LOOK INTO MY OWL

During Art Basel Miami Beach we caught a screening of the rough cut for this remarkable film (covered here). Since then, director Tamra Davis and crew have shown the finished piece at the Sundance Film Festival.

Tamra Davis, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, still from video, 2010.

Big fans of Basquiat will leave theaters with the feeling of seeing an old friend after a long time apart. Artists will have difficulty calming the immediate desire to paint.

Tamra Davis, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, still from video, 2010.

It seems that since our viewing the legendary Adam Horovitz and Mike Diamond have been brought in to handle the music. Nice. No news on a release date yet but I will keep you updated as more information is made available. In the meantime, check out the trailer below. Thanks to doghed for the link.

On our last night in Miami Beach we were lucky enough to take in a screening of the rough cut for “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child” as part of Art Basel. The completed film will premiere at the end of January 2010 during the Sundance Festival in Park City, Utah.

The Colony Theater, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, Art Basel Miami Beach, ©2009 by MCH.

The film was scheduled to air at the Oceanfront area but threatening weather moved it inside to the Colony Theater. We had walked more than fifty miles in the past few days and welcomed the opportunity to slip into comfortable theater seats.

Bob Colacello, Tamra Davis, David Koh, Fab Five Freddy and Jeffrey Deitch, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, Art Basel Miami Beach, ©2009 by MCH.

The Director, Tamra Davis took part in a panel discussion before the film and fielded questions after. She was joined by Bob Colacello, David Koh, Fab Five Freddy and Jeffrey Deitch. Some interesting personal encounters with Jean-Michel were put forth to a very receptive crowd.

Tamra Davis, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, Art Basel Miami Beach, ©2009 by MCH.

The film revolves around an interview and wide range of footage of Basquiat shot by Tamra Davis mainly in New York and California during the 1980’s. When her friend passed away, she put the films in a drawer not wanting to cash in on the tragedy. I am glad that after all of these years she has accepted that her work is of important historical significance and should be shared. Even the rough cut had the audience in a trance. The most accurate depiction of the man to date.

It may be a while before this one reaches a theater near you but it is sure to make a big impact at Sundance.

Fab Five Freddy, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, Art Basel Miami Beach, ©2009 by MCH.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
Screening
4 December 2009
Art Basel Miami Beach

The west coast premiere of Doug Aitken’s twenty five minute film “Migration” is being screened at Regen Projects in Los Angeles. Simultaneously, the gallery is presenting a new series of light boxes created by the artist.

Doug Aitken, Migration, single video projection with billboard (steel and PVC projection screen), 2008.

“Migration” is an ambulatory journey across the United States staged in hotel and motel rooms along the way. The interaction of the animals with these enclosures was caught on film, each stop adding a unique experience to the phantasmagoria.

Doug Aitken, Migration, single video projection with billboard (steel and PVC projection screen), 2008.

Two distinctly different presentations of the film are being offered by the gallery. From sunset to sunrise, a silent version will be projected in the courtyard of Regen Projects II on Santa Monica Boulevard. Concurrently, the North Almont space will exhibit the piece indoors on a large billboard complete with original soundtrack. I recommend seeing the piece inside first and then wandering westward for the outdoor loop.

Doug Aitken, Migration, single video projection with billboard (steel and PVC projection screen), 2008.

Images courtesy of 303 Gallery, New York; Victoria Miro Gallery, London; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich; Regen Projects, Los Angeles.

Doug Aitken
12 September – 17 October 2009
Regen Projects
Los Angeles

The first retrospective on U.S. soil for the legendary Dan Graham is currently on view at the Whitney Museum in NYC. The museum has a rich program of exhibitions for the summer including Sadie Benning, Claes & Coosje and Photoconceptualism. I’ll be in the city for a few days in August and the Whitney is a guaranteed stop.

Dan Graham, Figurative, 1965.

Dan Graham has exhibited extensively since the 1960’s pioneering some now fundamental concepts that are in play through every conscious mode of expression. He was among the few that understood that it was conceivable to mash minimalism with rock music, high art and tract housing. The practice of contrasting opposing cultural preferences was unusual and even regarded with apprehension. Brave experimenters like Graham nudged us all a bit into the future.

Dan Graham, Detail from Homes for America, 1966-67.

Graham has enjoyed success in many media including print, film, performance and architecture. The artist has imbued each aesthetic with a flow of heady notions cooked down to simple principles.

Dan Graham, Performer/Audience/Mirror, 1977.

