It's art Jim, but not as we know it

Spam

unvarnished facts, reckless guesswork, insinuations and possible inventions that have arrived at overthenet.blog@gmail.com: gow langsford are opening a new space in lorne street, john gilberthorpe, ceo of the Wellington museums trust, is leaving the job with tim walker as his favoured replacement (how many jobs can this guy have?), one of the ‘target levels of performance' for te papa in its 2008-09 statement of intent is that ‘no more than four instances of irreparable damage to collection items occur as a result of public access each year, a couple of days ago the recently formed council for the humanities spent over 30 hours presenting papers and discussing national identity at their two day congress, the adam gallery in wellington was temporarily closed ‘due to unforseen circumstances’, when one of their large floor grates fell after being lifted by a cleaner – no one was hurt. any missed details, indignant denials or additions gratefully received, and the one with the most vowels - rewarded.

Big ears

What art collectors have to say:

“These days you have to ask yourself whether you want to spend that money on a ranch or a painting.”
Stephen Carlson, Montana

"Art is a terrible investment,''
Don Rubell, Miami

“I’m not collecting guns anymore. I’m really focused on finding better paintings.”
Seth Eastman, Texas

“There are no rules about investment. Sharks can be good. Artist’s dung can be good. Oil on canvas can be good.”
Charles Saatchi, London

"When I see something I like, I buy it, but I do not look for it madly."
David Rockefeller, New York

"Oh shit. Look what I’ve done."
Steve Wynn, Las Vegas (after punching a whole through a Picasso)

Fishy

You can’t keep a good idea down. When Damien Hirst convinced Charles Saatchi to let him tank a shark in 1991 and call it The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, he might have figured it would capture other imaginations. Here’s two. Saddam Hussein Shark was made by Czech artist David Cerny and the kit set version Section 23 is by Clinton Phillips an artist who shows at Auckland’s City Art Rooms. And let’s not forget the Little Artists who we introduced to you in our Lego phase.
Images from the top: Damien Hirst The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. David Cerny Saddam Hussein Shark. Clinton Phillips Section 23

.doc

For all of you who have been on tenterhooks waiting to know how many PhDs-who-make-art the Elam Art School intend graduating a year, here is the answer we received from Auckland University yesterday.
“The University of Auckland’s goal of achieving 800 masters and 500 PhD completions per annum as of 2012 is an aspirational target that reflects the University’s shift towards research and its commitment to retaining its strong international ranking as a research-led tertiary institution. Currently, the University achieves around 200 doctoral completions per annum.
On average in each of the past three years, approximately 46 postgraduate diplomas, masters and Doctor of Fine Arts have been awarded by Elam.
Next year the Elam School of Fine Arts is aiming to enrol around 30 masters students and up to three new doctoral candidates. At any one time the doctoral programme of Elam or Doctor of Fine Arts degree (DocFA) will have around 15 candidates enrolled.”
Image: Art School Confidential

Window of opportunity

This extraordinary stained glass window for Cologne Cathedral by German painter Gerhard Richter. Inspired by the idea of pixels, the window fills the 20-meter-high space with 11,500 squares of glass in 72 colours and got us thinking about painters who have responded to similar commissions in New Zealand. Three or four projects immediately came to mind. The most well-known is probably Colin McCahon’s painted glass work at the Convent Chapel in Upland Road for the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions. He was famously helped by the art student Richard Killeen who, “protected me on the narrow planks, always passing on the outside…” The windows have since been removed and, as far as we know, are now in the collection of the Auckland Art Gallery. Milan Mrkusich created a number of stained glass windows including the windows for St Joseph's Catholic Church in Grey Lynn (at 456 Great North Road). According to the Auckland City Council Heritage site, the windows including that of the Resurrected Christ above the entrance, were described "as the largest abstract works in New Zealand at the time." Then there’s Robert Ellis’s stained glass in the Nave of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity also in Auckland as well as Shane Cotton’s more recently completed windows for St Joseph’s Church in Wellington. Click on image for enlarged view - definitely worth it.

Copy cat 23

Images: Top, advertisement New Zealand Herald. Bottom, Magritte Decalcomania

Give us a break sport

Overthenet has always had a keen eye for ugly sculpture and now there is a chance for New Zealanders to see a good range at first hand. The opportunity is thanks to 111 sculptures from the 2008 Biejing Olympic Landscape Sculpture exhibition travelling to Gisborne and Wellington. In fact it is more like a competition, with the most popular 29 being supersized to around 20 metres high for permanent display after the Olympics. Talking about the exhibition to the Dominion Evening Post, Gisborne’s Mayor Meng Foon said, “Even Paris couldn’t get it.” Same.
Images: Work from the 2008 Biejing Olympic Landscape Sculpture exhibition

Welcome waggon

Don’t miss the chance to dive into the depths of p mule’s archives in this just published blog.
Image: donkey stunt double.

Lifestyle report

Artists shoes
Images: From the top, Basquiats, Warhols, Lichtensteins, McCahons

Minute man

Somewhere we read the average time museum visitors look at a work of art: roughly two seconds. If you’d like to reduce your personal best time, spend a few minutes with this video of portraits of women by EggMan. Definitely worth a look.

copy cat 22

Image: Night club sign, Wellington

When museums make art 1

National Galleries of Scotland

Low rent

Freaky Friday

The end of the week being so frazzled we thought you might all like a little calm in your lives. So, here's a Fluxus Film from YouTube, Nam June Paik’s Zen for Film.