroit from selling off the museum’s assets, but first things first. Vacation ‘til the fall! [Hyperallergic]
Here’s a video by Richard Prince burning one of his disputed Canal Zone paintings. [Gallerist]
The Hirshhorn’s plans to construct an architectural bubble have been scrapped, but that won’t stop the museum’s resigning director Richard Koshalek from keeping his dream alive. The Los Angeles Times reports that Koshalek wants to move back to California at the end of the year, and hopes to shop around a version of the “tech tent” bubble to an institution out there. Just like a traveling salesman. [Los Angeles Times]
Tyler Green has been to see Richard Serra’s Shift in Ontario, Canada! He’s written about the contested piece in depth, and explains its significance in a mix of reporting and criticism. Read this. [MAN]
The Whitney just restored Douglas Davis’ The World’s First Collaborative Sentence (1995), the museum’s first digital acquisition. Nobody’s really sure of the best way to restore online works, the Whitney included. Speaking to this, there’s versions on the Whitney’s site: one that’s new and functional, and then another, “historic” one with broken links. [The New York Times]

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Wednesday Links: I’m Very Lucky to Have Found Pour Painting

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on June 5, 2013

“I probably use more paint than anyone in the history of art,” says Artist Holton Rower proudly. “50 gallons!” he tells us, multiple times. He then explains that with the paint used to produce one of his works, you could paint a house inside and out 10 times. Did Rower mention how much paint it takes to make his work? [Tips]
Jean-Luc Godard made a 3-D film. [Mubi]
Ed Winkleman and Elizabeth Dee will be speaking in Art Basel on the role of mid-level galleries. Here’s a preview of their talk, in interview form. [Winkleman Blog]
Art dealer Matthew Marks and curator Jack Bankowsky’s West Village townhouse is up for sale. For $17.5 million, you, too, can own ceilings made for large-scale art, seven fireplaces, powder room, and basement gym. [Curbed New York]
Frieze has been killing it on the Biennale coverage. Dan Fox has a few afterthoughts on the Venice Biennale. I particularly like his rebuttal to this year’s biennale critics. [Frieze]
Also, Amy Sherlock on the Biennale winners. [Frieze]
We could have predicted this one, but the Pratt art store is finally closing. The art school’s film and video department will move into the building. [DNAinfo]
“Art in Transmission”, an article about how looking at art on a phone affects how we perceive and value it, has sparked a bit of conversation on Twitter this morning. The article indulges in some unfortunate generalizations—art is no longer discovered in biennials and fairs and magazines, but on the phone—being high up there for me, but it’s worth a look regardless. Set a bit of time aside for this—it’s written in academic-ese. [Artforum via:Andrew Russeth, Tyler Green, Kriston Capps]

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The 55th Venice Biennale Slideshow With Commentary: More Pavilions!

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on June 3, 2013

Part two of our slideshow series on the Venice Pavilions, with comments on Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Finland, The Netherlands, the Nordic Countries, Denmark, Latvia, and Lebanon.

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The 55th Venice Biennale: Giardini Slideshow With Commentary

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on June 3, 2013

Last week we spent hundreds of hours looking at art at the Venice Biennale. We saw a lot of art. It’s a sprawling affair, that invites hundreds of countries to exhibit their nation’s best artwork.

We have a lot to talk about, so without any further ado, here’s part one of our Giardini slideshow with commentary. It features pavilions by Russia, Great Britain, Switzerland, Venezuela, Greece, Poland, Serbia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, the United States, and Canada. Look for part two later today.

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Venice Prep: How Not To Wait In Line

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on May 29, 2013

Did anyone else spend four or more hours queuing in line to see Mike Nelson’s exhibition at the British Pavilion in 2011? Never. Again. Those making their game plan for the Venice Biennale today may want to get into the pavilions likely to have queue lines early. What are those pavilions? We have a list!

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Monday Links: Grown Up Art Partiers

by Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch on May 27, 2013

Silent Barn, a young, under-the-radar residency off the M line in Bushwick, is trying to get a legal space. Even with their RV “hostel” (pictured above), they’re doing it through a mix of on-the-job learning and Kickstarter. Not really sure what the Times thinks about all this transformation in Bushwick, other than that these art-partiers are now growing up. [The New York Times]
A tip relayed by a senior official in Rob Ford’s office links a recent homicide in Toronto and the alleged video of Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack. This beats any political scandal America can offer. [The Globe and Mail]
Art Basel | Basel is rebranding itself. Welcome to the world of Art Basel in Basel, Art Basel in Hong Kong, and Art Basel in Miami. [ARTINFO]
Will the Detroit Institute of Arts sell off its art collection to settle the city’s debts? The Internet is up in arms about this. The likelihood of this happening is slim, and the museum’s already come out with a statement saying this can’t happen because the museum is in the public trust. “As far as we’re concerned,” DIA’s Director Graham W.J. Beal told the Times, “as objects held in the public trust, they actually don’t have a value. I know people find that odd.” In case you, too, are wondering why objects in a public trust have no value, ask Donn Zaretsky at the Art Law Blog. [Gawker, Detroit Free Press, The New York Times]
Ai Weiwei will show six dioramas documenting his illegal detention in China at the Venice Biennale. It’s unclear how they were transported out of the country, but good that he found the means to do so. We’ll take a look at these works and report back this week. [NYTimes]
MonkeyTown all-terrine tickets are already sold out through June 17th. Best get them now. [MonkeyTown]

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← Previous Entries

Archive of

Paddy Johnson and Corinna Kirsch

Where Is Occupy Now?

Jules de Balincourt Issues Call to Arms Against Bushwick Gentrification

Bigger Than Koons: A Review of Chelsea’s Double-Feature

A Strange, Spiritual Turn at the 55th Venice Biennale

This Is What Happens When You Try to See The Rain Room

Pritzker Rejects Petition to Retroactively Recognize Denise Scott Brown

With “Trigger Treat”, PRISM Gets A Foe

What People Will Be Talking About At Art Basel

Ten Summer Specials For the New York Art World

This Week’s Must-See Art Events: Outside the Norm

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