Semâ Bekirovic, Event Horizon, 2010
I didn’t know about this artist before. I wasn’t even planning a visit to The Hayward. It was one of those days when you just stumble across something really worth finding. Semâ Bekirovic often plays with chance in her work so it feels rather apt that I found her in this way.
I loved the paint videos, Stuff (2010), where objects sink into invisibility as they became immersed in white paint; it was lovely to watch them disappear, eventually and without a trace. These videos made me think about existence and form, where something exists and then it doesn't because its body disappears, what trace does it leave? Does something still exist just because it is no longer visable? What is its legacy? It's the only thing that disturbs me about death, that your body is still there even though 'you' aren't. When I go I want to dissapear, POOF! I don't want my body to succeed my being, I don't want to leave a trace, I want to evaporate back into the ether, to return to my source, but immediately, I don't want to decay. If possible at that moment i'd like all memories, any images. of me to be gone too, removed from the minds of others. To come into being and then out again.
And then there’s Event Horizon, a dot on the landscape walks closer and closer to you until it blots out all light. It made me a laugh and also made me choke on my laughter. There was warmth there, I guess because as the dot became closer you found it had legs which humanised the image but then when it covered all vision so all that’s left was black and you felt the darkness – it sort of made me go cold, again from form to nothingness. All a bit Blaise Pascal really. So, if you can take a visit to the Hayward Project Space before 25 July 2011.
This is genius! Mark Wallinger’s political poster for the Guardian today. Too bloody right, Cameron is a joke or possibly a psychopath given half the chance. He must not get in. Here’s what Wallinger says: "I hope people look at this and see that there are real choices. I’m sick of people saying, 'Oh, they’re all the same.' They’re not, and it’s up to us to see the differences."
Oh God. Check Let's Paint TV, It’s so brilliant and will make you laugh. This idea of Multi Tasking is Oriana’s thing right now. Check Mr Paint TV and Her work out together in LA while cooking and playing badminton. If only day time tv was more like this.
‘…all objects must give off filmy images as a result of spraying particles from their surfaces this way or that. Here then, already established, we have indications of images, flying about everywhere, extremely fine in texture and individually invisible.’ Lucretius. More on Linder here.
Ansel Krut, Rooster in the Clouds, 2009
Grounded in a tradition of abstract expressionism, come graphic illustration, for me Ansel Krut falls somewhere between Georges Braque and George Condo. I love it when you can see a hint of a personality in a shape or recognise body parts that relay a humanity. Identification allows a sense of security and understanding, but when married with an inability to compute, we fall into a sublime state where our mind plays with associations in wonder. I love the generosity in shapes, fleshy palpable paint strokes. This proud cock and balls holding court, exhibiting himself, is so absurdly virile; yet it’s flowery too… A confident masculity that could easily be found drinking a glass of Burgundy in the French House entertaining both boys and girls. This cock’s a bit of slut I bet.
Shigeko Kubota was part of the Fluxus movement. This is her first Fluxus object, Flux Napkins (1965), a series of paper napkins with cut out facial features, which were used at Fluxus dinner parties and later advertised in Fluxus publications. Nice mouth. Look while listening to Lee Gamble's Robolmix (February 2010).
Late at the Tate was held in the ‘sublime’ room. Probably my favourite room at Tate Britain. And sublimity probably doesn’t get much better than this. Of course it doesn’t really translate over this medium, you need to see it for yourself, or at least a really good reproduction. As what you don’t see here is the way that both the lion and the horse seem to be looking right at you, and challenging you with unremitting eyes. It’s odd because the Lion is tearing up the horse, but they seem in unison against you. Like nature taking you, the viewer, on (which is I guess what the sublime does). The image imprinted the night’s mood as the sounds a tDMZ felt equally fierce.
Off to see this installation at the Barbican tomorrow (27/2/2010). Please, please take a look at the video below. Made me laugh out aloud and my heart burst out of my chest.
