Mapanare.us Constantly.Consuming.Culture.
  • Art
  • Interviews
  • Music
  • Live & Photos
  • Travel & Photos

Kathleen Vance Creates Intricate, Beautiful Wetlands Landscapes On Both Large And Small Scale

11/12/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Patrick Ogle

Kathleen Vance is a Brooklyn-based artist who creates beautiful wetland landscape sculptures, small and large. These are not fountains, they are recreations of woodlands and wetlands that may be as small as a purse or massive installation pieces. The larger work came first before it became “miniaturized.”

“I had been making large scale immersive environmental structures with the idea that people could physically enter the installations,” she says. “The Traveling Landscapes build from vintage cases were a way to create this feeling in an illusionary way, where viewers could imagine what it would be like to be in the miniature landscapes.”

Vance says she has a strong connection to nature and that, to her, walking in the forest is an enchanting experience that helps her realign her senses and thoughts. Her work converts the actual sensations in nature into something shareable.

“Translating this feeling to my sculptural work involves recreating aspects of the forest environment that I felt a personal connection with,” says Vance. “Light and scale are important components; I imagine myself at the scale I am working and like to have moments of discovery within the works.” 

See more at vanceartworks.com

Water is integral to the work; water is the at the very center of these works. It is impossible, after seeing any single piece, to imagine another without water as a component. This is not accidental or merely a matter of aesthetics.

“Water is the most important resource that we have as humans and I feel it is something to enjoy as a natural event in the outdoor environment. But we must take care to protect and make sure our waterways are clean. I create works that incorporate flowing water to show the strength and fragility of the ecosystems around waterways,” says Vance. “Achieving this is sometimes a challenging task, as I don't like for the engineering aspect of a project to get in the way of people enjoying my works. In the Traveling Landscapes, the most difficult aspect is transforming a suitcase or vintage into a vessel to hold water. These works mimic the way water acts in the natural world, so when you see water flow along the surface of the landscapes, it is also filtering down below into a hidden reservoir. So the cases themselves act as the basin of a reservoir to hold and capture the water which is recycled through the sculptures.”

The work recycles the water that is part of the art while the suitcases themselves are recycled into pieces of art. There is something appealing about any art that takes something that might wind up in a landfill and turns that item into something beautiful. These pieces, either the larger installations or the small Traveling Landscape work, have an almost hypnotic quality to them, which dovetails with Vance’s intent.

“I hope that people gain a moment of respite from their daily routine.  We can get so lost in the everyday goings on that we often don't get a chance to enjoy and experience some of the magical moments in nature,” she says. “I want to convey and capture a moment of wonder, that whisks a person away (at least in their mind) to a point of encounter with nature.”
Vance is also subtly reminding us about the importance of water in the environment and, indeed, in our daily lives.

“We should take care to maintain a balance with nature. There is a fragile balance in natural ecosystems that when it is disrupted can have catastrophic effects,” she says. “In my works I am conveying the preciousness of nature and while it is something to enjoy, we should do so in a respectful way.”

The Traveling Landscape work needs suitcases and the vintage suitcases and steamer trunks Vance uses all have individual and, generally, irretrievable, histories of their own and you won’t find them at a department store.

“I look for vintage cases that are from a time where travel was done at a slower pace, and somehow the world itself seemed larger. The distance between has not changed, just the ease in getting there. I feel an attraction to the romantic idea of travel, with a beauty to older style of suitcases and luggage.  Steamer trunks with wooden sides and metal ornamentation were built to last across long sea voyages, and that masterful construction is evident today as there are many that are held as heirloom items, or still used today as storage. Train cases seem to have a glamorous level of style,” she says. “I image the traveler who is possibly coming to a place for the first time (perhaps not to return) and what they would bring with them.What are the precious objects and what they long to have or what they have left behind? In a philosophical way, I relate the cases as a marker for travel, without the actual utility of their use, they act as metaphors for travel and containers for the most precious and necessary objects and needs.”

Vance says she is grateful for friends and colleagues always being on the lookout for these vintage, specialty cases. She is also always checking out thrift shops and antique stores for her next piece.
Picture
Water in nature is more than just individuals waterways, streams and rivers and Vance's pieces will reflect this in some future pieces.

“I am developing works that look at the larger systems that feed groundwater access points.  Creating sculptural installations with running water presents unique challenges at each site,” she says. “I am creating plans for permanent, larger public works that capture the wonder of the wilderness while presenting a level of informative engagement.”

