art guide spring 2015
MODA art guide spring 2015
Arts Editor
BrontĂŤ Mansfield
Editorial Assistant
Margaret Duffey
Writers
Layout & Design
Kaitlin Dunn, Xiangzhu Chen, Sarah Friedland, Marcie Waters, BrontĂŤ Mansfield, Karina de-Bourne, Margaret Duffey, and Erin Green Alexandra Folino
Letter from the Arts Editor When I was in eighth grade at a school in rural Wisconsin, I took a career placement test, and it told me I should be a museum curator. I scoffed. The only museums I had been to had mannequins in pioneer garb and taxidermy muskrats—I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life stuffing prairie dogs, I told myself. In high school—where the occasional tractor sat in the parking lot—I jumped at the chance to graduate early, to pack my bags and move across an ocean to London. I was completely alone, and the first time I ventured out of my grandparents’ flat, I went to an art museum. As I wandered through the Tate Modern— past Ai Wei Wei’s famous sunflower seed installation—I was bowled over the weight of it all, by the hundreds of people swirling in that concrete behemoth of a space, that breathing monument to culture, I realized that there was something to that museum idea after all. In college, I stumbled into my job as assistant to the Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Chazen Museum of Art. I cannot articulate how important that museum has been to me, how amazing its exhibitions are—so I will let Kaitlin Dunn and Xiangzhu Chen do that for me (pg. 8-9). I am leaving that job in three weeks, so it is an emotional time—yesterday, I held a 522 year old print and cried. The Chazen not only shaped my love of museums, which you will see has informed every page of this Art Guide, but inspired me to join Moda to bring the arts to my fellow students. By the next year, I founded Moda’s Arts section, and was suddenly at the helm of a dozen dedicated student writers, leading a tremendous writing force. This has not been an easy year: leading has been a struggle, the work load heavy, the construction of a section from scratch a serious learning experience. But as I sit here, writing this letter before my last ever Moda meeting, I know that it has been worth it, and that this first generation of Arts Writers has laid the foundation for many Modies to come, and has already brought the arts to a hungry campus readership. I cannot wait to see what the next editor does with the section. This Arts Guide is a collection of college perspectives on museums, exhibitions, galleries across the country and world. It is indicative of how far and wide Badgers travel and how engaged our writers are with the global arts scene. From coast to coast—Karina de-Bourne talks Ai Wei Wei at Alcatraz (pg. 16) and Margaret Duffey ponders the NYC gallery scene (pg. 19)— to far abroad and close to home, with Erin Green’s trip to the Gucci Museum in Florence (pg. 24), and Marcie Waters’ jaunt to
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Photo by Cassie Sterwald the Art Institute of Chicago (pg. 12), these are the best museums and galleries we have visited so far in 2015. This is a love letter to my section—soon to be bequeathed to my assistant—a love letter to early morning meetings over crepes, to late nights at the Union, and to sleepy steak sandwiches after launch parties: you have, and will continue to do, unbelievably cool things. Stay calm and hustle on, my loves,
Brontë
Letter from the Editorial Assistant Art participates in a never-ending cycle of culture; it both mimics the existing culture of the time and place it is created and influences the developing culture of that same time and place. Through art, people convey their personal interpretations of society while simultaneously helping society understand itself. This complicated relationship between art and society poses the classic question “which came first: the chicken or the egg?� Can culture exist without the molding power of art? Can art exist without culture as its eternal muse? In its new Arts section, Moda explored these questions for the first time this year. From Madison, Wisconsin to Florence, Italy, the dedicated writers of our newborn section have participated in an extensive search for the answers. The more ground that the search covered, the more intertwined the relationship appeared, and the more we found that understanding the individuality of perception is imperative when studying the relationship between art and society. Perception makes it impossible to identify a definite start of the art-culture cycle, but enables all art enthusiasts to have their own understanding of it. While I believe the culture of a society is the beginning, another person could name art the foundation and neither of us would be wrong. The beauty of the arts industry stems from this fundamental Photo by Roberto Leon relationship. A single piece of art can satisfy an infinite Since perception is influenced by personal experiences, it number of interpretations without a single one being develops and changes over the course of a lifetime. Our necessarily incorrect. understanding of art and society’s relationship will evolve as our perception is molded by increased experience. Finding meaning in art intensifies our grasp on the world This Art Guide is a reflection of how each of us sees the around us. It gives us the ability to travel through time and relationship right now, at this time in our lives, and while space to understand society as it is today. This Art Guide is that may change, its presence in our lives will never cease. a testament to the search we engaged in this year. The art that fills these pages all fit together to form a collection of With love and best wishes, new-found understanding that is defined by our personal interpretations.
