Blog Archives - Mapanare.us Constantly.Consuming.Culture.

Jerald Melberg Gallery (Charlotte) Showed Work By Wolf Kahn And Raul Diaz At Art Miami 2014

12/29/2014

House in Maine Pinewoods by Wolf Kahn

Jerald Melberg Gallery (Charlotte) always have the distinctive work of Wolf Kahn and Raul Diaz (among other equally distinctive artists such as Susan Grossman).

Kahn's work, usually of structures embedded in landscapes with an almost "pastel" color scheme. As you can see that sounds like a horrible thing to say but Kahn's dreamy color schemes, his subdued coloration always seems to work. Pastel isn't QUITE the way to put it but close enough. Some of his pieces are simpler (to the point of abstraction) and others, like House in the Maine Pinewoods, have a more realistic look.

Diaz has numerous pieces using this same image and this is one of the more colorful versions (it is mixed media on wood panel). There is always relief and texture in these works that do not come through in photographs. You can see a bit of this but, really, you need to see them in person.

El Camino by Raul Dizz

Archeus/ Post Modern Showed Work By Hughie O'Donoghue And Pierre Soulages At Art Miami 2014

12/29/2014

Crow IV by Hughie O'Donoghue

Archeus/ Post Modern showed these pieces by Hughie O'Donoghue and Pierre Soulages at Art Miami 2014.

O'Donoghue, from Manchester (U.K.), his work uses figures and abstraction in equal doses. In the piece above you see the crow but you also see other possibilities and forms in the work. The artist speaks about his art (in the context of an exhibition at the Royal Academy in 2012) HERE.

Soulages is a French painter, engraver and sculptor. He is in his mid 90s and continues to create. He was noted for his use of...black. It isn't that he did a lot of monochromatic work but just that, to him, black was a pivot point for his art--black in itself and its play with light as well as in contrast to other colors. His background also includes being a stage set designer. It is interesting how many painters and sculptors have that on their resume. A recent article from the New York Times discusses the artist's work in depth.

Archeus is an online gallery based in the U.K. They feature a variety of artists from household name sorts of artists to less widely known, more academic sorts.

Peinture 19 Novembre 1951 by Pierre Soulages

Rosenbaum Contemporary (Miami) Showed Work By Antoni Tàpies, Jean Dubuffet And Manolo Valdés At Art Miami 2014

12/29/2014

Dues mans by Antoni Tapies

Rosenbaum Contemporary ( Bal Harbour/Boca Raton) showed work by Antoni Tàpies, Jean Dubuffet and Manolo Valdés at Art Miami 2014.

Tàpies was a Catalan artist whose work is to be the subject of an upcoming exhibit at the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) beginning February 5, 2015. He was a painter and sculptor but was equally important as a theorist.

Dubuffet, a French painter, was something of an iconoclast but a kinder gentler iconoclast--no literal smashing involved. His work was graphic and humanistic in approach and seems to, at least in part, to have been fueled by a dislike of authority. He championed and was influenced by the work of outsiders--real outsiders, not how the term is used today. His work is usually textured and is sometimes chaotic. Amongst the outsiders whose work he championed were kids and the mentally ill; these distinct groups are often used to comparatively disparage pieces of art when, in fact, many artists strive to achieve the honesty of works created by either group.

Valdés, a Spanish artist, currently lives in New York. He is a painter, sculptor and also works with mixed media. His work is often ironic and political in tone. This photo of his work doesn't do the piece or the artist justice. Find out and see more HERE.

Site Avec Un Personnage by Jean Dubuffet

Perfil Sobre Fondo Rojo by Manolo Valdes

Heller Gallery (New York) Showed Work By Steffan Dam And Charlotte Potter At Art Miami 2014

12/29/2014

Family Tree

Heller Gallery (New York) showed work by Steffan Dam and Charlotte Potter at Art Miami 2014.

Everyone seems to recall this booth from Art Miami 2014; this is likely because the artists show create unusual pieces that are both conceptual and aesthetically pleasing.

Dam's inspiration comes from the old style collector of insects, specimen and errata. These are the sorts of things you can still find in oddity and curio shops about the world. Dam, who works in glass, creates striking pieces based on this corner of our history.

Potter's work, from a distance, seem like old fashioned cameos but on closer inspection you see the images are mostly of a more modern sort of rendering. Likewise you will notice the blood moving from one generation to the next.

The artist works in glass, video and installation. She has a BFA from Alfred University and an MFA (with honors) from RISD. She is a co-founder of Cirque de Verre and the Glass Theater, troupes of glass performers. At the moment Potter is Glass Studio Manager and Programming Director at the Chrysler Museum of Art. Glass and performance are two forms of art that do not generally POP into the mind together--if for no other reason than the image of things smashing (but then I am a clumsy person). Find out more about Potter HERE.

