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Thursday, December 25th
Mexico
 I hadn't been in Greece long before I started planning the next venture. Someone had contacted me over the internet about doing a statue for them. I didn't know what it was all about, but during the summer we exchanged a lot of e-mails and gradually I got the picture. An angel for the tomb of a friend. I thought about how cool it would be to do this piece at a small prep school with a nice art center, the Wooster School in Danbury, CT, sharing the technical creation of a statue with some students. I worked up a proposal, asking for work space and offering what I thought would interest students.
I had an in there, one of my old clients from NYC knew someone on the school's board of directors, and since I was an alumnus, the two things seemed likely to give me a good chance of success. I started researching pre-schools for my two kids, and tried to figure out how much transplanting my family from Italy would cost. The last piece of the puzzle was the school's art teacher. I had spoken to a few people there, and had only to propose the idea to her. I did, and received no response whatsoever.
Now you can speculate all you want about why she closed the door, but in any case I'd talked about doing this statue in the US and that had been the attraction for the client. I knew its eventual destination was Mexico. With my plans derailed, I had to come up with something even more attractive, without raising the costs.
Andrew Wielawski on 12.25.08 @ 12:21 PM EST [more..] [No Comments]
Monday, December 22nd
UK Resale Right Update
A press release from the UK Intellectual Property Office was posted on the 19th of December which informs people that the UK Government intends to extend the length of time that the resale right applies only to living artists and not to deceased artists. A letter was sent to the European Commission by John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, which outlines the reasons that the UK Government believes that extending the date that the resale right will become applicable to the work of deceased artists from 2010 to 2012 is the best option.
The most obvious argument that the Government has put forward is, as one would expect, that the introduction of the resale right for works sold by deceased artists would increase the financial burden on the UK art market. According to Denham’s letter, the current economic crisis would amplify the effects that increasing the number of works for which a resale royalty is applicable would have on the number of works being purchased. What Denham seems to have overlooked, however, is that by not introducing the resale right for deceased artists the UK Government is in fact promoting a situation where works by deceased artists are more appealing to dealers than works by living artists. Considering that the work of contemporary artists is more likely to suffer during a financial crisis, the added burden of having to compete with the works of deceased artists which to not attract a resale royalty is likely to become a much more significant factor.
Nicholas Forrest on 12.22.08 @ 10:24 AM EST [more..] [1 Comment]
Thursday, December 18th
Out-of-season thoughts
 1
It appears − but perhaps it really is happening − that the fog is thickening. I know where I am, but I can't see which way to go from here.
Of course, there’s painting … but couldn’t it just be force of habit that makes me think that it still has something new to offer me?
Could I do without it if it weren’t my only means of supporting myself?
If this were true, the fog would get even thicker.
If I want to continue moving on, I have to move slowly, not hoping to return to brighter times.
2
Things go their own way, and we should be aware that we can’t change the way they are going.
You hope that something unexpected will happen, that not everything is lost; but how, when and where, you just don't know.
The day will come when you won't have the patience to "hold on" any more.
Alberto Sughi on 12.18.08 @ 11:55 AM EST [more..] [18 Comments]
Tuesday, December 16th
Reliving The Psychedelic Experience
 A new kind of exhibition opened on Friday the 28th of November of this year: the CAPC museum of contemporary art of Bordeaux has decided to become psychedelic for the next few months. The majestic nave of the building is punctuated with visual and sound archives linked to the psychedelic movement, from its beginnings in the 1960's to its current version and by-products. Every corner of the nave is used to accentuate the psychedelic experience, whilst however managing to remain minimalist in its contents; slideshows are projected onto different wall spaces, emblematic and bizarre sculptures and installations appear as if from nowhere, imposing walls have been set up, with on one side archives linked to the psychedelic thought (records, posters, books, etc.) and on the other a huge mirror that allows you to lose yourself in your vision, posters are laid out on the floor, for anyone interested to take, or simply to look at.
