July 31, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Rineke Dijkstra: A Retrospective

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This may be one of those you-had-to-be-there kind of situations, but seeing Rineke Dijkstra’s retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum this past Saturday was more exhilarating than I would have imagined and could probably convey in this post. This talented Dutch photographer’s portraits, both photographic and videographic, capture youth in all its sweetness, innocence, self-consciousness and more, in the faces of her subjects. She could not have made up these faces if she had painted them, and many of them have a 17th-Century Dutch painting quality even when the subjects are not Dutch! The photographs and their size have an imposing presence, but my favorites for sure were the videos, especially the top floor’s series Krazy House where each wall is projected with one video at a time of adolescents from Liverpool alternating between self-consciously dancing and thoroughly enjoying themselves rocking out while mouthing the words to the songs. These are so surprisingly engaging—as well as touching and amusing—which seems to be the general consensus watching the crowd in the center of the room remain for long periods and swivel their gaze uniformly and eagerly from one wall to the next as each video ends. If you’re not in NYC you can take a look at the videos below, but seeing them in person is obviously a completely different experience and highly recommended.

Rineke Dijkstra: A Retrospective will be on view through October 8, 2012.

Photos courtesy of the artist; the Guggenheim Museum; and Marianne Goodman Gallery.

July 31, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Kunsthof-Passage: Dresden

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Tucked away in a student district of Dresden, Germany, you’ll find Kunsthof-Passage, a series of buildings and courtyards that encompass a farm collective as well as shops and cafés. Walking through these buildings into the courtyards leads to a fun surprise: the Court of Water. Using the gutters, metal pipes and funnels, architect Heike Bottcher designed a Rube Goldberg-type contraption that plays “music” when the rain comes down and through. Though this installation is probably the most fun, there are other artistic façades in Kunsthof-Passage including the Court of Mythical Creatures and the Court of Metamorphosis. The whole thing screams fun artist community and seems to be well worth a visit if you find yourself in town.

Photos: Andreea Gerendy; mi-fo; aerohaveno; fotocommunity; wm_archiv; and Michelle Weingarten

via boredpanda

July 30, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Hong Chun Zhang: Hairy Art

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Chinese artist Hong Chun Zhang, now living and working in Kansas, has found a balance between her Chinese and American artistic educations and cultures. Her painting and drawing foundation from China was very rigorous, but her content choices are now less restricted due to her US exposure.

Much of her work revolves around hair, something she identifies with, and characterizes her to some degree through her own long hair, in addition to being something Zhang finds both beautiful and at times repulsive. She has charcoal drawings on larger-than-life scrolls to emphasize the length, and very realistic oil paintings on the subject matter as well. She also combines hair with everyday objects to make humorous and surreal pieces.

From the artist:
Twin Spirits are large charcoal hair drawings, self-portraits of my twin sister and me. I use long hair to exaggerate our major characteristic and as a metaphor to reveal something that is beyond the hair. These drawings are presented as scroll paintings in order to accentuate the length of the piece and the flow of long hair. The larger than life-size scale creates a three-dimensional effect that extends the meaning beyond the surface. My most recent drawings and paintings on hair, however, is a new approach from personal to more universal. This time, long hair is meant to examine a woman’s complete life cycle.

Here is an interview with Hong Chun Zhang:

via white rabbit gallery

July 30, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Tom Buchanan: Feature

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Though South African photographer Tom Buchanan shoots commercial work, his preferred personal work tends towards conceptual photographic portraits that usually incorporate people into landscape settings. This preference is evident in his series titled “Feature”, however the ‘people’ have been replaced with famous film stills of famous film stars as the portraits contained within television screens. There is a noir-ish humor in dropping these familiar images into the odd contexts.

Buchanan carried the TV around the country finding locations familiar to the viewer but alien to the characters in the beaming screens. Love it.

via one small seed

July 27, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 7/27

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Some free and cheap (affordable) cultural events that look interesting to us for this weekend in New York City:

1. Street Art – Williamsburg Street Art Walking Tour 2-hour tour, Saturdays at 2:30 pm. Meets at N7th Street but email hello@streetartwalk.com to reserve a spot and confirm details. $20 per person.

