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Nice.
In a blurb on yesterday's ArtNet news about Flatfile's recent expansion (congratulations, Susan!!!), my piece ORD 09112001 (quicktime required) was given a positive review.
Also, if you have not had a chance to make it to the new flatfilecontemporary space it is fabulous. Make some time to go over there and congratulate Susan, Aaron and David on their new space and great show.
Also, see my original posting about the piece and the show: ORD 09112001 @ FLATFILE April 25th
let me clarify on the title of my previous post...
Art Chicago is "America's finest international exposition of modern and contemporary art." ... or so their website says.
If you have never attended Art Chicago, it is sort of like an insanely expensive flea market. Only, instead of old Playboys, comic books and shotguns, there are pictures of guys with boobs, old master paintings, crappy new media pieces and the occasional gem.
Art is a business. A big business if you have achieved a certain level of fame. However, I still (however foolishly) cling to the notion that art should provoke real thought and feeling in the viewer. A mall is not the ideal environment for this, but this is exactly the sort of atmosphere that Art Chicago fosters. In a single exhibition hall, you can buy work from all over the world. Yay. I guess that if Art Chicago was treated as a shopping experience, it is a huge success. I don't buy a lot of art, so I went to take the pulse of the international art scene. Seems pretty much the same as it was a couple of years ago.
I feel lucky that i can spend an afternoon and see what is happening in galleries all around the world. However, the atmosphere is so dry, and there is so much importance placed on the event, that it left me feeling angry and bored. Row after row of little booths all selling Art. Lots and lots of Art. Very little unique expression, from my viewpoint. Lots of unique expression from every dealer's perspective.
It is entirely possible that I am simply jaded with the scale of the art world. Why not? I am jaded by the scale of many other industries - music and film in particular. What is lost by aspiring to go global via the art industry? The very notions that one supposedly strives for as an artist seem to be lost or suppressed once a respectable level of gallery representation is achieved.
Art Chicago seems to embody this perspective for me. There is so much art, but so little context. The sheer amount of art being shown now is driving me away. Perhaps I want to feel a connection to the artist or the work. Trying to isolate a piece from the surrounding din at a major art event, however, makes this connection nearly impossible.
i paid 12 bucks to go see art chicago. Out of an entire exhibition hall there was not a whole lot of interesting work happening.
korea was well represented (quality and quantity), US not so much.
I will have more details (and some pics soon).
chuck has some pics from our trip. I have started a draft of my thoughts on Art Chicago and some other art world issues in general. Look for that entry in a day or two.
i missed the fabulous free comic book day, but one of the friendly folks at chicago comics said, "Were you the guy asking about the peanut butter and jeremy?" "no," I said. "Hmm. Well, i think we have some of the free comic book day comics left. let me get you one." "Cool. thanks!"
Yeah, that was cool.
Also cool is the bag of comics I walked out with:
Magic Boy & The Robot Elf by James Kochalka
Berlin #s 8 & 9 by Jason Lutes
Oddville! by Jay Stephens
Fantastic Butterflies by James Kochalka
Yay! Add to that pile of joy a good Thai dinner with Chuck and it has been a good evening. :)
doing another review for the chicago perl group. Up this time is Programming Visual Basic .NET, 2nd Edition by Jesse Liberty.
I am about a third of the way into it and it is OK. I will have more thoughts as I finish, but the book seems to drag for the first 150 pages. Either that or I am just tired of another half-assed introduction to object-oriented concepts.
We'll see............