- The Wexner Center for the Arts presents a solo show of Mark Bradford's work. Bradford is an L.A.-based contemporary artist most well-known for his abstract paintings usually involving a collage of materials. For more info about the show in Ohio, check out this E-Flux.com article.
- The Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands presents a show called Play Van Abbe: Part 2. The show has an exhibition for "In-Between Minimalism," the work of Andrzej Wroblewski, and "Museum Models." The show opens April 10, 2010 and runs through September. To read more about this and Parts 3 and 4 visit E-Flux.com.
- In Senegal a "Renaissance" statue, taller than the Statue of Liberty was
unveiled in Dakar. Read more on Guardian.co.uk.
- The Ford Foundation donated $100 million for an art space initiative. The donation will go towards providing affordable studios and housing for artists among other things. Check out the article at NewYorkTimes.com.
- James Wescott has released a biography of the famous performance artist titled "When Marina Abramovic Dies." Wescott had many intense interviews with the artist and the book was released just before her retrospective show "The Artist is Present" at the MoMA. Art Fag Cityhas an interview with Author James Wescott.
Contemporary Art News Condensed
April 5th, 2010Contemporary Art News
April 3rd, 2010
- Luna Park of HyperAllergic.com posted a great photo article of 3D street art from New York.
- The New York Times reports that Chinese bidders have become a primary player in auctions today. Last week at Christie's Chinese bidders made up two-thirds of the purchases. Although many of the pieces were artifacts, the article reports that the Chinese bidders bought in all categories and price ranges.
- "Feelings Are Facts," a show featuring artist Olafur Eliasson and architect Ma Yansong opens this weekend at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Arts. The collaboration of the two brings the viewer a new experience as a part of the art. The show runs until June 20, 2010. Read more on E-Flux.com.
- Art Knowledge News posted a short article about Art Basel. The show is set for June 16-20, 2010. Check out Art 41 Basel for more info on this year's and last year's shows.
Contemporary Art News
April 2nd, 2010- Sculptural Objects and Functional Art fair runs April 16-19 at the Park Avenue Armory. 56 galleries bring 3D objects together for the 13th annual SOFA New York.
- The play, "Red," about artist Mark Rothko opened Thursday night in New York. New York Times writer Ben Brantley reviews the "intense" and dramatic play that brings art to the theater. Check out NewYorkTimes.com for the review.
- The Guggenheim in New York is currently hosting a show for contemporary photography through September 6, 2010. The show, "Haunted," includes many contemporary artists from the museum's collection and a range of different subjects. Read more at NewYorkTimes.com.
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ArtPrice.com reports that street art is becoming one of the hottest trends in contemporary art with museums such as the Tate Modern and the Grand Palais of Paris adding it to collections.
Contemporary Art News
April 1st, 2010April 23-26, 2010 the 28th annual Art Brussels contemporary art fair will display works from 170 contemporary galleries. "Outdoor sculpture exhibition, artist projects in the fair, debates on the art market, solo shows, a performance platform" will all be included in this year’s fair. To learn more visit E-Flux.com or Art Brussels’ website.
- The Bucharest Biennale, May 20-July 25, 2010 is set to host 37 artists. The biennale will show a variety of works from the last 75 years intended to increase the interaction between urban and political context in Bucharest. Find more on E-Flux.com.
- E-Flux.com reports that the bi-annual Berlin Documentary Forum will run June 2-6, 2010. The film documentary forum plans to show several films including some short contemporary experimental films.
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Artist Ed Ruscha exhibits at the Haus Der Kunst in Munich through May 2, 2010. Artforum.com provides a short description of the show.
- The New York Times reports that “powerhouse gallery” Pace Wildenstein is splitting into the original two companies. The two specialized in different types of art, contemporary versus Impressionist, and found that a split would be in the interest of both parties.
Contemporary Art News
March 31st, 2010
- The ACROmadrid show in February posted good numbers for sales in its 29th annual contemporary art auction. Many of the artists polled said that they had better results than anticipated. Read more on E-Flux.com.