You can see her Traveling Landscapes in Baggage Claims,  a traveling exhibition at the Peeler Art Center (DePauw University) through December 9, 2018. It will then be on  view at the Weisman Art Museum (University of Minnesota). Rockelmann & Partner () are showing her pieces this month (November, 2018).
Picture
0 Comments

Carbon 12 (Dubai) Is Poised To Celebrate 10 Years In Business With An Appearance At NADA Miami 2018

10/17/2018

0 Comments

 
PictureVollmond (Full moon) by Bernhard Buhmann
by Patrick Ogle

Carbon 12, (Dubai) is poised to celebrate 10 years in business with an appearance at NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance) Miami 2018. The gallery opened their doors in November 2008.

"It was the challenge and a Tabula Rasa starting fresh somewhere so new and totally 21st century." says Kourosh Nouri, Founding Director. "My partner Nadine Knotzer and I took this challenge and started to work on it in late 2007. This planning lasted almost a year. We opened our first show on the 28th of November with an already planned roster of artists. Think about it, showing Katherine Bernhardt back then and in Dubai!"

Nouri also says he felt that the time was right to open in Dubai. The city is home to over 170 nationalities and will be a 2020 World Expo host.

"So, many things were in the pipeline and we had to make sure we can put our artists on the map. Another noteworthy milestone of the gallery is our move a couple of months later to what is today the region’s biggest and most relevant
contemporary art hub, Alserkal Avenue, where our move as the first international player was the spark to what we see today." he says.


The General and The philosopher and his cat by Amir Khojasteh 

This year the gallery will, once again, show work at NADA Miami. Artists this year include Monika Grabuschnigg, Philip Mueller, Anahita Razmi, Amir Khojasteh and Bernhard Buhmann. These artists were chosen for this fair with care.

"Every art fair, from our perspective, is an extension of the gallery program/exhibitions… we think rationally about what to show and where to show it, in a fair and intelligent way toward the artists we represent," says Nouri. "An art fair is by no mean a place to throw gallery storage and purely selling for the sake of selling. The same way we want to place the best work in the best possible collections with the best conditions, the same way we need to make the necessary contacts with the press and critics, curators, museum professionals, etc."

These artists all reflect the aesthetic of the gallery; this is who they are, who the represent.

Carbon 12 have been a member of NADA for two years and are the only member from the region.

"NADA is one of the most important non-profit contemporary art organisations in the art world…  all the fairs related to NADA are relevant to us. The Miami experience last year was a very positive one," says Nouri. "It was our first Miami, and I believe no better way that this week of December to close the year, we met incredible people from all parts of the American continent, and this was great… of course Miami has its own “culture”, since art and night life mingle much closer to each other than, or instance, in New York the week of Armory."
Picture
New Silk Road Patterns #02/ Tokyo by Anahita Razmi

Dead transformer tiberio beach resort Irina and Beach resort Tiberio, Summer of no love southside by Philip Mueller

Picture
Blazing Gate by Monika Grabuschnigg
0 Comments

John Grande, Beyond Pop Art, Beyond Photorealism, At Scope Miami Beach 2017 Via Licht Feld (Basel)

12/4/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Patrick Ogle

John Grande is a New York City-based painter being show at this year's Scope Miami Beach by noted Swiss Gallery/art, Licht Feld. Grand is a painter whose background informs his work in a way that is fairly unique. His one-time day job making C-prints influenced and influences his work in interesting ways. Many painters who discuss influence from photos are talking about mimicking reality or distorting it. Grande's view is broader.

"I started working at Beth Schiffer's Fine Art Printing Lab right after I graduated from School Of Visual Arts in Manhattan. My experience working as a high end C printer was like going back to school again. When I say 'influenced me' I am talking about knowledge  in the art of creating a successful image," he says. "From Color theory to Composition--being able to work side by side with these highly successful photographers I was taking it all in and applying this knowledge to my work and adding it to my foundation of painting."

Picture

See Mapanare.us first interview with Fredy Hadorn of Licht Feld HERE.

Grande is creating paintings that are not quite photo realistic but if is aim was that they be that? They assuredly would be.The complex images he creates might be labelled "pop art" by some but that would be lazy. These complex images are more than mischievous morphing of popular culture. There is a subtly different artistic dialog here.

"This would be my dialogue of how I see and interpret the world around me. I see my self as a sort of visual journalist. A filter," says Grande. "Instead of words I use the the picture to create the story/idea i want to tell in each different body of work."

And the way Grande chooses to bring pop culture into his work is unique and intwined with how he visually builds and structures his paintings.
 
"Once again adding to the vocabulary of art. How do i take this thing "POP ART" and make it mine in a market that has become saturated with 'POP.' I hope that at the end of the day i am successful." he says.
Picture
On the Licht Feld website Grande's biography discuses the different ways he solves his conceptual problems. You see similar discussion from other artists. But each artist's contextual problems certainly vary.

