"To understand what art then is requires us to avert our eyes from the manifested appearances of things and ask what it is that does not meet the eye, which is what makes the difference between art and reality - where knowledge of this difference then makes the difference in our experiences of objects as art works or as real things."
-p 214 of Philosophizing Art, a collection of essays by Arthur Danto.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Images: Binary Cheese
A Digital Recomposition.
Source material: photos from an exhibition titled Found in Translation featuring my work Say Cheese.
Source material: photos from an exhibition titled Found in Translation featuring my work Say Cheese.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
echolalia
"Echolalia is a mental disease which makes people immediately repeat things that well people around them say. But Billy didn't really have it. Rumfoord simply insisted, for his own comfort, that Billy had it. Rumfoord was thinking in a military manner: that an inconvenient person, one whose death he wished for very much, for practical reasons, was suffering from a repulsive disease."
-Kurt Vonnegut, "Slaughterhouse-Five".
-Kurt Vonnegut, "Slaughterhouse-Five".
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Living Lighting
http://www.akimbo.ca/submissions/?id=17436
Idea: computers light up the world. Something to do with being connected via technology, which is transmitted and received using with computer screens.
Idea: computers light up the world. Something to do with being connected via technology, which is transmitted and received using with computer screens.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Review: Edward Burtynsky "Oil"
Edward Burtynsky
Oil
Nicholas Metivier Gallery
October 8 – October 31 2009
Edward Burtynsky is possibly the most well-known Canadian photographer currently exhibiting and creating work. He has a strong influence in Toronto, having founded Toronto Image Works – one of the city’s main digital and darkroom facilities. Burtynsky’s work is featured in numerous public and corporate collections around the world and has been featured in an eighty-minute, award-winning documentary film titled Manufactured Landscapes (2006), directed by Jennifer Baichwal.
With such a high level of success, there is much to be expected of any collection of the artist’s work. Photographs exhibited in Oil offer a strong presentation of his body of work, offering the viewer a multitude of scenes related to industrial development and its effects on our environment. Photographic subjects in this exhibition are related to the extraction, consumption and disposal of oil and oil products. Most images are devoid of people, focusing instead on that which is man-made. Burtynsky chooses to photograph the Alberta Oil sands, oil extraction fields, refineries, intersections of major highways, as well as the disposed tires and oil tankers that are waiting to rejoin the cycle of commodity.
These depicted structures are ecologically, politically and economically charged with numerous messages and meanings. Despite being tied to a number of conflicting discourses, Burtynsky’s work effectively transcends the arguments surrounding his subject matter. Instead, the artist aims to elevate mundane, man-made structures to a realm that is beyond our day-to-day experience. Burtynsky successfully isolates and makes strange these environments that we, as humans, have created for ourselves. In the book Manufactured Landscapes, Lori Pauli states that “Burtynsky has altered our understanding of the sublime landscape, giving us a new appreciation for the man-made sublime.” Environments from our daily lives take one a new meaning within these works, transcending their functional use and becoming monumental subjects of these photographs.
The artist’s photographic method is key to the effectiveness of his work. Using a large-format film camera and infinite focus, Burtynsky is able to capture a hyper-realistic level of detail in each image. The photograph’s static depiction of a particular place in time alters one’s finite viewpoint of a scene, providing a viewpoint that is specific to the experience of photography. Also, each image shows that the artist is highly sensitive to the natural and artificial light that illuminates his subjects. One can observe the use of warm light that is characteristic to shooting early or late in the day, as well as the glowing halo of artificial light that is captured at night. This strategic use of light adds to the monumentality of his image, allowing the viewer to experience these man-made structures in a particular way.
Lastly, the composition of each picture is strongly ordered, generating a rhythm that resonates throughout each image. Some photographs have prominent centrifugal activity that invites the eye to expand outward from the center of the image. Other works contain strong lines that suggest a network of paths for the eye to follow throughout the image. This adds to a sense of rhythm that reverberates throughout the entire exhibition, unifying these photographs in one collective, underlying narrative.
Burtynsky’s greatest achievement comes from his profound depiction of the narrative of oil, one of humankind’s most necessary commodities. Each image goes beyond one’s daily, mundane experiences of product consumption, inviting the viewer the look at man-made environments in a new way. In representing the narrative of oil, Burtynsky’s photographs reflect the global exchanges of humans in our collective habits of survival.
Selena L. Lee
Works Cited:
Pauli, Lori. Manufactured Landscapes. National Gallery of Canada: Ottawa. 2003. 22.
Oil
Nicholas Metivier Gallery
October 8 – October 31 2009
Edward Burtynsky is possibly the most well-known Canadian photographer currently exhibiting and creating work. He has a strong influence in Toronto, having founded Toronto Image Works – one of the city’s main digital and darkroom facilities. Burtynsky’s work is featured in numerous public and corporate collections around the world and has been featured in an eighty-minute, award-winning documentary film titled Manufactured Landscapes (2006), directed by Jennifer Baichwal.
