LOOK INTO MY OWL

“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

A new documentary film by Megumi Sasaki has begun making the rounds at film festivals. Herb and Dorothy is the story of two unlikely art collectors that have changed the face of contemporary art. So far the film has played at the Hamptons International Film Festival and at SILVERDOCS: AFI/ Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. If it doesn’t make it to a town near you keep an eye out for the eventual DVD release.

The tag line for the film begins “He was a postal clerk. She was a librarian.” The Vogel’s have an unquenchable thirst for art. In the early 1960’s when little to no attention was being paid to Minimalist and Conceptual art, Herb and Dorothy began collecting.

Some people collect art as an investment. Some collect for prestige. Our favorite collectors do so because they love art. Herbert and Dorothy Vogel fit into this last category and by collecting what they love they will never be disappointed.

Over the years the collection grew to the point where every inch of their Manhattan apartment was filled. They could have sold a small part of the collection and moved to spacious living but chose instead to donate the bulk of their works to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

The generosity of this historic couple did not stop there. The following was taken directly from the website for the film.
“After the National Gallery of Art accepted 1,000 artworks and found out the collection has far more works to absorb, the Museum and the Vogels decided to launch a national gift program. The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: 50 Works for 50 States offers 50 artworks to a selected museum in each of the 50 states. By the end of 2009, Herb and Dorothy’s collection will find a permanent home and be shown to the people throughout the United States.”

Enjoy the trailer.

The Phone Booth Gallery has put together a fun show of artworks dedicated to Stanley Kubrick’s classic horror film “The Shining”. Some of the pieces in the online exhibit are straight illustrations while others ran with the theme. If you are a fan of the film be sure to check the site. The show includes work from Aurora Armijo, Arlene Reyes, Caspar Williams, David Owen, Garry Booth, Iain Macarthur, Jack Rossi, Jason “jZn” Liwag, Kevin Bannister, Kevin Tong, Mark Michelon, Quyen Dinh, R. Black, Ryan Milner, and more.

Artwork and No Play
An Art Show Dedicated to the Shining
1 – 31 October 2008
Phone Booth Gallery

October is officially here. It’s a time for harvest and renewal but mostly this month is an occasion for scary movies. Dario Argento’s “Mother of Tears” has been released on DVD and it is a excellent place to start. Argento has been referred to as the “Italian Hitchcock” and the “Master of Gore” but it may be more accurate to claim him as the best director… period. Dario has some advice for those that think his work contains too much gore and violence, “Please don’t come to see my films.”

You can view the trailer for “Mother of Tears” as well as my list of Dario Argento’s best efforts after the jump.
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Coming this fall to a theater near you, “Choke“. It’s easy to become obsessed with Chuck Palahniuk, the writer of the book from which this film has been adapted. Yes, he wrote “Fight Club”, it was a great book and the film was excellent too but Chuck doesn’t end there. Palahniuk has written eleven books (we recommend them all) and started a cult.
It’s rare that we get out to the theater but this one could be worth the trip. Check the official trailer below.

I’ll have to check this film out. It’s a Korean production entitled “I’m a Cyborg, But that’s OK”. If the film is even remotely as good as the WEBSITE we are all in for a treat.

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