"When I talk about the "contextual problems” I am referring to an idea and, how do I bringing the idea to conception with in the my photo representational style. Some one once told me 'Just because you can paint don’t paint for pomp and circumstance. Always find a way to add to the vocabulary of art'," he says. "This made me stop and really think about what I was painting and why. Every time I am starting a new This is what i mean by contextual problem. How do my ideas add to the vocabulary of art?"

Grande says the process in creating work is similar through his efforts, differing only in the deployment of that process.  

"I always find that there is something that i have done in previous work that i adopt and add it to my technique. My work has an even flow meaning that I through my process I discover new ways to create," says Grande. "I don’t believe in the Lightening bolt idea. I believe it is all about creating work."

The artists work hs been exhibited around the world. Exhibitions include shows in: The USA (New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington DC), Korea, Italy, India
and Canada). See his work during Miami Art Week 2017 at Scope Miami Beach.
0 Comments

Southern Guild (Cape Town & Johannesburg) Showing Work Focused On Africa's Unique Voice At Design Miami 2017

12/2/2017

0 Comments

 
PictureToco Toucan by Porky Hefer
by Patrick Ogle

Trevyn and Julian McGowan founded Southern Guild in 2008 in South Africa. Their focus then, and now, has been on locally produced, limited-edition pieces from artist/designers from South Africa. They choose artists based on a simple but not always common premise.

"Mostly that they can’t not make what they’re making – they’re called to it and are passionate about the work they do. Authenticity and heart plus talent and of course, superb production value and distinct voice." says Trevyn McGowan.

This year McGowan says there is an even more of a focus on an African aesthetic.

"This year’s collection has a clarity of focus that establishes Africa's unique voice, viewpoint and narrative. Collectible design is a comparatively new category in Africa, which means our designers are emotionally driven and more visceral than cerebral. What we see and enjoy every year at Miami is how the works elicit such an emotional response from the audience." says McGowan.

Southern Guild participates in numerous design and art fairs around the world but Miami is a unique opportunity for the group.

"Location, connection and inspiration. Miami attracts 33 of the leading design galleries in the world so it’s a fantastic space to learn in and to reestablish our confidence as our sales are always great. We also get to see our colleagues and

friends in the industry and to plan the coming year with our partner galleries," says McGowan. "The fantastic events surrounding the fair throughout the city provide enormous inspiration. Miami is incredibly fun and has such a fantastic vibe – the parties and that perfect sea work magic on all of us."

Design Miami occurs yearly in Miami Beach and Basel and features established and new designers/artists. They represent the cutting edge in design every year. The fair is truly where design meets fine art and no exhibitor demonstrates this more eloquently than Southern Guild.

Spitfire by Adam Birch & Tropism by Charles Haupt (photos by Ben Orkin)

0 Comments

Pinta Miami Platforms Section Highlights The Art Of Three South American Countries (Peru, Argentina & Brazil) In Kabinet-Style Exhibitions December 6 To 10, 2017

11/28/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Patrick Ogle

Pinta Miami Art Fair began in New York in 2006. The Miami version logically followed in 2014. Where better to showcase Latin American art than in Miami? All versions of the fair are a clarion call for recognition of art from all of Latin America. This call, and the prominent display of art by numerous contemporary and historical figures in Latin American art, has increased the visibility of the art as a whole. It has, and continues to,  give deserved recognition to a legion of artists.

A new section at the fair is Pinta Platforms. This is a section of the fair dedicated to giving visibility to modern and contemporary art from Latin America. Galleries can show their artists Kabinet-style (in themed or otherwise related sections). Within Pinta Platforms there will also be Pinta Country Sections.

Pinta Platforms  is curated by Roc Laseca.  

“Pinta Platforms count on special benefits for Spanish and Latin American artists to present their work in the frame of the fair. International galleries, specifically those from Latin America, the US, and Europe, are encouraged to apply and submit up to three proposals that were reviewed by the curatorial committee,” says Laseca. “Those galleries participating at the fair's main section, were welcome to apply as well to Pinta Platforms and submit a proposal for a solo-show cabinet. Galleries were welcome to apply for any artistic proposal that might consider remarkable, yet the curatorial committee gave preference to installation projects and to those art contributions that do not have...public visibility.”

This, as noted, is the first time Pinta Platforms has been part of the fair and there has been a bit of reorganization to go along with this new feature.

“We have reoriented the curatorial sections to spread our artistic proposals beyond regular media, which was the usual format of previous editions. We are very humbled with the resulting selected artist and looking forward to initiate our feedback with visitors, collectors, curators and colleagues that will stop by the fair,” says Laseca.  


Pinta will be open from 12 pm to 8pm from December 6 - 10 at Mana Wynwood (2217 NW 5th Ave., Miami). For more info head to www.pintamiami.com.