With such a high level of success, there is much to be expected of any collection of the artist’s work. Photographs exhibited in Oil offer a strong presentation of his body of work, offering the viewer a multitude of scenes related to industrial development and its effects on our environment. Photographic subjects in this exhibition are related to the extraction, consumption and disposal of oil and oil products. Most images are devoid of people, focusing instead on that which is man-made. Burtynsky chooses to photograph the Alberta Oil sands, oil extraction fields, refineries, intersections of major highways, as well as the disposed tires and oil tankers that are waiting to rejoin the cycle of commodity.
These depicted structures are ecologically, politically and economically charged with numerous messages and meanings. Despite being tied to a number of conflicting discourses, Burtynsky’s work effectively transcends the arguments surrounding his subject matter. Instead, the artist aims to elevate mundane, man-made structures to a realm that is beyond our day-to-day experience. Burtynsky successfully isolates and makes strange these environments that we, as humans, have created for ourselves. In the book Manufactured Landscapes, Lori Pauli states that “Burtynsky has altered our understanding of the sublime landscape, giving us a new appreciation for the man-made sublime.” Environments from our daily lives take one a new meaning within these works, transcending their functional use and becoming monumental subjects of these photographs.
The artist’s photographic method is key to the effectiveness of his work. Using a large-format film camera and infinite focus, Burtynsky is able to capture a hyper-realistic level of detail in each image. The photograph’s static depiction of a particular place in time alters one’s finite viewpoint of a scene, providing a viewpoint that is specific to the experience of photography. Also, each image shows that the artist is highly sensitive to the natural and artificial light that illuminates his subjects. One can observe the use of warm light that is characteristic to shooting early or late in the day, as well as the glowing halo of artificial light that is captured at night. This strategic use of light adds to the monumentality of his image, allowing the viewer to experience these man-made structures in a particular way.
Lastly, the composition of each picture is strongly ordered, generating a rhythm that resonates throughout each image. Some photographs have prominent centrifugal activity that invites the eye to expand outward from the center of the image. Other works contain strong lines that suggest a network of paths for the eye to follow throughout the image. This adds to a sense of rhythm that reverberates throughout the entire exhibition, unifying these photographs in one collective, underlying narrative.
Burtynsky’s greatest achievement comes from his profound depiction of the narrative of oil, one of humankind’s most necessary commodities. Each image goes beyond one’s daily, mundane experiences of product consumption, inviting the viewer the look at man-made environments in a new way. In representing the narrative of oil, Burtynsky’s photographs reflect the global exchanges of humans in our collective habits of survival.
Selena L. Lee
Works Cited:
Pauli, Lori. Manufactured Landscapes. National Gallery of Canada: Ottawa. 2003. 22.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Things I Have Learned so Far (Inspired by Stefan Sagmeister)
#1. My chances of winning are always better if I play.
I'll never win the lottery if I don't buy a ticket. If I don't apply for whatever scholarship or grant, I'll have a 0% chance of getting it.
I won a game of poker yesterday because I decided to play, even though I did such a bad job as a dealer that i had to re-deal a hand three times.
Also, playing = playing for fun. I find that things work out better if I relax a bit.
I'll never win the lottery if I don't buy a ticket. If I don't apply for whatever scholarship or grant, I'll have a 0% chance of getting it.
I won a game of poker yesterday because I decided to play, even though I did such a bad job as a dealer that i had to re-deal a hand three times.
Also, playing = playing for fun. I find that things work out better if I relax a bit.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Untitled (manipulated photograms and binary code)
Re-posted to incorporate the arrangement of images.
Each print is 16x20 in.
Each print is 16x20 in.
Artist Statement: November 12 2009
My art is an investigation of my relationship to images; breaking down my experience of the image and reflecting on this analysis to create work about the virtual and perceptual possibilities within the image. I am inspired by the idea of images being containers for information, and relate this notion to our experiences of pictures in the digital and virtual realm.
Works experiment with both analog and digital processes, exploring how each process is a unique experience and considering the possibilities in both the virtual and tactile realms. My work is very cerebral and is an expression of my personal, intellectual dialogue. Despite the art being rooted in my experience with images, I aim to create numerous visual possibilities within a single picture. Thus, I invite the viewer to perceive and interpret images based on their own experiences. I am aware of possible disconnects between my experiences of imagery and that of my audience, but it is this disparity in perception and interpretation that I find fascinating. Although the given information within an image may be the same, one’s interpretation of what is given is highly unpredictable. Thus, with images, I believe that a person can only see what he or she is prepared to see.
