http://www.castyourart.com/ Art moves people. CastYourArt offers podcasts for people fascinated by art. The weekly published video- and audio-episodes are windows to the world of art: its ideas, institutions, and actors, its economics, contradictions, and its ups and downs. Kunst bewegt Menschen. In wöchentlich erscheinenden Podcastepisoden und Beiträgen schafft CastYourArt Zugang zur Welt der Kunst, zu ihren Gedankenräumen und Ideen, zu Institutionen und Akteuren, zu Wirtschaftlichkeit, Widersprüchlichkeit, Scheitern und Erfolg. de © CastYourArt, Vienna 2008 - 2009 office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:00 +0000 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/castyourart.png http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/ CastYourArt offers podcasts for people fascinated by art. CastYourArt.com no no cast your art, Kunst, art, Künstler, artist, festival, museum, Galerie, gallery, exhibition, atelier, Ausstellung CastYourArt offers podcasts for people fascinated by art. CastYourArt office@castyourart.com CastYourArt offers podcasts for people fascinated by art. The weekly published video- and audio-episodes are windows to the world of art: its ideas, institutions, and actors, its economics, contradictions, and its ups and downs. Kunst bewegt Menschen. In wöchentlich erscheinenden Podcastepisoden und Beiträgen schafft CastYourArt Zugang zur Welt der Kunst, zu ihren Gedankenräumen und Ideen, zu Institutionen und Akteuren, zu Wirtschaftlichkeit, Widersprüchlichkeit, Scheitern und Erfolg. http://www.castyourart.com A young art collective characterized by highbrow hijinks. An interview with the Bruce High Quality Foundation. 08:04 The Bruce High Quality Foundation - Con Artists In our age, identity has become something of an obsession. Andy Warhol predicted the perennial pursuit of one’s “15 minutes of fame”, and celebrity status represents the ultimate destination of success. The art world has been far from exempt from this trend: the persona of a well-known artist is often as carefully crafted as his artwork. The cult of personality can reap considerable profits, as the latest record-breaking artworks of Klimt, Picasso, and Pollock will attest to. The elusive nature of creative genius garners a level of worship that makes today’s museum as sacred a place as yesterday’s cathedral. One of the most exciting tendencies of art is its ability to constantly upend itself. Styles are meant to be challenged, theories debunked, rules broken. In the end, the role of art is to make us see things differently, and just when we think we have done, shake up our world again. Just as we read about the latest most expensive painting being sold, or the hottest young art star hitting the scene, a quiet countermovement is taking place. The cult of personality is making way for the quest for anonymity. Art collectives shun what they see as outdated values such as egoism, fame, and recognition. Avoiding limiting designations such as roles or credits, collectives bring the focus back to the work itself, art for art’s sake. “The most radical gesture of art is its own existence,” is a key line in The Bruce High Quality Foundation’s (BHQF) artist’s statement. This young art collective, based in Brooklyn, NY, has successfully maintained a studio and “career” based on the spirit of collaboration. Although they have never cited any of their individual names in the press and until now, have not even really shown their faces, their philosophy is not necessarily about “obfuscating shit”, or strategically dodging identification. Their vibe is more about the “liberating qualities of fiction”, the principle that “facts” do not necessarily lead to the “truth”. BHQF’s avoidance of pin-down-able “facts” creates interesting challenges such as not qualifying for an official Wikipedia entry (Wikipedia requires “facts” that can be verified twice in publications), or often being “misrepresented” in the press. But these aspects are all part of the fun. Perhaps it is not surprising that this (loosely defined) collective of young gentlemen are often characterized by a form of highbrow hijinks: playful references (e.g., superimposing “Bruce’s” face on famous artworks), wacky interventions (e.g., staging a “protest” at the Art Basel art fair in Miami), and mass open events (e.g., producing their own interpretation of “Cats on Broadway”). The work often resembles a form of fratboy pranks dreamed up by art school intellectuals. But perhaps the most fascinating aspect of collectives is their will to exist and persist. According to “the Bruces”, their most commonly asked question is how long “the experiment” will last. Political projects could probably take a cue from the Bruces’ formula of success, which involves a combination of fluidity, openness, and genuine camaraderie. Until now, it’s been working and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. (jn) yes no The Bruce High Quality Foundation, New York, art collective, identity, celebrity, intervention, parody, Art Basel, Wikipedia CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/076_bruce.mp4 076_bruce.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com The artist Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag conducts science by way of art. A podcast on the tonal experience of space and raw electricity as the essential form of the media age. 11:29 Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag - The acoustic perspective of space and the nature of electricity. Most of his sound installations are not recorded. They would not function on loudspeakers or headphones, says Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag, because his compositions typically use the entire body as an acoustic reception space. It can be good that the sound does not penetrate the through the eardrum, but instead, for example, through the soles of the feet - for those who would stand on their own loudspeakers. Sonntag’s artistic achievements involve interfaces between the human body, technical media systems, and sound-mediated space perceptions. For example, in one project, he plunges a randomly vibrating column into the earth, whose upper edge serves as ground-level manhole. Those who step on the manhole can sense the depth of the earth with their bodies through the oscillations of the manhole, as well as experience space in a different, nonvisual way. Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag was born in 1965. He studied trombone under Heinz Fadle at the University of Music Lübeck, then he studied eight different subjects, ranging from art history to philosophy, in Oldenburg. Since then, he has taught at universities in Istanbul, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Oldenburg, and Darmstadt. Attempts at categorizations place Sonntag’s roots in minimum and conceptual art, as well as in new/experimental music. However, Sonntag prefers not to be pigeonholed. He finds the categories into which the arts are assigned too limiting. He would define himself more as a composer than as a sound artist, but his work is also visual. His favorite term would be inventor. Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag conducts science by way of art, and his prolific artistic invention has been highly recognized. He has received numerous awards and has had exhibitions everywhere from New York to Bishkek. In 2008, he opened the avant-garde festival of electronic art, Ars Electronica in Linz, with his sonArc:: a project which explored elementary forms of electricity. In search of the roots and visions of this media age, Sonntag captured the essence of electricity through the possibilities of taming lightning with his technological devices. The tonal experience and exploration of space and questions of perspective form the other important field of the artist’s research. Sonntag seeks out possibilities of capturing tangible spatiality through sound, and thereby pose alternatives to the visual occupation of the perception of space, with its pervasion of perspective, from the field of psycho-acoustic space perception. For this CastYourArt podcast, Sonntag referred acoustically to his body sounds - the result, an aural sampling of the thought process of the artist as well as a body sound collage… (wh/jn) no no Jan- Peter E.R. Sonntag, sonArc:: project, experimental music, sound, composition, body, space, perspective, electricity, electronics, Berlin, Oldenburg, minimal art, conceptual art, Ars Electronica, Heinz Fadle, Lübeck CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:30:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/085_2_sonntag.mp3 085_2_sonntag.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com The artist Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag conducts science by way of art. A podcast on the tonal experience of space and raw electricity as the essential form of the media age. 16:47 Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag - The acoustic perspective of space and the nature of electricity. Most of his sound installations are not recorded. They would not function on loudspeakers or headphones, says Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag, because his compositions typically use the entire body as an acoustic reception space. It can be good that the sound does not penetrate the through the eardrum, but instead, for example, through the soles of the feet - for those who would stand on their own loudspeakers. Sonntag’s artistic achievements involve interfaces between the human body, technical media systems, and sound-mediated space perceptions. For example, in one project, he plunges a randomly vibrating column into the earth, whose upper edge serves as ground-level manhole. Those who step on the manhole can sense the depth of the earth with their bodies through the oscillations of the manhole, as well as experience space in a different, nonvisual way. Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag was born in 1965. He studied trombone under Heinz Fadle at the University of Music Lübeck, then he studied eight different subjects, ranging from art history to philosophy, in Oldenburg. Since then, he has taught at universities in Istanbul, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Oldenburg, and Darmstadt. Attempts at categorizations place Sonntag’s roots in minimum and conceptual art, as well as in new/experimental music. However, Sonntag prefers not to be pigeonholed. He finds the categories into which the arts are assigned too limiting. He would define himself more as a composer than as a sound artist, but his work is also visual. His favorite term would be inventor. Jan-Peter E.R. Sonntag conducts science by way of art, and his prolific artistic invention has been highly recognized. He has received numerous awards and has had exhibitions everywhere from New York to Bishkek. In 2008, he opened the avant-garde festival of electronic art, Ars Electronica in Linz, with his sonArc:: a project which explored elementary forms of electricity. In search of the roots and visions of this media age, Sonntag captured the essence of electricity through the possibilities of taming lightning with his technological devices. The tonal experience and exploration of space and questions of perspective form the other important field of the artist’s research. Sonntag seeks out possibilities of capturing tangible spatiality through sound, and thereby pose alternatives to the visual occupation of the perception of space, with its pervasion of perspective, from the field of psycho-acoustic space perception. For this CastYourArt podcast, Sonntag referred acoustically to his body sounds - the result, an aural sampling of the thought process of the artist as well as a body sound collage… (wh/jn) no no Jan- Peter E.R. Sonntag, sonArc:: project, experimental music, sound, composition, body, space, perspective, electricity, electronics, Berlin, Oldenburg, minimal art, conceptual art, Ars Electronica, Heinz Fadle, Lübeck CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:02:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/085_1_sonntag.mp3 085_1_sonntag.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com Nadine Rennert’s early abstract work explores the formal possibilities of its material. A deep look into the soul. 06:47 Nadine Rennert - Nowhere to Hide The early work of Nadine Rennert can be considered abstract art. It explores the formal possibilities of its material. It plumbs the depths of its soul, says the artist. The work of the Berlin-based artist has moved lately more in the direction of figurative art. The use of materials such as fleece, wool, leather, skin or down remains the same, as well as the approach of trying to find what lies within the raw material, within its soul. What has changed is that the material of her work must now be understood in a broader sense. Individual sentences in the form of statements and situations from stories and fairy tales have been added. These materials originate from the interweaving of individual lives in their social and temporal circumstances. In her sculptural work, Nadine Rennert finds an up-to-date form for these sometime archaic materials through their internal tensions. The used materials sustain these translations into the now. They display the signs of their use, referring to the everyday, to real life. Quietly and unknowingly, they make their way into the lives of their viewers. What characteristics have we retained through our schooling and the circumstances of our upbringing? What about us has its own history, goes its own way? What do we carry with us? Rennert’s sculptures urge us to question ourselves. They touch upon deeply buried layers: integrity, vulnerability, belonging, being alone or outcast. Her work gets to the nitty-gritty of things. When the artist investigates the possibilities of her materials, she opens up that which has been well stored away and preserved in the cellar of our existence, exposing it to the world. The ideas for her work develop in this vulnerable interim of awaking, when certain impressions get caught in the light of our half-conscious dream state and then tend to retreat back into the dark depths of the subconscious. These sealed-up goods are uncorked by the work of the artist. That which is deep-seated is expressed in Rennert’s work with literal openness. On the one hand, it is obvious but on the other hand, not completely articulated, remaining open enough to stir up the viewer’s own history. The artist describes her work as an open-ended invitation that can be met with curiosity. For the sake of argument, through her work, the artist realizes potentials and develops counterpositions against the defenses within ourselves. (wh/jn) no no Nadine Rennert, Berlin, Georg-Kolbe Museum, Sculpture, Material, Soul, Fine Arts, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/073_rennert.mp4 073_rennert.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Oswald Oberhuber has created a site-specific installation which includes drawings, paintings, and sculptures thematically related to Prince Eugen of Savoy. A discussion about the exhibition with the artist. 08:52 Oswald Oberhuber - The Passions of Prince Eugen The early works of Oswald Oberhuber, born in Meran in 1931, are classified as informal sculpture. The artist has always felt that it was too limiting to develop himself artistically as the representative of a specific style. In the late 1950s, Oberhuber was already turning against an understanding of art oriented toward styles and pursued a theory and practice of permanent change. As an artist, as a teacher and head at the University of Applied Art in Vienna, and as a director of the Galerie nächst St. Stephan, Oberhuber’s work pursues new directions and breaks conventional notions. In the early 1970s, in an Innsbruck hospital, he produced an abstract sculpture out of industrially manufactured exhaust tubes. The art work—which defied the usual conceptions of art—became a nationwide sensation, but then somehow ended up in the hands of a plumber. An artist protest saved the work of art from being divided up and sold off for individual parts. For the Belvedere in Vienna, Oberhuber has created a site-specific installation which includes drawings, paintings, and sculptures that are thematically related to Prince Eugen of Savoy, who was the founder of the Belvedere. Thematic exhibitions suit the artist. The thematic approach accommodates his resolution of permanent change: it not only permits artistic movement, but challenges it as well. Oberhuber stresses the fact that he regards the work that he specifically created for the exhibition in the Belvedere as an overall composition. The works do not exist on their own, but rather in the context of the exhibition and its interpretation. In finding an artistic language for a subject from the eighteenth century, how it related to current times was an important aspect for the artist. Bright colors prevail, the works are often graphically oriented and spare in detail. The use of color and simple graphics challenge the usual assumptions that visitors hold of royal portraits, creating a playful, ironic, almost comic effect. Oberhuber is not concerned about being accommodating, but rather about creating points through which the viewer can connect and thereby facilitate understanding. Using less words, the strengths of the works become apparent through what they downsize: those things which are often primally sensed, but at the same time, resist the current widespread view that their clarity depends on how densely they are applied. Looking at the group of works inspired by war events, Oberhuber commented that these take on a partly critical attitude in relation to these occurrences—in a softer language, of course, because he can only speak softly, and prefers not to state something in a brutal fashion. (wh/jn) The works of Oswald Oberhuber can be seen in the exhibition, “The Passions of Prince Eugen", at the Orangerie, Belvedere in Vienna from May 29th through September 13th, 2009. no no Oswald Oberhuber, Prince Eugen of Savoy, Belvedere, Orangerie, Vienna, Exhibition, informal sculpture, Galerie nächst St. Stephan, Universität für Angewandte Kunst, Meran CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/090_oberhuber_sub.mp4 090_oberhubert_sub.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Portrait Maria Lassnig: “Soft as marmalade, marmalade out of blood. I’m batted and left locked out from the world of painting.” 04:45 Maria Lassnig - The Ninth Decade Maria Lassnig: “Soft as marmalade, marmalade out of blood I’m batted and feel hindered and left locked out from the world of painting.” “There was a saying, if a boy is born, parents drink a “snaps”, but if it is a girl they would only celebrate with water or even less ... nothing”, recollects Maria Lassnig in one of her recently numerous interviews. Born in 1919 she started to scribble her first artworks at a very young age. Once her mother even seeked the help of a fortune teller because her little girl was holding her hands in such a crooked way while drawing, that she looked like a fool. Although her mother was told to support her daughter, her only thought was to get her married to a decent man to keep her out of harm’s way. But Life had different plans for her. As a young woman she decided to make a living out of painting. Between 1941 and 1943 Maria Lassnig studied at the academy of fine arts in Vienna. Later on she lived in Paris and New York. While living in the United States she started making animated films because her paintings were not understood. In the year 1980 she accepted a teaching position at the University for applied arts in Vienna. She was the first female professor for Painting at an academy in the German speaking world. Between 1982 and 1997 her works were shown at the documenta in Kassel. In the year 1988 she receives the Austrian State Art Prize and in 2004 she was awarded with the Max-Beckmann prize of the city of Frankfurt. In the last couple of years the work of Maria Lassnig drew more and more attention. Hans Ulrich Obrist curated an exhibition of her work at the Serpentine Gallery in London, the critics deemed her to be the discovery of the century, the “grand dame” of the European painting. In 2009 the Vienna Museum of Modern Art hosted the exhibition “Maria Lassnig. The Ninth Decade." Lassnig wasn’t entirely happy with the title “The Ninth Decade” because it made her sound like an old woman. She perceives herself as becoming smarter and more beautiful from day to day. In her diaries published by DuMont Lassnig describes death as a cruel unfair ending, this human fate unnecessarily destroys a beautiful building, which shines on the top. Looking at her recent work, one can understand this statement. Maria Lassnig stands for those rare examples in art history, where hard work transforms knowledge and experience into a playful exploration. On many occasions she quotes that she does not have a clear vision when she takes a brush into her hand. The central theme of her work evolves around the illustration of the human body. In her “body awareness paintings” as Lassnig describes it, she extends the physical appearance of the body through the dimension of sensation.