Margaret
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CLOSE TO HOME MADISON, MILWAUKEE & CHICAGO
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B O D Y P O L I T I C “Tradition and Innovation: The Human Figure in Contemporary Chinese Art” at the Chazen Museum of Art
Two Moda writers went behind the scenes at the Chazen’s new temporary exhibition, exploring how China’s culture, politics, and foreign policy have shaped not only Chinese art, but how it is seen by the world.
Madison
“THIS IS NOT ALLOWED”: POLITICS A T P L AY I N C H I N E S E C O N T E M P O R A R Y ART By Kaitlin Dunn, Arts Writer
“Tradition and Innovation: The Human Figure in Contemporary Chinese Art” is a mixed media exhibition that powerfully illuminates and reveals the human condition through contemporary Chinese artists. As the title indicates, this exhibition is focused on the human figure. This initiative produces results of the included, excluded, and a new understanding and powerful experience that targets one’s perceived expectations. The medium and setting the figure resides in differs from piece to piece, but what remains through all of the works are specific choices by the artist to reveal and hide certain aspects of culture. Not only do the artists comment on culture, but also the Chinese government takes part in what they reveal by exclusion. Dispersed throughout the exhibition are pictures of artwork originally planned to be in the show, but were not allowed to exit China. Next to “Heaping Clouds and Snow” by Li Xiangqun the label informs about the artists their background and then includes why the original piece of art was not attainable: “Unfortunately the following artwork failed to pass the primary political examination: “Heaping Clouds and Snow”, reason: This sculpture is naked. This is not allowed.” “Colonel” by Jing Kewen is given the same treatment; its reason for failing the political examination
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was it resembles a real person, which is not allowed. The “real person” portrayed in “Colonel” resembles a real soldiers which hints the censorship is focused on maintaining a certain perception of political or historical figures. Being confronted by political censorship of this kind is jarring. Art has limitless possibilities to be provocative or to shed light on a situation and it is not always flattering, but nonetheless is still important to show. Here that was being controlled and censored. The exhibition’s implementation was made more difficult through political examinations and authorization from customs that many pieces were required to pass. Both pieces resemble historical and political figures so the censorship is focalized on controlling the image of Chinese history. However, Chinese contemporary artists are still managing to express their history and culture in veiled or surprisingly explicit ways while passing under the radar of political examinations. Su Xinping’s “Expression #2” illustrates the stress of urbanization in modern China and its tight and disruptive living environments. Chi Peng’s “Now-ing”, from the series Journey to the West, combines Tiananmen Square, the artist dressed as the wellknown Chinese book character, the Monkey King, and a gigantic gorilla in the background evoking the film King Kong.
The Monkey King is standing directly in front of the place where Chairman Mao’s portrait hangs in the square and while the inclusion of the portrait would be assumed for Chinese audiences its exclusion is an important distinction. It may or may not be there still, but being covered by the artist portrayal of a character from a novel presents Chinese culture over Chinese politics. The ability to reveal and hide messages and artistic expression in plain sight is done intricately and thoughtfully throughout the show. Human figures confront and use the expectations held about China to address the truths and misconceptions in those expectations. These artists are using their own past and present, forcing viewers to respond with their own assumptions held about China’s past and present. One of the most powerful implications from the show is the knowledge that what we are receiving from China is controlled; there are images and information that receivers are not privy to. The exhibition is so close and available for this campus and community, but how much access we have as viewers are challenged. Seeing what artists are creating about their contemporary China in “Tradition and Innovation” is engaging, confronting, and thought provoking, and absolutely important to see.