With my most recent work I am investigating the phenomenology of images, presenting real and objective qualities of photographs while acknowledging the illusory, subjective perceptions of the viewer. In making this body of work, I am hoping for a greater understanding of human consciousness, considering how relationships are constructed based on our given information and experiences.
Works experiment with both analog and digital processes, exploring how each process is a unique experience and considering the possibilities in both the virtual and tactile realms. My work is very cerebral and is an expression of my personal, intellectual dialogue. Despite the art being rooted in my experience with images, I aim to create numerous visual possibilities within a single picture. Thus, I invite the viewer to perceive and interpret images based on their own experiences. I am aware of possible disconnects between my experiences of imagery and that of my audience, but it is this disparity in perception and interpretation that I find fascinating. Although the given information within an image may be the same, one’s interpretation of what is given is highly unpredictable. Thus, with images, I believe that a person can only see what he or she is prepared to see.
With my most recent work I am investigating the phenomenology of images, presenting real and objective qualities of photographs while acknowledging the illusory, subjective perceptions of the viewer. In making this body of work, I am hoping for a greater understanding of human consciousness, considering how relationships are constructed based on our given information and experiences.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
phenomenology
from wikipedia:
"In its most basic form, phenomenology attempts to create conditions for the objective study of topics usually regarded as subjective: consciousness and the content of conscious experiences such as judgments, perceptions, and emotions. Although phenomenology seeks to be scientific, it does not attempt to study consciousness from the perspective of clinical psychology or neurology. Instead, it seeks through systematic reflection to determine the essential properties and structures of consciousness and conscious experience."
hooray for new words! I'll be doing more with this in the near future.
"In its most basic form, phenomenology attempts to create conditions for the objective study of topics usually regarded as subjective: consciousness and the content of conscious experiences such as judgments, perceptions, and emotions. Although phenomenology seeks to be scientific, it does not attempt to study consciousness from the perspective of clinical psychology or neurology. Instead, it seeks through systematic reflection to determine the essential properties and structures of consciousness and conscious experience."
hooray for new words! I'll be doing more with this in the near future.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Review: Willie Doherty, Prefix Gallery
Willie Doherty
Passages
Prefix Gallery
September 24 – November 28 2009
This collection of works by Willie Doherty present us with an ambiguous sensation of place. His photographs, while containing eye-catching details that offer some knowledge about the places he works in, are effective at creating insecurities in regards to the meanings and narratives that can be derived from these images. In fact, Doherty’s focus on the relationships between known and unknown aspects of images is one of the greatest strengths of this exhibition.
The photographs within Passages act as a preface to Doherty’s film. These consist of works produced within the last fifteen years, which refer to a dialogue that draws from his relationship with his homeland – Derry, North Ireland. This dialogue has its genesis in the social and political conflicts of the country. For three decades from the late 1960s, a climate of violence and an underlying sense of fear were a part of everyday life for the citizens of this country. Doherty situates his work in this climate of uncertainty. Although the work reflects his experience in North Ireland, it does not exclude the universal concern of photography as a select representation of ‘truth’. Thus is not limited to a parochial, historical discourse.
Instead, images within the exhibition focus on the subtle remnants of human intervention that exist within a place. Titles such as Beneath the Surface II (1999), Small Acts of Deception (1997), and Unreported Incident (1995) alert the viewer to the notion of the image as a representation of a specific and limited viewpoint. The artist limits the photographic subject to the detritus of human activity, controls the mise-en scene of his images, and captures dark areas in his photographs to veil parts of the scene. With this, one can view Doherty’s effective use of light and dark as metaphors for possibilities of known and unknown within an image. Thus, the viewer of these images becomes aware of his or her restricted viewpoint concerning the information revealed about these photographed places.
Doherty’s film, Buried (2009) extends this tension of known and unknown into the fluid sensation of time. The eight-minute film is highly sensory and incorporates the same sense of ambiguity regarding the place that is represented in his photographs. Initially some images appear to be stills until one becomes aware of the flow of time indicated through a twig blowing in the wind, water dripping over bark, or insects moving in the earth. In contrast to these detailed, closed-in shots, Doherty also incorporates wide-angled pans of the surrounding trees. Despite being perceptually ambiguous, the viewer is allowed a total sensation of the place as captured through Doherty’s lens. The imagery within the film exhibits the same sensitivity to light and dark as the photographs, with the darks being more effectively mysterious due to the darkness of the viewing room. The film is devoid of a narrator, refraining from using vocal language to create a sense of continuity amongst images. Consequently, the viewer is forced to piece together meaning and narrative from the partial information of the place presented in the film.
Questions regarding truth, memory and history of the place are at the core of this exhibition. An interview for the Journal of Contemporary Art reveals that concerning his earlier work, “it certainly was important [for Doherty] that the work engaged the viewer in some kind of dialogue, some kind of process, that it was also very related to geography of the place and trying to get a look at the way that was implicated, so it wasn't simplistic, there was always more than one possibility.” With oscillations between the known and unknown, Passages confronts the viewer with problems surrounding the notion of images as ‘true’ representations of reality.
