Month: March 2013
Raymond Pettibon, Whuytuyp
Here’s a great new clip from MOCAtv featuring Raymond Pettibon being interviewed by Alia Shawkat at his Venice Beach studio. The artist creates graphic and gritty works on paper, often with a political bent. He also has deep connections to the punk rock movement, particularly Black Flag; and it was Pettibon who created the band’s iconic logo. (He’s also the guy behind Sonic Youth’s infamous album cover for Goo – below).
Pettibon’s an eccentric character. Whilst serving 3 years in Pelican Bay penitentiary for copyright violation, the artist inadvertently received a questionable back tattoo from his cellmate: he was expecting a portrait of his girlfriend, but ended up with an enormous swastika instead (you can read more about that in this Vice interview).
Pettibon’s got a contentious twitter account too. Since he materialised online midway through last year he’s been generating absurd content like; “Gucci’s on iyt,I mean,the btchs like to lick his face to the bone,like the mane’s an ice cream cone”. The man loves to tweet, so if these sorts of statements are to your liking, you can follow him here.
Lucas + Wealleans, a perfect match
At the start of last year Sarah Lucas opened Situation – a London-based project space featuring an organic program of events and installations by the artist, and sometimes others. Her latest show, Situation, Romans (above) is killer, and features Lucas’s classic abject pantyhose forms and other perverse content (check out the wall frieze).
Given her penchant for the prurient, it’s no wonder Lucas struck up a friendship with New Zealand artist Rohan Wealleans when she undertook a residency in Auckland care of Two Rooms in 2011.
In the middle of last year, Lucas invited Wealleans to be part of another situation (above). Situation White Hole featured works by Lucas alongside photographs from Wealleans’ Origins series, initially exhibited at Ivan Anthony in Auckland. Wealleans blew the original images up to monstrous scale for Lucas’s show, so that her humble toilet assemblages were flanked by enormous, almost alien ladybits – all encrusted with the artist’s signature paint ‘gemstones’; kind of like Courbet’s The Origin of the World meets high art vajazzling. One can’t help but wonder whether the close up scrutiny of male members in Lucas’s latest show is in direct response to Wealleans Origins objectifications.
En route to London Wealleans made a stopover in Thailand and had this rather magnificent photograph taken of himself in a local mall. While he’s undecided as to what to do with it, he does have another suite of Origins-style snaps in the pipeline. Watch this space.
Cute dog stuff
American photographer William Wegman a.k.a ‘the dude who photographs Weimaraners’ has released his first ever gif (above) on his blog Wegmanworld. Cute huh?
And, just for fun, here’s the video clip Wegman directed for New Order’s single Blue Monday 88, featuring the pup in a bowl’s grandma, the late Fay Ray.
Ai Weiwei, Metalhead
Believe it or not, Ai Weiwei’s set to release an album – of heavy metal music no less. The idea came to the artist during his detention in 2011 when bored prison guards would ask him to sing songs. “I felt so sad I couldn’t sing any except the revolutionary ones we had to learn when we were growing up” he said. “After I came out, I realised I had never really listened to music or sung, so I decided to make an album”.
Weiwei has collaborated with his rock musician friend Zuoxiao Zuzhou (who was briefly questioned during the artist’s detention) and contributes lyrics and vocals to the as yet untitled album. Needless to say he’s designing the cover art too. The 9 track LP is currently being mixed and Weiwei is seeking advice from his good pal Elton John on how best to distribute it. And what do the songs themselves sound like? Weiwei says; “Some are like heavy metal, some are more punkish, and some are more pop.” He’s even started working on a second album as well, an altogether ‘softer’ affair involving a suite love songs.
Hot Photo Friday – Sabine Mirlesse
Some work by Lesley Vance
All works oil on linen.
Winogrand opening at SFMOMA
A major retrospective featuring the work of the late American photographer Garry Winogrand is about to open at SFMOMA. When he died unexpectedly aged 56, Winogrand left behind thousands of rolls of undeveloped film and unedited contact sheets, featuring nearly 250,000 images in total. 100 of these photographs have been printed for the first time and will hang alongside his better known images in the exhibition. Winogrand had a knack for capturing everyday American life (particularly in the 1960s) with a knowing eye and an engaging sense of humour. You can get a sense of his take on photography in the short documentary above.
New Strategic Vision for AGNSW
The Art Gallery of New South Wales today announced their plans for Sydney Modern; a major strategic vision that will see the existing gallery double in size and more collaborations with international art museums. The organisation is also making a specific commitment to building their collections of Australian and Aboriginal art. Read more about the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ plans here.
Leg of Lamb 