Madison
NO T H I NG L O S T I N T R A N S L AT I O N By Xiangzhu Chen, Contributing Writer
It was my pleasure to be one of the translators for the Chinese artists that visited the Chazen during the exhibition’s opening. On April 10, the Chinese artists who participated in the exhibition held a forum that started with a speech which was about contemporary Chinese female artists, discussing the way that the art in the exhibition showed how Chinese female artists’ social status has been changing throughout years. I was grateful to see how people in China are now beginning to discuss how gender relates to art making. After the speech, a round table talk began. As a college student in America, I do not have many chances to communicate with Chinese modern artists face to face. Because I was a translator, I was able to have even closer talk with the artists, which I enjoyed very much. Not all of the panelists were artists. Yu Hong and Xiang Jing--who created the pieces The Ladder to the Sky and Your Body, respectively--represented the artists while Li Yuhang, a professor of art history was also a panelist. Yu and Xiang each talked about about their art-making experience. They both graduated from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). The audience was active and asked many questions; the artists
were very happy to converse about their intentions in creating their art and explain the context behind every piece. Xiang talked about how other have said that she has been insisting on only working in sculpture for years. Xiang laughed and said, “actually [that] is not the truth. I did not insist. I want[ed] to use other medium[s] too, but [mastering] only one medium took me so many years. It just took that long.” The forum mainly talked about the influence of contemporary society on Chinese art. The artists all had different interpretations, but Yu said she usually found inspiration in photos from the Internet. The use of the ordinary, or daily life, is one feature of contemporary Chinese art. Su Xinping, an artist from CAFA, said, “contemporaneity is diversity. Although CAFA still has division of different schools, for example oil painting department and Chinese traditional art department, there are 108 studios with distinctive styles that students can join. Now the lines are blurred.” I agree with Su. Contemporaneity is about “change.” The artists also talked about how things have changed in China. The process of art creation, education,
presentation and communication are changing over time. Contemporary art is how they are showcasing or manipulating the change that is happening in society. I interviewed Li about her thoughts on being a contemporary artist after the forum. “Be there.”Li said, “This is one of the aspects of ‘contemporary’. The artists [in] this exhibition are a representation of [the academic] style artists in China. They received social realistic art education.” Li participated in setting up the exhibition. She graduated from CAFA as well, and came to the United States in 1995. Li said that the labels for each art piece were made by students from Art History 411. The exhibition was also an opportunity for students to communicate with the artists directly, according to Li. In order to write a precise and appropriate introduce tag, the students had to understand the art works deeply, which was a great way for them to learn about Chinese art. I felt lucky to be a translator at the forum, and was thrilled talking to the artists. This also made me nervous because there are so many things I do not know about--yet. Someday, I hope to ask deeper questions, rather than simply translating.
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A FESTIVAL OF FASHION AND FLOWERS: THE MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM By Sarah Friedland, Arts Writer
“Vision, innovation, power,” the Ebony Fashion Fair motto, was displayed with great reverence at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Through two connected fashion exhibits, the Milwaukee Art Museum inspired beauty. Containing over 30,000 pieces of art primarily by nineteenth and twentieth century American and European artists, the Milwaukee Art Museum is the largest art museum in Wisconsin. While the collection galleries of the museum undergo renovation to increase gallery space, improve layout, and create a floor solely for photography, the Quadracci Pavilion remains open to the public with strong exhibition and programming. The museum launched an exhibition entitled “Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair” within the pavilion designed by the famous Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. The exhibition is the first to ever showcase a collection of outfits from the world-travelling Ebony Fashion Fair and I was lucky enough to attend. Well-known for advancing fashion and beauty within the African American community, the motto of the show is “vision, innovation, and power.” The exhibition, which ran from February 5 – May 3, featured dresses with flamboyant colors and bold designs. 10 // modamadison.com
Milwaukee In addition to showcasing the Ebony Fashion Fair exhibition, the Milwaukee Art Museum hosted “Beauty in Bloom,” a fashion show spin-off of their traditional “Art in Bloom.” Outfits from the Ebony Fashion Fair, including cocktail ensembles for couples by Fabrice from spring/summer of 1990, inspired works created from flowers featured at the “Beauty in Bloom” fashion show. Complete with nail and hair salons, clothing booths, and even a television station to watch the Badger’s basketball game, the event transformed an underground parking garage into a fashion marketplace. New York designer Katherine Feiner displayed her latest collection alongside gowns created by local artists and made solely of flowers. The truly once-in-a-lifetime experience displayed the seamless combination of art and fashion while providing a foundation for future designers to create clothing from an infinite amount of new materials. If you find yourself in Milwaukee this summer, make your way to the Milwaukee Art Museum. From June 18- September 20, the Baker/Rowland Galleries will be showcasing art by some of the most well known late nineteenth century to present day artists, including Salvador Dali, Georgia O’Keefe, and Andy Warhol. In addition, the annual Lakefront Festival of the Arts will run from June 19 to June 21, with student tickets for just $14. Whether it be engaging in novel African American fashion trends or appreciating a diversity of flowers, the Milwaukee Art Museum has many activities for the public to enjoy.