Gastón Herrera via Gabelich Contemporaneo (Argentina)

The Pinta Country Sections was created with the intention of being a stage for works that are representative of specific countries. This year those countries are Argentina, Brazil and Peru. Each section has their own theme. The curators of the Argentinian and Peruvian sections were available to discuss their sections.

Florencia Battiti, of the Argentine section, aims to highlight the influence of the market in artistic production and how it does not necessarily prevent production of powerful and conceptual works--and may even inspire such art.

“The art market in Argentina has been getting stronger and more dynamic in recent years, but in my opinion, this does not  play a significant role in contemporary art production. Contemporary artists in Argentina do not produce ‘for’ the market, as much as the market is, of course, an unavoidable presence not only in the art world, but the world at large,: says Battiti  “In my selection of Argentinian art for PINTA Miami, I picked artists whose works imbue established symbolic value and market value. For example, the case of Roman Vitalli or works that could potentially gain value in both ambits, symbolic and market, like in the case of the young artist, Sol Pochat.”
Picture
Federico-Lanzi via Maria Casado Home Gallery (Argentina)
But what is the place of the market? Where is it a benefit and where is it a detriment, in general, and in the context of art in Argentina?

"If an artist, through the gallery that represents her, succeeds in getting her work into the market and if doing so allows  her to completely immerse herself into the art, then her creativity will likely benefit because all her efforts will be geared to producing a work of art,” says Battiti. “However, under no circumstances should the market become the “interlocutor” of the artist. ... the decisions that artists make at the time of creating their own artistic poetry do not obey the market’s dictates. Of course, there are artists who will do exactly that, or who will at some point in their careers, but this type of practice falls under his own weight. An interesting case is Milo Locket whose artwork is popular and sells very well in the market, but whose symbolic value is practically nonexistent. The interrelation between the symbolic value of a work of art and its value in the market is very delicate and their variables affect them both.”


There are instances when “the market” can become an obstacle to creativity--in much the same way it can become an obstacle to progress in any economic endeavor.

“The market can become an obstacle to creativity when its power is too great and the artist does not succeed in handling its siren call, but under context like in the case of the Argentinian, where the market does not have the greatest power, the obstacle is sometimes the ability to sustain sales,” says Battiti. “When an artist becomes a millionaire like the collectors who buy his works, we can think about Damien Hirst, this can become an obstacle to his creativity. However, we cannot deny that there are also artists who have an excellent market insertion and whose works also enjoy a high symbolic value--like the case of Anish Kapoor.”


Picture
Cecilia Paredes via Denise Dourojeanni (Peru)
Max Hernández Calvo will be in charge of the Peru section which gathers the work of six galleries to show the diversity and liveliness of Peru’s scene. The section features young, up and coming artist and established artists--both working in the context of “recodifying local references.”

“Peru’s art scene has undergone a period of significant growth since mid 2000s. We have to keep in mind that during the 80s and 90s Peru was pretty much isolated not just from the global scene but also the regional one, due political instability (we had a dictatorship from 1992-2000), terrorism (1980-2000) and the economic crisis, which was absolutely critical during the 80s.,” says Calvo.

As the country recuperated--in terms of both democracy and economic stability--new artistic institutions arose and relations with the international art world improved.

“This scenario saw the emergence of a number of local artists of tremendous talent who managed to gain international reputations, something that shed light on our artistic scene, while a new generation of artists with great ambition and drive are reshaping our local art world, which is becoming more and more international--something reflected in the fact that from the six galleries selected, two are international, with operations in Lima. In that regard, our greatest strength lays without a doubt on our artists.” says Calvo.

The Peru section captures the strengths and diverse range of artists using artists from different generations and backgrounds. These range from  Andrea Ferrero, born in 1991, to a well-established and reputed artist like Gam Klutier, born in 1946.

“I believe the works themselves will give a clear sense of our vibrant art scene and the different paths being explored at this very moment.” says Calvo.

Andrea Ferrero and Jesús Pedraglio Via Ginsberg Galleria (Peru)

Calvo says the very concept of the Countries Project section invited reflection; what should a Peruvian section even look like?  This section shares a heritage--or more accurately many heritages in a composite project of a better future for all Peruvian artists. Calvo noting that “better” will mean different things to different people.

“Some of the projects engage with this heritage, which can be that of pre-Columbian cultures, like Eduardo Llanos and Jesús Pedraglio, or of the colonial era, like Andrea Ferrero, others with our geography and our resources, like Claudia Coca and Diego Lama, also our native rituals and their current iterations, as in the works of Katherinne Fiedler and, from a regional perspective, Adriana Ciudad,” says Calvo. “Still others deal with global issues read from our vantage point--Miguel Aguirre—or address aesthetic and affective issues in personal terms, like Gam Klutier. In brief, the dialectic of looking back and looking forward is already contained in many of the projects to be seen in the Peruvian section at the art fair.”


