conceptualize this bitches

conceptual art is getting boring

it exhausts my dear brain

dont get me wrong I love it but its becoming the impressionism of the 18th century done over and over again

and im not scared to admit i sometimes feel a little happy when I look at commercial art in those expensive gallery's at the waterfront and cape quarter

ooooww crime

they shouldn't even ask you for a portfolio for art school anymore you should just take an IQ test the highest wins hehehe  

because that big oggly woggly thing inside your head is now your latest art material - use it well

okay im finished my artschool rant for the week

(i think this needs to be a weekly post submission)

MICHAELIS GRAD SHOW 2010

I have been wanting to write something about this show for some time now, clearly this is way overdo but lately i have had rather mixed feelings towards michaelis, i think this short quote from an "insider" describes my feelings about the show rather well...

"notable for its technical sophistication but generally lacking in risk..."

Before the Michaelis grad show i attended the architecture master students final grad show, i was highly impressed with much of the work but was also left with a sense of "6 years of studying architecture and THIS is what you have to show." Don't get me wrong I of all people understand the amount of effort and planning it takes to produce works but really I feel that everyone is becoming too lazy - myself included. 

Rose Kotze

The Michaelis grad show is one of the most notable art events of the year this year saw hundreds coming to view the 4th year final works. A few stood out, Rose Kotze's rich young cape town tween photographs which highlighted a refreshing view of afflulent teens of cape town rather than the expected social documentary of Africa's poorest, it created interesting tentions and familiar feelings as once upon a time I was young and ignorant and caught up in that warped reality of tennagedom and image! Cringe cringe cringe

George Chapman

George Chapman' s paintings were a hit in the sales department I thought they were lovely but not my favourite of the night. Paintings which really captured me were Ian Grose a masters student at Michaelis, his works were mystifying yet included a pinch of irony, I especially enjoyed his Lindsey Lohan portrait along with   his Sophie Calle feeling bed paintings, beautifully executed in oils. Dale Lawrence also a master student presented a collection of delicate lithographs inscribed with seemingly complex theatrically drafted art thinking process's, an image in particular my influences stood out for many a creative mind. It captured the idea of formulating ones concepts, i love this genre of work, which invites the viewer in by highlighting the thoughts and feelings that they never really realized anyone else thought, there is a sense of full 360 realization. 

Ian Grose

 

  

 

There was a lot of sculpture on display now that i think about it, more so than anything else I would say, with many young artists embracing installation work as a means of expression. I feel this is a visable means of visual representation but also an escape root for many artists to challenge themselves within their specified mediums.

Natasha Roux’s playfully sexy interactive works were really really great, I did not see many red dots amongst this body of work but I thought it was definitely pushing the medium of sculpture as a studied course in a greater direction – I feel these pieces would have been better curated in an outdoor space- their position in Hiddingh hall did not uplift the work- such a pity! Oh for those of you who don’t know what im talking about- Roux created a body of work referencing playground apparatus, such as swings, sprung horses, wobbling love seats and sea- saw’s, which when the public “played” on the various objects, many were unaware that they were subconsciously emulating sexual motions and interactions- a naughty lil piece which stood out for me for its risk and its sculptural elegance. Two other sculptors who had incredible skills were Adrian Alkema and Ben Winfield, Alkema sculpted with such realism it was often not to distinguish wooden sculptures from softer material objects like his exquisitely sculpted rope and glove pieces. Winfield created beautifully finished wood pieces to do with poking fun at security in South Africa.



Ben Winfield



Smells under the stairs









Smells are a strange thing, I forget the name of the artist but she exhibited underneath the Michaelis stairwell, her work looked at the relationship of someone caring for that for their sickly companion, a section of the broom cupboard was predominantly filled with sculptural sunlight soap objects which created a strong familiar aroma. Another work enticing ones senses was Firth Carlise’s work which firstly quite romantically invited participants to climb up a secret stairwell into a small room which amongst other fantastical and shiny objects left one feeling rather drunk why you might ask, perhaps because in the centre of the tiny space was a running fountain of red red wine, the mere presence of the rich wine essence quite literally had one feeling a little dizzy exiting the secret stairwell – what an interesting interactive sensation for the viewer.  

Gosh there really are too many notable pieces to mention but a couple more I must mention are the use of installation and found material of a rather complete body of David Brits’s vaderland I felt these works explored the concept of old south Africa in a slightly sexier and hip manner this body of work felt like a complete piece all the elements sat well together and just worked.

Tamryn Kirby

Tamryn Kirby’s mad works left me feeling rather surreal and I genuinely felt her exhibition interesting the book that accompanied her work was beautiful and really educated the viewer well myself- having crazy genes flowing through my blood recognized the fears of going mad which Kirby explored in works such as her transparent umbrella and frozen droplets of rain.   

  

Io Makendal created another crazy atmosphere through her work where she explored the lengths of the imagination using found objects in rather random positioning of these oddly much pairs I really felt they explored the found art object and the artists mind quite well, it’s a bit difficult to explain these pieces but there was definitely something about them that caught me eye!

Overall  a lovely show but I would like to see more work produced and more RISK! It would be lovely for some of the works to break through the barriers of the gallery and studio exhibition space Hiddingh is an interesting campus and I feel its exhibiting could be a lot more extreme and in your face and quirky.

I will not tackle the Michaelis prize winner because one, I didn’t really read into the work and two the reason I didn’t read into it was because I was quite honestly bored by what I saw, Im sure if I read into the work and grasped a greater understanding of it I might understand its Michaelis prize worth. P.s. yet ANOTHER white takes home the Michaelis prize- I seriously hope sometime soon they give the ladies a chance.

Io Makendal

Tamryn Phillips

The end- and the after party at stags head played some awesome beats  

guerrilla girls

lennon naked

I recently watched lennon naked the latest in biographical remakes of once famed super stars!

I myself am a great fan of Lennon and Yoks

their relationship was a work of art 

This film explores the complex life and childhood of famous Beetle John Lennon it features minor roles by the people who featured in the life of Lennon including his fellow Beetles, his first wife Cynthia, his manager Brain Epstein and of course Yoko. I really enjoyed the film it was snippity and offered only a glimmer into the life of Lennon of sex, drugs and rock n roll, just enough to retain some mystery. The reproductions of his relationship with Yoko were fantastic and the film left you hating him and loving him all in one. Lennon was more than a musician he was a stoned genius.

Obv there was some issues in the film like the fact that christopher eccleston- a 40 something actor was playing that of a 20 something young man, yet Ecclestn does capture the emotional nature of Lennon's character which makes up for the age issue. Many are saying the film does not explore the creativity of Lennon and does not fully explore that of his fellow beetles or Yoko, but I think its just enough- after all it is Lennon naked not Lennon and the beetles.

Overall an emotional look at Lennon a man- child who in the film we can see was engulfed by his somewhat troubled childhood, with Lennon's mind constantly drifting to a scene in which he is only 6 years old we what the day Lennon's father left him in a beautifully cinematic reproduction of himself and his father flying kites.

read some more here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sv451

According to Sam Wollaston of The Guardian, the film's "continual looking back over the shoulder to childhood, to his mother and father, takes Lennon Naked beyond the merely biographical: it gives it a depth and a Freudian quality";

...Along comes Yoko Ono and by some completely mystifying chance, he hooks up with someone who allows that injured child to come out and play and feel some freedom of expression. Does this cure him? No. Does it help him? Maybe. You do feel he is a bit happier, though still desperate. He glues himself at the hip to Yoko and never lets go.

The film includes some inspiring cinematography, inviting the viewer into a visual display of those magnificent times, with glimmers of real footage combined with renactments of Lennons' experiences, below are a few moments which caught my eye...

a renactment of yoko ono's cut piece and her ladder work "yes"  

 real footage of the beetles adoring female fans

 releasing white balloons

water scenes were beautiful

watch this movie its just lovely

When you see a mc donalds you know your safe

Gradex 10' 

Last night I went to Stellenbosch University’s Gradex show- a final exhibition of their forth year fine art students.

It was quite nice.

First off I somehow always forget how far away Stellenbosch is from Cape Town, and took a wrong turn (like the movie) because I ended up driving 15km through the middle of Khayalisha, where my passengers felt the need to remind me of the recent couple hijacking incident in gugs- im not paranoid.

Anyway eventually I get into an area with a Mc Donalds (when you see a Mc Donalds you know your safe). We drive around Stellenbosch looking for die kuns building I ask some students where to find it and their convinced Stellenbosch doesn’t even have an art department oh dear, we pick up Michaela’s bro on the way and eventually (an hour after the exhibition starts) we arrive.