Selena L. Lee
Passages
Prefix Gallery
September 24 – November 28 2009
This collection of works by Willie Doherty present us with an ambiguous sensation of place. His photographs, while containing eye-catching details that offer some knowledge about the places he works in, are effective at creating insecurities in regards to the meanings and narratives that can be derived from these images. In fact, Doherty’s focus on the relationships between known and unknown aspects of images is one of the greatest strengths of this exhibition.
The photographs within Passages act as a preface to Doherty’s film. These consist of works produced within the last fifteen years, which refer to a dialogue that draws from his relationship with his homeland – Derry, North Ireland. This dialogue has its genesis in the social and political conflicts of the country. For three decades from the late 1960s, a climate of violence and an underlying sense of fear were a part of everyday life for the citizens of this country. Doherty situates his work in this climate of uncertainty. Although the work reflects his experience in North Ireland, it does not exclude the universal concern of photography as a select representation of ‘truth’. Thus is not limited to a parochial, historical discourse.
Instead, images within the exhibition focus on the subtle remnants of human intervention that exist within a place. Titles such as Beneath the Surface II (1999), Small Acts of Deception (1997), and Unreported Incident (1995) alert the viewer to the notion of the image as a representation of a specific and limited viewpoint. The artist limits the photographic subject to the detritus of human activity, controls the mise-en scene of his images, and captures dark areas in his photographs to veil parts of the scene. With this, one can view Doherty’s effective use of light and dark as metaphors for possibilities of known and unknown within an image. Thus, the viewer of these images becomes aware of his or her restricted viewpoint concerning the information revealed about these photographed places.
Doherty’s film, Buried (2009) extends this tension of known and unknown into the fluid sensation of time. The eight-minute film is highly sensory and incorporates the same sense of ambiguity regarding the place that is represented in his photographs. Initially some images appear to be stills until one becomes aware of the flow of time indicated through a twig blowing in the wind, water dripping over bark, or insects moving in the earth. In contrast to these detailed, closed-in shots, Doherty also incorporates wide-angled pans of the surrounding trees. Despite being perceptually ambiguous, the viewer is allowed a total sensation of the place as captured through Doherty’s lens. The imagery within the film exhibits the same sensitivity to light and dark as the photographs, with the darks being more effectively mysterious due to the darkness of the viewing room. The film is devoid of a narrator, refraining from using vocal language to create a sense of continuity amongst images. Consequently, the viewer is forced to piece together meaning and narrative from the partial information of the place presented in the film.
Questions regarding truth, memory and history of the place are at the core of this exhibition. An interview for the Journal of Contemporary Art reveals that concerning his earlier work, “it certainly was important [for Doherty] that the work engaged the viewer in some kind of dialogue, some kind of process, that it was also very related to geography of the place and trying to get a look at the way that was implicated, so it wasn't simplistic, there was always more than one possibility.” With oscillations between the known and unknown, Passages confronts the viewer with problems surrounding the notion of images as ‘true’ representations of reality.
Selena L. Lee
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Review: "Passages" as Prefix Gallery
Willie Doherty
Passages
Prefix Gallery
September 24 – November 28 2009
This collection of works by Willie Doherty present us with an ambiguous sensation of place. His photographs, while containing eye-catching details that offer some knowledge about the places he works in, are effective at creating insecurities in regards to the meanings and narratives that can be derived from these images. In fact, Doherty’s focus on the relationships between known and unknown aspects of images is one of the greatest strengths of this exhibition.
The photographs within Passages act as a preface to Doherty’s film. These consist of works produced within the last fifteen years, which refer to a dialogue that draws from his relationship with his homeland – Derry, North Ireland. This dialogue has its genesis in the social and political conflicts of the country. For three decades from the late 1960s, a climate of violence and an underlying sense of fear were a part of everyday life for the citizens of this country. Doherty situates his work in this climate of uncertainty. Although the work reflects his experience in North Ireland, it does not exclude the universal concern of photography as a select representation of ‘truth’. Thus is not limited to a parochial, historical discourse.
Instead, images within the exhibition focus on the subtle remnants of human intervention that exist within a place. Titles such as Beneath the Surface II (1999), Small Acts of Deception (1997), and Unreported Incident (1995) alert the viewer to the notion of the image as a representation of a specific and limited viewpoint. The artist limits the photographic subject to the detritus of human activity, controls the mise-en scene of his images, and captures dark areas in his photographs to veil parts of the scene. With this, one can view Doherty’s effective use of light and dark as metaphors for possibilities of known and unknown within an image. Thus, the viewer of these images becomes aware of his or her restricted viewpoint concerning the information revealed about these photographed places.
