Copy cat

Images: Top, The Hook of Maui a 1.3 million, 35 metre fish hook planned for Wellington’s Northern entrance, designed by Oscar-nominated director Taika Waititi, artist Claude Hibber with landscaping by Megan Wraight. Bottom, Iraq’s Hands of Victory erected by Saddam Husein in 1989.

Advice to gallery staff

This memo from Larry Gagosian to his staff, as published in Flash Art.

“If you would like to continue working for Gagosian I suggest you start to sell some art. Everything is going to be evaluated in this new climate based on performances I basically put in eighteen hours a day, which any number of people could verify. If you are not willing to make that kind of commitment please let me know. The general economy and also the art economy is clearly headed for some choppy waters; I want to make sure that we are the best swimmers on the block. The luxury of carrying under-performing employees is now a thing of the past.”

Straight talking

Friday’s New York Times mentioned Barbara Kruger Basel Miami show with Mary Boone. How about these two zinger quotes used in her installation?

“We are the slaves of objects around us.” - Goethe

“He entered shop after shop, priced nothing, spoke no word, and looked at all objects with a wild and distracted stare.” - Edgar Allan Poe

Hard to believe that 20 years ago we saw a major survey show of Kruger at the National Art Gallery’s Shed 11 in Wellington and had the chance to talk with her at a dinner Luit and Jan Bieringa gave a few days before the show. It was an incredible experience, Kruger was funny, smart and loved being in New Zealand. Strange then, earlier this year to hear consultant Ken Gorbey (one of the names of shame that helped remove the idea of contemporary international art from the Te Papa menu) still taking time out to bad mouth the NAG on radio. He claimed that the idea the National Art Gallery, pre-Te Papa, had been as exciting as many people claimed was a myth. You had to be there.

Images: In the same vein, Barbara Kruger Men's T for the Whitney Biennial, front (left) and back. You can buy one here.

Copy dog

Is it animal art? Is it a copy cat? William Wegman, his dogs and art get it in the neck from Sesame Street.

40 years on

“No degree of dullness can safeguard a work against the determination of critics to find it fascinating.”
Harold Rosenberg (1906-1978)

Jingle bells

This from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

One of several hundred artists invited to create ornaments for this year's White House holiday tree was Seattle artist, Deborah Lawrence. However, her submission was rejected - the only one. It turns out her ornament (to the surprise of nobody who knew her well) was covered with tiny text calling for George Bush's impeachment. A spokeswoman for Laura Bush's said, "I think it really is a shame and, quite frankly, not very much in the holiday spirit."

Art's a beach

The OTN Style editor tells us it’s artist towel time at Target stores in the US. This year there are neat beach towels by Edward Ruscha and Raymond Pettibon, Julian Schnabel and Karen Kilimnik. Artists and beachwear go way back. The snappy swimsuit from 1925 was designed by Sonia Delaunay who had a partnership with fashion designer Jacques Heim. It was Heim who introduced an early precursor to the modern bikini that he called the Atome. You can order the pick of the towel crop, Edward Ruscha’s The Study of Friction and Wear on Mating Surfaces, here.

Images: Left, towels by Raymond Pettibon (top) and Edward Ruscha. Right, modelling swimwear by Sonia Delaunay

Look alike: International edition

Images: Top Renault in Frankfurt. Botom, Hirst in New York. (Thanks again J)

Leaked

In Japan we came across a transparent sticker that allows you to put the famous R Mutt signature on your own bowl. Having commented about museum gift shops trivialising art (you can see us at work here, here and also here) we made our purchase discreetly. What a gift for Michael Parekowhai who had such a bad run (if you think that pun was intentional, you’re dead wrong) with Duchamp in Christchurch.

Now from one of our regular readers (thanks again P) comes this site that has taken on the important task of recording toilets in the museums of the world. You’ll be pleased to hear that they are recorded while vacant (we had immediately thought of Daniel Malone turning his hand to art in the Auckland Art Gallery restrooms back in the day).

But if you are looking for art in toilets, you can do no better than Roadside America where you can check out Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum.

Copy cat

Images: Left ad for NZHWA, right Colin McCahon Clouds 9 (Thanks C)

This is another fine mess you’ve got me into

Art + Object makes a very funny (and possibly wise) commentary on the current troubles in its latest newsletter. From their next auction it features a Madame Tussauds wax bust of Depression hero President Roosevelt (lot 125 Trevor and Pam Plumbly collection) along with one of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn screen prints (lot 33 New collectors art).

”The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” - Roosevelt

“What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest.” - Warhol

For more locally focussed readers they have also included Peter Peryer’s Farm study (lot 91 – New Collectors art) as a kicker.

Images: Left Roosevelt in wax. Right, Warhol's Marilyn

Art is where you don’t find it

These “invisible” artworks were created by Joshua Callaghan as a public art project in LA. The photos of backgrounds are printed on vinyl and glued onto eye-sore structures.

After birth

A strange, and let’s face it tenuous link between art and ad land, came in the mail this week. It was an invitation to the Govett-Brewster’s Summer shows that included an installation by Lee Mingwei. The name rang a bell and reminded us of the famous 1971 Pregnant Man campaign, an early creation of über art collector Charles Saatchi. Although not mentioned in the G-B material (cat got your tongue?), Mingwai is probably best known for creating a stir in 1999 when he announced he was pregnant. You can find out more here and read how Mingwei, with the help of his partner Virgil Wong, created the complicated story, complete with faux magazine covers and interviews, of Mingwei having a placenta embedded in his body so he could give birth. The artwork/hoax drew on the services of GenoChoice, a medical institute that helped prospective parents to create genetically healthy children online.
Images: Left, the Saatchi & Satchi campaign. Right, Lee Mingwai knocked up.

Now you know

“Having just gone through Massey's BFA program I don't think you'll have a problem getting in whether or not your technical skills aren't developed to the point you'd like them to be. Massey's focus is conceptual, and so you won't be tutored in practical 'art skills'... it's more about considering what you choose to use as a medium and why, rather than how to use it.”

A Massey graduate spills the beans on Artbash

Nice spot

“It’s a nice day, let’s go out and see if we can spot some famous artists”. That’s something we hear people saying all the time. Of course it’s all very well for those in the know, but what about those who wouldn’t recognise John Baldassari if he sat down next to them in a train and introduced himself? We figure that’s just what Sebastian Piras was thinking when he suggested a spotter’s book of artists to his publisher. “These people are the celebrities that got away,” he says, throwing his manuscript down on the table. “Some of them are still leading private lives and even having coffee in public without being mobbed. My book will end all that. Anyone who has a copy will know when Jasper Johns comes in the room and be able to point out Cindy Sherman to all the people who thought she was someone else standing in the corner.”

As it turned out Sebastian wasn’t too fussy as to whether there should be examples of the artists’ work next to each portrait (something that impressed the cost conscious publisher) and the deal was done. You can get a copy of A Pocketful of Contemporary Artists:Photographic Portraits here and start collecting artists right away.