We walk in and admire the mod architecture of the stellies art department, and check everything out, there’s some black and white photographs, with titles announcing that the artists disappointment at their failed attempt to kill their younger brother, and their desire to chow human flesh before they die- slightly disturbing but then I read the last one, “I’m gay” it all makes sense. In the next room there’s a cute vintage car installation which got viewers to sit in the back seat of a cute little number while watching a projected video in the front part of the once car, reminds me of teenagers at a movie- drive- in or drive- in- movie, romantic art is so nice.

There seems to be a rather strong design element to many of the works – we joke that some pieces could pass for the art section at mr price home. Shame, but really there is some good design pieces- I ponder and realize these are the people who will probably get real jobs after they finish their art degree, lucky them.

The one name I remember is Stuart Buttle – he made a series of colourful collage works, they were bright and full of naked people, vag’s and penis everywhere – I liked these a lot,  cut and paste works make me happy in an anti- photoshop way- been very into this lately ever since Dada South at Iziko.

Upstairs is some of the only painting pieces, they are those kind of paintings when you have a big canvas throw paint on in large amounts and let the different colours engulf each other- as my grandmother would say this is the illusion of the lazy artist- but I can see its appeal and how people would like those pieces for their home.

There are some sweeet wood pieces on the floor upstairs- a couple I really like and wish I was rich enough to buy.

At this part of the night I also find myself yet again attempting to answer a logical and naïve exhibition viewers’ questions about what the fuck these pieces of wood are and what it means…I must say its hard to explain when somehow it just makes sense in my head, I attempt but alas the logical mind often fails to allow absurd theory to enter, I give up too easily.
Oh yes loads of jewelry on display some nice stuff- but I’m going through an anti – accessory phase so didn’t take too much notice, a few nice rings which I wouldn’t mind owning though, like the cute chair rings damn I wish I  took photo’s this would sound less retarded. Nice to see conceptual jewelry though I spotted a fish hook range, sweet someone’s daddy likes fishing.

I hear a strange noise, sounds like it could be music but I hope its not, my guess was a shit sokkie treffer student band, but then I realize its just art. But the other thing I notice near the band is the wine- finally.. I pray that these beverages are free unlike last year at the Michaelis grad show. On the way down there’s and upside down Christmas tree with smashed Christmas decorations at the bottom of a stairwell I love it ordinary cliché’s made into meaningful art puts a smiles op my gesig.

Get not half bad free wine – and notice there’s no food left only strawberries which like 500 people have now touched no thanks, but I have one anyway. We chat about how it might be rather nice to work on this campus- I spot a Mexican? Well a drunk Mexican (there’s a name for these people) but basically he looked like the character on the beeg corn bites packet- I arrived late so I’m not 100% sure but I get the feeling it may be art – you know those drunk performance pieces- something Maurizio Cattelan or Ed Young might do. We get a little bit lost then eventually make our way to more sculpture and ahh a pink room with a sexy disco beat, the floor is covered in bubble wrap hehe, its kind of ugly but the pink light is haaat I actually have a picture –I get that little ahh huh! Thing I get when something familiar is placed in an art context- why do humans find pleasure in popping bubble wrap, 13^th wonder of the world. I do like popping bubble wrap-definatley one of the sexier works on display. There’s some more design stuff and some cute illustrative type paintings in white box frames- makes them look yummy.

I wish I had taken a photograph of this and I will now proceed to do so at every exhibition, and that is take a photo of left of wine glass’s strategically placed on ledges, the odd sculpture, point being that one can judge the success of an exhibition by the amount of empty wine glass’s- I havn’t resolved this theory but I think its nice. I will draw a picture it’s not very good but this is kind of what it looked like, quite beautiful.

(it kind of looked like this, use your imagination

i also could'nt quite figure out if these sculptures were part of the show or if they were permanent architecturial structures? )

We decide to leave the exhibition and stop at boho for a  drink then realise we’re too broke to get drunk- and I’m driving, so we head home I get lost again and we all agree that art students are shit at navigation and that a gps unit should be included in our 1^st year art kit. We ask the trusty mc donalds for directions  and find our way home.

Overall a good exhibition with some lovely contemporary pieces, interesting to see the amount of design pieces which makes me think I should take more interest in contemporary design – as I said those are the people who look like they can get jobs at the end of their degree. I feel their could be a lot more active art school collaboration in the western cape and it would be rad to do some kind of exhibition or community project involving fine art students from other institutions coming together and sharing idea's and practises.