Picture
Adriana Ciudad via Y Gallery (Peru)
0 Comments

Capucine Safir, French-Born, Miami-Based Artist Brings Her Sculpture To Superfine! Miami 2017 December 6 To 10, 2017

11/19/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Patrick Ogle

Capucine Safir is a French-born, Miami-based sculptor whose work is to be shown at Superfine! Miami 2017. She is a self-taught sculptor whose career as a professional artist began three years ago.

"Being a self taught sculptor is a luxury. I mean by that I am not constrained by a way of thinking or making art. However, it requires more discipline to stay focused because there is so much to explore, to discover and there is no limit when it comes to creativity," she says. "As for the technical part, the journey of an artist is made of trial and error anyway, this part is not different from someone who went to art school. Sculpture is sometimes close to chemistry, you need to learn the different curing process or the drying time of a material depending of the mass and temperature. I’d say that patience is the key here."

An undefined big change in her life led her to a new career in art and the move to Miami.

"After 4 years in Miami I see the art scene is constantly evolving and Art Basel is the major reason for that. All the art lovers and collectors are focused on Miami in December each year but it also makes the Magic City special all year long." says Safir.

In addition to reaching the ever growing number collectors and art aficionados focused on Miami Safir aims beyond South Florida. She has sold work around the world and hopes to exhibit in both Europe and Asia.  Miami is a great base for achieving this goal.


Picture

See more from Capucine Safire HERE
Follow on Twitter
@capucinesafir ‏
Follow on Instagram @capucinesafirart

The artist's work isn't influenced by location alone; no artist's work ever is.

"It is commonly said that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Well this is what happened few months after my son had been diagnosed with congenital CMV. It transformed my life in many ways and one of them was to reinvent myself,”  she says. "At first, my work was really driven by my present emotions, it was also very physical. I was carving into stone. It sounds cliché but it worked as a therapy."

She says she has moved on from this shock and her inspiration is now more diverse.


"I feel my art maturing, I’m building confidence. When I look at my work from the beginning, I see the evolution of myself as an artist and as a person. It’s been 3 years now that I’m a professional artist, it’s only the beginning of a very exciting journey." says Safir.


Picture
At Superfine Safir will be showing mostly new artwork.

"I made a series of 18 small scale unique pieces called Sweet, from hand carved in plaster. They look like colorful marshmallows. I didn’t show them to a lot of people yet because I want to keep the surprise for the fair but the reactions so far are very positive. I will also show three different Soul pieces ( in pictures). This series is my best seller, people always ask me for new ones.” she says


The piece, L’Evaporation des hommes, was created in 2016 but is being shown for the first time at Superfine. The work is a framed sculpture in mixed media.

"Each piece I make is hand made, hand-carved, so it is unique. This is also what my collectors love about my work." she says.

She says she did well at the fair last year and that the energy, the parties and the general affordability of pieces at Superfine made it a destination fair during Art Week. Safir hopes her work has a specific effect on people who see it at Superfine.


"Art can question, intricate, bother or soothe people. My artwork is more in the last category it is very personal, it reflects my hidden part, the one that is soft, laid-back, free and more optimistic," she says. "People feel that in my sculptures. They always refer to something smooth, calming, soothing and I love to hear that, this is exactly why I do art. I want people to feel good surrounded by my sculptures, I want them to love them, to touch them etc."  


0 Comments

FORM MIAMI Is A New Material-Based Fair Set To Open In Miami Beach December 6 To 10, 2017

11/15/2017

0 Comments

 

Interview With Show Director, Donna Davies

Pictureby Bertil Vallien (Schantz Galleries)
by Patrick Ogle

FORM MIAMI is a newcomer to Miami's Art Week. There are new fairs in Miami every year and sometimes fairs vanish after a year. Other times they carve out a niche in the crowded field. Form is likely to be among the latter; it is a fair with a unique focus and approach.

"Form Miami is the only art fair during Miami Art Week dedicated to contemporary applied arts. We are a material-based art fair therefore, the galleries exhibiting at Form Miami will have museum-quality, unique works of art in glass, ceramics, fiber, wood, and other material-based work by contemporary artists." says Donna Davies, Show Director and VP of the Art Group at Urban Expositions.


Urban Expositions, based in Georgia with offices in Connecticut, Florida and Illinois, manage 35 different events. Six of these events are art related including: Art Aspen, Art Hamptons, Houston Art Fair, Art Palm Springs and SOFA Chicago. SOFA, another material-based fair, is one of the longest running art fairs in the USA. They've been around for 24 years. That fair is the sister fair of the new Miami effort.