Alternatively: Historic Harlem Walking Tour, Saturday 7/28 at 11 am. $18.

2. Art – Joseph Albers in America at the Morgan Library, through 10/14. Admission:$12 Student/Senior $8. Fridays 7-9 pm FREE.

3. Music – The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series. Friday 7/27 at Brooklyn Bridge Park; 7-9 pm; FREE.

4. Film – Ai Weiwei Never Sorryis the first feature-length film about the internationally renowned Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei. At IFC Center starting Friday 7/27; Adults $13; Seniors $9. Check link for showtimes and tickets.

5. Art/Food – Check out Big Kastenmann sculpture by Erwin Wurm at The Standard Hotel. Then head upstairs to Le Bain on the roof top from 2 pm on (21 and over) and have a crepe ($5 to $8) while sitting on a waterbed with a great view of the High Line and the Hudson. And of course there’s always a walk on the High Line post-crepe! All weekend.

6. Music – Antipop Consortium at the New Museum. Alternative hip hop ensemble described as fragmented rhythms of contemporary electronic music with the confrontational, interrogative stance of rap. Friday 7/27 at 7 pm. Members $10, General Admission $12

7. Music – Breakout Sessions Music Fest sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery at 1031 Grand St., Williamsburg. Saturday 7/28 from 3pm to 11pm. 10 bands, 9+ hours of music, 4 hours of open bar. $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Tickets here.

8. Music – Mostly Mozart Festival Preview Concert at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. Saturday, 7/28, 7:30 pm. FREE

9. Theater – Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim Delacorte Theater, Central Park through 8/25, 8 pm. Tickets same day in the park (line up early) or same day virtual ticketing here. All weekend.

10. Leisure/Food – One of our favorite summer things to do is hop on the East River Ferry from Long Island City after WarmUp at PS1 or Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg and ride down under all three bridges with lovely views of Manhattan getting off at Pier 11 at Wall Street (approximately 1 hour from the LIC/Hunters Point; $4 per person.) From there Adrienne’s Pizza on Stone Street for a delicious old style pizza pie and a little feel of Europe in NYC. All weekend.

11. Music/Film –Muppet Movie Sing-a-long with the Loser’s Lounge in Prospect Park Bandshell. Saturday, 7/28, 7:30 pm (doors open 6:30) FREE

12. Theater – Oxygen presented by B-Floor Theatre Company (Bangkok) at Flamboyan Theater, CSV Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk St. Oxygen is a visual, movement and multimedia exploration of Thailand’s tumultuous political situation from 2010 to the present. Friday, 7/27 through Sunday, 7/29. Check for showtimes and tickets here. $20. All weekend.

Also in Music: The Head And The Heart / Lost in the Trees, at Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn. Friday 7/27, 7:30 (doors open 6:30)

Also in Film: NewFest 2012 at Lincoln Center. NY’s premier LGBT Film Festival. Check for showtimes and tickets. Tickets $12 for members; $14 General Admission. All weekend.

Olympics 2012: Okay, so it’s more of a sports event than a cultural one, but you can watch the opening ceremonies surrounded by others at Big Screen Plaza, at the Eventi Hotel, (851 Sixth Avenue at 30th St) tonight Friday 7/27, 7-11:30 pm. FREE.

For more ongoing summer weekend suggestions (i.e. The Clock at Lincoln Center, Yayoi Kusama Retrospective at the Whitney and more) see our previous Culture on the Cheap posts here and here. Also: check back throughout the weekend for possible updates. Also, also: feel free to leave suggestions in the comments.

July 26, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Rob & Nick Carter: Neon Postcards

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London based artistic couple Rob and Nick Carter create art that revolves around light, color and form in mediums that range from painting and photography, to installations and film. Their series titled Postcards from Las Vegas originates from a mutual love and collecting of postcards throughout their childhoods. They have enlarged some of their favorites and interjected contrasting retro-style Las Vegas neon signs from motels, strip clubs and diners. I love the results!