SPRING INTO ART
THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO SPRING CHECKLIST By Marcie Waters, Arts Columnist There are thousands of pieces in the Art Institute of Chicago worth seeing, but you can make sure you don’t miss the highlights by using this checklist when you visit the museum this spring.
The Art Institute of Chicago’s vast collection and special exhibitions have something for everyone to enjoy. With over 260,000 pieces in the permanent collection, a trip to the Art Institute can be a bit daunting as you try to decide was to see first--let this checklist help!
SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design (Closes June 7) “Ireland” features over 300 pieces of fine and decorative art made between 1690 and 1840. The exhibition is in the Regenstein Hall of the museum, where the walls have been painted a lush green for the exhibit. This contrasts well with the woodwork of furniture, gold leafing of musical instruments, and ornate frames housing paintings. The overall effect emphasizes an Irish history as rich as the green landscapes depicted in the paintings. A particularly striking piece is a portable harp made by John Egan in 1820. The harp’s unusual vibrant green color and its lavish gold leafing draw demand attention from the museum-goers. Other pieces include illuminated books, dresses, tableware, landscape and portrait paintings, and an ornate wooden wine cooler.
Burnishing the Night: Baroque to Contemporary Mezzotints from the Collection (Closes May 31) “Burnishing the Night” brings together three galleries worth of mezzotints, a type of printmaking in which the artist burnishes away areas of light from a copper plate that is textured to print in a solid, usually dark, tone. The result is often eerie, rich prints with intensely contrasting shades of ink. The collection at the Art Institute does not disappoint. It showcases a range of prints from the 1800’s to contemporary times, uniting them in their shared medium. A few copper plates and mezzotint tools are also on display, allowing viewers to learn more about the process of mezzotint printmaking.
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS Can’t Miss European Paintings The Art Institute’s permanent collection holds many treasures that are worth seeing. Fans of Ferris Buehler’s Day Off will recall Seurat’s giant “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” there, as well as other Postimpressionist paintings by Van Gogh, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, and
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more. Gustave Caillebotte’s “Paris Street; Rainy Day” has been recently restored and put back on display. Despite the dreary subject matter, the painting’s colors once again shine. Make sure to check out Picasso’s “The Old Guitarist”; if you look closely enough, you can see the outline of the woman from the previous image that Picasso painted over.
chicago Iconic American Art Two of the most iconic American paintings are also housed in the Art Institute: Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” and Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”. Check these pieces out for a glimpse into the American past. Works equally interesting, although less famous, are a few paintings by Ivan Albright. Albright’s detailed and often grotesque paintings shine a less idealized light on the past. Ancient Art Galleries The Art Institute boasts a huge collection of ancient art, both from the East and West. You can view coins, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, and more from the ancient Mediterranean. Be sure to check out the large Byzantine mosaics on display, which feature playful images of a camel and giraffe. On the Eastern side of the museum, sculptures of deities and animals are abundant. One of the most striking pieces here is a large granite sculpture of a seated Buddha, measuring over five feet tall. Lion Statues
OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM
You cannot leave the Art Institute without taking a picture with the lion statues at the museum’s Monroe Street entrance. The two giant bronze statues, sculpted by Edward Kemeys, are icons of Chicago and the museum alike. If you’re lucky enough to someday visit during a Chicago sports team’s championship game or the winter holidays, you might catch them dressed in sports gear or adorned with evergreen wreaths. Millennium Park A visit to the Art Institute is not complete without a short trek on the Nichols Bridgeway to Millenium Park. Here you can check out the iconic Crown Fountain and Cloud Gate, or “Bean” sculptures, as well as take a stroll through the Lurie Garden. The park holds another destination for art lovers: a sculpture park that features work by talented contemporary artists. Currently on display are a collection of giant cast iron heads by Jaume Plensa, the artist behind the Crown Fountain. The heads are distorted so that they play with the viewer’s perspective depending on where they are standing. In this way, the sculptures become interactive as viewers walk around them. Of course, there is much more to see at the Art Institute. Luckily, it’s open every day of the year, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, so you have ample time to explore. It is free to Illinois residents every Thursday from 5-8pm. The Art Institute’s location in the heart of the Loop makes it a perfect feature for a trip to Chicago! modamadison.com // 11
WEST COAST
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SAN DIEGO & SAN FRANCISCO
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A photo my dad snuck of me pondering Death of the Virgin. Included for scale, and to show off the love of my life: my Tory Burch backpack.