Doherty’s film, Buried (2009) extends this tension of known and unknown into the fluid sensation of time. The eight-minute film is highly sensory and incorporates the same sense of ambiguity regarding the place that is represented in his photographs. Initially some images appear to be stills until one becomes aware of the flow of time indicated through a twig blowing in the wind, water dripping over bark, or insects moving in the earth. In contrast to these detailed, closed-in shots, Doherty also incorporates wide-angled pans of the surrounding trees. Despite being perceptually ambiguous, the viewer is allowed a total sensation of the place as captured through Doherty’s lens. The imagery within the film exhibits the same sensitivity to light and dark as the photographs, with the darks being more effectively mysterious due to the darkness of the viewing room. The film is devoid of a narrator, refraining from using vocal language to create a sense of continuity amongst images. Consequently, the viewer is forced to piece together meaning and narrative from the partial information of the place presented in the film.
Questions regarding truth, memory and history of the place are at the core of this exhibition. An interview for the Journal of Contemporary Art reveals that concerning his earlier work, “it certainly was important [for Doherty] that the work engaged the viewer in some kind of dialogue, some kind of process, that it was also very related to geography of the place and trying to get a look at the way that was implicated, so it wasn't simplistic, there was always more than one possibility.” With oscillations between the known and unknown, Passages confronts the viewer with problems surrounding the notion of images as ‘true’ representations of reality.
Selena L. Lee
Passages
Prefix Gallery
September 24 – November 28 2009
This collection of works by Willie Doherty present us with an ambiguous sensation of place. His photographs, while containing eye-catching details that offer some knowledge about the places he works in, are effective at creating insecurities in regards to the meanings and narratives that can be derived from these images. In fact, Doherty’s focus on the relationships between known and unknown aspects of images is one of the greatest strengths of this exhibition.
The photographs within Passages act as a preface to Doherty’s film. These consist of works produced within the last fifteen years, which refer to a dialogue that draws from his relationship with his homeland – Derry, North Ireland. This dialogue has its genesis in the social and political conflicts of the country. For three decades from the late 1960s, a climate of violence and an underlying sense of fear were a part of everyday life for the citizens of this country. Doherty situates his work in this climate of uncertainty. Although the work reflects his experience in North Ireland, it does not exclude the universal concern of photography as a select representation of ‘truth’. Thus is not limited to a parochial, historical discourse.
Instead, images within the exhibition focus on the subtle remnants of human intervention that exist within a place. Titles such as Beneath the Surface II (1999), Small Acts of Deception (1997), and Unreported Incident (1995) alert the viewer to the notion of the image as a representation of a specific and limited viewpoint. The artist limits the photographic subject to the detritus of human activity, controls the mise-en scene of his images, and captures dark areas in his photographs to veil parts of the scene. With this, one can view Doherty’s effective use of light and dark as metaphors for possibilities of known and unknown within an image. Thus, the viewer of these images becomes aware of his or her restricted viewpoint concerning the information revealed about these photographed places.
Doherty’s film, Buried (2009) extends this tension of known and unknown into the fluid sensation of time. The eight-minute film is highly sensory and incorporates the same sense of ambiguity regarding the place that is represented in his photographs. Initially some images appear to be stills until one becomes aware of the flow of time indicated through a twig blowing in the wind, water dripping over bark, or insects moving in the earth. In contrast to these detailed, closed-in shots, Doherty also incorporates wide-angled pans of the surrounding trees. Despite being perceptually ambiguous, the viewer is allowed a total sensation of the place as captured through Doherty’s lens. The imagery within the film exhibits the same sensitivity to light and dark as the photographs, with the darks being more effectively mysterious due to the darkness of the viewing room. The film is devoid of a narrator, refraining from using vocal language to create a sense of continuity amongst images. Consequently, the viewer is forced to piece together meaning and narrative from the partial information of the place presented in the film.
Questions regarding truth, memory and history of the place are at the core of this exhibition. An interview for the Journal of Contemporary Art reveals that concerning his earlier work, “it certainly was important [for Doherty] that the work engaged the viewer in some kind of dialogue, some kind of process, that it was also very related to geography of the place and trying to get a look at the way that was implicated, so it wasn't simplistic, there was always more than one possibility.” With oscillations between the known and unknown, Passages confronts the viewer with problems surrounding the notion of images as ‘true’ representations of reality.
Selena L. Lee
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Back to School
I've been back for a solid 2 week and boy is it going to be a busy year. As for projects this year, I'm playing with the idea of Uniform (or uni-forms) for my advanced photographic explorations class and i'll be looking at the illusion of space and time via videos in video art production.
I'm also doing a lot of hot and heavy ready (Ie. The Critique of Judgment by Immanuel Kant), doing 3 solid gallery reviews for the semester, and doing numerous sculpture field trips downtown.