Photos courtesy of the artists.

July 26, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Shelter ByGG: Gabriela Gomes

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This cloud-shaped, cocoon-like shelter is the design of Portuguese architect Gabriela Gomes. The bright red exterior is made of a unique non-polluting, recycled cork, with a minimalist interior that consists of a double room with bathroom using ecological materials in its construction and solar paneling for energy as well as LED lighting, keeping with its sustainable goal. The mobile habitat—that goes by the name Shelter ByGG—seems to be taking reservations and will be delivered via flatbed truck to a series of locations. You can make your reservations here.

Photos by Joao Morgado and renderings courtesy of the architect.

via contemporist

July 25, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Shi Jindian: Steel Wire Sculptures

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There’s a strange juxtaposition in Chinese artist Shi Jindian’s steel wire sculptures. His subject matter tends to be, for the most part, solidly masculine with motorcycles and military vehicles as prime examples, but his delicate wire mesh sculptures make them look delicate and almost ethereal. Jindian’s pieces are reminiscent of Do Ho Suh’s work, but only in that they are light and translucent, the technique, oddly enough, is more comparable to Olek’s crocheted works. Shi Jindian learned, by trial and error, how to crochet the two-dimensional strands of wire into three-dimensional forms using tools of his own devising. His wire meshes start out as wrappings around common objects. When the mesh is complete, he destroys or extracts the object, leaving only its steel “shadow”. Each of the works takes years to make and is accurate to the smallest detail.

Photos: saviems; and Arrested Motion

via White Rabbit Gallery and beautiful decay

July 25, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Kendell Geers: Neon Type Play

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South African-born artist Kendell Geers, presently lives and works in Brussels. He gained international notoriety when he urinated in Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain in Venice, and previously had publicly refused to serve in the South African Defense Force, along with 142 others, and was consequently exiled. Clearly, a force to be reckoned with. Geers is known for work that takes aim at both the art establishment and society in general as well as for questioning our existing moral codes. Working in a wide variety of media, he uses and subverts familiar signs from art history and pop culture.

Above are some of his typographic neon sculptures.

Photos: Yvonne Lambert Gallery, Stephen Friedman Gallery, Goodman Gallery

July 24, 2012 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

Vincent Ganivet: Cinder Block Sculptures

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French artist Vincent Ganivet creates gravity-defying sculptures using concrete cinder blocks, bricks, straps, sometimes wood, and metal. These mostly large-scale works arch and twist in impressive ways, all the while staying balanced in place. Pretty amazing.

Photos courtesy of the artist and Yvon Lambert Gallery

July 23, 2012 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

Adalberto Abbate: Selfportrait

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Sicilian artist Adalberto Abbate lives and works in Palermo, Italy. His work ranges from sculpture to photography, as well as street and installation art, but in all its forms is political. His most recent solo exhibit, Selfportrait: Build/Destroy/Rebuild includes this series of ripped photographic portraits. According to Abbate, these represent our confused society in a continuous state of reprogramming and with that our identity as well. The ego is no longer I, but becomes You, He, She and Them. The lines between good and evil, responsibility and guilt, combat and resolution are all blurred causing irreparable damage. His exhibit at GAM, symbolizes the passage of energy, an idea of change, a charge from rage and consciousness that was concretely manifested in the Arab Spring.

Photos courtesy of the artist.

via tribeart

July 20, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 7/20

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Here are some of our suggestions for free and cheap cultural events in New York City this weekend:

1. Theater – Slowgirl by Greg Pierce, with Sarah Steele and Zeljko Ivanek, at Lincoln Center’s new Claire Two Theater. All tickets $20. Extended through August 5, 2012.