"The artists and galleries are very similar to those you will find in our SOFA CHICAGO fair with the applied arts focus. SOFA Chicago and Form Miami are singular in this focus versus Art Palm Springs and Art Aspen, which are much more focused on two-dimensional artwork with some sculpture exhibited in the fair." says Davies.



Picture
While you will find material-based galleries and artists there is no fair totally dedicated to three dimensional material focused art. That makes this fair a destination for collectors and art aficionados interested in material-based pieces.

The fair's location on Miami Beach is nearby Art Basel Miami, Design Miami and Ink Miami as well as Lincoln Road. In fact the availability of the location is a big part of why FORM came to Miami.


"The location was a key factor in our decision to be in Miami. We had been looking at the market for quite some time but did not want to make a move into Miami unless we had the right venue and location," says Davies. "With our venue being across from Art Basel, steps from Lincoln Road and Collins Avenue, it made perfect sense to be in this highly desirable location."


 The fair is also about education; there is more to fine arts than paintings with a few sculptures tossed in.

"Our hope is that we make collectors who have been attending Miami Art Week and perhaps unaware of material-based work, to learn more and of course, acquire these exciting pieces! Three-dimensional work has such tactile and organic qualities, sculptural qualities that can be quite realistic or amorphous and organic," says Davies. "We hope that what collectors and art patrons who visit Miami that week is to have a fantastic, educational and enlightening experience viewing these exciting works of art in a variety of mediums presented by some of the most prestigious galleries who represent these artists and dedicated programs."

Picture
0 Comments

Pansy Ass Ceramics Bringing Sculpture And Ceramics To Superfine! Miami Art Fair 2017 (December 6 To 10)

11/10/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Patrick Ogle

Superfine! Miami art fair is in its third year at Miami’s Art Week. They are on the small side of the fairs during the week and they aim to show art regular people can actually afford. They also eschew the “big white wall” method of displaying, opting instead for a more organic type of exhibition. There was something almost homey about last year’s Miami edition.

This year one of the exhibitors riffs on pieces from the home. Kris Aaron and Andy Walker of Pansy Ass Ceramics are bringing sculpture and ceramic pieces from their studio in Toronto to Superfine! Miami. They find inspiration in pieces your grandma may well have had in her china cabinet--sort of.


“We are a couple and we share a love of vintage china and housewares. We've always been struck by the beauty and queerness of vintage china and how ironic it is that these pieces were often used and displayed in the traditional family home,” says Aaron, “We started collecting and initially began painting gay images and words on vintage pieces.  We decided we needed a name and it only seemed fitting that it was unapologetically gay one!”

There were a couple other reasons for the name.

“We also wanted to use "Pansy" in the name because it is a derogatory term that we have always really liked. Its this beautiful, delicate, but really common flower that seems to grow in everyone's garden.” says Walker.


They didn’t, initially, intend dual meaning. There weren’t out to turn granny’s tea pot into a penis sculpture but they did want to inject a bit of the queer into their art.

“We enjoy that people can proudly display pieces that say something about themselves in their homes.  We specialize in sculptural work but we also create more affordable utilitarian pieces for those who don't have the ability to collect our bigger more intricate work.” says Aaron.

The fact that everyone can, and does, use ceramics everyday was also appealing.

“One of the great things about working with ceramics is that it has this history of being functional. We aside from our sculptural more decorative exhibition work we also have been working on some functional things like mug and creamers et cetera that, like Kris mentioned, bring an overt sexuality into the everyday.” says Walker.

Picture
They produce everything themselves at their Toronto studio. Everything is handmade and slip-cast. Slip casting is a process that uses a liquid clay body and plaster moulds.

“We model objects and then cast them in plaster and are able to make multiples from these moulds. This is the process used for most industrial pottery. So we work with elements of this, but we generally deconstruct the objects that we work with and combine them with others to create our vision.” says Walker. “So it usually goes concept, then we break it down into elements that can work with. We also do hand building, sculpting and coiling  to create the forms  , just a few different techniques for working with clay.”

Pansy Ass’ sculptural pieces are produced in closed, number series. Other pieces, such as planters and mugs, their more utilitarian pieces, are open productions that they make to order. They both design and create the pieces. Sometimes the two come up with the concept together and other times one of them has a solo inspiration.

“Thankfully our creative thoughts are in-tune and we share the same aesthetic taste.” says Aaron.

Pansy Ass Ceramics are bringing a variety of pieces to Superfine! Miami.

“We've created some naughty vases that I think people are really going to enjoy.  We've also got some wall-mounted flamingos and banana pieces that will brighten up any room.  And there will always be a few dicks on display. “ says Aaron.


