Trolleys, cats

Saw this:

Ivo Gretener, 'Mendy', mixed media, 2009

Made me think of this:

Philippe Halsman, 'Dali Atomicus', 1948

Ai Weiwei discusses Sunflower Seeds

The Unilever Series: Ai Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds, Tate Modern, Bankside, London, until 2 May 2011.

Ai Weiwei’s installation closed

Some of Ai Weiwei's 'toxic' seeds, Tate Modern

Sunflower Seeds, Ai Weiwei’s current installation at Tate Modern has closed unexpectedly.  Despite initial reports that the closure was due to routine maintenance, it has been suggested that there are health and safety concerns with the fine – reportedly toxic – dust that the ceramic seeds have generated.  The Tate is yet to release an official statement.

Ai Weiwei fills Tate with seeds

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Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has filled the Tate Modern’s turbine hall with 100 million ‘seeds’.  The grey expanse on first impression suggests industrial production when in fact, the objects have been hand-crafted and painted by artisans in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen.  Made of porcelain, each seed is unique. Visitors are invited to stroll upon them, to pick them up and examine them – but you can’t take one home.  The artist seems to be at odds with the Tate’s ruling, stating: “If I was in the audience I would definitely want to take a seed”.  Removed from the masses, each finely crafted object becomes a thing in itself, and it’s this tension between the combined and the singular that makes the installation so elegant.

The Unilever Series: Ai Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds, Tate Modern, Bankside, London, until 2 May 2011.

NEW010 at ACCA

Installation shot of Alicia Frankovich's 'Medea', opening night at ACCA.

Leg of Lamb reckons this year’s NEW is patchy at best.  ACCA collaborated with exhibition designers Nexus Designs, who divided the gallery into seven different sites.  Each artist was assigned a separate space and asked to ‘respond’ to it.  No doubt an interesting brief for Nexus employees, the concept is gimmicky and unnecessary.

The highlight of the exhibition is Kiwi Alicia Frankovich‘s installation, Medea, that consists of a bounty of garden plants, abundantly fruity and…suspended upside-down from the ceiling with climbers’ harnesses.  Formerly a gymnast, performance is a significant part of Frankovich’s practice.  Here, she takes a step back.  Frankovich sees the suspended plants as extensions of the human body.   The vegetation grows, fruits and drops, and these inevitable transformations are crucial to the installation.  Medea‘s metamorphoses warrant return visits.

NEW010 runs at ACCA, 111 Sturt Street, Melbourne, until May 23.