san diego
A TINY TREASURE By Brontë Mansfield, Arts Editor
The Timken Museum, tucked away San Diego’s sprawling Balboa Park, is small but filled with to the brim with Old Master paintings. This winter, my family escaped the bitter Minneapolis cold to spend Christmas in sunny San Diego, and at the top of my to-do list—besides a glorious December jaunt to the beach—was to visit the Timken Museum. Blink and you miss it: the Timken is housed in a deceptively diminutive building in Balboa Park, so deceptive that my father and I walked past it twice as we searched for it and sipped our gingerbread lattes in short sleeves. The Timken Museum, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is truly a tiny treasure. It is composed of an atrium with a kindly docent, and two “wings” or group of rooms to the left or right. Because Italian art bores me—sorry Renaissance lovers!—I suggest veering left to see some truly spectacular Northern oil paintings. The museum has San Diego’s only Rembrandt, Saint Bartholomew of 1657, and a Rubens. However, don’t let the muddy Northerners distract you from the museum’s true gem: Death of the Virgin by Petrus Christus. This Flemish painting dates from the 1460s, and depicts Virgin Mary on her death, surrounded by the apostles. The Virgin Mary’s death isn’t
given detail in the Bible, but here has been expanded upon by Christus in his larger extant work—it was originally a triptych, but the two wings which once flanked this central panel were destroyed in World War II. Of note in the remnants of this piece, however, is the painting’s use of a small interior to convey narrative: the Virgin’s ascension is indicated by her miniaturization over the bed—her soul floating to heaven in the company of angels—and, laughably, the appearance of a very tardy apostle, who we glimpse waving futilely outside of the Virgin’s bedroom window. If you actually like Italian art, you can have your own A Room with a View moment on the right side of the museum. There are also lovely British paintings, French tapestries, and Russian religious icons. When you are next in San Diego, stop by the Timkin Museum for relief from the California heat, and opt to see art for free instead of dropping nearly $50 to visit the zoo! modamadison.com // 15
San Francisco
AI WEIWEI INVADES
A L C AT R A Z by Karina de-Bourne, Arts Writer
A closer look at the exhibition that questions freedom and liberty, created by China’s most controversial artist and installed at America’s most notorious prison. Ai Weiwei is an artist known for being surrounded by controversy caused by the tension between his own art and the restrictive Chinese government. Alcatraz is an island infamous for holding some of the most notorious American criminals from the nineteen thirties to the nineteen sixties. An unlikely combination of a former prison and art came together through an installation at Alcatraz by Weiwei entitled “@Large”. The art on display and prison alone each carry substantial meaning but when combined, they reveal substantial truth about the separation of freedom and confinement. In the exhibition, Weiwei addresses issues of freedom, human rights, and, of course, punishment. It consists of music, sculptures and mixed-media installations in various parts of the prison. Four locations were used, the Hospital, various cells in A
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block, the New Industries Building and the Dining Room. These rooms, other than the Dining Room, are usually restricted to the public and by having them opened for “@Large”, Weiwei is able to reinforce the idea of controlled freedom. This is something which resonates strongly with Weiwei. As an open critic of the Chinese government, Weiwei was detained for 81 days in 2011 and still does not have permission to leave China. Unable to leave the country, he could not visit Alcatraz at any time, even to assist with his work. In order to create the exhibition for something so site-specific, Weiwei had to use a range of photographs, videos and architectural plans. The irony of the whole situation, that an artist created an exhibition to generate discussion about liberty and justice but was not allowed to visit the site himself, is inescapable.
