Archive for February, 2011
TONY OURSLER at JGM. Galerie, Paris
Somewhere between Salvador Dali’s melting distortions and the circus freak show, you’d be forgiven for hearing the sometimes incomprehensible mumbling coming from Tony Oursler’s projected faces as the chanting of the cast of Tod Browning’s 1932 classic Freaks in the film’s final scene. Very much like Dali, and also very much like the freak show (if not even more so), Oursler’s work is transfixing because it draws us in with a form we recognize (an eye, a nose, a clock) at the same time that it repulses us with the disfigurement of those familiar forms. The familiar becomes fascinating, but because we recognize the potential for ourselves to become, to slightly re-quote Browning’s film, “one of them”. Read the rest of this entry »
Language and Typography in Four Great Cities
We’re always on the look out for new ways to explore cities we already love. Through his four “Live the Language” videos Barcelona-based Art Director Albin Holmqvist has playfully captured the joy of exploring new cities and languages in a way that feels completely heartfelt and local. Read the rest of this entry »
INVESTIGATIONS OF A DOG
Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall, Stockholm
Whether the characters of Beatrix Potter, Mickey Mouse, or George Orwell’s Animal Farm, unless you grew up on an island or remote mountaintop with no books, no television, and no local tradition of oral storytelling, I bet you’re pretty familiar with the anthropomorphism of animals as a literary device. And let’s face it, sometimes getting at the truth is just easier when it’s coming from the whimsically moving lips of a talking horse, pig, or dog. Themed on Franz Kafka’s short story of the same name, Investigations of a Dog looks at the artists it contains as the sort of ‘re-humanized’, if you will, incarnations of Kafka’s animal protagonist. Now, whether that intensifies the ability to keep a critical eye on society through the artworks or descends into something truly Kafkaesque will certainly make for some good discussion on your visit. Read the rest of this entry »
Etched by time
If like us, you have a respect for the period build edging on the quaint, but at the same time, need dashes of the contemporary to lighten the load – then you will fall for White Line Hotels edit the Arthotel Blaue Gans, which is self-assured & oozes confidence. Read the rest of this entry »
Seduction in Cranach’s Time
Paris is known the world over for its rich cultural offerings. A new exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg highlights Lucas Cranach, an artist whose seductive and hauntingly beautiful works remain somewhat unknown to the public.
Cranach was a painter of the German Renaissance, with majority of his works being created in the mid-1500’s. The exhibition Cranach and his time, put his paintings alongside those of other artists of the period. He travelled widely and the influence of Flemish and Italian artists shines through.
Prepare to be beguiled by Cranach’s depiction of nudes, these aren’t the kinds of paintings one typically associates with the Renaissance. These women are fierce, sensual, and not the kind you’d want to mess with. They wield knives and swords in the name of justice, they coquettishly regale men with their beauty and charm, they draw you in, but they could just as easily spit you back out. Of course, there are many works from Cranach that have a more traditional feel, but these women are just so much more fun.
The exhibition runs through the 23rd of May and spring in Paris is a thing of beauty. Just a short walk away is White Line Hotels edit, Hotel des Academies et des Arts. The hotel is on a quiet side street in heart of the city. Be sure to take a peek at young artists at work at the art academy just across the way.
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Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter