Baldessari

I always knew I was a Keinholz girl. Weird crazy dirty installation that give you the shivers. I always knew I loved Ed Ruscha, in the same way that anyone obsessed with old movies until the age of 18 would be.
However, after a visit to the Tate Modern yesterday, I realise I love yet another big name mid century LA artist - John Baldessari. There was lots of incredibly varied pieces in this well curated show (a delayed camera that projected viewers onto a wall under a big plastic brain, lots of polaroid conceptual works, some late paintings). But what really did it for me was the compositions he made from old film stills (like Marclay without the sound). A show worth travelling for (great catalogue 'Pure Beauty' too).

Toby

Ryan McLelland's skull Toby Jug made me smile

Geeky

In a technology-art mood so thought I'd throw up a nice Thomas Ruff jpeg. I love in life how from afar the images are always completely clear but close up pixelated.

On a tech-phone tip, I was recently recommended South African artist Simon Gush who as an art piece created a number of siren sounds and busy tones for download so your phone can be even more instrusive on a daily basis. (Look under Ringtones II under 2007 and Ringtones under 2006 on simongush.net)

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If you missed my Frieze 2009 blogs there are you here: build up, the fair, aftermath

Everything is Terrible

Everything is Terrible may be one of the best sites ever created. It brings together painful gems like this (It doesnt get better than the song at the beginning)



Here are the lyrics (yes i am sad enough to have written them down...)

On your mark, get set
We're riding on the internet
Cyberspace, set free, hello virtual reality
(spoken: interactive appetite, searching for a website, a window to the world that to get online)
Take a Spin, now you're in with the techno set
You're going surfing on the internet...

NB I think it she sings set free rather than sex free but I'm not quite sure...

Mind Map

When I look at John Davies...

...these are some of the other images and artists that pop into my mind. Isnt it funny how an image bounces around your memory...




(From top Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, Sam Dargan represented by Rokeby Gallery, James Mason in Odd Man Out)

John Davies

When I was doing my BA we went on an art trip to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Contemporary art wasn't really on the syllabus. One of my strongest memories is walking into a room installation that made me scream out loud. It consisted of five or sixmen - life size sculpture, chalky, in suits - in some kind of Clockwork Orange violent composition around a room. The work literally exuded violence and fear. I've never quite seen anything like it (see above). I remember that the figures could be rearranged into different combinations, changing their strange inter-relationship.

After stumbling across a small three figure installation this year at Frieze in the same style, I finally found out the artist was called John Davies. Still alive and represented by the Marlborough Galleries (as was Bacon), his pieces particularly from the early 70s I think are some of the most disturbing and interesting things i've ever seen in my life. An ignored genius who deserves a healthy revival.

Frozen

Frieze blogs are up...

Who do voo doo?

Here's my little review from the Tate St Ives Dark Monarch show.

If you're still feeling a bit black before Halloween, head to The Stags Head on Sunday for Voodoo, which includes work by Levack and Lewandowski (click images to enlarge)

The next ten days...

Off to Tate St Ives tomorrow to see the awesome sounding Dark Monarch and eat a pasty by the seaside. And what a line up: Graham Sutherland, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, John Piper, Mark Titchner, Eva Rothschild, David Noonan, Steven Claydon, John Stezeker, Linder, Derek Jarman etc

After that I'll be blogging about Frieze et al next week on Dazed Digital, if you want to hear my exploits... I can't believe it's already been 12 months since last year...

Darkside Vol 2

I bought a book today. Darkside Vol 2. It is one of the most shocking, violent, interesting, horrific, beautiful hardbacks i've ever seen, edited by Urs Stahel. The essays are also fascinating on our relationship with violence, war, horror, death. (Obviously a fitting companion to Hell Bound!). Favourites include Larry Clark, JH Engstorm, and Ryuji Miyamoto. I'd scan some images from the book but it might put you off your dinner...

we're off the see the wizard

I am totally obsessed with this image on I Love Hotdogs. It reminds me of the Mike Kelley work I've been looking at. The Wizard of Oz is a very trippy film - not surprising with Frank L Baum's Theosophist subtext..

A selection of new psych artworks I've chosen has just gone online at Dazed Digital

I also have pieces in AnOther (Dan Colen small interview), AnOther Man (Ukranian Pavillion in Venice and Javier Peres interview) and in Bon (a round table discussion about sex).

Cameron Jamie

If I was in Athens I would be first in line to see Cameron Jamie 'Barking Tar: New Ink Works', October 8 - November 13 at Bernier/Eliades Gallery
Image: Cameron Jamie, Girl Reading A Dog Magazine, 2009