- The Irish Museum of Modern Art presents “Vertical Thoughts” an exhibit featuring artists who influenced composer Morton Feldman. For more see E-Flux.com.
- Marina Abramovic had an unexpected participator in her "The Artists Is Present" performance at the MOMA over the weekend. For more, and a few words from this participator read here.
- An exhibition featuring "Running Fence" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude runs from April 2 - September 26, 2010 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The exhibit will include photo and video documentation, preparatory drawings and some of the original materials from the project. To read more on E-Flux.com click here.
Here’s lookin’ at YOU
March 13th, 2010
There is still time to be part of art! Zachary Proctor is still working on his 100 Faces series and there is still time to be part of the project. This is such an amazing opportunity to have your portrait done for a great price by a fantastic up and coming artist. Contact us for more info: info@mondofineart.com
Get a peek at the process:
Virtual Studio Visit: Olivia “Holly Mae” Pendergast
February 21st, 2010
Here is your chance to understand the inspiration that goes into Olivia "Holly Mae" Pendergast's beautiful African paintings. Join Olivia as she reflects on her last expedition to Malawi and get to know the people and the spirit that is captured in every one of Olivia's paintings.
Olivia is currently back in Malawi, where she has been painting as well as doing humanitarian work for several months, and will be returning to the United States in a little over a week. We are excited to hear her stories and see the work that those stories and the beautiful people of Malawi inspired.
A film by Brett Evans
To see available works by Olivia Pendergast, please click HERE
Virtual Studio Visit: Pilar Pobil
February 19th, 2010
In our attempt for you to get to know our artists and to understand their creative vision more fully, we will be posting mini-documentaries on our artists, giving you a sneak peak into their lives, studios and artistic process. Here is the first...
Enjoy!
Pilar Pobil
A film by Miaken Christensen
Limited Edition “Election” Series by John Bell
February 17th, 2010
Getting to know John Bell…
February 17th, 2010
(From a recent speech John Bell delivered at the Utah Museum of Fine Art)
Hi, I’m John Bell, & I am a artist without a genera.
What I mean by that is that I have chosen NOT to work in a recognizable style or established genera, but instead , I am trying to create one of my own.
I guess you could call it Anthropological Expressionism, digging not only through the history of modern art, but also through mass culture, science, media & cultural phenomenon & attempting to link them all together in my work.
I am interested in process as much as style. Painting, print making, photography, sculpture, architecture & writing have all found their way into the work. Combining elements of abstract expressionism, geometric abstraction, post modern philosophy, pop art, modern sculpture, & the ideas & philosophies about space addressed in modern architecture to name a few.
I am always searching for a new pictorial language to add to my work. Once I finish with a set period of ideas & feelings, I have to find a new visual language to carry on, a new way to express an evolving sense of exploration & understanding by incorporating different forms & ideas into my vocabulary. I have found that once the restrictions of a single genera have been lifted, & the door kicked wide open, the influences & possibilities are as surprising as they are infinite.
By way of example, For past several years my work has been dealing with the paradox of time. Inspired by Einstein's notion that time is elliptical & is constantly repeating itself, sometimes exactly the same, other times slightly or completely different based on our individual decisions... & that all these moments in time may still exist in parallel space. Taking an abstract understanding & approach to this, I simply asked the question what might this look like as a painting? What if you could actually see random clusters of moments in time all at once? What images would you see & what types of narratives would these juxtapositions create? In the paintings I have repeated images as an even more tangible illustration of this theory, showing the same image living multiple lives in different settings.
Working in this manor, pulling elements from so many different influences, allows me to comment on a vast array of subject matter including political & social commentary, & the complexities of the human condition.
My most recent work is exploring the impact of social networking & media influence, & the ever-fluctuating values of contemporary culture, linking warhol’s famous quote that “in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes” with intense media circus that social networking has become… making the statement that “the future has arrived, the question is with billions of people pumping billions of minutes into these networking sites, with so many of them pining for the lime light, will there ever be enough minutes for everyone to receive their 15 & the existential conundrum that it creates.
To see available work by John Bell, click HERE