Their work isn’t really grandma's china transmogrified of course. There are just some elements from that world. There are other influences as well.

"The vases that we are bringing to Superfine! are sort of our interpretation of classical Greek pots. in the ancient world sexuality was a part of the everyday life, and was well represented in domestic decoration,” says Walker. “This was something that was erased in the 19th century and made taboo for modern western society. In our work in general we try to reverse this shame associated with sexuality and desire, by bringing it back to a prominent feature of the home.”


The pieces blend the imagery and aesthetics of modern ceramics with those of ancient Greece. The forms are similar, the style is similar but there is an obvious modernity to the vases.

Aaron and Walker’s work, beyond the embrace of sexuality, also brings us back into times in our own lives. What brought them to create these pieces, and their love of the vintage, pieces has its roots in their, and our, past.


“I think our draw to vintage housewares comes from our childhoods. I think many of us have the shared experience of growing up in houses, or had grandparents, with shelves full of tchotchkes and bric-a-brac. Ceramics have this great ability to be collectable and are used in homes to create environments that reflect people’s identities, quirks and interests,” says Walker. “All art really does this, but ceramics traditionally were more accessible and made at industrial scales. We are totally obsessed with 50's and 60s Japanese ceramics. there are thousands of really colorful, stylized and campy animals that were coming out of Japan at this time. We both individually had a collection of these and when we met and saw each other's collections we new we had found something special.”

Head to Superfine! Miami (56 N.E. 29th Street, Miami) to find something special from Pansy Ass Ceramics for yourself.

0 Comments

Antonio Riello, From Italy, Works In Every Media You Can Imagine: Glass, Painting, Sculpture, Photography And More

3/31/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Patrick Ogle

Antonio Riello is an Italian artist who works in pretty much every sort of media you can imagine. Within this any subject is also fair game. He manipulates and mauls this subject matter, recreating it into something new and also reflective. The art all revolves around his central tenet; to Riello ambivalence is the "symbolic form" of the modern age. When looking at his art it is helpful to keep this in mind.

His work at Scope Miami 2016 was largely made from glass.

"One distinctive feature of my work is to focus about the ambiguous nature of human violence and its tools (notably weapons) I decided to suggest the idea of an "aggressive fragility". In order to get this I combined a weapon (a pistol) with the most fragile kind of matter par excellence: glass," says Riello. "I am well aware that glass as a medium in contemporary art is a 'slippy and dangerous' one.  It is very necessary to have a purpose to use it, instead its charm can become, artistically speaking, pretty unwelcome and unexpected."

Picture
Civil War
One of the glass pieces, Civil War, was shown at Scope Miami 2016.

"A certain amount of ambiguity (disturbing and quirky) is always present in all my artworks. In very specific case of CIVIL WAR the elegant minimalism of the 'frozen' glass is in blatant contrast with the 'Pop-Style' of the pistols," he says. "A kind of paradoxical hotness embedded in cold. A piece where quality and quantity can melt together in a weird unity."

Riello says working with Berengo Studio in glass is a paradise for artists.

"The people working there are really available and focused on artist's idea. So over there on Murano Island, step by step, one can create and test until the required artistic result happens. Melting, mixing, assembling, warming, cooling, colouring, polishing, throwing away, restarting. That is the way," he says. "I collaborate also with a young talented independent glass blower, Massimo Lunardon, usually working with a different type of glass, the Pyrex Glass."

To see more and keep up on news on Riello head to www.antonioriello.com

Riello decided to become an artist after reading Paul Klee's Diary of a Trip to Tunisia.

"Since that time I have considered myself nothing but an artist (although at University I got a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry). Dealing every day with people, creativity, cultures, history and, of course, different materials is always a great experience," says Riello. "What I have to add is that it is necessary to be very resilient and very self disciplined to get results. The common idea of the artist life as a 'layabout relaxing experience' is totally wrong. Being a professional artist is a job very serious and demanding, where one is fully-immersed around the clock."

Everyone who aspires to be an artist should have the words above stuck to their bathroom mirror to be read every day.

Riello, as noted, works in a wide variety of media. He is a painter, designer, sculptor, photographer. He also has worked in a medium many don't widely consider art (yet), video games. Video games, in many ways, are an avenue to raising consciousness that goes beyond a painting or sculpture--and it can be a positive or negative consciousness.

"My personal attitude is to find out, for every new idea of mine, it's perfect companion in terms of media. The match must be carefully chosen and planned. I don't like the idea of be enslaved by a particular technique or media," says Riello. "I want to master them instead and, in order to do that, for every work I arrange a team of specialists working with me (with the exception of drawings and painting usually)."