Although she points out that she does not represent a feminist agenda, her drawings and self-portraits reflect on the female position in society nevertheless with a certain level of irony. In her work the “country girl” Lassnig portraits a mature woman who hangs on to a small scooter while her breasts seem to lose the battle with gravity. As if she would say, take the “shooter” but leave me the scooter. In her work Lassnig consequently tries to rethink conventional positions, to develop new perspectives and to present things in a new context. She writes in her diaries: “Oh those artists who are trapped in their style, who look frustrated at the world, who are obsessed with success; they should modify their style, change it every week, think their standards over, change their hair color, their wig everyday, vary their preconceived opinion about politics, about the person next to them”. (jk/fls) yes no Maria Lassnig, fine arts, painting, animated motion picture, MUMOK (Vienna), Carinthia, Academy of Fine Arts (Paris), NY, University of Applied Arts, Documenta, Max-Beckmann Prize, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Serpentine Gallery, Body Conscience Drawing, feminism, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/092_lassnig.mp4 092_lassnig.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com In Liselot van der Heijden’s installations, the viewer always plays an integral part in the set-up and passivity is not an option. A portrait of the artist. 05:59 Liselot van der Heijden - The Eyes Have It We live in a visual age. Our pastimes are often dictated by those things we like to observe, in art galleries, at the cinema, at the zoo. In this surveillance-heavy era, our desire to watch often goes unchecked. Cameras dictate our day-to-day existence, we chase after images that fit our expectations and concepts of beauty, of nature, of gaze-worthiness. Our eyes are trained to seek out, capture, and fix on that which has meaning to us and could be potentially shared. But are we critical enough of that which we look at and the position from which we look at it? We set definitions for the subject and the object, we break down the constructs of viewing in the hopes that we don’t fall into a pre-manipulated, voyeuristic trap. Men should not objectify women, tourists should seek the unbeaten path, no one should remain in the position of “the other”. It’s rude to stare. Art has always offered the possibility of not taking these positions for granted. For as long as art and artists have existed, there have always also been the viewers. In this day and age, reflexivity has given way to self-reflexivity. Every voyeur is also a voyee. Through her art, Liselot van der Heijden explores these ever-evolving visual positionings. In her compact, spare, but multi-layered installations, the viewer always plays an integral part in the set-up and therefore, naturally, passivity is not an option. Nature plays a big part in van der Heijden’s work. Drawing from an archive culled from nature documentaries, sightseeing trips, and media footage, the artist repeatedly reminds us through her work that even in our idyllic reception of “nature”, our position is always complicit, our intentions are not necessarily “pure”. In exhibitions such as “Aporia”, in which we are confronted by the a drawn-out version of a zebra’s last breath, or “Primate Visions”, in which the fourth walls of zoo habitats are broken down, or “Natural History”, in which observers of the dioramas at New York’s Museum of Natural History unwittingly project life into the life-like figures, anthropomorphism becomes an outdated concept in a far more complex mediation between the natural and the un-natural. Originally from the Netherlands, the artist has been dividing her time between Amsterdam and New York for the last 15 years, and her bewilderment during the Bush Administration also found its way into her work. Shortly after 9/11, when Ari Fleischer memorably warned Americans to “watch what we say”, van der Heijden turned a watchful eye and ear on Bush, creating two video pieces: one consisting of a State of the Union address that has been stripped down to the words “America” (61 times) and another focusing on phrases such as “evil is real” and "God is near", respectively, in addition to their accompanying standing ovations. Reflecting on mediation and complicity inevitably leads to reflecting on the political, and van der Heijden’s critical negotiation of the viewer can, in this case, also be applied to the citizen. (jn) no no Liselot van der Heijden, New York, The Netherlands, LMAK Projects, Video Art, Photography, Politics, Nature, Perspective CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/069_liselot.mp4 069_liselot.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Her search for certain areas and her willingness to expose herself to them is one of the strengths of Maria Teresa Ponce's work. A portrait of the artist. 08:39 Maria Teresa Ponce - Prodigal Homes Maria Teresa Ponce understands how people develop a nostalgia for the country they have left behind, where their own friends, family, places, experiences, and history have remained. Ponce left Ecuador when she was nine and moved to the US, where she spent her youth, and studied architecture. After she completed her degree, she returned to Ecuador to find a country in economic crisis, with no work to be found for young architects. This crisis resulted in Ponce turning to art: she began to take photographs. She experienced that photography opened up new worlds which interested her, but to which she hardly had access. Her photographic work investigates the inner world of prisons, including their inmates. She then digitally superimposed the photographs from the prisons onto photographs of a condemned hospital building, thereby representing the ailments of an institution meant for rehabilitation. Her landscape photography, taken along a pipeline which runs from the Amazon rainforest to the Pacific coast, gives the impression that wealth and economic prosperity are being siphoned outside the country through a hermetically sealed channel. Ponce's work is characterized by her search for these areas and her willingness to expose herself them, as well as their inhabitants. One aspect of Ponce's documentary style is an intentional staging of scenes – some of her projects reveal an interventional approach. In the end, Maria Teresa Ponce works with the medium photography not only to produce pictures, but also to experience, and to evoke associations which are easy to miss. Sometimes, the artist says, she finds herself bordering on activism, the term “photographer” falls short of a proper artistic self-definition. (wh/jn) no no Maria Teresa Ponce, Ecuador, Quito, Photografie, Film, Intervention, Architecture, USA, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 26 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/079_ponce.mp4 079_ponce.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Private art funding. An interview with John Zeppetelli, curator of the DHC Art Foundation in Montreal. 13:02 DHC - Private Art Funding in Canada 
In Canada, private funding for the arts has become more important. This is not because there are many wealthy people with philanthropic ambitions in the art sector, but because in Canada, as in other countries, the government has cut down significantly on art funding. An aging but very expensive infrastructure on the one hand, and changing concepts of art and a growing artistic population on the other hand, are circumstances that are putting more strain on public resources. In this context, the private sector plays an important but almost invisible role in the promotion of art in Canada. This circle of art patrons is limited to approximately five to ten financially secure backers.

The DHC Foundation for Contemporary Art is located in the port city quarter of old Montreal, where it operates its own art space. It was founded in 2007 by Phoebe Greenberg, Penny Mancuso, and Tammy Lee. Greenberg is considered to be DHC's driving force, as well as the financial backer of the foundation. As artist and entrpreneur, she has experience in the field of endowment and as a film producer, as well as possessing the necessary persistence for realizing the foundation. Fifteen years of conviction, planning, and implementation went by until the first exhibition could open.

In the meantime, the foundation took on its role in the promotion of contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, artist discussions, art film presentations, and special projects. The activities of the foundation are no longer limitied to its own premises, the promotion of presentations of works of art in large international art shows is also part of its agenda.   Bringing internationally well-known names to Montreal is one of the tasks of foundation. Christian Marclay, Sophie Calle, and Marc Quinn were all featured in solo exhibitions with comprehensive sets of works. This approach to content is a requirement of  the private funding: the possibilities of the art commissions are supplemented by private funds. It therefore became apparent what was lacking, according to the curator John Zeppetelli, especially in terms of contemporary art.  Those members of the Montreal art audience who could previously afford the luxury of flying to New York can now make a free visit to the DHC, right in the old quarter of their own city. (wh/jn) no no DHC, Phoebe Greenberg, Tammy Lee, Penny Mancuso, John Zeppetelli, Canada, Montreal, Sponsors, Foundation, Christian Marclay, Sophie Calle, Marc Quinn CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 20 May 2009 12:02:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/065_2_DHC.mp3 065_2_DHC.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com Private art funding. An interview with John Zeppetelli, curator of the DHC Art Foundation in Montreal. 10:42 DHC - Private Art Funding in Canada 
In Canada, private funding for the arts has become more important. This is not because there are many wealthy people with philanthropic ambitions in the art sector, but because in Canada, as in other countries, the government has cut down significantly on art funding. An aging but very expensive infrastructure on the one hand, and changing concepts of art and a growing artistic population on the other hand, are circumstances that are putting more strain on public resources. In this context, the private sector plays an important but almost invisible role in the promotion of art in Canada. This circle of art patrons is limited to approximately five to ten financially secure backers.

The DHC Foundation for Contemporary Art is located in the port city quarter of old Montreal, where it operates its own art space. It was founded in 2007 by Phoebe Greenberg, Penny Mancuso, and Tammy Lee. Greenberg is considered to be DHC's driving force, as well as the financial backer of the foundation. As artist and entrpreneur, she has experience in the field of endowment and as a film producer, as well as possessing the necessary persistence for realizing the foundation. Fifteen years of conviction, planning, and implementation went by until the first exhibition could open.