San Francisco The exhibition itself consists of numerous parts. Within the Dining Room, benches are set up with shelves of postcards. The postcards all hold different designs relating to the countries where they would be sent and were already pre-addressed for visitors to write to prisoners of political crime. There was something quite surreal about sending sympathy to those in prison, while a visitor in a prison-come-National-Park. Within the Hospital Wing, one of the eeriest parts of Alcatraz, Weiwei displayed hundreds of tiny handmade porcelain blossoms. These filled sinks and baths to turn a previously horrifying place into something much more beautiful. These tiny blossoms carry a large amount of meaning behind them. They could be a
token of sympathy to those that were imprisoned, or an allusion to a 1956 campaign in China called ‘Let One Hundred Flowers Bloom’. In order to get a closer look at the blossoms, you had to step further into rooms which previously saw vast amounts of suffering. If it were not for the blossoms, you would not want to enter these rooms. In the same wing, smaller rooms burst with a variety of music. One features a loop of Tibetan chants, while another plays an American Indian song. The music and the small size of the rooms felt suffocating. It was difficult for me to stand in these rooms but they did force me to face the confinement which people have suffered throughout history.
The two biggest installations are by far the most impressive in terms of logistics. Made in Weiwei’s Beijing studio before being transported to Alcatraz, the size and complexity of the instalments is astounding. Composed entirely of hand-painted kites and hanging from the ceiling of the room where prisoners once worked, the multicoloured dragon “With Wind” captivated its audience’s attention. The other installation, “Thrace” consists of 176 portraits of political prisoners made from 1.2 million Lego bricks. With most of these political prisoners still incarcerated as of June 2014, you are forced to consider where they are and what injustices they are facing while standing above their vibrant colored portraits. The site-specificity of the installation and the current state of its artist made “@Large” resonate with thousands of visitors while forcing them to question what freedom means to each of them personally.
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EAST COAST NEW YORK CITY
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New York City
Picture by Matt Wycoff
FAR FROM FICTION By Margaret Duffey, Arts Editorial Assistant
In a society where truth and fiction engage in a never-ending dance, Fictions broke through the noise to embody societal themes that ring true. A walk through New York City from Grand Central Station to the Derek Eller Gallery in Chelsea on a freezing January night brought my cousin, Melanie, and I face to face with the opening of Fictions. Showcasing contemporary pieces by eighteen different artists, the exhibition uncovered truth in the many artificial facets of life in modern society. Men sporting Bon Iver’s signature beard and women with impeccable style filed into the gallery to escape the bitter cold. After grabbing a beer from an overflowing cooler of Budweisers, they weaved their way through wall to wall people to locate waiting friends. Hailing from a Wisconsin town of barely 7,000 residents, I should have felt entirely out of place in this world populated by big city trendsetters. Instead, I experienced a personal homecoming. Amidst unchartered territory and unfamiliar faces, I felt more content than ever before. Maneuvering through the crowd of art enthusiasts, Melanie and I spotted our other cousin, Erin. She paused her conversation with coworkers to draw us in to warm hugs and introduce us as her “little cousins.” Soon after, Matt, one of the exhibition’s artists and Erin’s boyfriend, appeared with a kind grin and more friends to introduce.
Each introduction exposed us to a new dimension within the complex world of the gallery. Through making connections with the newly introduced artists, designers, and innovators, we transformed from outsiders of the exclusive world into welcomed participants.
themes of the art stemmed from issues the outside world chooses to ignore, the conversation inside the gallery was a direct deviation from the societal norm. Through Fictions, a distinct group was challenged to face reality rather than run from it.
The goal of the exhibition to cut through the superficiality of the outside world led to the manifestation of the world within the gallery. From a pile of gloves that were collected by its artist on the streets of New York to a fish tank housing live goldfish and stones imprinted with a man’s face, the distinct art sought to expose deeper meaning within seemingly simple objects. By looking beyond the physical appearance of each piece, viewers discovered the raw truth society attempts to gloss over.
Adam Marnie, editor and publisher of F, engineered the dynamic relationship between the art and its audience. Fictions was a live showcasing of the art featured in the most recent issue of his bi-annual magazine. The combination of pieces selected by Marnie painted a comprehensive picture of humanity while creating the world within the gallery.
The pieces featured in the exhibition flirted with themes from memory to sexuality, promotion to introspection, and forensics to confession. Through the use of medians as diverse as the themes the art depicts, a mosaic of human perception burst out from the walls, down from the ceiling, and up from the floor. Naturally, the exploration for meaning within the variety of pieces stimulated discussion amongst the viewers. Since the
After experiencing the raw, unfiltered strengths and weaknesses of society through Fictions and the crowd of art enthusiasts it engaged, Melanie and I reentered the world outside the doors of the gallery. Walking down the dimly lit streets of Chelsea with the iconic neon New Yorker sign and top of the Empire State Building leading us back to the heart of Manhattan, we retreated to the flawed yet beautiful world that serves as both inspiration and frustration for not only the artists of Fictions but all of its inhabitants.
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ABROAD & BEYOND ITALY & ONLINE
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Online Stella Maria Baer, stellamariabaer.com
MIAMI 2 IBIZA, INSTAGRAM TO BONNAROO: Stella Maria Baer, stellamariabaer.com
Geoffrey Stein
THE BEST PLACES TO DISCOVER CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS by Kaitlin Dunn, Arts Writer College students can easily rattle off the name of their favorite dead painter—many a Monet poster has graced the cramped walls of dorm rooms across the country—but twenty-somethings often have a hard time naming a living, breathing contemporary artist. Just because most art history classes do not teach contemporary artists and contemporary art is not as often plastered on coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets, does not mean that art by living artists is not just as fantastic, and worth seeking out. For the interested college student, finding contemporary artists is easier than ever. There are many routes of discovering new
artists: on social media sites like Instagram and Creatr; through dedicated art websites like artsy.net, artnew.com and artnet. com (which are only a scroll away); or at festivals and fairs all around the world in places like Miami, Cochella, and Ibiza. Finding artists to gravitate towards and appreciate without the help of a textbook or a professor is rewarding and gives twentysomethings the chance to interact with international arts culture. The art world is now part of a younger generation’s cultural and social climate and it won’t take long to find a new favorite contemporary artist—especially when all it takes is refreshing an app or newsfeed. modamadison.com // 21
Online
INSTAGRAM Many artists have their own Instagram accounts to showcase images of both their finished works and their creative process. Artists at all stages of their career are on Instagram, which gives the platform a vibrant and inclusive artist community. Artists are using their accounts to market themselves as well as their art; it is a chance to exhibit their personalities as well as their art through what they put on their account. Instagram users can get an inside look at their works in progress and pictures of other things they like. One Instagrammer and artist, Stella Maria Baer is an artist doing just that. Her account page is a beautifully coordinated display of her work that stays within the same color palette, but there are photographs of her dog, her works in progress, and the American Southwest landscape. Galleries also have accounts to highlight new pieces. As reported by news.artnet.com, Leonardo DiCaprio just bought a piece by JeanPierre Roy he saw over Instagram via Gallery Poulsen’s account page.
Jean-Pierre Roy
TUMBLR & CREATRS Creatr, founded by popular microblogging platform Tumblr, is a new venture consisting of two components: Creatrs Network and Creatrs Collective. Both of these sites will give artists the opportunity to sell their work to outside advertisers or to advertise for the Tumblr Corporation. Tumblr will curate and allow artists to sign up to sell their art
while Tumblr will handle all exchanges of communication, legal issues, and payment. Artists within the Creatrs Collective platform will design the digital content for Tumblr. The site is not fully functioning yet, but there has been a trial period underway with about 300 artists. This venture has the possibility to do something really great for employing artists. It is not clear yet what role the general public will play in this venture, but more artists being hired gives us an opportunity to see more art.
MUSIC FESTIVALS Festival season is fast approaching and what better way to spend the time between sets than checking out art! Many music festivals are billed as arts festivals as well. Cochella, Camp Barefoot, Bonnaroo. Bumbershoot, and Outside Lands are just a few of the festivals that continue to create spaces for artists to exhibit their art to festival-goers. Bonnaroo carries on a tradition established in the 60s and has poster artists display their work.
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Online
ART FAIRS Art fairs are happening around the country as international exhibitions of contemporary art. One of the most famous is Art Basal in Miamiwhere but New York hosts Frieze Art Fair, PULSE, NADA New York, and The Amory Show, Chicago has EXPO CHICAGO, and San Francisco hosts artMRKT San Francisco. Internationally, these festivals take place in Edinburgh, Ibizia (Art Ibiza), London (London Original Print and Frieze London), Berlin (Art Berlin Contemporary), Madrid (ARCO Madrid), Hong Kong (Art Central), and Buenos Aires (Art BA) to name a few. If hopping on a plane to Ibizia doesn’t work with exams, artsy.net has art fairs, museum, and gallery previews available online. Websites like artnet. com and artnews.com are host to a wide range of global art news to stay current on events, the market, exhibitions, artists, collectors, and reviews. Finding new art and curating personal preference is now embedded into the activities and events frequented by this generation. A little exploration and an open mind will open up the art world on your smart phone.