In keeping with the spirit of their subject for this retrospect, the Whitney is hosting a wide array of events. The show opened with an acoustic concert by the Feelies with more music planned through July. There are also film screenings, discussions, and a conversation with Dan Graham and Glenn Branca on tap. Check the schedule as you may want to plan several trips.

Dan Graham, Skateboard Pavilion, 1989.

This is the second leg of the tour for “Beyond”, the exhibit was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles earlier this year and continues on to the Walker Art Center in the Fall.

Dan Graham
Beyond
25 June – 11 October 2009
Whitney Museum of American Art
NYC

David Lynch and Danger Mouse have collaborated on their first project in the form of an installation at the Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles.

David Lynch, Untitled (Little Girl #3), 2009.

Fifty of Lynch’s photographs were mounted on aluminum and displayed in small groups throughout the two room exhibition. The pieces are untitled but make reference to tracks from the album “Dark Night of the Soul” that Danger Mouse mixed with the pop band Sparklehorse. The album will be playing in the gallery for the duration of the show.

David Lynch, Untitled (Insane Lullaby #4), 2009.

The bulk of the action in the imagery is centralized within the composition. This bespeaks a significant difference between Lynch’s still and moving images. Lynch refers to still photography in his films when the scene breaks down into a solitary focus with spectral sounds. The prints in this exhibit along with the background music evoke the sensation of his films while maintaining a presence all their own.

David Lynch, Untitled (The Man Who Played God #1), 2009.

A limited edition book of Lynch’s visuals for the album has been released and is available here. Due to an ongoing dispute with a record company, the music that Danger Mouse produced has not been released. In place of the album, the book is supplemented with a recordable compact disc. Each copy of the book is clearly labelled, “For legal reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.”

David Lynch, Untitled (Revenge #4), 2009.

David Lynch & Danger Mouse
Dark Night of the Soul
30 June – 11 July 2009
Michael Kohn Gallery
Los Angeles

“Surveillance from the Doll House” is a group show with work from Nathania Rubin, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons and Karen Yasinsky. Mireille Mosler Ltd. is hosting this exhibit that focuses on contemporary animation and puppetry.

In Nathania Rubin’s rattletrap drawn animation, “My Girl: A Case Study” (above) caricatures of Anne Frank and Sigmund Freud act in proxy for the artist’s personal proclivities and as signifiers for something larger.

“Still Life with Cows” (above and below) from Karen Yasinsky is a study of a tiresome existence. The nonlinear piece tells the story of a paralyzed doll and her consort. Animation for children runs at a frenzied pace, when this gait stagnates, the attitude of the medium is transformed.

Nathania Rubin, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons, Karen Yasinsky
Surveillance from the Doll House
15 April – 23 May 2009
Mireille Mosler Ltd.
NYC

“Flooded McDonald’s” is the second video from the Danish collective known as Superflex. This fascinating work is currently being screened at the South London Gallery.

A replica of a popular “burger bar” was created and then slowly flooded. The action was recorded as trays and fast food containers were lifted by the rising water. The visuals register as dream or nightmare depending on the dietary habits of the viewer.

Rasmus Nielsen, Jakob Fenger and Bjørnstjerne Christiansen have worked together for fifteen years as Superflex. Congratulations to the crew on their recent George Maciunas Award.

Superflex is known for collaborating with others. For “Flooded McDonald’s” direction was shared with Tuan Andrew Nguyen.

Superflex
Flooded McDonald’s
16 January – 1 March 2009
South London Gallery

The photo collages of Vibeke Tandberg are currently showing on the first floor of Gió Marconi in Milan. The title of the exhibition, “THE HAMBURGER TURNS IN MY STOMACH AND I THROW IT UP ON YOU. LIQUID HAMBURGER. THEN I HIT YOU. AFTER THAT WE ARE BOTH OUT OF WORDS.” originates from “Loveletter” a 16mm film that is also being screened at the gallery.

The film depicts the artist’s hand writing and continually adjusting sentences pacing the film and the poem that results from the activity. “Loveletter” acts as a point of embarkation encouraging the viewer toward a deeper understanding of the still imagery.

Vibeke Tandberg is primarily concerned with questioning identity and the stereotypes that arise from such a quest. Her multimedia efforts juxtapose extremes in order to classify the deception of self against the equally inadequate practice of external perception.

Vibeke Tandberg
THE HAMBURGER TURNS IN MY STOMACH AND I THROW IT UP ON YOU. LIQUID HAMBURGER. THEN I HIT YOU. AFTER THAT WE ARE BOTH OUT OF WORDS.
30 January – 19 March 2009
Gió Marconi
Milan, Italy