8 Jars

Delaive/Torch/Rueb (Amsterdam) Showed A Multitude Of Artists At Art Miami 2014

12/29/2014

Nostalgia for the Opposite

by Terry Rodgers

Delaive, Torch and Rueb galleries are all from Amsterdam but are distinct galleries with each their own aesthetic. Artists shown at Art Miami 2014 included; Terry Rodgers, Alfredo Jaar, Eelco Brand, Karel Appel, Raoul Dufy, Auguste Herbin and Sam Francis.

A pretty eclectic mix for one (rather large) booth.

There is too much to say about all these artists (Appel's take on a children's painting alone would mean pages and pages of writing!). Then there is; "Why was work by Sam Francis literally everywhere this year during Art Week Miami?" question.

Other People Think (a text by John Cage)

by Alfredo Jaar

12.movi by Eelco Brand

Peter Marcelle Project (New York/Southampton) Showed Work By Donald Sultan And Larry Rivers At Art Miami 2014

12/21/2014

Peter Marcelle Project (New York/Southampton) showed work by Donald Sultan and Larry Rivers at Art Miami 2014. There seemed to be a number of galleries showing Sultan's work (earlier we noted his work shown by Piece Unique out of Paris). Earlier in this year we noted Galerie Ernst Hilger showing work by Rivers at Expo Chicago.

This piece by Sultan, Black Roses Aug 19 1989, is charcoal on paper. It looks like ink or even paint, a very elegant piece.

Celebrating 400th Birthday of Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus by Rivers is a elaborate effort (as the subject deserves) and is oil on canvas.

Bridgette Mayer Gallery (Philadelphia) Showed Work By Neil Anderson And Graeme Todd At Art Miami 2014

12/21/2014

Summer Evening by Neil Anderson

Bridgette Mayer Gallery from Philadelphia showed pieces by Neil Anderson an Graeme Todd at Art Miami 2014.

Anderson's pieces are oil on linen while Todd's are mixed media. You can read artist's statements at the gallery link above.

The gallery is heading into it's 14th year. They exhibit US artists who work in painting, sculpture and photography. Great emphasis is placed on innovation of process.

Sudaram Tagore (New York) Showed Work By Nathan Slate Joseph And Chatchai Puipia At Art Miami 2014

12/20/2014

Bigred and Bigblue

Sundaram Tagore Gallery (New York) showed pieces by Nathan Slate Joseph and Chatchai Puipia at Art Miami 2014. I discovered this gallery wandering around, looking at other galleries, in New York a little over a year ago. Ever since then we have run pieces on their openings and looked forward to seeing them at fairs.

Joseph's work deals with social issues ranging from immigration to climate change. He has been involved with the New York School of Art for over 40 years. These pieces: Bigred and Bigblue are pure pigment on steel. The artist uses bits of discarded steel which he stains with raw pigment and acid. His work has been installed in numerous large hotels and is in the collections of numerous prestigious institutions.

Puipia is a Thai artist with a BFA from Silpakorn University. He currently lives in Tokyo. This piece, Life in the City of Angels: War Zone, is oil and pigments on canvas.

Life in the City of Angels: War Zone

Nikola Rukaj Showed "Sitting Out" By Malcolm Liepke At Art Miami 2014

12/19/2014

Nikola Rukaj Gallery (Toronto) showed this piece, Sitting Out, by Malcolm Liepke at Art Miami 2014.

Liepke was born in Minneapolis, educated in California (Art Center College of Design in Pasadena) and ultimately moved to New York. His work has frequently been used by high profile news magazines on their covers and is in the collection of the Smithsonian (among many others). There is an intimacy to his work, subjects are shown close, either staring down the viewer or caught in some private act (often simple things). The body may be the focus or the face. In some of his work only the body is shown. His work shows something all great portraiture does--the humanity of the subjects. They are not like a vase or bowl full of oranges on a table in Liepke's work; they live and breath.

The gallery shows work by Modern and Contemporary artists from Europe and North America. Their exhibits are usually in conjunction with museums and other institutions. The artists are generally critically acclaimed and work in a variety of media.

Dean Project (Miami) Showed Art By Hunt Slonem And Bryan Drury At Art Miami 2014

12/19/2014

Green Amazons on Yellow by Hunt Slonem

Dean Project out of Miami showed work by Hunt Slonem and Bryan Drury at Art Miami 2014.

A year or two back we showed images by Hunt Slonem of a wall full of bunnies or I thought I did. It is entirely possible I just remembered seeing it. Now Slonem has some paintings of birds and some rather large sculptures of...bunnies. Although I confess I am unsure if the sculpture is actually by Slonem.

For those who think this is just a cutesy thing rather than art I would advise a close look at the masterful oil on wood piece above (frame by the artist as well). His work is detailed and is one thing up close and an entirely different thing from across the room. Lovely work.

Drury's apocalyptic beast of burden can be taken in so many ways as commentary on so many aspects of our world, past and present, that it almost boggles the mind. Combine that with detail oriented, perfect technique that screams "Dali' or the like (in skill not style) and you have an artist to be reckoned with.

Beast of Burden by Bryan Drury