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“Verschnitt Skulpturen”, 2016. Bronze… and paint! This is the work of Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. His portfolio is filled to the brim with amazing work dating back to the early 1980s, so it was very difficult to decide what to show. That said, there was something about these sliced and diced pink men that spoke to me. Well, these pink men and his “Fat Cars” {2001-2005} :
Gasp! So, so, so fantastic!
So weird… so fantastic! This is the beautifully bizarre work of Calgary-based duo daveandjenn, aka David John Foy and Jennifer Saleik. Their newest show, titled “Whenever it Hurts” opens Saturday January 19, 3-6 pm at General Hardware Contemporary in Toronto. Also, if I ever saw that final piece while frolicking on the beach… yeah, I would need to change my swimsuit.
Feather-covered, rainbow-hued, life-sized polar bears… oh my word, yes! This is the work of Italian artist Paola Pivi, from a 2013 show at Perrotin, New York. The solo exhibition was titled, “OK, YOU ARE BETTER THAN ME, SO WHAT?”, and yes, I love everything about it.
ps. This is some of Paola’s newest work, seen in Miami December 2018 {fabulous gifs via Designboom}
Feathers and bicycle wheels! LOVE. Happy Friday.
Yayoi Kusama. Can you imagine, not only meeting her, but getting to spend time with her – over years – while making a documentary about her incredible life? Well, that is exactly what my guest did. American filmmaker Heather Lenz first fell in love with the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama years ago during art school … and in 2018 she watched her film, Kusama Infinity, premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. AMAZING. It is such a beautiful movie on so many levels. Kusama is now 89, and I think it’s beyond fantastic that Heather was able to document this very important artist’s life in person. Just imagine, Heather got to sit with Kusama … watching her work, asking her questions, listening to stories about her time in New York, Japan, Venice and more. You can listen right up there under Kusama in her fabulous red wig, or subscribe on iTunes.
Heather did a wonderful job of telling Kusama’s story, from childhood until now. Here are just a few images that take us through this fascinating life:
Ah, yes … Kusama’s early paintings, the dizzying infinity net paintings, and literally boatloads of soft sculptures.
And then, of course, her very famous dots:
… and she’s still doing them today. In fact, she’s probably putting dots on something right this very second!
There are so many gorgeous images in the film too. These are two of my favorites, from Kusama’s early days in New York:
Gah! So stylish.
Ok, this might be one of my favorite Kusama adventures. This is when she showed up to the 1966 Venice Biennale, uninvited, and created her installation titled “Narcissus Garden”:
After she got in trouble for selling her orbs to visitors, she laid amongst them in a red unitard knowing full well the press would cover such a beautiful spectacle. She was right.
Skip ahead almost thirty years, and here we are in Venice again. This time it’s 1993 and Kusama was invited to represent Japan at the Biennale… this was hugely important for two reasons. One, she was the first woman to represent Japan, and two, in previous years Japan typically sent several artists, not just one:
Her exhibition included a range of work including a mirror room, small yellow pumpkin sculptures, and more. But this was not the first or last of Kusama’s spectacular infinity rooms:
So brilliant, and ridiculously beautiful.
Speaking of which, this is the woman we’ve been talking to. The tenacious and passionate Heather Lenz:
Inspiring and unbelievably determined … both of them! If you can see this film, please see it. We only touched on a fraction of the stories … there is so much MORE. Huge thanks to Heather for her dedication and unrelenting passion that was required to make this wonderful piece of art history come to life… I think she and Kusama have a lot in common when it comes to forging ahead no matter what. Thank you to Saatchi Art for supporting this episode, and thank YOU for listening. There will be more art for your ear next weekend.
Other links:
ps. The official trailer … it’s soooo good!
Glass pillows that could double as disco balls? I could not love them more. This is the gorgeous work of LA based artist Colin Roberts. The end. Happy Friday.
Gigantic hands? Yes please. This is the fabulous work of Brooklyn based artist Mimi O Chun. All of her work is fantastic {so yes, I’ve already arranged to have her on an upcoming podcast episode!}, but today I wanted to share her series, titled Manu Propria (Latin for with one’s own hand). It “consists of soft sculptures of hands that explore the ways in which we enact personal notions of beauty, culture, and identity through micro-acts of adornment.” Her whole artist statement about this body of work can be read right here, but I really wanted to include this last part of it in the post:
“In the wake of the 2016 US elections, I’ve experienced an even greater urgency to develop this body of work. As progressive policy impacting matters of immigration, religious freedom, equality, and reproductive rights come under siege, I’ve had the opportunity to appreciate the many ways in which visible forms of personal expression can define, differentiate, and unite us — one hijab, pink pussy hat, or nail at a time.”
Amen, sister.
Beautiful and bizarre… ah yes, one of my favorite combinations! I don’t know what I love best, but those delicate legs made from dress pattern tissue are at the top of my list. This is the work of Canada based artist Pilar Mehlis, and this is why she puts legs on fish:
“At the age of twelve I moved from La Paz, Bolivia to Whitehorse,Yukon in the middle of winter. This move and life shift changed my perception of “self” in many ways and hence has become a focus in my work … In the last few years I have been exploring ideas of immigration and migrations both human and animal. The anthropomorphic forms: AntroFish (half human, half fish) and Ornithrope (Half human, half bird) have become the perfect vessels for the exploration of these ideas. They serve as “carriers” of all the things I associate with immigration and migration. I metaphorically recount these explorations through these figures and tell the viewer the story I know best: my own.”
Lovely. Happy weekend.
Your “ChiChi DooDad” is showing. Well actually, American artist Sarah Bednarek’s “ChiChi DooDad” is showing at Tiger Strikes Asteroid {New York} until November 18, 2018! Here is their description of Sarah’s gorgeous, weird, and beautifully made work:
“For Sarah Bednarek, geometry and math directly reference the body and environment. She describes geometry as a tool to rationalize and calculate the world around us. Math of the everyday is messy. The eye measures distances in approximations, ordinary objects have dents and dings. Her works nod to this sort of fuzziness. They are human scale, roughly the size of the body, head, chest, genitalia and legs. This encourages her viewers to empathize with her sculptures as individuals. As we look, we might see a gaping mouth ready to scream, eat, vomit, or kiss. A figure may reveal itself in the midst of a gesture – maybe a wave or raising a hand in surrender. Are they covered in muscle? Tumors? Jewelry?”
I see singing. Happy Monday.
Um, so I don’t know where American artist Crystal Wagner buys her paper, but MY paper does not do this! Crazy, beautiful, intricate, and in some cases, COLORFUL sculptures made of, yes, paper. My brain hurts. In a really, really good way. If you happen to be in San Francisco, you can see Crystal’s work at Hashimoto Contemporary … Join them for the opening night reception this Saturday, November 3rd from 6pm-9pm {ps. Crystal will be there!}. The show runs until November 24, 2018.
“Everything that could have been but wasn’t, now is” … LOVE! This “paper” sculpture {which is actually aluminum}, is the work of Italian artist Daniele Sigalot. I love the final piece, but it was his brilliant idea behind these bad ideas that got me:
“I wanted to see what happened if I put all the bad ideas I have ever had in my life, in one single room. Would all these crumpled papers turn from bad to good, once they joined forces? Is the repetition of failure, a success?”
Gorgeous.
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