Yin Zhaoyang
[Geoffrey Stein] discovered on Tumblr by searching www.tumblropenarts.tumblr.com. He is a figurative painter working in New York City. His works have been exhibited around the country as well as London, where he went to art school. You can find him on his website, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Donna, source www.tumblropenarts.tumblr.com [Jean-Pierre Roy] had a story about his painting on news.artnet. com, but searching the PULSEnewyork tag uncovered his Instagram. His feed shows: personal photos, inside glimpses of his studio, exhibitions, and prep sketches, as well as some of his finished pieces, like Nachlass. Source news.artnet.com
[Lil’ Tuffy] was discovered on the Bonnaroo website in a list some of their past artists. Posters from music festivals are a less expensive way for college age art fans to collect original artwork. Shoe Fetish #3, source liltuffy.bigcartel.com [Yin Zhaoyang] was discovered through the art fair preview on artsy.net. This painting was featured at Art Central in Hong Kong. Red Cliff in Afterglow, source www.artsy.net/art-central/
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Italy http://www.casadelgarbo.it/museo-gucci-la-casa-del-garbo.php
lu gg a ge, l o afers , and leat h e r by Erin Green, Arts Writer For a fashion fangirl, there is no place cooler than the Gucci Museum in Florence. Once upon a time, there lived a bright-eyed, fashion-loving girl from the land of dairy and corn fields who flew across the Atlantic to the magical realm of Florence, Italy. Her days in this charming city were filled with trips to the gelato shop, walks along the Arno River, and shopping at the leather market. The people there seemed to hop straight out of Vogue and she couldn’t help but stare. Life was slower and smiles were frequent. I was fortunate enough to take a three week long “History of Fashion” course in Florence over winter break. It opened my eyes to the strong craft tradition that has been around in Florence for centuries. I was amazed to learn that many leading designer brands of today began as simple craft workshops, where everything was made by hand. I was shocked by the fact that many of those famous brands continue to make their haute couture gowns, shoes, and purses by hand, using only the finest materials. 24 // modamadison.com
Guccio Gucci created one of the most iconic fashion brands in such a way, selling only the highest-quality products from the very beginning. Starting out as a mere bell boy at the Savoy Hotel in London, Gucci built up his fashion house to be one of the most well-known in the world. Although one can see the present-day continuation of his brand at a number of stores around the world and online, to see the beautiful development of the iconic House of Gucci, the Gucci Museum in Florence is the best place to look. The rooms of the museum are set up chronologically to show the various stages of growth the Gucci brand has gone through. Leather luggage, including trunks, hat boxes, and suitcases, greet visitors in the first room. Looking at such beautiful pieces, a black and white film image of a glamorous woman walking into a fancy hotel with a bell boy lugging her Gucci luggage set behind her emerges.
Italy The different stages designs by Gucci identify changes in fashion taste throughout history. The expansion of designer objects throughout Gucci’s brand development was also apparent. As I neared the end, there was no longer just luggage displayed behind the glass, but dresses, scarves, shoes, and purses of all sizes, too. The final room was filled with mannequins wearing more recent Gucci gowns that have been worn by celebrities. The only thing separating me from the platinum embellished gown worn by Blake Lively in her Gucci fragrance ad campaign was a thin sheet of glass. Gucci has become more than a fashion line, it now embodies a lifestyle. http://urbanpeek.com/wp-content/gallery/gucci-museo/
The Gucci Museum in Florence, Italy not only displays some of the brand’s most iconic and popular pieces, but also stands as a testimony to the creative design thinking. During the material shortages of World War II, Gucci produced a purse design using bamboo for a handle. It exhibits numerous marketing success stories while highlighting the importance of creating a distinct look and logo that can be placed on anything from a shoe buckle to a Rolls Royce. In placing these fashion items behind the glass cases of a museum display, they are seen in the position of high art where they truly belong. It may be impossible to leave the Gucci Museum without having changed your own outlook on the fashion industry. Personally, I gained a new appreciation for not only the House of Gucci, but the entire world of high fashion.
http://trendland.com/gucci-museum-to-open-in-florence/gucci-museum-florence-6/
https://eatours.com/eatours-blog/museum-monday-gucci-museum/ modamadison.com // 25
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