My goal for the year: score an interview with Edward Burtynsky. Wish me luck!
I'm also doing a lot of hot and heavy ready (Ie. The Critique of Judgment by Immanuel Kant), doing 3 solid gallery reviews for the semester, and doing numerous sculpture field trips downtown.
My goal for the year: score an interview with Edward Burtynsky. Wish me luck!
Monday, September 14, 2009
I'm back with more art
http://www.hubbardbirchler.net/works/photography.html
Film stills from artists Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler. This reminds me of a photograph by a classmate of mine, Justin Lawrence:
Monday, June 8, 2009
Ai Weiwei; influential, controversial Chinese Artist whose blog was shutdown by the Chinese Government
This is a photograph of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in front of Tiananmen Square, although I don't exactly know when the photograph was taken. Ai Weiwei's blog was shut down days before the Tiananmen Square anniversary. This was due to him drawing attention to the lives lost in the Sichuan Earthquake in May 2008. 9,000 students and teachers were killed when a school collapsed during the earthquake due to poor construction ("China Earthquake: 200,000 flee from growing Sichuan Lake".
As an artist, Ai Weiwei is highly critical of Chinese government policies and acts to promote individual freedom of thought in China. From the article "Our Duty is the Remember Sichuan" on The Guardian website:
"I call on people to be "obsessed citizens", forever questioning and asking for accountability. That's the only chance we have today of a healthy and happy life." - Ai Weiwei
Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/25/china-earthquake-cover-up
He is a fascinating figure who is definitely worth checking out. I really wish I could read Chinese and understand his blog, but I guess learning Chinese will have to be a new goal of mine.
Phoebe Lo
http://www.phoebelo.com/Phoebe/Home.html
check her out...
why?
Her sculptures successfully defy the solid nature of her materials.
She has a thoughtful portfolio of photographs; the fine art works show a sensitivity to the surface and subject of her photographs and the commercial works show that she does actual work in the industry.
check her out...
why?
Her sculptures successfully defy the solid nature of her materials.
She has a thoughtful portfolio of photographs; the fine art works show a sensitivity to the surface and subject of her photographs and the commercial works show that she does actual work in the industry.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Gallery Hopping: 401 Richmond and 80 Spadina
To celebrate the start of summer, I decided to do some art gazing today downtown. Works of note:
Yam Lau's "Hutong 3" project at Leo Kamen Gallery (80 Spadina), as well as a photograph of one of his projects at the YYZ Gallery at 401 Richmond.
His work appears to be super-visual as "Hutongs 3" was a digitally composed video with no sound to accompany it. I enjoyed his exploration of space - i suppose digital space as a representation of space and culture? Also, his work with the Hutong was really interesting because it preserves an aspect of traditional Chinese culture through a new media artwork.
http://www.leokamengallery.com/artists/lauYam/lauYam.html
Marianne Fowler's paintings at Moore Gallery (80 Spadina)
A series of really lovely paintings that are representational, yet ambiguous enough for me to relate them to my personal experiences with the city and motion. These paintings are oils on canvas, built up to a great level of texture and thickness. The image bank procedure comes to mind - the paintings consists of a neutral ground with geometric shapes as the figure. These shapes are painted in varied forms and sizes with horizontal darker stripes across each one. They remind me of highway soundboards, or a cityscape due to the layering of the forms. These paintings are meditative with the neutral colours and repeated forms and shapes. However there is a sense of dynamism coming from the movement of horizontal lines as well as the contrast of values within the paintings. I really enjoyed seeing this show.
http://www.mooregallery.com/artists/Marianne_Fowler/index.php
Thats all I'm going to write about for now. There was another photograph at YYZ, by artists Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge, but i will write about that tomorrow.
http://www.marissaneave.com/timewarp/ --> YYZ auction site.
Cheers for now!
Yam Lau's "Hutong 3" project at Leo Kamen Gallery (80 Spadina), as well as a photograph of one of his projects at the YYZ Gallery at 401 Richmond.
His work appears to be super-visual as "Hutongs 3" was a digitally composed video with no sound to accompany it. I enjoyed his exploration of space - i suppose digital space as a representation of space and culture? Also, his work with the Hutong was really interesting because it preserves an aspect of traditional Chinese culture through a new media artwork.
http://www.leokamengallery.com/artists/lauYam/lauYam.html
Marianne Fowler's paintings at Moore Gallery (80 Spadina)
A series of really lovely paintings that are representational, yet ambiguous enough for me to relate them to my personal experiences with the city and motion. These paintings are oils on canvas, built up to a great level of texture and thickness. The image bank procedure comes to mind - the paintings consists of a neutral ground with geometric shapes as the figure. These shapes are painted in varied forms and sizes with horizontal darker stripes across each one. They remind me of highway soundboards, or a cityscape due to the layering of the forms. These paintings are meditative with the neutral colours and repeated forms and shapes. However there is a sense of dynamism coming from the movement of horizontal lines as well as the contrast of values within the paintings. I really enjoyed seeing this show.
http://www.mooregallery.com/artists/Marianne_Fowler/index.php
Thats all I'm going to write about for now. There was another photograph at YYZ, by artists Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge, but i will write about that tomorrow.
http://www.marissaneave.com/timewarp/ --> YYZ auction site.