2. Art – Ghosts in the Machine at the New Museum. The new exhibit spans fifty years and traces the complex historical passage from the mechanical to the optical to the virtual. FREE Saturday (7/21/2012) 12-5pm with a visit to the museum’s block party. Otherwise $14 General Admission/$10 Student. FREE every Thursday 7pm-9pm. Through September 30, 2012.

3. Music – B.o.B FREE Secret Show at the Highline Ballroom; Sunday, July 22 at 9pm. Doors open 7:30pm. FREE with Ticket. Tickets available at the box office.

Also: Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra at the Brooklyn Bowl, Sunday, July 22, at 8pm. Doors open 6pm. $5.00

4. Comedy/Performance – D’FunQT: Stand Up or Die at Dixon Place (LES) Fri and Sat, July 20 & 21 at 9:30 pm. Tickets: $15 advance, $20 at the door, $15 students / seniors
Written and performed Leguizamo-style, this one-person show celebrates the joy of survival in a world often intolerant of difference. As a queer boy/stud/trans person, D’Lo unapologetically takes center stage and uses his fluidly morphing form and spot-on timing to bring the fierce with the funny.

5. Architecture – New Practices New York 2012 exhibit at the Center for Architecture. Mon-Fri: 9am to 8pm Sat: 11am to 5pm, through September 8th. FREE

6. Design/Performance – GlassLab Glassmakers from Corning Museum of Glass create pieces with contemporary designers. Glass blowing and all. Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 6:30 through July 29th. This weekend designers include Peter Buchanana-Smith and Paul Sahre. On Governors Island. FREE.

7. Art – Rineke Dijkstra: A Retrospective at the Guggenheim. Large-scale color photographs. Portraiture with a twist. Through October 8, 2012. Pay-what-you-Wish Saturdays from 5:45 to 7:45.

8. Theater – Uncle Vanya at the Soho Rep in Tribeca, through August 26th. 99¢ Sundays same day at the door. Line forms one hour before show. Limit 2 tickets per person. 7:30 pm. 99¢.

9. Dance – Pilobolus at the Joyce Theater. Through August 11, 2012. A limited amount of tickets available for $10 by calling the box office (212-242-0800). At the time of posting, only 1 ticket was left for this weekend, so best to try in advance. Showtimes and programs vary.

Also in Music: Bebel Gilberto/Criolo/Flavio Renegado/Beco Dranoff Saturday, July 21, 3-7 pm, Summerstage at Central Park. FREE

Also in Food: Les Salonnieres Country Blues Potluck Under the Stars. Dinner and Wine tasting. Bring a country-themed dish. Saturday, July 21, 7pm – 1am. Williamsburg Private Residence. Tickets $10.

More Food: 3rd Ward’s 5th Annual Pig Roast. Saturday July 21, 4pm to midnight. 195 Morgan Ave, Bushwick. FREE with RSVP

Also in Film: Coming Home: Short Films. Friday, July 20, 8pm. Rooftop Films at Metrotech Commons. FREE

Art on the Beach: Coney Island Annual Sand Sculpting Contest and Unity Day. (Here’s a video on last year’s event) Saturday, July 21, 12-5 pm. FREE.

Check last week’s Culture on the Cheap for additional (ongoing) events.

July 19, 2012 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

Jason Ratliff: Walking Shadows

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I love these. Indiana-based graphic designer and illustrator Jason Ratliff created this series of illustrations titled Walking Shadow which melds his two talents perfectly. Such a great concept to make these classically illustrated figures have contrasting exaggerated shadows in colorful geometric patterns. Beautiful.

via ignant via this isn’t happiness

July 19, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Mariska de Groot: Quadtone

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This looks interesting. Dutch designer and artist Mariska de Groot has recently developed an undercurrent fascination for straight forms, stroboscopic movement and analogue machines. She started building cinematic instruments and installations based on optical sound–moving form and light to create sound—as soon as she came in contact with the principle of synthetic sound on film.

Earlier this month at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, as part of their Graduation Exhibition, de Groot exhibited/performed her piece Quadtone-Lumisonic Rotera.

