Banksy in Chicago

This may not be news to most of you, but I found out on Thursday in another class that there was a Banksy piece here in Chicago over on Randolph and Peoria so I decided it was probably worth while to check out. What was coolest about the piece was the fact that the stairs that the baby carriage is falling down are just the bricks from the wall where he left them unpainted rather than making them a different color. It's really cool to see and I'm not sure what the city is going to do with it so it might be worth while to check it out while it's still here.

Takashi Murakami, Palace of Versailles, And “Disneyfication” Oh My!!!

Will there be contemporary art in Versailles' royal rooms after Murakami?

In relation to last weeks discussion and the three major currents that contribute to contemporary art do you think the currents can overlap? Can the location change the current and the artist's intent? How would you relate this article to the lecture regarding Historicism, Modernism, and Post Modernism?

Why do you think Murakami refers to himself as, “I am the Cheshire Cat who greets Alice in Wonderland with his devilish grin, and chatters on as she wanders around the chateau.”

strange and beautiful

I ventured out to the Neue Galerie in New York last weekend for a show by the 18th-century Austrian sculptor, Franz Xaver Messerschmitdt. The exhibition featured his character heads which I found to be strange and beautiful. Each character appears to be outwardly grappling with their emotions, almost screaming for attention. I’m drawn to the darkness and discomfort of each of these works. They are almost perverse. Interestingly, Mozart made his greatest hits in Austria during this period as well. Perhaps I should freshen up on my Austrian history...

Critical Mass Art Exhibit

http://culturemob.com/events/6211463-critical-mass-art-exhibit-il-oak-brook-60523-mayslake-peabody-estate

There is an opening this weekend at Mayslake Peabody Estate (1717 W. 31st Street in Oak Brook) that is free to the general public and is focused on how many people it takes to trigger a cultural phenomenon in the art world. I thought this was interesting because of how often Yood references this idea when he talks about "The systems wherein distinction is conferred."

The artists focused on in this event are disabled artists and the event itself is focused on creating awareness for disabled artists so check it out and support the cause.

Xu Bing

I brought up Xu Bing last class. He's a Chinese artist who is making a great deal of work, mainly focused around language and reinterpretation of Chinese traditions/culture. He has made up a new language, adapting English words into formations similar to Chinese characters. The original work this appeared in is Square Word Caligraphy.

He is definitely responding to a post-colonial China where technology is meeting tradition.
I also recommend taking a look at his American Silkworm Series as it highlights focuses on transformation.

Portland Art Museum

This weekend I went back home to Oregon to visit my family and friends. I was lucky enough to be able to squeeze in a visit to the Portland Art Museum while I was there. At the Portland Art Museum they were exhibiting art from a New York city couple who had acquired and collected tons of contemporary art. Over the last couple of years they have been distributing their art collection to different institutes in each state. The Portland Art Museum was the institution selected in Oregon to receive some of their art. They gave 50 pieces of art work to each of the 50 states. I thought it was very cool to get to see a small portion of such a massive collection of art. If for some reason anyone is visiting Oregon in the next couple of weeks, I would highly recommend you visit this exhibit!

Zeng Fanzhi

So this is the artist I was thinking about in class when we were discussing politically charged contemporary art. Although not all of his art contains political content it should be easy to find some examples. Attached is a link to selected works from Saatchi. I think my favorite contemporary artist working in a strong political vein is William Kentridge. His animated films often deal with Apartheid in South Africa. Here is a link to his film Automatic Writing.http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/zeng_fanzhi.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmvK7A84dlk