The artist list for The Historical Exhibition of Manifesta11, that I am co curating has been announced - go see (a few missing names still being added including the amazing archive of Aaron Moulton) 

Too many to list here but here are some personal highlights include: Evelyne Axell, James Son Thomas, Giovanna Olmos, Paulina Olowska, Susan Hiller, Bhakti Baxter, Chris Burden, Aleksandra Domanovic, Michael Smith, Steven Claydon, Mark Leckey, Thomas Ruff, Frances Stark, Trisha Baga, Sophie Calle, Coco Fusco, Martine Syms, Jeremy Shaw amongst many other (around 100 artists in total...)

It's gonna be a busy couple of months...

(Image Anne Collier, Women With Cameras, 2014, Sixty-one 35 mm slides, 35mm slide projector, pedestal stand, and base, Edition of 3 + 1 AP, Courtesy of the artist and The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow, Lender Name: The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow)

Best in Show 2012

Here's my annual round up of the best exhibitions of 2012. These are the moments when my stomach flipped, brain blew and I got all excited. The reason why I refuse to say all art is rubbish. 

The list below of course does not include my hat trick of exhibitions this year - The Dark Cube at the Palais de Tokyo, E-Vapor-8 at 319 Scholes and Responsive Eyes at Jacob's Island - though of course they were a big focus for me...

1 Documenta (for so many reasons)

2 Bronze at the Royal Academy of Arts London

3 Ghosts in the Machine at the New Museum

4 Les Maitres du Desordre at Musee Quai Branly

5 Antoine Catala at 47 Canal Street

6 Ed Atkins at Chisenhale

7 Bruce Lacey at Camden Arts Centre

8 One on One at KW Berlin (especially for Jeremy Shaw's incredible hypnotic video installation)

9 Jeremy Deller at Hayward Gallery

10 The Historical Box at Hauser and Wirth

If you want to see previous annual round ups check: 2011, 2010 and 2009

Dark Cube getting closer

My next show The Dark Cube at the Palais de Tokyo is getting closer. Only a week til the install and the opening on Saturday October 6 which kicks off at 6pm - and happily coincides with Nuit Blanche (quite fittingly).

I'm very excited about the work. Its not at all what people will expect from a black light show. Though I am tempted to visit Electric Ladyland, the museum of flourescent art in Amsterdam where the images below came from:

Coming Soon! The Dark Cube at Palais de Tokyo

THE DARK CUBE curated by Francesca Gavin

Juliette Bonneviot / Harry Burden / Antoine Catala / Anne de Vries / Jeremy Deller / Thomas Dozol / Oliver Laric / Clunie Reid / Ben Sansbury / Jeremy Shaw / KasperSonne / Scott Treleaven

Vernissage: October 6 2012 6pm-12am DJ Emma Sutton (FuseBOX)

Finissage: October 15 2012 Public 8pm-12am Virtual DJ set by Dave Maclean (Django Django)

A black or UV light emits ultraviolet radiation and little visible light. It creates an effect of fluorescence on colours and materials. ‘The Dark Cube’ exploits this effect by showing paintings, photographs, prints and sculptures in darkness, illuminated only by these purple glowing lamps.

The show was initially inspired by 1960s Black Light posters, initially created as representations or aids to hallucinogenic drugs. Alongside references to failed rebellion, this group exhibition touches on wider ideas around illumination and darkness, veiling and unveiling. Part of the aim is to demonstrate the relationship of contemporary ideas and aesthetics with defunct or less used forms of technology.

The Dark Cube is also a response to the cavernous nature of the Palais de Tokyo, and the flipside to the Garden of Eden’s idea of a forbidden space. In northern European art The Garden of Eden was depicted as a lush forest glade, while in the south a desert oasis. In our modern times creating a landscape of electronic phosphorescence is our new utopian Eden. The exhibition switches the normal viewing experience under day or white light on its head. It becomes an X-ray of the white cube.

The Dark Cube is part of a series of exhibitions and events GALERIE UTOPIA / THE FORGOTTEN BAR PROJECT: The Garden of Eden presented by Tjorg Douglas Beer being held at the Palais de Tokyo September to November 2012 (http://www.galerie-utopia.com) 

https://palaisdetokyo.com/en/exhibition/modules-fondation-pierre-berge-yves-saint-laurent/galerie-utopia-forgotten-bar-project 

Image: Harry Burden 'Dirty Fucking Hippies' (UV) 2012

Best in Show: New York

After a week in NYC having the best time with Blake Mawson, Thomas Dozol (image above) and Jeremy Shaw these are my art highlights:

1) The SSION gig at PS1

2) Night Vision (Image by Robert Frank below) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

3) Wolfgang Tilmans work chosen by Beatrix Ruf at Andrea Rosen

4) Pair of Kara Walker shows at Sikkema Jenkins + Co and Lehmann Maupin

The New Psychedelica opens April 8

The New Psychedelica opens in Eindhoven next weekend! I'll be taking photos of the install and opening and after party (where Rodaidh McDonald from XL, Dave MacLean from Django Django and The Oscillation are playing) but here's a little more info behind the show - a Q and A I did for anothermag.com.You can read the full list of artists here.

The images above are from some of the artists in the show (from top to bottom);
Rosa Menkman – Into the Tulgey Woods, 2011 Video still
Yoshi Sodeoka – Violet Dark Spring of the Numinous Orb, 2011 Video still
Daniel Swan – Comp 1 (0.00.00.08), 2011
Jeremy Shaw – This Transition Will Never End, 2008 Single channel video (still)

N-Y-C-ya

Just back from NYC - despite killer jetlag it was definitely the most fun i've had in the city.

Highlights of the week were the lunches for artists at Soho House I put on where I had the pleasure of hanging out with Lawrence Weiner, Nick Relph, Ken Miller, Agathe Snow, Ian Tweedy and Evan Gruzis among many others, my big brother Jose Parla's rammed opening, the crazy group show at CANADA gallery (which included work by Jim Drain one of the stars at my next show at MU), the White Columns party at China Chalet, Kathy Grayson's dinner for The Hole, doing a talk with Slater Bradley and fascinating cinematographer Ed Lachman, and some exceptionally nice times in the company of Jeremy Shaw and Blake Mawson.

After the hilarious amusement of being listed in Modern Painters top things to do during Armory (getting drunk with me is apparently a nighlife highlight) I got double blogged - Jonathan Yeo who I curate Soho House with did Vanity Fair's blog and the delightful Alexandre Stipanovich on Opening Ceremony's blog (where I nabbed the photo above).

Much more NYC to come in the coming months.

Syncopation open Oct 21, Grimmuseum Berlin

My exhibition in Berlin opens on Thursday - I'm doing a singing performance at 9pm. Jeremy Shaw (who's also in the show) is DJing at the after party. Honoured by the artists who agreed to be in the show.

SYNCOPATION
Curated by Francesca Gavin
Group exhibition with Cory Arcangel and Frankie Martin, Oliver Laric, Paolo Chiasera and DJ Shablo, Ajit Chauhan, Samuel Levack and Jennifer Lewandowski, Jayson Scott Musson, Jeremy Shaw, Matt Stokes and Mark Titchner

GRIMMUSEUM
Fichte Strasse 2 10967 Berlin
grimmuseum.com
21-31 October 2010
Open daily 14-19h

Private view Thursday 21 October 19h
Performance by Francesca Gavin 21h

+AfterParty
Bierhaus Urban from 23h
Urban Str 126 corner Graefe str
Djs Jeremy Shaw, Francesca Gavin