In the meantime, the foundation took on its role in the promotion of contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, artist discussions, art film presentations, and special projects. The activities of the foundation are no longer limitied to its own premises, the promotion of presentations of works of art in large international art shows is also part of its agenda.   Bringing internationally well-known names to Montreal is one of the tasks of foundation. Christian Marclay, Sophie Calle, and Marc Quinn were all featured in solo exhibitions with comprehensive sets of works. This approach to content is a requirement of  the private funding: the possibilities of the art commissions are supplemented by private funds. It therefore became apparent what was lacking, according to the curator John Zeppetelli, especially in terms of contemporary art.  Those members of the Montreal art audience who could previously afford the luxury of flying to New York can now make a free visit to the DHC, right in the old quarter of their own city. (wh/jn) no no DHC, Phoebe Greenberg, Tammy Lee, Penny Mancuso, John Zeppetelli, Canada, Montreal, Sponsors, Foundation, Christian Marclay, Sophie Calle, Marc Quinn CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 19 May 2009 14:20:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/065_1_DHC.mp3 065_1_DHC.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com An improvised mini-takeaway-concert featuring the vocalist Monica Reyes from CastYourArt. 02:44 Takeaway Concert Monica Reyes - Frühbar Monica Reyes has just released her new CD, "Frühbar", which features original compositions from the vocalist and actress – witty and tipsy pop-chansons that capture the kind of truth-revealing antics that emerge after a few drinks. CastYourArt met up with Monica Reyes (www.monicareyes.de) und her guitarist Martin Bayer two weeks ago in the Museumsquartier. After a sudden inspiration, we ended up improvising and recording a spontaneous version of the title song, which resulted in this little "takeaway" concert. Our "stage" was an artwork by Michael Kienzer. (wh/jn) Art performed on art – take your concert away... no no Monica Reyes, Music, Vocalist, CD, Frühbar, Composition, Conzert, Michael Kienzer, Museumsquartier, Vienna CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Sun, 17 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/062_reyes.mp4 062_reyes.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com In William Anthony’s world, no artist is too high to be sent up. A portrait of the artist. 05:22 Bill Anthony - Comedy of Errors The art world is one which takes itself very seriously. Whether it is in the hushed classrooms of art schools where aspiring students dutifully sketch nude models, or in the fancy words of the latest review in the glossy pages of a top art magazine, or in the hallowed, guarded, temperature-controlled halls of a prestigious national museum, fine art is nothing to be laughed at – apparently. There was a time when William Anthony wanted to be taken “seriously”. But then came the day when he finally got through to his drawing students. He thought he would demonstrate the classic “don’t”s of figure drawing by incorporating them into one representative form. Then, something interesting happened. They laughed. He had somehow struck a chord. “Learning from mistakes” seemed to have made the greatest impact on his students. From that moment on, Anthony decided to play the fool. If it wasn't for Anthony's subject matter, one would think that his “scrawl”-ings had been done by a child. But upon closer examination, they reveal not only a meticulously developed style based on intentional “errors” and deliberate erasures, but also an eclectic set of influences and inspirations that draw from many genres and famous works of art, as well as a broad base of historical and current events that lend themselves to being lampooned. Taking a cue from the pop art movement that was in full bloom at the time of his own development, Anthony quickly learned to develop not only a keen eye, but also a keen ear for picking up on ridiculous occurrences. Strange magazine covers, art historical and cultural anecdotes, and of course, multitudes of both well- and lesser- known artworks became the fodder for his hilarious yet well-observed and insightful repertoire of satires. The comic approach of his work has landed his works on the pages of Warhol’s Interview magazine and ArtForum, and in galleries and museums around the world, as well as being compiled in books that cover not only drawing techniques, but also such lofty subjects as World War II and the Bible. He is a favorite among art critics, as his witty references range from such diverse artists as Fragonard and Bosch, to Manet and Hockney. In Anthony’s world, no artist is too high to be sent up. Lucky for them, because this is where the fun starts. (jn) yes no Andy Warhol, ArtForum, Christopher Henry Gallery, Comedy, Comics, Drawing, Illustration, New York, Pop Art, Satire CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 12 May 2009 13:20:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/068_anthony.mp4 068_anthony.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com The border between nature and culture is a tectonic faultline of human self-understanding. A peek into the exhibition "Nature - The Creation is not finished!" at the Museum at the Monastery of Admont. 07:07 Nature - Creation is not finished! The border between nature and culture is a tectonic faultline of human self-understanding. For example, when humanism seeks to tame the animal instinct in people, this can be understood as a tectonically preventive measure on the level of cultural history. When humans dabble in creation regarding nature, the foundations of both sides sometimes clash. The resulting tremor can then be so large that it raises a mountain of questions, which are often so disturbing that they force us to reinvestigate the notion of being human. The exhibition, "Nature - Creation is not finished!", at the Monastery of Admont, looks at the boundaries and dissolution of boundaries between nature and culture. However, the artistic directions of the exhibition are not limited to earthquake faultlines. Rather than becoming fixed on the precariousness of the boundary, a multiplicity of different presentations of nature becomes evident. The artistic handling of creation is more playful. Nature is the theme behind featured artworks such as Christoph Lingg’s idle industrial fields, which are shown as the backyards of our affluent society, and Gabriele Schöne’s paintings, which deal with the disappearance of nature. However, nature itself is also seen as a lively medium of artistic expression in the exhibition. The motifs in Edgar Lissels’s photographs arise from the photo-tactical characteristic of cyanobacteria to race towards the light. Wilhelm Scherübels’s watercolors function through the mechanisms of frost patterns. In Thomas Baumann’s installation, an artificial iceberg develops during the period of the exhibition. CastYourArt met the curator of the exhibition, Michael Braunsteiner, and asked him about the overlying concept of the exhibition. The artists Wilhelm Scherübel and Günther Pedrotti were also present and reflected on their creative approach to nature in the interview. (wh/jn) The Museum at the Monastery of Admont will be exploring the theme of "Nature - Creation is not finished!" through November 8th, the current exhibition in the contemporary art section runs until the end of May. no no Stift Admont, Nature, Exhibition, Collection, Museum, Contemporary Art, Michael Braunsteiner, Wilhelm Scherübl, Günther Pedrotti, Edgar Lissel, Christopher Lingg, Gabriele Schöne, Thomas Baumann CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 06 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/086_admont.mp4 086_admont.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com There is no pessimistic art. Art affirms. Job affirms. A portrait of the Viennese artist Tomak. 05:59 Tomak - There is no pessimistic art Oil on canvas, drawings, texts, performances: one must work hard on compiling the techniques of artistic expression, says the Vienna-based artist Tomak. Contentment leads to comfort. But those who only want to please others do not create art, as they are not willing to sail the upwind course. To want to advance and to be able to persist against harsh winds are both foundations of his artistic self-positioning. Art which earns the right to be called art arises from both strength and sensitivity. One must be hard and ready to fight against inertia, to be able to separate the weak from the strong. Tomak demands this attitude from himself and expects it from others. Surrender to contentment? "Why not produce something questionable, something disturbing? Off to war!" "This most affirmative of all spirits contradicts with every word he speaks.” Nietzsche’s portrayal of the artist fits Tomak well. He likes the theatrical aspect of Nietzsche. What he hates is the urban bourgeois bohemian and provincial regulars-reserved-table-proletarian. They are also theatrical, but in the most negative sense: they feature intellect and revolt only for show, creating homeopathic art, fighting a homeopathic fight. By definition, one exposes oneself as an artist. One cannot exclude oneself, if one wants to be taken seriously. As an artist, one must accept injuries, which are considered part of the artistic research. Tomak uses medical abstraction in order to comprehend psychological conditions. "The life one lives leaves its mark on one's face, so I portray life through portraying my face". He incorporates himself into his artwork, literally to the bone. Those who want to see do not want to be spared. As Nietzsche says, “Representing terrible and questionable things is already an instinct of the power and glory of the artist: he is not afraid of them! There is no pessimistic art. Art affirms. Job affirms." (wh/jn) yes no Tomak, Painting, Design, Text, Performance, Vienna, Nietzsche, Provocation, Philosophy CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:28:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/080_tomak.mp4 080_tomak.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Sales are important, as well as investigation, orientation, discussion, and, in particular, building up good contacts. A discussion with Edek Bartz, the artistic director of Vienna Fair. 18:43 Edek Bartz - Taking a museum Director by the hand. By mid-January, the London Art Fair kicks off the international art fair season. At year end, offerings such as Art Basel Miami or alternatively, the Contemporary Art Fair in Istanbul are up for grabs to art dealers, buyers, and onlookers. The business of fine art is conducted at these fairs. Depending on which art information site that one consults, anywhere from 30 up to 100 art fairs pave the way of artistic-financial exchange between London and Miami each year. In view of the vast range of fairs to choose from, it has become increasingly important in the last few years for fair directors to develop a comprehensive profile of their event. According to Bartz, his task is to recognize and bring together opportunities that represent particular geographical, financial, artistic, and institutional circumstances. For three years, the artistic director of Vienna Fair has developed a prominent profile among the international art events. The fair’s program is characterized by contemporary art with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe. It features a variety of renowned galleries and it has opened doors into the international art market for young and lesser-known galleries from the eastern member states of the European Union. Edek Bartz himself has an Eastern European background. Born in a Russian internment camp in Quaraghandy, the fourth largest city of Kazakhstan, he spent his childhood in Poland. In 1958, on the way to “emigrating” to Israel, his mother made a “stop” in Vienna, where her family had lived, and ended her journey there. Bartz soon made a name for himself within and beyond the city as a gifted manager in the music and art worlds. He himself was a musician, acted as a manager for the Austrian pop icon, Falco, and founded and managed festivals. Today, he curates exhibitions and teaches at the University of Applied Art in Vienna. The combination of his knowledge of art and his understanding of the organizational and commercial sides of art events was his most important qualification for his position as artistic director of Vienna Fair, says Bartz. Sales are a very important aspect of Vienna Fair, but a successful art fair must also be an entertaining platform for analyzing artistic directions, identifying where new centers develop, discussing curatorial strategies, and, in particular, building up good contacts. Those who are seeking the opportunity for discussions with gallery owners, artists, and curators, considering purchasing an artwork, or just looking for some interaction and exchange, should check out Vienna Fair, which runs from May 6-10, which will also feature a number of internationally curated exhibitions in galleries and art spaces around Vienna, as well as various events and parties sponsored by the fair. (wh/jn) CastYourArt will also be represented at Vienna Fair in the media section. Feel free to stop by, we look forward to your visit! (wh/jn) no no Vienna Fair, Art Fairs, Contemporary Art, Eastern Europe, Vienna, Galleries, Edek Bartz, Michael Kimmelman, Victor Misiano, Iwona Blazwick, Whitechapel Art Gallery, White Columns Gallery, Matthew Higgs, Simon Reiss, Gallery LeLong, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/084_bartz.mp3 084_bartz.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com The concert series “Young Meets New” makes new interpretations of classical music accessible and introduces the kind of artistic interaction which transcends the borders of institutions, generations, and cultures. 