LOOK INTO MY OWL

It’s quite an experience to travel at 270mph on the ground. They do it all the time in China. Thanks to Winding Road Magazine for posting this video to give us all an approximation of the experience.

This weekend marks the opening of Bryan Schnelle’s first solo show in San Francisco. The exhibit is titled Chaos A.D. and is primarily comprised of celebrity images with crudely applied ski masks. Grab a can of idiot fuel and cruise the strip to DA Arts Gallery.

Bryan Schnelle
CHAOS A.D.
15 August - 13 September 2008
DA Arts Gallery
San Francisco

Andrea Galvani has been selected to represent Italy in the 2008/2009 Location One residency program in NYC. Galvani’s photographs represent a world that has been removed from time. Surreal settings are produced for these stills that cause the viewer to doubt the authenticity of the experience.

Andrea Galvani also creates drawings and videos. Be sure to head over to the website for more.

If you’ve been to a museum of modern/contemporary art it’s certain that you’ve seen the fluorescent installations of Dan Flavin. Usually they are positioned alongside sculpture and paintings from other masters. Flavin’s work definitely deserves such respect; however, it is not the way to experience his art. These pieces demand space, they require an exhibition of their own.

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts has drawn together such an exhibit. If you find yourself anywhere near St. Louis, head over to their beautiful space and enjoy the spectacle. Otherwise, explore the installations virtually via the web catalogue.

Dan Flavin
Constructed Light
1 February - 4 October 2008
The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts
St. Louis

Soichiro Fukutake has approached his dream as a goal. Over the years he has amassed a rather large art collection and needed somewhere to house it. Naoshima is now home to several art museums and has become a must see for art enthusiasts visiting Japan.

A good friend of ours recently took a trip to Japan and dispelled myths about the high cost associated with such a journey. See you there.

Mark Ryden is set to release a limited edition enameled lapel pin. The face of the pin displays a print of “Rose” from the 2003 exhibition “Blood: Miniature Paintings of Sorrow and Fear” at the Earl McGrath Gallery. The metal pin is 1 x 1.25″ and the edition is limited to 500. Head over to Porterhouse Fine Art Editions this Tuesday at 9am pacific to pick one up.

Two videos from Miguel Angel Rios are being shown at the Galerie Thomas Schulte in Berlin. “A Moirr (Til Death)” is a video documenting a game of tops. The video is projected as three channels that show the action from different viewpoints simultaneously. The scale of the tops caught on video lend a human quality to this tragic ballet. Collisions are felt with the aid of heightened audio giving each clack a sense of importance.

Also on view at the gallery is the intense video “White Suit” in which an Argentine cowboy incorporates raw meat into a traditional dance. Throw in some wild dogs and the drama begins.

Miguel Angel Rios
15 July - 3 September 2008
Galerie Thomas Schulte
Berlin

This one ends in just a few days but it’s worth a l00k anyhow. “Disciples” is a series of c-prints from James Mollison on exhibit at Hasted Hunt Gallery. The photographs portray concert goers donning their best impressions of their favorite pop stars. Watching the people is one of the best bits about going to see a show. Mollison turns the table so now they are looking back.

James Mollison
Disciples
12 June - 16 August 2008
Hasted Hunt Gallery
NYC

Jean Nouvel has organized a retrospective exhibition of César’s sculpture for the Fondation Cartier. César was a sculptor that did not limit himself to a particular medium, rather, he let the form determine the materials. Toward the end of his life, César relied less on direct craftsmanship and began employing various fabrication techniques. He realized that time spent on content was more important than that wasted on technique.

Jean Nouvel the curator of this exhibition also designed the beautiful building that houses the Fondation Cartier.

César
Anthologie par Jean Nouvel
8 July - 26 October 2008
Fondation Cartier
Paris

An exciting group show of photographs from the 1970’s is showing at the Julie Saul Gallery in New York City. “When Color was New” includes 40 color prints from 20 photographers including Stephen Shore (above), John Pfahl and Joel Sternfeld (below). The exhibit is comprised of varied aesthetics from quick snapshots to thoroughly planned stills.

It seems bizarre now, but color photography was not initially accepted as an art form back then. The art world was, as usual, dragged kicking and screaming into the obvious.

“When Color was New: vintage photographs from around the 1970s” also features work by, Harry Callahan, William Christenberry, William Eggleston, Mitch Epstein, Walker Evans, Luigi Ghirri, Nan Goldin, Dan Graham, Jan Groover, David Hockney, Helen Levitt, Joel Meyerowitz, Paul Outerbridge, Martin Parr, Arthur Siegel, Boyd Webb and Terry Wild.

When Color was New
Vintage Photographs from Around the 1970’s
7 July - 6 September 2008
Julie Saul Gallery
NYC

Tony Oursler has conceived some marvelous new video installations for his upcoming show at Lisson Gallery. Throughout the 1990’s it was popular to work with video projected over forms. The vast majority of these experiments were clear failures with one obvious exception being Tony Oursler. This exhibit focuses on the obsessive need and irrational desires of the human condition. “Liquid” (above) is a video loop of a woman attempting to take in an impossible amount of fluid. The loop is played in reverse objectifying the action into the form of a fountain.

In “Cherry Nokia”, a cellphone is projected onto a large resin sculpture of the same. A finger repeatedly dials up homemade, found soft core images.

“Winston, Camel, Salem, Marlboro” presents slowly burning cigarettes projected onto large resin cylinders. The soundtrack is a smoker inhaling and exhaling.

The show is taking over both gallery spaces at Lisson. These new works will be exhibited alongside earlier pieces giving the whole a feeling of retrospect.

Tony Oursler
3 September - 3 October 2008
Lisson Gallery
London

A mid-career retrospective of Marlene Dumas is currently on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Dumas has been exploring the figure with paint and in drawings for more than three decades. The exhibition includes more that 100 works of art arranged thematically. It’s good that the art is not displayed chronologically, this can be predictable and is often depressing particularly with an artist that is still alive.

Marlene Dumas
Measuring Your Own Grave
22 June - 22 September 2008
MOCA
Los Angeles