Alice Cavender on 12.16.08 @ 08:27 AM EST [more..] [1 Comment]
Monday, December 15th
The Four Letter "T" Word
I grew up in an age that eschewed four letter words as "dirty" or uncivilized. All that has changed: just tune into any prime time TV show and there are bound to be several words casually spoken that would have gotten me and my peers expelled from school. However those are not the most dreadful words of all. In fact, the more a blasphemous word is used, the less shocking and more mainstream it becomes. Think of how ordinary or even welcomed an explicative is in a friendly greeting, an advertisement or a song. However, there is one four letter word that has the worst connotation of all. The four letter word to which I am referring is "time." Time is my nemesis, my enemy and the word that can intimidate me like no other.
Who would not give up millions for time? Recently the MegaLotto in New York was $86 million. Had I won, I would have gladly traded all the lovely cash for a mere two more hours in each day. I can fantasize about millions and paying off my bills, buying necessities (a new lens or some good new brushes) or luxuries (a new camera and all the gadgets that go with), upgrading my equipment and fixing my house, but I space out at the thought of more time. Imagine!!
Ellen Fisch on 12.15.08 @ 08:20 AM EST [more..] [6 Comments]
Thursday, December 11th
SCOPE MIAMI 2008
Upon entering, you realize that you’re at the forefront. Like everyone else, you came to scope out the joint and quickly see that it’s more cutting edge than most art fairs. And so, from step one, you comb this contemporary space almost in a trance.
I barely got through the front door when I saw Costa Rican artist Lucia Madriz on her knees in a corner studiously working on a mixed media installation she calls, "EAT."
Lucia and a friend were carefully gluing about 100 pounds of popcorn kernels onto a four foot by six foot long spread of paper with the word "EAT" printed on the front. It was clear that placing the paper canvas on the floor was the most effective way to create the piece. Madriz is concerned about the increasing use of corn and other cash crops for things like ethanol to power our vehicles rather than feeding the world’s hungry.
Michael Corbin on 12.11.08 @ 08:31 AM EST [more..] [2 Comments]
Thursday, December 4th
ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2008
(MIAMI BEACH) - It seems to have become customary for me to hold my breath in anticipation of something great at Art Basel Miami Beach. After all, this is my third pilgrimage here and with more than two dozen, independent art fairs taking place all over the city, you’re bound to see something that knocks you dead. Right? Hold that thought.
If you’re an art lover, one of the great things about art fairs is that they lift you out of your hum-drum existence. Nothing accomplishes this better than a show-stopper. Many things caught my fancy this year, not the least of which, the economy. How did the tense, bailout-laced, economy play here? Well, I must say that I’ve just returned here to my hotel room after attending Media/Art Collector Preview Day. Judging by the obviously well-heeled crowd, finding the pick of the day still topped the agenda. If you’ve got the money, isn’t this the best time to buy? Anyway, you know that I was snooping. Here are some bits and pieces of conversations that I overheard - I’ll leave it up to you to fill in the context:
Michael Corbin on 12.04.08 @ 08:10 AM EST [more..] [6 Comments]
Monday, December 1st
Let’s Talk at the Jam Jar
 I recently saw a show at the Jam Jar in Dubai, which featured five young Pakistani artists from the Grey Noise Gallery in Lahore. The Jam Jar is one of the few real community arts organisations in Dubai so it doesn’t have to be as commercially slick as the local norm. This means it can show work that is more youth oriented and often experimental.
The show was called ‘Let’s Talk’ and it represented a dialogue between the five artists in which the work shown is linked as if it were a conversation. The central pillar of the whole concept was a small catalogue containing actual email dialogue and images the five artists exchanged when the show was in the planning stage. It was essential to read this catalogue, not only to help you understand what you saw, but also because it enabled a real sense of involvement in the show itself.
Valerie Grove on 12.01.08 @ 08:22 AM EST [more..]
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