06:12 BAWAG – Young Meets New “Young Meets New” is a concert series in which singers and instrumentalists from classical, jazz, musical, and opera backgrounds interpret chamber music anew. Marialena Fernandes founded and produced this concert series together with the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität and the BAWAG P.S.K. Bank. The latter provided not only a Bösendorfer grand piano and budget for the performances, but also the main banking hall in the Otto Wagner building on Georg Coch Platz 2 in Vienna. The goal of “Young Meets New” is to make new interpretations of classical music accessible. In addition, it aims to introduce the kind of artistic interaction which transcends the borders of institutions, generations, and cultures. Crossovers, says Professor Marialena Fernandes, which challenge involvement with the Viennese Philharmonic, among other things, is a passion. She is dedicated to bridging gaps and shifting borders - in music as well as in life. Last year, she was awarded the MIA Award for special achievements by women with an emigrant background for her successful transnational work. CastYourArt spoke with Marialena Fernandes (http://www5.marialenafernandes.com) and attended the rehearsal and concert of the university professor with Italian cellist Maddalena del Gobbo and clarinetist Oliver Darnhofer, student at the University of Music and Performance. Those who would like to attend “Young Meets New” performances, featuring Marialena Fernandes and young talents, have the opportunity every third Thursday of the month in the BAWAG (http://www.bawag-kultur.at/bawag-kultur/home/nav.html) at Georg Coch place 2 starting from 18.00. (wh/jn) no no Young Meets New, music concert, jazz, classical, musical, opera, chamber music, Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität, BAWAG P.S.K., Bösendorfer, Otto Wagner, MIA Award, Marialena Fernandes, Maddalena del Gobbo, Oliver Darnhofer CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:30:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/078_jungneu.mp4 078_jungneu.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Sound design, sound speculation, improvisation, classical composition, and a combination of all of the above. A view into artist Carlos Sandoval’s world of sound. 16:31 Carlos Sandoval - Setting in Motion Carlos Sandoval is a sound artist. Sandoval’s own definition of his work includes sound design, sound speculation, improvisation, classical composition, and a combination of all of the above. In the work of the artist, the dissolution of the composer as the ruling subject of the music plays an important role. For example, for his installation of trees, “Baumberauschen", in the Kreuzberg section of Berlin, nature is the designated composer of the music. The trees are equipped with sensors which detect their movements, caused by wind and growth, and direct these impulses with sounds from sound archives. The artist teaches improvisation and composition as complementary strategies at the Universität der Künste Berlin. The multifaceted approach to planning and spontaneity is a reflection of Sandoval’s focus: the withdrawal of the controlling subject from the music, which can also be found in Sandoval’s 2008 collaboration for the program of the "Interaktion Festival", called "The Tilt Group". Sixteen musicians participated, paired up randomly, in a competition for the best musical interaction. The artist has an experimental and unusual concept of music. His works are sound manipulations, sound improvisations, sound installations. His raw material includes everything from the cries of a flock of birds to street noise to electronic toy sounds to the moans of couples in the throes of ecstasy. The instruments of the artist are experimental developments. For example, over the course of one decade, during repeated stays at the STEIM Foundation in the Netherlands, Sandoval has developed a digital data entry glove from which he is able to control and work on sound samples live from the computer. Carlos Sandoval was born and grew up in Mexico. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he was trained in piano construction and tuning at Bösendorfer in Vienna. He then completed his studies in Mexico at the National School of Music Composition, studying theory with Estrada. Presently, Sandoval works as a freelance composer and musician in Berlin. (wh/jn) no no Carlos Sandoval, The Tilt Group, Interaktion Festival, STEIM Foundation, Berlin, Sound Design, Improvisation, Composition, Estrada, Mexico, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:50:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/060_2_sandoval.mp3 060_2_sandoval.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com Sound design, sound speculation, improvisation, classical composition, and a combination of all of the above. A view into artist Carlos Sandoval’s world of sound. 18:29 Carlos Sandoval - Setting in Motion Carlos Sandoval is a sound artist. Sandoval’s own definition of his work includes sound design, sound speculation, improvisation, classical composition, and a combination of all of the above. In the work of the artist, the dissolution of the composer as the ruling subject of the music plays an important role. For example, for his installation of trees, “Baumberauschen", in the Kreuzberg section of Berlin, nature is the designated composer of the music. The trees are equipped with sensors which detect their movements, caused by wind and growth, and direct these impulses with sounds from sound archives. The artist teaches improvisation and composition as complementary strategies at the Universität der Künste Berlin. The multifaceted approach to planning and spontaneity is a reflection of Sandoval’s focus: the withdrawal of the controlling subject from the music, which can also be found in Sandoval’s 2008 collaboration for the program of the "Interaktion Festival", called "The Tilt Group". Sixteen musicians participated, paired up randomly, in a competition for the best musical interaction. The artist has an experimental and unusual concept of music. His works are sound manipulations, sound improvisations, sound installations. His raw material includes everything from the cries of a flock of birds to street noise to electronic toy sounds to the moans of couples in the throes of ecstasy. The instruments of the artist are experimental developments. For example, over the course of one decade, during repeated stays at the STEIM Foundation in the Netherlands, Sandoval has developed a digital data entry glove from which he is able to control and work on sound samples live from the computer. Carlos Sandoval was born and grew up in Mexico. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he was trained in piano construction and tuning at Bösendorfer in Vienna. He then completed his studies in Mexico at the National School of Music Composition, studying theory with Estrada. Presently, Sandoval works as a freelance composer and musician in Berlin. (wh/jn) no no Carlos Sandoval, The Tilt Group, Interaktion Festival, STEIM Foundation, Berlin, Sound Design, Improvisation, Composition, Estrada, Mexico, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:15:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/060_1_sandoval.mp3 060_1_sandoval.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com Overcoming the segregation of forms of sensory perception. A portrait of artist Carsten Nicolai. 07:43 Carsten Nicolai – Spaces in between Through his artwork, Carsten Nicolai overcomes the segregation of forms of sensory perception. Sound is made visible, light frequencies are heard. Sound, light, time, and space are the cornerstones of the work of the artist, who is making neither a political statement nor yet another self-reflexive discourse about art. Instead, he tries to investigate and penetrate the frontiers of perception, of which we have no conception but which do seem to have an effect on us. Nicolai is experimental in his art in a scientific sense. He formulates precise conditions, clears away that which is unnecessary, defines environments in which his artworks can grow: sometimes through the influence of the public, sometimes through moments of disturbance, blurring, or chance in the system. Self-organized processes – for example, the formation of snowflakes in the air due to impurities and disturbances – fascinate him. Through the formation of self-organization and chance, Nicolai can step into the background as an artist and avoids the personification of his artwork. Such processes speak for themselves. Carsten Nicolai began with painting – first, completely classic: oil on canvas. Then, however, with the exploration of new artistic possibilities, the search also began for other materials that would suit his objectives. The conventional canvas was replaced by translucent polyester frameworks within which the arriving light breaks and whereby the color in the picture is produced. Liquid-filled basins placed on loudspeakers through which digitally worked sound samples are played reproduce frequency patterns on their surfaces. Through the explosion of a gas mixture, the speed of sound at 334 meters per second is made visible in a glass tube. On his label “raster noton”, the artist publishes under the alias "alva noto". His sound work is designed on an editing program that does not work in real time and therefore the sound must first be visually drafted in order to be heard. Nicolai considers his work in sound as visual work, he does not make music but instead calls himself a visual composer. The artist, born in Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1965, has achieved great success with his work. Numerous prizes, almost twenty solo exhibitions in cities ranging from Berlin to Tokyo, Biennales, group exhibitions, as well as alva noto performances in the New York Guggenheim, Centre Pompidou, Kunsthaus Graz, and the Tate Modern. Although his work is appreciated worldwide, he is more concerned with those details, fragments, or parts in which – following the thesis of philosopher Marcello Viccini – all the information of the whole is retained. (wh/jn) no no Carsten Nicolai, Sound, Light, Time, Space, Blur, Technology, Science, raster noton, alva noto, Biennale, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/059_nicolai.mp4 059_nicolai.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com We keep things on hand because they are important to us, for example, birthdays of friends, important telephone numbers, and sometimes, works of art. A visit to the Museum on Demand of the city of Vienna. 07:14 MUSA - Museum on Demand We keep things on hand because they are important to us. We store them. They are available: for example, birthdays of friends, important telephone numbers, and sometimes, works of art. In Vienna, the Museum on Demand (Museum auf Abruf, MUSA) serves this purpose. This museum of the city of Vienna keeps a collection of artworks by artists living in Vienna which is accessible to the city’s residents. The collection began in 1945 with an acquisition of watercolors. Since then, the art collection has increased to nearly 20,000 works. They represent the work of Vienna’s resident artists for over a half century. Acquisition, says the present director of MUSA, Berthold Ecker, is the most significant form of support for artists. This has been the cornerstone of MUSA’s artistic policy since the beginning and remains so until today. The city of Vienna purchases about 130 new works of art annually for this collection. Today, one can find works from Franz West, Maria Lassnig, and Erwin Wurm there. The city’s collection was available for quite some time, but there was no location available at which it could have been shown. What began with paintings, sculptures, and drawings, grew to include installations, videos, and new media work. If a permanent exhibition space could be found, the collection could be brought to the public’s attention. With each exhibition, a "Museum on Demand" was created, as designated in 1991 by the director of the collection at that time, Wolfgang Hilger, which is also how the name of the permanent institution was coined. In 2007, the Museum on Demand came into being. In a building next to Vienna’s City Hall, 600 square meters of the most modern exhibition space including storage are located in the former premises of a public kitchen. The MUSA houses a front gallery reserved for young artists in addition to the exhibition hall in order to allow for these single exhibitions. In the Artothek, pieces from the collection can be borrowed and taken home for the small fee of less than three Euros per month. The goal of bringing art made by the Viennese artists to the Viennese and making access easier is just as much a part of the museum’s program as the promotion of the artists. The museum offers three large-scale exhibitions per year and ten exhibitions in the front gallery, as well as an ambitious revolving program which takes into account individuals with special needs. Admission to the exhibitions is free. It would be inappropriate, according to the director of the museum, Berthold Ecker, if the Viennese and their guests, as patrons of the collection, had to pay admission. An independent jury decides on the purchases as well as the selection of the young artists that are featured in the front gallery. Submissions for purchase are available here and those who are interested in an exhibition in the front gallery can submit an application accompanied with a biography and portfolio to MUSA. (wh/jn) no no Museum on Demand, MUSA, Artothek, Front Gallery, Vienna, The City of Vienna, Berthold Ecker, Collections, Contemporary Art, Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Installation, Video, New Media, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/061_musa.mp4 061_musa.