Gasp! This stunning work is part of ‘‘Nothing Is Separate: A Collaboration with Nature,’  an experimental, traveling installation created by Detroit-based mixed-media artist Ellen Rutt as part of Temple Children’s artist residency in Hilo, Hawai‘i. Here are a few words about this project, followed by a quote from Ellen:

… by creating intuitive compositions of painted, repurposed wood shapes and costumes at several of the island’s majestic, distinct and isolated terrains, Rutt explores the complex relationship humans have with both natural and constructed environments. The bright colors and familiar shapes signal our attraction to aesthetics and modes of idealized presentation.

“I’m acknowledging my own contradictions and our collective moral flexibility – how we are simultaneously celebrating the sacredness of the natural world, while also engaging in practices that knowingly or unknowingly contribute to its destruction. We are balanced on a continuum between understanding the infinite nature of existence and participating in the mundane routine of everyday life.”

Beautiful, in so many ways. I am going to leave you with this gorgeous project from Hawaii while I spend the next week on Maui with my family. There will be a new podcast going up this weekend though, so keep an eye {and ear} out for that!

*Photos – and this video – by Emad Rashidi.

Gouache and collage on paper … WHAT? Oh my word, I absolutely love these pieces by American artist Natalie Lanese {Toledo, Ohio based}. The dizzying lines, the vibrant colors, and those cut-out hands… I LOVE IT ALL. Just imagine how fabulous it would be if these were large-scale installations? {Wait for it…}

Wow.

Wow. Liquid gold pouring out of the wall, and seeping up from the vents… or maybe it’s draining into the floor? Either way, I could not love the work of Brazilian artist Vanderlei Lopes more. Happy Friday.

 

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In July 2019, I was in Italy for the Venice Biennale. One of my favorite shows happening in the city was “Dysfunctional” at Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro. When I walked into this room {last three images above & the video}, I have to admit, the guy moving around inside the clock freaked me out. But then I sat down. I watched this “clock” for a very long time. How could I not? Minute by minute the hands changed, just in the nick of time, thanks to this man inside the clock. Right? Or was it a film? Probably. But wait, there was even a tiny door on the back… I knocked, but nobody answered. Hm. The video above is just one of a series of mesmerizing “Real Time” films by Dutch designer and artist Maarten Baas. Imagine if this is how we counted down to the new year… dreamy. See you in 2020.

Whoa. I just wrote about American artist Liza Lou a few months ago, but then this! Her installation, titled Kitchen (1991- 1996), is now on display at The Whitney in New York. Beads. So, so, so many tiny glass beads… more than 30 million if you happen to be counting!? No wonder this project took her from 1991 until 1996. I’m going to New York in March and, yes, this will be my first stop {did you see the chips!? LOVE}. Kitchen is part of an exhibit titled, Making Knowing: Craft in Art, 1950–2019, which runs until January 2021. GO!

Oh my word, YES. This light installation, titled “Neighborhood”, is the work of New York based artist and art director Sergey Kim. As you can probably tell by the bicycles and canals, this piece is part of the Amsterdam Light Festival, which is happening right now until January 19, 2020. Here’s a description of this absolutely gorgeous, glowing clothesline:

Gasp! Oh my word, I want to stand in and under all of these sliced pastel beauties… I wonder if it smells like forgotten perfume? This installation, titled “Fantasies (2019)”, is the work of Melbourne based artist Hannah Gartside. From July to October 2019, this wonderland of feminine fabric was shown at Ararat Gallery TAMA (Textile Art Museum Australia). “Fantasies” uses 1960s/70s nightgowns made from 100% polyester, which helps her tell the story she wants to tell.  “Through such dichotomous methods as cutting, shredding and stitching – by turn, both violent and reparative – she explores the complexities of being in and of a female body.” Brilliant. Here is more of Hannah’s artist statement:

“[Her] works explore feminism and material culture, and present ways of experiencing the profound sensuality and subjectivity of our relationship to the physical world. Gartside uses dress-making processes as well as methods of patchwork quilting, wet-felting, and fabric dyeing. Through these labour intensive processes and treatment of materials, Gartside invests in the work a quality of concentration, devotion and care.

Although she believes in the ‘aura’ accrued by materials through their production and usage, Gartside researches the aesthetics, production techniques and history of her materials that have emerged from particular historical, sociopolitical and cultural contexts. Her works co-opt the materiality and various associations of the material as a way of making sense of the past, through a sense of shared consciousness, and of offering up new possibilities for hope.”

*Photographs by Louis Lim

Gasp! This is the absolutely stunning work of Buenos Aires based artist Alexandra Kehayoglou. Sculpture, textiles, grass!? Here is a description of Alexandra’s work, found on her site:

Alexandra Kehayoglou (Buenos Aires, 1981) is a visual artist who works primarily with textile materials. She creates her pieces in her studio in Buenos Aires, utilizing a wide array of technical skills with which she produces works combining textiles, sculpture and installation. She is primarily interested in production processes bringing together art and craft, and develops functional works as complete works of art, in which knowledge of the materials, the technique, and spectator are inseparably intertwined.

