Spotted

Me and the oh so wonderful Javier Peres were papped last week at Ponystep's relaunch dinner. There are so many reasons why I love Javier and all the artists he represents. If my life was a cartoon, he and Maureen Paley would be the devil and black angel on my shoulders. Makes me think about the imagery around temptation...

The Specials and monochrome

Looking at the Glastonbury footage this year - remembered why I love The Specials so much. For a week watch here and be happy that their music hasnt aged at all and Terry Hall is still one of the best lyricists of the century. The whole two tone graphic look made me want to highlight some of the most interesting artists I've seen playing around with monochrome recently:

Scott Treleavan


Seb Patane


Jannis Varelas

Michael Jackson and other stuff

Michael Jackson died last night. It seemed a fitting time to look at his relationship and inspiration with contemporary art. A still from Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely above.


from Slater Bradley's Doppleganger Triology


Jeff Koons' iconic ceramic

But really its impossible to beat the talent of Michael himself - before the chaos he once made music that made the world a happier place.


For me he's hypnotic.

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On a totally other note Dazed Digital did a lovely spread of photos from Creative Space by the oh so talented Andy Sewell

Creative Praise

Some nice plugs about Creative Space out there. Germany's Style choose some nice spreads as above. It was also in Vogue Living Australia

and was the Evening Standard Book of the Week


Also some places were kind enough to plug my other tomes

7inch.dk did a spread from Hell Bound
http://7inch.dk/blog/fon/2009/02/26/new-gothic-art-by-francesca-gavin/

A Spanish selection from Street Renegades

Basic Basel

Just back from my first Art Basel (four countries in five days - venice, london, paris, basel.... ouch). Volta and Liste the other big fairs also rocked.

What i like: Andro Wekua. I loved Andro Wekua (above) before but even more so after I saw his intense, dark installation at Basel with mannequins, a disturbring film, a couple of lit chairs and an odd wall and window. I even bought a book Wait to Wait on his work.

There was also an amazing installation of Daido Moriyama photos with a very personal photocopied document by the artist about why he takes photos that was sheer poetry.

I bought some work from Toronto's Katharine Mulherin! 3 found postcard hot stamped with the words 'Los Angeles' made by the Canadian artist Sandy Plotnikoff (in the style of the piece below)


I also am keeping a very keen eye on Yarisal and Kublitz, Stephen G Rhodes, Jay Heikes, Paulo Nenflidio, Alterazioni Video and Eli Cortinas.

The trip was improved because of the presence of Kris Latocha, Maureen Paley, Oliver and Florian, Alex Logsdail, Jose and the team from Team, Tobias Wagner, Jesper at V1, Kat from Printed Matter, Alexis Zavialoff, James Fuentes and the Rhine.

The Eurovision of the Art World

Although I did do some daily blogs on dazed digital at the Venice Biennale, I still have to sum up the 5 insane days at the best party ever created in the world.

Art highlights:
Mexico Pavillion - Teresa Margolles, floors washed with the blood of murdered Mexicans. You only realise while standing on it.
Russian Pavillion - Amazing work from Pavel Pepperstein, Andrei Molodkin, and the awesome Gosha Ostretsov (pictured above).
French Pavillion - Claude Leveque's black flags flying behind jail bars. Simple but powerful
The haunting Ukrainian Pavillion (and the amazing traditional music at their opening)
Grazia Toderi's two screen film piece in the Arsenale, layers of car and urban lights at night
The Arsenale sculpture garden - brilliant space, and a lot of laughter at Miranda July's interactive photo pieces.
Mona Hatoum's solo show at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia (photographed below); Distortion for some guerilla YBAs; Bruce Nauman's footsteps sound piece; Rauschenberg's Gluts at the Peggy Guggenheim; the light up dancefloor at Palazzo Grassi. The list goes on...

The biennale was particularly fun because of Freire Barnes, Neil Hamon, Ossian Ward, Matthew Stone, Paul and Michela (and amaretti tiramisu), Johnny Yeo, The Lovely Daryoush and Jonjo, Amst and Walter, Aaron Moulton, Robert Diament, Christian Jankowski and the gorgeous Jorinde, Thierry Bal; Paul Artkrush, Yorgo Tloupas, Hannah Barry, Tom Horan, Michelangelo Bandandi, Xerxes Cook and Erica, Craig Burnett, Anita Z and all at 176, Nicola and the Nero boys, and Kris Latocha.

Venice

I'm going to the Venice Biennale opening chaos tomorrow. I'll be blogging direct to dazeddigital.com with some pics and snippets from the acres of art that will be covering the city. A perfect chance to share some of Nicholas Roeg's genius - the rather gruesome but brilliant ending to Don't Look Now.