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com With her porcelain figures, the artist Shary Boyle uses delicate ornamentation in the representation of contradiction and hybridity. A view into the manufactory of the fragile. 07:56 Shary Boyle – Heartburnt Porcelain For a long time, porcelain was imported into Europe from Asia, obtaining values on the market comparable to gold. In 1708, alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger discovered the formula for hard porcelain. As a result, Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and Böttger's employer, allowed for the first porcelain manufacturer to be established in Meissen. The alchemist and his colleague at the factory were prohibited from traveling in order to prevent the spread of the formula. But by 1718, an arcanist fled from Saxony and smuggled the formula to Vienna, where another manufacturer was developed – Augarten, the first competitor of the Meissen porcelain. Porcelain production in Meissen specialized early on in figurines, which were status symbols of the wealthy upper class at this time. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, production methods and tastes changed. The porcelain figures soon gained the notorious reputation of being a mass-produced form of kitsch. After a visit to the Meissen factory, Goethe wrote that "it is bizarre that one finds very little there that one would like to display in one's own household." On view "are only items which are undesirable and no longer sought after, of which there are not only one, but hundreds and thousands.” Shary Boyle, a Toronto-based artist, began in the late '90s with sculptural work. Initially, she used a modeling compound for her figures that can be hardened in a regular oven. Inspired by a combination of mythology and current events, her figures are fantastic, fragile interpretations of the world. She uses the fantastic as a form of escaping from the banal and depressing elements of our daily existence, which, according to her, was how the whole theme of her work began. Almost ten years later, the artist continues to working with porcelain, having become an expert on the techniques of its production, as well as its history. Contrary to the modeling compound she used for her early work, porcelain is a medium rich in history. She therefore no longer creates these figures only from the material. They are part of a tradition which began in Europe in Meissen, and whose symbolically strong references the artist uses. For the development of her knowledge of the techniques, Boyle visited the porcelain factory in Meissen. The lace ornamentation of her porcelain is originally a Meissen invention. She utilizes this delicate detail in the representation of contradiction and hybridity. The content of her work is about creating a space for what is less accepted, turned out of order, and uncontrollable. The lace ornamentation covers and runs amok over the figures, whose limbs are often wrongly attached or cut off. Biedermeier-like figurines that seem to be frozen in a humble stance stand beheaded or with detached limbs, exhibiting wounds and cuts, their faces showing desire, but also sustained injustice and pain. The beauty of the medium and its rather conservative tradition becomes a study in contrasts: for example, how a veil lays a delicate lace shroud over everything and seems like it's trying to cover that which is erupting from within. Boyle's work will be on exhibit at the International Comix Festival in Lucerne from March 28th to April 5th 2009. (wh/jn) no no Carsten Nicolai, Sound, Light, Time, Space, Blur, Technology, Science, raster noton, alva noto, Biennale, CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/067_boyle.mp4 067_boyle.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com In an ephemeral city, Francisca Benitez discovers the human element of public space. A portrait of the artist. 07:33 Francisca Benitez – Ephemeral City At the ripe old age of 35, Francisca Benitez calls herself a “retired architect”. When the Chilean-born artist first arrived in New York ten years earlier, her experience as an architect permanently shaped her view of the city. What she imagined as a creative, intellectually challenging profession, turned out to be an exercise in municipal bureaucracy—much of her work was about interpreting building codes and zoning restrictions, cutting through administrative red tape, and facing the challenges of a complex system of rules, regulations, and protocol. All of these obstacles, however, only served to further inform her unique perspective and conception of a sprawling urban landscape. She found that her attention was more and more drawn to those dimensions and spaces around her that may be overlooked, or taken for granted. Informed and inspired by her heroes, Gordon Matta-Clark and Ed Ruscha, she never lost sight of the bigger (or smaller) picture—that the jurisdiction of boundaries, lines, and interactions was a process that was constantly being defined, whether the results followed the modus operandi or not. In a city as densely packed as New York, public space is always an issue. An endless procession of building up and tearing down, moving in and moving out, rumbling underground networks and soaring stories of skyscrapers, is accompanied by a constant series of negotiations between people, places, and properties. It is a fluid, flexible entity, but there are still lines that are drawn and maps that are plotted. In an era when exploration seems to be a tapped-out enterprise, the artist still finds novus terra incognita. For Benitez, these opportunities seem to be everywhere. Her work is not so much about confrontation or intervention as it is about observing, recording, noticing. A ride on her bike leads to the discovery of ancient religious architectonic rituals that subtly transform alleys, backyards, and balconies in Williamsburg. A trip to her roof reveals spellbinding pigeon formations that represent power struggles between former street gang-members. An experiment of simple floor rubbings unearths a vast grid of previously unnoticed property lines. But these engagements are not just about identifying hidden territories and demarcating space. They are also about personal encounters, chance meetings, mutually verified acknowledgments of positioning and re-positionings. In the end, public space is not just about vacant lots, “keep off” signs, or property issues. It’s about the human element that underlies them all. (jn) no no Francisca Benitez, Architecture, New York, Public Space, Video Art, Photography, Gordon Matta-Clark, Williamsburg CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/070_benitez.mp4 070_benitez.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Michael Braunsteiner of the Privatmuseum Stift Admont speaks about the museum's years of development and its contemporary art collection. 14:09 Michael Braunsteiner - Totally Relaxed and Somehow Cooler. In the Austrian Alps, a modern private museum was set up between Vienna, Linz, Graz, and Salzburg in 2003, after five years of construction. Within a few years, it was awarded the Austrian Museum Prize for its innovative design and in recognition of the unusual dedication of its private owners to the preservation, presentation, and promotion of art. According to the director of the collection, Michael Braunsteiner, the owners of the museum demonstrate a style that is "absolutely relaxed and somehow cooler". This is surprising considering that the owners are not newly-rich young idealists, but the monks from the Benedictine Admont Monastery, which dates back over 1000 years, and whose monks are aged over fifty years old on average. Since the renovation, the Benedictine monastery does not only house the newly reconstructed, largest monastery library in the world, but also a museum complex extending over several floors, which includes an art-historical and natural history museum, as well its own permanent collection of contemporary art and exterior monastery spaces used for art installations. In 1998, Michael Braunsteiner was assigned to lead the transformation of the museum and to curate the reconstruction of the contemporary art collection. CastYourArt spoke with him about the developing years of the museum, especially in regard to the arrangement and layout of the contemporary art collection. (wh/jn) no no Michael Braunsteiner, Stift Admont, museum, Austrian Museum Prize, library, ancient manuscript, baroque, collection, contemporary art, curator CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:40:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/051_2_braunsteiner.mp3 051_2_braunsteiner.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com Michael Braunsteiner of the Privatmuseum Stift Admont speaks about the museum's years of development and its contemporary art collection. 12:19 Michael Braunsteiner - Totally Relaxed and Somehow Cooler. In the Austrian Alps, a modern private museum was set up between Vienna, Linz, Graz, and Salzburg in 2003, after five years of construction. Within a few years, it was awarded the Austrian Museum Prize for its innovative design and in recognition of the unusual dedication of its private owners to the preservation, presentation, and promotion of art. According to the director of the collection, Michael Braunsteiner, the owners of the museum demonstrate a style that is "absolutely relaxed and somehow cooler". This is surprising considering that the owners are not newly-rich young idealists, but the monks from the Benedictine Admont Monastery, which dates back over 1000 years, and whose monks are aged over fifty years old on average. Since the renovation, the Benedictine monastery does not only house the newly reconstructed, largest monastery library in the world, but also a museum complex extending over several floors, which includes an art-historical and natural history museum, as well its own permanent collection of contemporary art and exterior monastery spaces used for art installations. In 1998, Michael Braunsteiner was assigned to lead the transformation of the museum and to curate the reconstruction of the contemporary art collection. CastYourArt spoke with him about the developing years of the museum, especially in regard to the arrangement and layout of the contemporary art collection. (wh/jn) no no Michael Braunsteiner, Stift Admont, museum, Austrian Museum Prize, library, ancient manuscript, baroque, collection, contemporary art, curator CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:10:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/051_1_braunsteiner.mp3 051_1_braunsteiner.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com Karine Giboulo’s artworks are miniature worlds, three-dimensional comics, fascinating documentations against the social production of moral invisibility. 05:37 Karine Giboulo – 3D Comic Book With her work, says the Canadian artist Karine Giboulo, she would like to leave behind an impression of the world. That is, her impression. The common thread in the works of this artist is her viewpoint. Giboulo looks closely at those things which do not lie directly before her eyes. Her view refuses to be influenced by the power strategies which aim at holding the world in an overview so that one need not see it in precise detail and can look away so as not to get so emotionally involved. The sociologist Zygmunt Bauman identified such an overview—the social production of moral invisibility—as an intentional strategy of our modern, global world. Giboulo’s view points in a reverse direction. It concentrates on the particular, focusing in on things in detail, thereby identifying the effects of these overviews and strategies of looking away. Giboulo’s work consists of miniature worlds: 3D views of fast food restaurant parking lots, living rooms, advertising themes, factory halls…all assembled from intricately detailed Plasticine figures. Her childlike representation of the adult world, sometimes reinforced even more by the stylistic use of fairy-tale personification, is disarming. Such art can be so endearing and frank, in the same way children are, who will tell you to your face that from which you would rather look away. For example: the readiness in our global world to look away from things and to retain untouchability through a persistent overview remains most pronounced where one extensively seeks out the cheapest commodities, which are in turn produced elsewhere for even cheaper. In her work, "All you can eat", Giboulo follows the need to illustrate in detail the realities of the productions of things on which "Made in China" is imprinted anonymously: sneakers, TV screens, plastic flowers, mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, and other things that describe the consumer side of our western life. Who are the people who produce these things for us? Do they sometimes wonder about the people who buy all these things that they manufacture? Giboulo visited factories in the Special Economic Zone of Shenzen and made a miniature world of three-dimensional close-ups of the people she observed there after her return. Her views, which go beyond the aesthetics of repetition, bring attention to de-individualization and mass by emphasizing the individual aspects of such an existence. Looking closer in the way Giboulo does closes the gap between the consumer and the anonymous factory worker, much in the way the wall of the consumer’s living room in Giboulo’s work borders the bedrooms of Chinese migrant workers. (wh/jn) yes no Karine Giboulo, Installation, Comics, Miniature, Globalization, Capitalism, Canada, Montreal, China, Fable, Fine Arts CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:45:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/063_giboulo.mp4 063_giboulo.