Cheers for now!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Birdsong V.7
Birdsong V.7 : On Ambiguity, Exploration and the Digital Medium
Reviewed by Selena Lee
Along the bustling street of Queen St. West in downtown Toronto lies the Paul Petro Special Projects Gallery. Although this is a gallery of modest size and décor, one cannot allow the size of the space to dictate the potential for an effective exhibition. This is exemplified with Birdsong V. 7, a group effort showcasing works by ten emerging artists, hailing from York University. Birdsong V. 7 presents an exploration of the digital photographic medium with artists investigating a wide range of themes ranging from emerging sexuality, social interactions, the roles of women, to forces of technology and nature.
With the advent of any group show comes the issue of constructing a dialogue amongst the works within the exhibition space. With Birdsong V.7, this could have been definite problem since each of the ten artists comes from a different background and has an individual style and thematic exploration. However, curator P. Elaine Sharpe has thoughtfully presented a collection of works that are connected through an underlying sense of ambiguity. It is this element that pulls these works together to create an ongoing dialogue amongst the artists and the audience. With every work is a hint of mystery – although a lot of information is being presented, there is still an indication of a deeper dialogue. In Note Series, Alex Majerus literally articulates a need to look deeper with statements of “I have lost my focus. Does it mean anything? I have no idea.” With these cryptic statements, one is directed towards the other levels of ambiguity within the works of the show.
Works by Brian Barter, Azadeh Houshmand and Joni Lui employ the tools of focus and blur to confront the viewer with images that refrain from divulging what one expects from a photograph. Houshmand’s photographs show a progressive loss of information in her Untitled series while Barter’s Social Shuffle presents us with a multitude of photographs that direct us to look towards the peripheries of the frame to realize what is actually in focus.
The element of ambiguity is most evident in the work of Lilien Huston-Herterich’s Wearing Mickey Again. Presented in the frame is a figure whose age and sex is indeterminate. One cannot deduce why the figure is wearing mickey mouse underwear, nor can a moral, political or economic message be recognized. This photographs Huston-Herterich refrains from directing the viewer towards a particular message, allowing them to generate their own dialogue with the image.
An active dialogue is also evident in works by Jessica Butler and Heather Williams. Presented in these works is a constant shift between opposing forces. In Butler’s series there is tension between the represented and imagined, active and static, and illusionary and real. She uses everyday materials, such as a dried leaf, to convey a sense of rebirth and growth. Her work represents a practice that is intimate, yet detached enough for the viewer to enter the photograph. In William’s series, the dualities of organic and inanimate provide a central theme. She articulates the search to find humanity in a sea of technological innovation. This work is devoid of a sense of clarity and objectivity that is commonly presented alongside technological information, alerting one to a sense of the unknown.
The element of the unknown is also illustrated in the works of Amanda Greenson and Julia Dicarlo. Greenson presents an investigation of personal and psychological space being depicted in photographs. Her images appear to be strategically composed, hinting towards a message that lies deeper than the surface of the photograph. In Dicarlo’s Top, one is pushed to question why and how an undressed female figure came to lie amongst a pile of concrete and debris. The figure is surrounded by a radiant glow, which offers a stark contrast to the suggestion of violence in this frame. With both of these works, the viewer is pushed to question what is being presented in these frames, initiating a dialogue between photograph and audience.
The question of time and place is extended with Joni Lui’s Obsession, Accumulation and Life. With these two works, one is alerted an uncanny repetition between two images of a light bulb shining in front of a wall. The individuality of the photos is distinguished by a glass of water in one of the frames. This glass indicates the viewer of a passage of time. These images pose the question of ‘what happened in between these frames?’ The element of time is evident on multiple levels; the speed of the shutter for each image, the passage of time between images, as well as the space in time of the physical prints. As a viewer, we are made aware of a disconnect in representing the passage of time. The photographs refrain from informing us of how much time has passed, or of any movements in-between the camera and this composed scene that may have occurred between capturing these two pictures. Related to, yet opposing the passage of time is Allonge by Justin Lawrence. In this image, a figure is suspended in removed from the pulse of life and suspended in time and space. Upon being confronted with a static image, the viewer can become aware of their own movement through time. It raises the question of ‘Where am I coming from and where, timewise, am I moving towards?’
