Blog — Page 136 of 276

Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World

J. Paul Getty Museum

Based on an exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World the focus is firmly on what became known as the “bestiarum vocabulum”, a relict from mediaeval times that was in essence a sammelsurium comprising depictions, illustrations and elaborations on beasts both real and imaginary, framed by moral lessons.

Divided into five central themes, this tome is nothing but fascinating and a feast for the eyes as the foci are shown with a vibrancy the intricacy of the details of which are mind-blowing.

Based on concepts that are largely based on the Christian bible, beasts were used to signify the symbolism in a bid to portray deeper meaning, the layers of which are leading down rabbit holes of myths that are enhanced by vivid imaginations.

The depictions are iconic and are borderline atavistic in that they still to this convey and hold significance no matter how far you consider yourself removed from the beliefs they originated from.

Not unlike fairy tales for adults, there is wonder and bemusement in equal measures and one of the more interesting takeaways is that most of the “beasts” are not only still omnipresent in our lives but have established themselves as integral stereotypes.

A truly wonderful book that is a unique hybrid of encyclopedia, storybook, history book and one on art and apart from all that a feast for the eyes that serves as a sheer endless source of inspiration.

Monet: The Late Years

Kimbell Art Museum

If the claim that impressionism is light holds true, Claude Monet was the equivalent of the sun as what he emitted affected the world of art in every facet. The later years were defined by a hiatus caused by the departure of his second wife and eldest son, after which he reinvented himself through a deep dive into abstract large scale works that were channelled through the lenses of an artist that suffered from cataracts.

The opulently illustrated book showcases more than sixty canvases that are arranged according to themes and a chronological timeline, which towards the end shows the artist revisiting some of his earliest paintings and reinterpreting them.

What I have always found intriguing about Monet, is how powerful his paintings are despite the serene environments and floral focus they were centred around. Towards the end of his career, he managed to create panoramas that created an immersive, all encompassing experience, specifically by adding additional dimensions to his earlier work.

Subtleties in terms of colourful nuances and the dialogue between lighting / shading, add depth and room for interpretation far beyond the realm of what meets the eye.

His failing eyesight certainly contributed to the intrigue of his latter paintings that became intensely abstract, with subject matter blurred beyond recognition and with that borderline expressionist and very bold.

If so far you have only been familiar with Monet’s water-lily paintings, this catalogue will be a treat as the range of his oeuvre is surprisingly diverse.

A great ode to an artist that was obsessed by the desire to paint the natural world– a desire that was only amplified during his late sensitive years and the outcome of which are what became known as his greatly imaginative large-scale Grandes Décorations.

Ai Weiwei: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Unlikely that you have not come across internationally renowned activist and artist Ai Weiwei and his commentary on the status quo in some shape or form.

His exhibition Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, is a telling name as it is musing on the global refugee crisis by the man himself having transformed over three hundred sites across NYC to comprise a transcending large-scale statement par excellence.

This tome sheds light on the extraordinary project from inception to final installation, highlighting not only the implementation but also the in-depth attention to detail when it came to the preparation, the research and everything else that served as the foundation.

By doing so, the book becomes part of the art itself and adds another dimension, which is further enhanced by an interview with Weiwei, during which he elaborates on the significance the project holds for himself as well as essays from art critics, journalists, scientists and others, who muse on their own interactions with the project and give testament to the emotionally engaging and politically relevant nature of it.

I have not had the pleasure of experiencing the project in the third dimension, however, this tomes does a great job in conveying the concept, the negative impact of globalisation and the shift in the political landscape that made fences, the arbitrariness and often imaginary character of borders and demarcation lines and their impact on us all more relevant than ever.

What I found intriguing is how Weiwei not only points out the obvious, but also plays with nuances, e.g. the longing resulting from the mere knowledge of what lies on the other side of a fence without the slightest chance to ever get there – be it the fences that keep minorities confined or the walls others have built to exclude the less fortunate.

The takeaway of Weiwei’s work is that the crisis derived from immigration is not merely limited to regions but global and one that weights on humanity at large, including the manifold causes for it, be it environmental problems, famine or the fallout of politics – but also what it means for labour and taxes and thereby for globalisation.

A book that begs the question, what we as individuals can do about it.

CaI-Guo Qiang: The Transient Landscape

National Gallery of Victoria

The National Gallery of Victoria is yet to disappoint when it comes to expertly curated exhibitions, some of which present juxtapositions specifically orchestrated to be presented nowhere else within its halls.

This Australian Winter sees a Chinese extravaganza incarnate with the ancient terracotta warriors from Shaanxi Province making an appearance vis-à-vis four of the large-scale installations of one of Asia’s most promising artistes, i.e. Cai Guo-Qiang.

The accompanying catalogue is one beautiful exercise in not only depicting but setting the often meditative yet spectacular and never not thought-provoking installations in scene and adding grandeur to them leveraging tension and exploring the relationship of one’s relationship with terra firma, humanity at large and beauty that can be found in destruction.

The catalogue sheds light on dualism – black and white, heaven and earth, immortality and immortality, the seen versus unseen as well as the ever intriguing perpetuum mobile derived from the myth of phoenix rising from its ashes.

In essence, Qiang’s often monochrome art is an ode to spirituality at large that is relatable and accessible for both the initiated as well as the agnostic and what I find quite interesting is that equal measures of Dadaism, performance artistry as well the notion of the social sculpture can be found at is very core.

Needless to say that China’s ancient cultural and political heritage has a more than subtle omnipresent influence on Qiang’s art as it is often ground and inspired by contemporary societal problems, which creates a tension that he channels in a masterful symbiosis of tradition and contemporariness, the illustration of which is a great additional to any bookshelf.

The exhibition will run until 13 October 2019.

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photo from gallery website

Sydney Contemporary 2019

Carriageworks

Sydney, Australia

September 12-15, 2019

For the uninitiated: Sydney Contemporary has established itself firmly on the firmament of intercontinental art fairs as the pre-eminent Australasian ones, with more than ninety Australian and international showrooms providing a forum for emissions in a myriad of media from more than four hundred artists from five continents. The art behemoth is embedded in a four-day extravaganza that is spiked with installations, special performances and sustained by artisanal fair.

A highlight of the 2019 incarnation was Tasmanian Patrick Hall holding court with his MONA-esque sculptural installation composed of multiple artworks based on the nursery rhyme ‘…if they should accidentally fall’.

Constructed from recycled materials, LED lights and spirit bottles are serenaded with hypnotic narratives that examine the fact that time flies and trickling hollows out both rock and belief – in essence a testament to human frailty.

Other personal favourites included the analogue photography of Amanda Williams and the faux medieval Tower of Power that offered a birds view of the industrious proceedings underneath.

Japan’s Whitestone Gallery presented not unlike it did in previous years works by renowned artist Yayoi Kusama, COHJU Contemporary Art (Kyoto) and newcomers LOKO (Tokyo) and MA2 (Tokyo).

Sydney’s Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery had an aesthetically powerful offering this year around and APY Gallery showcased intricate artworks from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands of Central Australia, which was complemented by other indigenous art presented by Alcaston, Blackartprojects, Black Square Arts, Cooee Art and Utopia Art Sydney.

Apart from paintings, sculptures, photography and other tried media, Virtual Reality found its incarnation but it was mostly back to small scale decorative art in the cavernous labyrinth that is Carriageworks, which is not a bad thing – au contraire: I have yet to find an art fair that proffers both aficionados as well as the remotely interested with the occasion to mingle with emanating talent and indulge in art of literally all coleur.