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Ecuadorian artist Miguel Alvear's photography and films originate from South American pop culture worlds and unearth buried layers of the collective. A Portrait. 07:36 Miguel Alvear – Tableaux Popular In his work, the Ecuadorian artist Miguel Alvear works with motifs that originate from the pop culture worlds of South America. He mixes popular icons with historical, mythological, and art historical examples. Sometimes he brings together images from different social environments, combining things that normally try to stand apart due to taste or class distinctions. This approach to art, which ignores the concerns of snobbery and taste, creates friction. In his work, Popular Mechanics, commissioned by the City Museum of Quito, Miguel Alvear reestablishes the flashy, over-the-top style of female Tecnocumbia dancers in the imagery the local public bus drivers like to display on their dashboards. In the end, his work, which is basically reflecting the taste of the public, was not accepted by the museum as a symbol of Ecuadorian culture. Miguel Alvear comes from a film and video background. He studied at the Institut des Arts de Diffusion in Belgium and then at the San Francisco Art Institute in California. This cinematic background comes through in his photographs, which are like cinematic still images – Tableaux Vivants, which mix the sacred with the grotesque, the fluid with the static, landmarks with garbage, and, like in the Tecnocumbia songs, religious language with sexually provocative imagery. In his most recent film, Blak Mama, Alvear captures the hybrid visual language of religious pagan rituals, such as the annual celebration in Latacunga in honour of "Mama Negra". The parade held there does not only refer to the rescue of the city by this holy figure. Its visual language also alludes to the suppression of the native population by the Spanish colonialists, the mixture of religions that emerged from a not fully successful Christian mission and further influences of the religious concepts of the African slaves, of Bolivian and Guatemalan immigrant workers, and not least of all, the necessity of throwing wild celebrations. The artist's film is not documentary. The imagery of the festival, its characters and their visually symbolic power are a reference, he places them into situations, which unearth buried layers of the collective unconscious or give voice to the suppressed, which is present in the parade, but only subliminally articulated. "Personal transformation stems from insatisfaction, desire and fantasy. When wanting to become the other, cross-dressing is the first step to take. Dress like him, dress like her. And dance." (wh/jn) yes no Miguel Alvear, Ecuador, Quito, Photography, Film, Video, Tableaux Vivants, Tecnocumbia, Institut des Arts de Diffusion, San Francisco Art Institute, Belgium CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/077_alvear.mp4 077_alvear.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com The sound artist Sam Auinger, in search of a new language of hearing. 27:27 Sam Auinger - A Hearing Perspective. People go through life with open ears – they cannot close their ears, as they can their eyes, to the sounds of the world, unless they physically block them. The ear is a completely closed off sensory organ. We hear, even when we sleep. We hear sharply only rarely and perceive differently, those noises which surround and penetrate us. If we tune into ourselves and back in time, not only the sounds from streetcar, cow-, door-, recess, fire brigade, church, or bicycle bells resonate within us, but also an amazingly extensive audio cosmos. We come to learn that sounds have emotional connotations, that our feelings have different intonations. Sam Auinger is engaged with the world of sounds, tones, and noises and their geographical-cultural as well as historical differences. He thereby carries on a tradition of artistic involvement with sound in which people such as Erik Satie, Luigi Russolo, John Cage, and Murray Schäfer made history. Trained at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz and University Mozarteum Salzburg, he made himself a name as a composer and sound artist, as well as a researcher and architect in the world of sound and its effects. His works, which depict different worlds of sound, are presented worldwide as performances, installations, experiments, films, and videos, and invite a conscious recollection of ones own horizon of sound. In his work, "Sechse läuten", for example, he collected noises from his childhood, listening for which tones followed him into adulthood, determining which came to him out of joy, obedience, feeling left out, familiarity, or fear. Not only sounds themselves, but their location have a character. The location as a sound object, an aspect of sound emphasized by the American avant-garde artist John Cage, is at present part of the research of the artist, who is active as a guest professor for experimental sound organization at the University of the Arts in Berlin. In his search for a new language of hearing, Sam Auinger often works in various collaborations, and publishes under the names "O+A", " berliner theorie", "tamtam", and "stadtmusik". CastYourArt interviewed Sam Auinger in Berlin. (wh) no no Sam Auinger, Berlin, Linz, Salzburg, Mozarteum, Bruckner Conservatory, Universität der Künste, sound, noise, composer, space, John Cage, Erik Satie, Murray Schäfer, Luigi Russolo, John Cage, stadtmusik, tamtam, berliner theorie, o+a CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:44:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/podcasts/057_auinger.mp3 057_auinger.mp3 http://www.castyourart.com When art moves people. Augarten Contemporary, which specializes in young art, highlights the power of sensation in an exhibition. 07:37 Sense and Sentiment – Mistakes are closely followed by Effects a) animals that belong to the emperor, b) embalmed ones, c) tamed ones, d) suckling pigs, e) sirens, f) fabulous ones, g) stray dogs, h) those that are included in this classification, i) those that tremble as if they were mad, j) innumerable ones, k) those that are drawn with the finest camel hair brush, l) and so on, m) those that have broken the water jug, n) those that resemble flies from a distance. This unusual taxonomy of the organisms from the animal realm, attributed by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges to a Chinese encyclopedia, was the inspiration for the French philosopher Michel Foucault for a book about the connection between our world of words and that of things. What about this source had inspired Foucault? What exactly had moved him? In the preface of his book, he mentions that the reading of Borges’s enumeration had made him laugh. "This book first arose out of a passage in Borges, out of the laughter that shattered, as I read the passage, all the familiar landmarks of thought – our thought, the thought that bears the stamp of our age and our geography – breaking up all the ordered surfaces and all the planes with which we are accustomed to tame the wild profusion of existing things and continuing long afterwards to disturb and threaten with collapse our age-old definitions between the Same and the Other." The laughter may just have sparked an uproar in the philosopher, one which caused a widespread, deep, uncomfortable feeling: that the terms with which we comprehend and keep the world in check – our system of classification that carefully orders the world – is only one among many, perhaps one that is just as impossible and disconcerting as the one in the Borges text. Effects closely follow what we sense as wrong: the slapstick, the ridiculous, the ill-fitting, provocation, an apparent representation, the perception-changing, the offensive, and therefore, effects closely follow art. It is a characteristic of art that it confronts us with the unexpected, that it threatens the security of our expectations, of what seems normal to us, of what we are used to. The exhibition, "Sense and Sentiment: Mistakes are closely followed by effects", investigates the ability of art to unleash those sensations which push the viewer into uncharted and hitherto unimaginable territory. What is sensation? How can I manufacture it? Where does it take place? For the curators Sabeth Buchmann, Eva Maria Stadler, and Kathi Hofer, these questions are posed to the artists. In addition, from a curatorial standpoint, dealing with the phenomenon of sensation brings up questions such as: How do I notice something? How do I approach a painting? What happens to me in this moment? What is acting upon me? This exhibition is at the August Contemporary, a branch of the Belvedere in Vienna. On this home base, says Eva Maria Stadler, curator of contemporary art at the Belvedere, the museum is working on presenting young and current artists. One result of this effort is "Sense and Sentiment", a collaboration of the Belvedere with the Academy of the Fine Arts in Vienna. In the course of a semester, positions of sensations and perceptions were investigated, artistically realized, and selected for the exhibition. Works of the students are on view, placed alongside works from well-known contemporary artists such as Constanze Ruhm, Julian Göthe, Heimo Zobernig, and Tony Conrad, as points of reference. The exhibition will run through May 24, 2009. Guided tours are also available and on the weekend of March 28th and 29th, artists and cultural theoreticians will explore sensations and their effects in lectures, films, and music in an event called "Saturday Sensations". (wh/jn) no no Augarten Contemporary, Belvedere, Sabeth Buchmann, Eva Maria Stadler, Kathi Hofer, Academy of Fine Arts, Exhibition, Vienna, Sensation, Gilles Deleuze, Julian Göthe, Tony Conrad CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/074_empfindung.mp4 074_empfindung.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Canadian photographers Carlos and Jason Sanchez reveal the dark side. One can find among their works, that which one turns a blind eye to in life. 06:18 Sanchez Brothers – Exposures of the Dark Carlos, born 1976, Jason, born 1981, surname Sanchez, together, "The Sanchez Brothers", are an extremely promising, young photographer collective. The work of the two young artists from Canada has already been shown in numerous solo exhibitions in Canada, the USA, and Europe. Their photography, produced in a Montreal studio located in a factory buildings owned by their uncle, has been successful, although, or perhaps because, they shed light on the dark sides of life and human actions: pain, insanity, death, natural selection, injustice, abuse, disaster, mourning, degradation, isolation, exploitation. One can find among these, that which one turns a blind eye to in life. What Carlos and Jason Sanchez visualize are themes of events which one hears about based on media reports and stories. Their photographs condense the storylines. They are key scenes, full-blown and frozen in time, into which one immediately gets immersed, allowing the viewer to experience the challenge of the photographers, who want to share a complex context in a single cinematic image. Such capsulization is costly and would be not possible for the two young artists without national funding and support from the province of Quebec, which goes into research, scouting for the right locations, the visualization of the imagined scenes in the studio sets. Part of the interior design, purchased in furniture stores and second-hand shops, is carefully packed up again after the shoots and properly returned for reuse – this saves money, because the photographic work of the duo is already costly from a temporal perspective. On the average, two months go into the preparation time alone. The brothers have observed development in the extension of their work towards installation, a path which they have already followed in the last few years with works such as “Between Life and Death", "Natural Selection", and "Buried Alive". Film also holds a place in the long-range artistic future of Carlos and Jason Sanchez. (wh/jn) yes no Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez, Sanchez Brothers, photography, film, installation, morbid, death, interior, Canada, Montreal, Quebec CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/064_sanchez.mp4 064_sanchez.