DECEMBER 4, 2018 --- The first stop on day one in Miami Beach for the art fairs and exhibitions was the Bass Museum of Art, where Los Angeles-based twins Nikolai and Simon Haas presented their installation, “Ferngully.” The environment evoking renewal and rebirth in altered physical states is inspired by the animate 1992 film, “FernGully: The Last Rainforest.” In that film, the fairy Krysta and the lumberjack Zak try to save their rainforest home from nature’s destructive forces. The beasts, Martian-like in their appearance, with antennae and eyes often on stalks, alternatively resemble worms and centipedes covered in sumptuous materials, including fur and beads. Icelandic sheepskin browns and whites, curly cow fur, brown goat fur, carved ebony and cast bronze recall prehistoric Animalia and minerals in these creatures of diverse personalities, sizes, genders and races, both human and … [Read more...] about ALTERNATIVE WORLDS AND ALTERNATIVE SPECIES: DAY ONE AT MIAMI ART WEEK AND ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2018
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Day 1 Rainy Day in Basel at Volta and Liste
Rain or shine, and it did, Nancy Nesvet, intrepid Artscope writer, spent the first day in Basel before Art Basel opens at two satellite fairs, Volta and Liste. Both showed artists, and galleries reflecting subjects with the environment and social-political issues using codes to define and display nationhood. The socially concerned seemed to predominate at Liste and Volta. Another trend, at both shows, was a use of handcrafts and textiles, naturally obtained, challenging the hard-edged resin obsession of some artists. This emphasis on natural, locally-sourced materials and hand-made objects and sculpture differed from the technological at Art Basel’s installations, (where we’ll have more reports tomorrow on Artscope Online), and, more importantly, emphasized the connection between locally-sourced material and the from which it came. Local sourcing seems like a play to the definition of … [Read more...] about Day 1 Rainy Day in Basel at Volta and Liste
WHAT’S UP? NEW ADMISSIONS POLICY AT THE MET
NEW YORK CITY -- On March 1, the Metropolitan Museum of Art instituted an admission fee for the first time since its April 13, 1870 founding. It was a sad day for art, art lovers and those not yet aware of how enjoyable the art experience can be. Numerous artists, including Ai Wei Wei, have vociferously objected to the new policy, but let us examine the reasons for the change, the possible financial success of the new policy, based on other museums’ experience of charging admission, the legality of the new policy and the social change the new policy might affect. The New York State Legislature amended its April 13, 1870 Act chartering the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art with the 1893 Act, Chapter 476, which required that its collections “shall be kept open and accessible to the public free of charge throughout the year.” The Met’s board has apparently defined the public as … [Read more...] about WHAT’S UP? NEW ADMISSIONS POLICY AT THE MET
THE BUSINESS OF ART: ART FREE FOR ALL
By Nancy Nesvet Okay, so now we acknowledge that the world of art is tied to economics. Only the Venice Biennale and other recent exhibitions after that model survive to showcase the best of new art not for sale or created with economic appreciation in mind, only the other kind. There is no shame in admitting people buy art to hang on their walls while also hoping the work goes up in value; that supports galleries who pay artists, a noble and necessary employment. The art fairs are a great venue for creating an art marketplace for collectors to buy and galleries to sell. But let’s acknowledge the distinction between and value of art fairs for fun and profit and the Biennales, Documentas and other not for sale art venues. That value was recognized until the recent economic debacle of Documenta 14 at Kassel and Athens. Not only did Documenta 14 lose millions of euros, but the loss … [Read more...] about THE BUSINESS OF ART: ART FREE FOR ALL
THE BUSINESS OF ART: DOCUMENTA-ECONOMIC DEBACLE, POLITICAL WIN
By Nancy Nesvet As Globalism and Nationalism dominate current world news and politics, economic disparities of the Global South and northern Europe causes verbal and policy battles across all markets. We hinted in the last Business of Art blog at the consequences for documenta 14, but here provides an update on its future policy decisions. Splitting the fair between Kassel and Athens has been cited for the 5.4-million-euro loss. Documenta’s director, Adam Szymczyk, took the job on the condition that the exhibition be split between Athens and Kassel. Half of Kassel’s 2017 documenta was financed by the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office and the City of Kassel. The other half came from private funds: Volkswagen and Sparkasse Finance Foundation and Kassel’s daily entrance fee. Originally, 10 percent of the budget (2 million euros) was to go to Athens, … [Read more...] about THE BUSINESS OF ART: DOCUMENTA-ECONOMIC DEBACLE, POLITICAL WIN
DONNA DODSON’S MAKING CONNECTIONS … IN TAIWAN
(In our September/October 2017 issue, Donna Dodson wrote of her experience at the Ringkobing International Woodcarving Symposium in Denmark. In this follow-up report, along with husband Andy Moerlein (collectively known as The Myth Makers), she travels to Taiwan for the International Marine Environmental Art where they create an outside sculpture as Artists in Residence at the Keelung National Museum of Marine Science and Technology). KEELUNG CITY, TAIWAN -- August, The Myth Makers were invited to be the Artists in Residence at the Keelung National Museum of Marine Science & Technology in Taiwan. Organized by Jane Ingram Allen, this International Marine Environmental Art Project invites artists from the USA, Europe and Taiwan to complete monumental public works that connect art and science. We worked with three groups of volunteers to complete our project on site. We also … [Read more...] about DONNA DODSON’S MAKING CONNECTIONS … IN TAIWAN