There’s nothing like critical and social theory to start the morning. I highly recommend reading the entire essay. Whether you agree with it or not, after all these years, it’s still a relevant and significant read. It reminds me of college (when I HAD to read this stuff). No joke, nowadays, I read this stuff for fun… 😀
You don’t want bad luck to strike this Friday eve, do you? Well, I’ve got an idea to get your mind off superstition, check out the GAFFTA closing party for Transmutations. Mingle and meet some great artists and immerse yourself in arts and technology. It will be some serious fun. See you there!
We’ve all got our own ways of dealing with pain and suffering but there’s a way of expressing those emotions to the world in a productive way. One way is on the stage as a solo performer BUT it’s got to be done well to be authentic. It was a real treat to see Paolo Sambrano combine poignant storytelling and hilarity in such a deftly manner. Unfortunately, his first solo show, Bi-Poseur, had its last run BUT I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a bevy of people begging for a repeat performance. It was amazing to watch him perform. I’m a lucky lady to have met this man when he was in his teens and my goodness, has he grown up and become even more of a powerhouse. He was a brilliant teenager, which makes sense that he is a brilliant adult. Check out the video above and support him (his shows are completely out of his own pocket)! He’s currently working on his second show, I Get Wet. He is one to watch…
Art is simple and complicated but its such an alluring and wonderful thing. Yet, let’s face it, money is an issue for any parent hearing their kid plead for an art education (trust me, I know, I begged my Mom when I was in high school). Studying and participating in art is not exactly welcome in a Filipino household, I’ll tell you that much. Yet, it’s important to understand why and I wish I caught onto the Bohemia of Finances series by art and culture writer, Brandon Brown (who writes critically about hip hop/rap – swoon!) sooner. I need to back track as soon as possible but I paid particularly close attention to Part 6 of the series because he conducted an interview with Patricia Maloney, Editor and Founder of Art Practical (double sigh, one of my art heroes). In any case, it’s an interview filled with great questions and amazing answers that touch upon an artist’s practice, pecuniary matters in the art world, and art theory/criticism and how they all intersect. Ms. Maloney’s answers to Mr. Brown’s questions certainly bring up some salient points about how the varying levels of education affect contemporary art and how art production and consumption affect an artist’s practice as well as the market. Definitely worth reading because it’s filled with a lot of great information and insight!!
Click the image to view the artMRKT San Francisco website
If you’re up for seeing contemporary art and curious what the art world looks like when you get a bunch of galleries together showcasing their stable of artists, then pay a visit to the artMRKT San Francisco. It’s a wonderful look into the contemporary art world. Looking at the exhibitors list, you will find some great San Francisco galleries (i.e., Jack Fischer, Catherine Clark, Paule Anglim, and more). The MRKTworks Auction is an event that auctions off donated works, which then go to a beneficiary (one of them being quite special to me). Again, if you’re up for a one or a few days of art, artMRKT will not disappoint. See you there!
I haven’t forgotten about my last installment of the Spread Exhibition (which ended last week). I have yet to write my reflections on Laetitia Sonami and her selected artist Jacqueline Gordon. It’s forthcoming. I’ve got so much stuff in the pipeline and as mentioned, it’s been a pretty hectic and draining (to say the least). In any case, here’s a shorter video of Sonami’s work along with a brief interview.
Lately, I’ve been feeling frazzled and overwhelmed. When you start getting creative with your searches on Google, you can find some pretty crazy stuff but if your search is anything like my search today, which was “art as a cure”, I was happy to find AITC, which aims to reach younger audiences and engage its community through street art. Founder, Rich Simmons, definitely knows that art really can save lives.
Painting in our room at the Andiron Inn (Little River, CA)
Over the weekend, my girlfriend surprised me by reserving the “Nature” room at the Andiron Inn in Little River, CA. It was an amazing couple of days at the Inn. The overall ambiance and decor of the cabins was reminiscent of 1950s/early 1960s in New York’s Andirondacks (that I’ve ever been but I’ve seen pictures thanks to the vintage Viewmaster in the room). I posted the picture above because I didn’t want to be so critical with these few posts because I’ll just come out and say it, my mind has been all over the place and feeling a bit fried from art theory, art criticism, and art history. I needed to post something fun and quirky so here it is.
My girlfriend speculated it was done in oil, which is a bit odd considering most paint by number kits are done in acrylic. Although paint by number paintings are simple and straightforward (what you see is what you get), the story behind this phenomena piqued my interest. I found a Wiki that notes the origin of the paint by number kits. Of course, with further research, I found a Smithsonian site dedicated to the history of Max S. Klein, the owner of Palmer Paint Company of Detroit and creator of the Paint by Number kits.