‘Quadtone – lumisonic rotera’ is a mesmerising light-is-sound projection performance in space. Graphical patterned wheels code a beam of light, which portable light-sensitive speakers convert into audible frequencies. All leftover light is visual sound.

Here is her Light Synth piece in action:

The rotating discs are beautiful in themselves!

Photos: Ed Jansen and KABK

via Ed Jansen’s flickr

July 18, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Pedro Reyes: Capulas

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Contemporary Mexican artist Pedro Reyes tends to combine the fantastical with the functional in his art. Trained as an architect, many of his projects convey an underlying interest in structural design. His Capulas are such works. These cocoon-like capsules are woven using traditional Mexican techniques at an architectural scale. People are invited to interact with these structures by sitting inside or walking through them. Some of the Capulas hang from above, while others are elevated from below.

Reyes appears to have a kind of manifesto as part of his Capula projects, which reads as follows:

If a Room has rigid walls/ the Capula shall be elastic
If a Room divides the inside from the outside/the Capula shall be permeable
If a Room is grounded/the Capula shall hover
If a Room is steady/ the Capula shall rock or swing
If a Room has walls that block the light/ the Capula shall radiate the light
If a Room creates a fixed field of vision/the Capula shall be kinetic
If a Room needs furniture/the Capula will turn itself into furniture
If a Room hides from the view/the Capula allows a glimpse
If a Room is an ensemble of parts/ the Capula shall be a continuum

In fact,
a sense
of essence
is,
in essence,
the essence
of sense,
in effect.

Cupola
Cupule
Capsule +
Couple
Copulate
Capillary
_________
CAPULA

Photos courtesy of the artist; Celebrate Big; and flickr

via molaa

July 17, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Jarbas Lopes: The Debate Series

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Brazilian artist Jarbas Lopes works in a variety of mediums, but much of his art pays homage to the Brazilian tradition of colorful weavings and craftmaking. He is probably best known for his bicycles woven with rattan that are still functional and meant to be interacted with. Here, in his woven “paintings” titled O Debate (The Debate), Lopes uses plastic/vinyl political campaign posters of both known and unknown politicians, tears them into strips and then weaves them together fusing the images, ultimately creating hybrid political personalities. Some incorporate local Brazilian politicians, while others use images of American politicians such as Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and George Bush.

Photos courtesy of the artist; Volta; Taxi Art; entretenimiento; and Tilton Gallery.

July 17, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Patricia Waller: Broken Heroes

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Maybe it’s just me, and that I’ve recently become more aware of it, but there seems to be a lot of Superhero-themed art around lately. Even just strolling through the Chelsea Market a couple of weeks ago, the walls were covered with photos of superheroes in everyday poses by photographer Gregg Segal.

Currently at Berlin’s Galerie Dreschler, the Germany-based artist Patricia Waller has an exhibit entitled Broken Heroes. These sculptural pieces illustrate superheroes and cartoon characters in what look like humorous situations at first glance, but upon closer look, they evoke a sadness through their misfortunes and personality disorders.

Waller views her work as a critical reflection on the cult of celebrity, today’s substitute for the superhero:

They are role models and bearers of hope, they reflect our longing for the special. Heroes don’t just appear, they are created. The pressure to always look your best, the obligation to constantly be positive, and the knowledge of being observed all the time can result in identity disorders…

If you like these you might also enjoy Marcos Minunchin’s photos and Igor Scalisi Palminteri’s Superhero Saints.

Photos courtesy of the artist and Galerie Deschler.

July 16, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Claudia Hersz: Identidade

I happened upon this set of photos on flickr titled Identidade (Identity) by Brazilian artist Claudia Hersz and really love them. Such a simple idea leading to such a great effect. Hersz has always felt that those big black bars placed over children’s eyes in photos to preserve their identity, in many ways have the opposite effect: they rob them of their identity. By symbolically placing a mirror in place of the black bar, she feels that the reflection returns a little of the stolen identity.