The pieces are made with surplus materials, weaved with the handtuft technique using a machine which the artist manipulates upon vertical frames, inserting stitch by stitch. The production process is arduous and long, requiring much physical effort and a very precise technique.

Kehayoglou’s repertoire includes memories of various native landscapes that the artist has visited and desires to preserve over time. Her renowned pastizales (grasslands), fields, and shelter tapestries are like sublime realities which the viewer can contemplate or utilize. Each one is unique, with a texture, weave and palette that will not be repeated. Each piece is created from an ancient family tradition that nonetheless gives new meaning to the craft of weaving by hand.

Ps. I dare you to try scrolling through her Instagram feed quickly. It’s impossible… you’ll be there for ages! So. Good.

Sigh. This is the beautiful outdoor installation work of Texas based artist Molly V. Dierks, inspired by a Mary Oliver poem… both of which make we want to cry – not in a sad way, but with relief. Watch the video, listen to the sounds, breathe deeply, let your worries go, and just sing. Here are Molly’s words about this project, followed by Mary’s poem:

Inspired by the eponymous poem by Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver, “I Worried” is a series of modified street signs that replace typical regulatory language with lines of Oliver’s poem about anxiety, vulnerability, and evolution.
Attaching electrodes to leaves and human skin, I recorded the music made by local plants, as well as by my body and those of other Franconia residents as we meditated on different states of being – worry, love, connection. This music was combined with nature recordings (wind, birds, water, frogs) to make original compositions. As viewers pass by, a solar-powered sound device vibrates the thin aluminum, and select signs act as speakers – ‘singing’ each unique song.

‘I Worried’ by Mary Oliver
“I worried a lot.

Will the garden grow,

will the rivers
flow in the right direction,

will the earth turn
as it was taught,

and if not how shall
I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, can I do better?

I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up.

and went out into the morning,

and sang.”

Aaaaaand, exhale.

Live from SMoCA! Ok, well it was live almost a year ago. Today’s episode has been in a holding pattern since last fall, when I recorded at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art – aka SMoCA – in November of 2018. I loved every second of my time there, especially floating in a pool on a flamingo (I’m Canadian, so I realllly like being in pools when it’s snowing at home). Once I got myself out of the pool, I had the great pleasure of talking to not only one, but two fabulous women: Jennifer McCabe, the Director and Chief Curator at SMoCA, and Saskia Jorda, a Venezuelan-born Arizona-based installation artist. You can listen to the full episode right up there under my pink friend, or subscribe on iTunes.

First, a little peek at this gorgeous gallery in lovely Scottsdale, Arizona:

Such a beautiful building filled with gorgeous art, not to mention a smart and talented Director & Curator. Jennifer is doing fabulous things at SMoCA – curating original shows, and also bringing in really interesting traveling shows. We talked about the two shows that were there during our record, and you can find links to both of them at the bottom of this post.

Next, Saskia’s installation work:

Gasp! Gorgeous! I’m sure her butterfly genitalia drawings were gorgeous too, but wow, I’m thrilled she found a path to her map-based installation work. I love her 2016 project, titled “Soft Borders”, which just happens to be featured in my latest book, A BIG IMPORTANT ARTIST – A Womanual.

That brings us to today. Literally. Here are a few images from Saskia’s Instagram feed showing her installing and preparing for the group exhibition, “Counter-Landscapes: Performative Actions from the 1970s – Now” (curated by Jennifer) that opens TODAY, October 26, 2019:

So exciting! … and, a few of the final pieces:

Oh my word! Those mixed media drawings are gorgeous, and I cannot deal with how much I love the piece above, titled “Zona Ambigua”. The rest of the installation shots won’t be ready for a few more days… that’s how hot of the presses this show is!  If you are anywhere near Scottsdale between now and January 19, 2020, go and check out this show.

Thank you so much to everyone at SMoCA for not only inviting me to do this, but also for being so patient. I’m sure they weren’t betting on this taking a year to go up, but I’m so glad this LIVE podcast is actually finally live! Thanks to Jennifer and Saskia for sharing their stories; huge thanks to THRIVE for supporting the episode; and as always, thank YOU for listening.

ps. And thanks, Mom, for reminding me that the universe really will unfold as it should. xo

…………………..

More Links:

1. The two exhibitions that were showing last fall:

NKAME: A Retrospective of Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967-1999)

Double Agents: Carla Fernández and Pedro Reyes

2. Saskia’s drawings above were photographed by Claire A. Warden

3. And, in case you’re wondering where that flamingo lives: The Saguaro, Scottsdale