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Wherein lies "The Power of Ornaments"? The curator Sabine B. Vogel and the artist Parastou Forouhar answer at the Orangery, Lower Belvedere. 07:16 The Power of Ornament - An exhibition at the Orangery, Lower Belvedere In 1908, Adolf Loos published a polemic modern architecture pamphlet titled "Ornament and Crime". Ornamentation, he argues, is redundant, cost-intensive kitschy decoration, and an expression of the cultural backwardness which can be found in primitive cultures, and which is not representative of modern man. "The barbarian era," the architect concludes, "is finally past." Only a few years later, Siegfried Kracauer showed that even the modern era, which strives for practicality and rationalization, produces ornaments on its surface. He argues that these ornamentations are an expression of modern mass society, visual representations of modern life and its realities. The ornamentation is not taken into consideration by the masses who produce it. It develops without their knowledge. They do not produce it consciously or on purpose, which is why it resembles "the aerial shots of landscapes and cities", in which patterns only emerge for the distant viewer. Contrary to Loos, for Kracauer, who considers ornaments to be expressions of everyday life in modern society, ornamentation is something that cannot be pushed aside. He argues that as a reflection of modern existence, the ornament is a readable expression of social structures and should be understood as an opportunity to identify patterns in modern society and face the consequences of what may have gone awry. If the modern man, however, still fails to examine the conditions of life, given this new perspective, then he will once again become subject to the unseen forces, as in nature, which determine modern life and are therefore beyond his control – e. g. the powers of capitalistic rationalization. The theory from Kracauer to make the conditions of life readable and subject to critique through the ornamentation have not played a role in art since the Loosian critique. With the exhibition, "The Power of Ornaments", at the Orangery, Lower Belvedere in Vienna, curator Sabine B. Vogel points out that in the contemporary art of the last few years, a movement has begun which takes up Kracauer's suggestion to use ornamentation to make the conditions of modern as well as traditional life visible and therefore subject to critique. In the work of artists such as Adriana Czernin, Brigitte Kowanz, Sarah Morris, Raqib Shaw, Aisha Khalid, Mona Hatoum or Parastou Forouhar, ornamentation is given a voice on different levels, such as physicality, eros, violence, cultural differences, and the rhythms of modern and traditional life, and reveals its seductive power to touch upon deeper layers that lie behind the wall of the abstract beauty of the ornament. What these artists all share is their approach of use this seductive power of ornamental beauty with a very clear intention in mind. In this exhibition, ornamentation emerges not as a hollow decoration, but rather as an allegory of the collective modern existence within mass society, and the artists use the ornament as a powerful tool for critique and rebellion. Its beauty attracts the attention of the viewers. It encourages them to look closer, in order to expose collective patterns of social standardization, brutality, and suppression of otherness in its details. According to Kracauer, "People who are separated from the community, who consider themselves singular personalities with their own distinctive souls, do not fit in to these patterns." "The Power of Ornament" demands that one looks closer, and not to look away. (wh/jn) no no Belvedere, Orangery, Exhibition, Vienna, Sabine B. Vogel, Ornament, Vienna, Adolf Loos, Gustav Klimt, Parastou Forouhar, Shirin Neshat, Raqib Shaw CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/072_ornament.mp4 072_ornament.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com The Finnish painter Robert Lucander does not try to insert his own meaning, opinion, or views into his work. He is picturing the moment. 06:31 Robert Lucander – Picturing the Moment Robert Lucander moved from Finland to Berlin one year before the Wall fell. The prospect of reunification peaked interest in the other side. Differences between east and west became clear. The painter realized, to his own surprise and fascination, that the discourse over various cultural shadings was not simply metaphorical rhetoric, but rather a very real detail that needed to be taken seriously: Lucander ordered industrially produced, color-standardized acrylic lacquer that had been produced in the east. In comparison to the same western version of the product, it exhibited an amazingly different quality of color. The experience of limiting the artistic material to cultural characteristics strengthened Lucander's interest in a force of expression which does not only result from the creative act of the artist, but which lies within the given material already. He begins by investigating the material as a medium with temporal, geographical, and cultural forces of expression, and looks for possibilities to emphasize what information already lies within it. Thus, he uses industrially produced paints and strictly adheres to the selection of colors from the annually newly offered color pattern selections. In the artistic handling of the colors, he limits himself to the current instructions regarding the acrylic lacquer doses. The color materials thereby subject his work to the taste, geographical environment, and time of their development, and the work of the artist begins to demonstrate its predetermined qualities through contrasting arrangements. One of these contrasting media is the substrate itself. Robert Lucander paints on industrially manufactured plywood boards, which he gets cut according to the grain and then glued. The grain - which has a particular quality similar to the human fingerprint and which the artist uses as a compositional element - works in the paintings as a contrasting material to the mass-produced acrylic, whose material characteristics as decorative color with even covering strength and flowing brush lines can be superficially perceived as de-individualizing and generic. The artist outlines places where the grain is left visible with pencil. He uses these defaults in the wood as areas in which he can explore spatial as well as individually personal depths in his primarily humanly representative work. The face and body characteristics of the human figures that emerge from the depth of character of the plywood substrate stand in contrast to the glossy pages of fashion magazines from which the painter faithfully depicts the details of the faces and bodies. These models are torn away from their glamorous contexts in the work of the painter and placed into an everyday, mundane framework. According to Lucander, he does not try to insert his own meaning, opinion, or views into his work, rather, he tries to emphasize, through his artistic practice, what is apparent as a witness. That which we read into or note about his work is left up to us as viewers. His paintings are not memorials of the life of an artistic genius inverted outwards, but rather snapshots of a sort, capturing a certain moment in time. (wh/jn) no no Berlin, Finland, Robert Lucander, Painter, Artist, Acrylic, Masses, Individuality, Pop Art CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/058_lucander.mp4 058_lucander.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Presenting an era of artistic development. An interview with Diethard Leopold about the permanent exhibition "Vienna circa 1900" at the Leopold Museum in Vienna. 07:21 The Leopold Collection - Vienna 1900 It was an artistically exceptional time, an era of extraordinary creative density during the transition into the twentieth century. Originating from the artistic and intellectual circles of Vienna, works in painting, literature, science, philosophy, music, architecture, sculpture, and design developed in this time which remained relevant to the evolution of taste and knowledge far into the twentieth century. The Leopold Museum in Vienna, based on the collection of Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold, has one of the most extensive and most varied collections of art from this period. Under the curatorial management of the art historian Peter Weinhäupl, Diethard Leopold, and his parents, Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold, the presentation of these works has been recently reconsidered and newly conceived. Even though the exhibited works would have allowed for the possibility, individual works have not been chosen to be featured as star attractions in this exhibition of the new presentation. Under the title "Vienna circa 1900", the curators took the opportunity to focus on one era on the basis of interior design, works of art, and excerpts from philosophical and literary texts as well as compositions. Going through the exhibition, influences, contradictions, and commonalities between disciplines can be identified, and the psyche, the physicality, and the relationship to everyday objects from this Viennese era become apparent, which ended at the end of the First World War and the death of Klimt, Schiele, Moser, and Wagner. CastYourArt visited the psychologist Diethard Leopold at his Viennese office and spoke with him about the conception of and his personal approach to the works of the exhibition. An exhibitional glimpse of artistic Vienna circa 1900: the inside view… (wh/jn) no no Leopold Museum, Diethard Leopold, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Jugendstil, Expressionism, Secession, Exhibition, Vienna CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:15:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/054_leopold.mp4 054_leopold.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Who are the players in Russian video art? An update by Antonio Geusa, curator and recognized authority in all things regarding contemporary video art in Russia. 05:04 Russian Video Art on the Fly 150 Russian journalists, artists, art collectors, museum curators, and celebrities, 18 pieces of current Russian video art, 1 aeroplane of the airline S7 – named after the 2002 deceased artist Timur Novikov—and 10 hours time. It was the briefest, most extensive, most exclusive, and most celebratory presentation of contemporary Russian video art that foreign countries had ever seen. From the organizers, Hans Knoll, a Viennese gallery owner with good connections to the Russian art scene, Pierre- Christian Brochet from the Muscovite B-COMM and Antonio Geusa, curator and recognized authority in all things regarding contemporary video art in Russia, landed at the Viennese airport. CastYourArt asked Antonio Geusa for a quick update on Russian video art, from the Russian artist collective AES+F and Mamyshev Vladislav – artist name Monroe – up to Blue Noses and all the others. Who plays a role in Russian video art? Which national and historical characteristics does this direction in art exhibit? What fascinates the curator at the moment and what trends can he identify? Sneak a peek! 10 hours in 5 minutes. Here we go! (wh/jn) no no Antonio Geusa, Russia, Video Art, Vienna, Hans Knoll, Pierre-Christian Brochet, AES+F, Mamyshev Vladislav, Blue Noses CastYourArt.com office@castyourart.com (CastYourArt) Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:30:00 +0000 http://www.castyourart.com/049_rusky.mp4 049_rusky.mp4 http://www.castyourart.com Lonesomeness is what we share but does not bring us together. Photography and video works of the Italien artist Cristian Niccoli reveal the urban consciousness of young adults of our time. 05:20 Christian Niccoli - Lost in Perception The work of the Italian artist Christian Niccoli traces the social mental state of the urban beings of our time. The discourse is over a generation of young adults who have fled their country roots, who have been trained to fight their way through life alone, who are always ready to do their best, but who are secretly oppressed by the question of who will take care of them if something goes wrong. What is common to them is also what sets them apart. The isolation of those whose existence is based on flexibility and openness, which even though they share with others, does not unite them with others, and in the end only puts them in a position in which they are compared with and played off one another. In his photography and video work, Christian Niccoli documents, but he does not make documentaries. He captures inconsistencies and points out structural determinded tensions in our way of life. In his works, communalities are always shown as something individual, something that must be realized by actual individuals, even when they stem from general sociological conditions.