In 1996 a wave of immigrants arrived--mostly from Albania. Riello chose to make art about this arrival.

"I made it (using) my wicked and ambiguous nature: (it was) a playable video game named ITALIANI BRAVA GENTE (ITALIANS GOOD FELLOWS). (It was) a way to mock the new rising xenophobia  (and sometime even racism) of Italian people." he says.

The video game was noticed and was seen as a bit scandalous, which was part of his intent. He chose to use a video game as the media because most other media in Western society is politically correct. They do not truly reflect the negatives in society. Riello says that when it comes to "dirty matters" such as racism, colonialist attitudes, violence and war? Look at the games as a barometer.

"(People say) 'it is just a  game.... (but) if we want to see the filthy and embarrassing side of our lifestyle we should pay attention to the video games, actually a sort of moral garbage." he says.

Riello's game brings a moral component into the gaming universe.  Such games need not be "moral garbage." It is also fascinating how games have changed as they have become more a part of the larger society. There are numerous games that now have a moral component built in; moral decisions are part of the game. It is worth wondering if any of today's game designers know of Riello's early thoughts on the subject.

In 2017 Riello has work on exhibit at the Boca Raton Museum of Art that ends July 2, 2017. He also has solo exhibitions coming in London and Bologna.

"In May I take part of Biennale di Venenzia  with an installation of mine." he says.

Click on an image to enlarge

Picture
0 Comments

Sei Shimura, Based In Los Angeles Straddles The Line Between Fine And Commercial Art

3/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Patrick Ogle

Sei Shimura is a Los Angeles-based artist whose work straddles the line between fine art and commercial art. This, if you have the skill and mindset, is a great position for an artist; you can make a living and exercise your creativity simultaneously.

Shimura sees his fine art work as virtually inseparable from his commercial pieces
.

"My art itself is almost an extension of my design and my design also is supported as my art as a digital medium.  My approach to art is much like how I approach designing a t-shirt graphic or a print.  My stencils are separated by color like a multi colored screen print would be," says Shimura. "Also my composition of my art is much like my design, as I like to use bold graphics with sharp lines mixed with an organic application of paint or textural materials. My art also supports my design work because it gives me an edge over other designers who just do service work for clients. People want my artistic perspective on their design projects. In a sense my design work is art , just on a more commercial medium.”  

Picture

Find out more at  www.shimuradesign.com

He uses a variety of materials in his work.

"I work mostly with spray paint, stencils, and resin.  I like to combine many layers of paint and resin to create depth. On wooden panels, I like to make a background collage of various paper whether it be Japanese rice paper or money," he says. "Diamond dust is sold at any arts and crafts store and it is essentially finely ground glass."

Shimura's clients range from Coca Cola to Snoop Dogg and a vast array of other clients.

"Working with big corporate companies is great because of the exposure that they can provide but often can be limiting to the creativity as often you find yourself compromising your art to match the brands’ core values or requests that they may have," he says. "Working with music industry artists are much more fun and liberating as they are artists too and want you to do whatever you want as they appreciate your input and aesthetic."

To Shimura any line between the commercial and "fine" art is a thin one. Indeed fine artists have, for more than a generation depicted everyday consumer items in their work.

"I think that design is just commercial art because it's meant to be consumed by the mass.  But when Warhol puts a Brillo on a box or Campbell Soup packaging on a canvas it becomes art because of it's not a consumer product any more.  I think new logos can become art too if it's painted on a canvas." says Shimura.

Shimura wants his work to trigger nostalgia; his pieces incorporate objects from our past, our everyday lives. His work brings these objects back as images, symbols.

"I want people to understand the thought behind the appropriation of something old into something new," he says. "Beauty and aesthetics is something that kind of happens through the process and is sometimes an after thought of the message."
Shimura has made art and painted for most of his life. He became intrigued by the notion that you could make a living at art. It fascinated him that people would pay you to start with nothing and create something out of your own imagination. He also recognizes there is a balance.

"It’s a very attractive lifestyle to me. Being a starving artist is still much more desirable and respectable than being rich working for someone else. Passion over pension." he says.

In 2017 he is making more art with the aim of putting together a new solo show.
Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    RSS Feed

    Interviews
    This section is interviews with artists, musicians, writers and anyone else we think is interesting.

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Art Basel 2012 Previews
    Art Basel 2015 Previews
    Art Basel 2016 Previews
    Art Miami
    Art Week Miami 2013
    Art Week Miami 2014 Previews
    Books
    Design
    Films
    Graphic Novels
    Interviews
    Miami Art Week 2017
    Miami Art Week 2018
    Music
    PFAF 2019
    Photography
    Previews
    Superfine!

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    November 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    March 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    April 2010