This question of ‘What’s next?’ can be asked to each of these artists. The title of Birdsong V.7 suggests the end of an exciting chapter with the hopes of more to come. For these ten artists, this is only a beginning towards a greater dialogue and deeper exploration of the digital photographic medium.
Birdsong V.7 is showing at Paul Petro Special Projects Gallery @ 962 Queen St. West, Toronto ON.
Reviewed by Selena Lee
Along the bustling street of Queen St. West in downtown Toronto lies the Paul Petro Special Projects Gallery. Although this is a gallery of modest size and décor, one cannot allow the size of the space to dictate the potential for an effective exhibition. This is exemplified with Birdsong V. 7, a group effort showcasing works by ten emerging artists, hailing from York University. Birdsong V. 7 presents an exploration of the digital photographic medium with artists investigating a wide range of themes ranging from emerging sexuality, social interactions, the roles of women, to forces of technology and nature.
With the advent of any group show comes the issue of constructing a dialogue amongst the works within the exhibition space. With Birdsong V.7, this could have been definite problem since each of the ten artists comes from a different background and has an individual style and thematic exploration. However, curator P. Elaine Sharpe has thoughtfully presented a collection of works that are connected through an underlying sense of ambiguity. It is this element that pulls these works together to create an ongoing dialogue amongst the artists and the audience. With every work is a hint of mystery – although a lot of information is being presented, there is still an indication of a deeper dialogue. In Note Series, Alex Majerus literally articulates a need to look deeper with statements of “I have lost my focus. Does it mean anything? I have no idea.” With these cryptic statements, one is directed towards the other levels of ambiguity within the works of the show.
Works by Brian Barter, Azadeh Houshmand and Joni Lui employ the tools of focus and blur to confront the viewer with images that refrain from divulging what one expects from a photograph. Houshmand’s photographs show a progressive loss of information in her Untitled series while Barter’s Social Shuffle presents us with a multitude of photographs that direct us to look towards the peripheries of the frame to realize what is actually in focus.
The element of ambiguity is most evident in the work of Lilien Huston-Herterich’s Wearing Mickey Again. Presented in the frame is a figure whose age and sex is indeterminate. One cannot deduce why the figure is wearing mickey mouse underwear, nor can a moral, political or economic message be recognized. This photographs Huston-Herterich refrains from directing the viewer towards a particular message, allowing them to generate their own dialogue with the image.
An active dialogue is also evident in works by Jessica Butler and Heather Williams. Presented in these works is a constant shift between opposing forces. In Butler’s series there is tension between the represented and imagined, active and static, and illusionary and real. She uses everyday materials, such as a dried leaf, to convey a sense of rebirth and growth. Her work represents a practice that is intimate, yet detached enough for the viewer to enter the photograph. In William’s series, the dualities of organic and inanimate provide a central theme. She articulates the search to find humanity in a sea of technological innovation. This work is devoid of a sense of clarity and objectivity that is commonly presented alongside technological information, alerting one to a sense of the unknown.
The element of the unknown is also illustrated in the works of Amanda Greenson and Julia Dicarlo. Greenson presents an investigation of personal and psychological space being depicted in photographs. Her images appear to be strategically composed, hinting towards a message that lies deeper than the surface of the photograph. In Dicarlo’s Top, one is pushed to question why and how an undressed female figure came to lie amongst a pile of concrete and debris. The figure is surrounded by a radiant glow, which offers a stark contrast to the suggestion of violence in this frame. With both of these works, the viewer is pushed to question what is being presented in these frames, initiating a dialogue between photograph and audience.
The question of time and place is extended with Joni Lui’s Obsession, Accumulation and Life. With these two works, one is alerted an uncanny repetition between two images of a light bulb shining in front of a wall. The individuality of the photos is distinguished by a glass of water in one of the frames. This glass indicates the viewer of a passage of time. These images pose the question of ‘what happened in between these frames?’ The element of time is evident on multiple levels; the speed of the shutter for each image, the passage of time between images, as well as the space in time of the physical prints. As a viewer, we are made aware of a disconnect in representing the passage of time. The photographs refrain from informing us of how much time has passed, or of any movements in-between the camera and this composed scene that may have occurred between capturing these two pictures. Related to, yet opposing the passage of time is Allonge by Justin Lawrence. In this image, a figure is suspended in removed from the pulse of life and suspended in time and space. Upon being confronted with a static image, the viewer can become aware of their own movement through time. It raises the question of ‘Where am I coming from and where, timewise, am I moving towards?’
This question of ‘What’s next?’ can be asked to each of these artists. The title of Birdsong V.7 suggests the end of an exciting chapter with the hopes of more to come. For these ten artists, this is only a beginning towards a greater dialogue and deeper exploration of the digital photographic medium.
Birdsong V.7 is showing at Paul Petro Special Projects Gallery @ 962 Queen St. West, Toronto ON.
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