The MET Visit

For my gallery visit, I visited the MET over Thanksgiving break.  I didn't get the chance to visit many of the exhibits and halls because of its enormous size but the exhibition I enjoyed the most was titled Between Here and There: Passages in Contemporary Photography.  The first half of the exhibit shows how artists between the 60's and 70's were drawn to photography for its many differences from traditional art media.  

There was a total of 31 works hung in a gallery on the 2nd floor of the museum.  The group of work includes both images and videos.  A few of the artists included Vito Acconici, Doug Aitken, Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, Rinand Jeff Wall.

My favorite piece in this exhibit was Sitting on the Wall: Haikou V by Weng Fen.  Fen belongs to a generation of photographers that focus on Chinese social, economical, and political change.  Many of his photographs feature school girls with their backs to the camera, staring at architectural figures.  I believe that this photo represents a young, traditional girl looking at the rapidly changing society in which she grows up in.

Mass MoCa Visit

I recently visited the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art or more commonly known as the Mass Moca, in North Adams, Mass.  The size of the museum is extremely overwhelming as it is housed in a variety of old factory buildings, dating back to 1872.  The Mass Moca opened its doors in 1999 but started the process of raising funds in 1986.  It is the largest center for contemporary visual art and performing arts in the country.

The exhibit that I found most interesting at the museum was Material World: Sculpture to Environment which will be running until February 2011.  They transformed the factory space, using a variety of industrial produced materials to make up their exhibits.  There are around seven different artists who have been involved in exhibit.  They are using ordinary, everyday materials to create these different exhibits of installation art.  The two pieces that really caught my attention in the exhibit were The Geometry of Light and Big Boss.  

The piece, Big Boss, by Orly Genger and it is made up of 100 miles painted red knotted rope.  The piece is overwhelming in size as it sprawls out onto the floor.  It reminds me of a waterfall, the way it comes up from the way it comes out onto the floor.  After looking at information on the work, I came to understand that Orly is attempting to show the different between masculinity and feminist.  She is using knotted ropes which are extremely heavy but also incorporates a knitting technique. 

The second piece that I really enjoyed was Geometry of Light, by Alyson Shotz.  This piece was beautiful, made up of strands of wire holding together lens plates and silver glass beads.  It reflected the light, making it shimmer and reminded me of a cob web covered in dew.  The shadows that came off the piece were very impressive.  Through research I was able to find that Shotz is very interesting in incorporating contrast in her pieces. 

        Over all I really enjoyed my visit to the Mass MoCa.  The museum was massive and it would take forever to get through the entire space.  I thought this exhibit was great and would love to go back another time to view more. 

Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla

Allora and Calzadilla began working together in the mid-1990's by approaching visual art as a set of experiments.  They specialize in making social, cultural, and political metaphors out of basic materials, such as the picture above titled the "Discussion Table."  They have developed installations, videos, performances, social interactions, work in public space, photos, and collages. Their work is characterized by a sense of playfulness, humour, and social involvement, focused upon local situations.  I find their work very interesting because each piece tells a different story.  One exhibit called "Sweat Glands" featured a video of a man roasting a pig by simply pushing on the gas pedal of his car.  I believe that almost every piece they show is an attempt to teach the public something or share a certain part of a culture.

Dave Hickey

I agree with Kait, this piece does really remind me of Mona Lisa's Curse.  It discusses the issue of artists caring more about money than art.  Hckey says that there are people out there that really care about art, but there are a lot more than care about the money.  He believes that people are selling out.  In the past people did not get into the art world to make money, it was for a passion, but today people are too focused on the money.  He basically implies that money is not everything, its benefits are great but it just buys you objects.  He says that art dealers are not dealing art but are just selling, basing prices of art on the artists name. 

Custodians of Culture

Similar to "The Mona Lisa Curse," Hickey describes the issue of money and art in our current culture.  He describes that artists go into the art world for the sole purpose of making money, instead of enjoying the talents that they possess while making their art.  He describes that the "art bubble" suck money into the art world, and greedy artists and stupid collectors get stuck in this system.  Non-commercial art, which was created in the 70's, is very different from art that just does not sell.  This non-commercial art paid very well to the artists.  The invention of this allowed the separation between institutional world and the private world.  Non commercial art is economically beneficial for the institution.

Andrea Zittel

I found Andrea Zittel's art to be very different.  She seems conservative and does not need many materialistic items to be happy. She sometimes lives off just one outfit for a whole month, and is used to living in small spaces.  During her childhood, her family was always traveling across country in a small RV.  I found her one piece of art, the one where she lives in the middle of an area of water on a small island she built, to be very daring.  She lived on the island by herself with no contact to other people with the exception of once or twice.  She devotes her life to her work and makes many sacrifices to make her art known.

Andrea Zittel

Andrea Zittel is a very unique artist who has a very different look on life.  She seems to look at things with an eye of a minimalist, living life with a single outfit for every four weeks and in small spaces.  Zittel is most known for her "Living Units", an experimental piece in which you live and only have necessities.  What really caught my attention about Zittel, was the personal fantasy island she created in 1999.  The 44-ton island, located off the coast of Denmark was where Zittel lived for a month.  She stated that she was interested in living there to get away from everyone.  She wanted to be isolated and enjoy her space.  I think that it would be so weird if we all lived on our own islands.  Although it might be cool to move the island throughout the world, it would be very difficult and ridiculous.  I think that people need socialization to in order to survive and stay sane.  What I was wondering was, what if something happened to her on the island, what would she do?  Was there electricity and running water? 

Marcus Coates

Marcus Coates' "art" does not fall under a certain category.  While watching the video in class of what he does, I found it somewhat funny but very strange.  Coates' main goal is to answer people's questions through his art, which includes him contacting the 'lower world', meaning animals, and speaking to them.    While contacting the animals (mostly birds or other animals that live near him), he wears their fur, as seen in this photo.  And when Coates 'returns', he attempts to translate for his audience as best he can.  After watching this video, I did not consider this art.  I was unsure as to how Coates came up with this sort of performance or whatever you may call it.

Improv Everywhere

I found Improv Everywhere to be a very interesting site and something that I would enjoy participating in.  This website announces events for the public to participate in, and to create an interesting scene.  One that I found very interesting and funny was the No Pants Subway, where on a designated day in January in NYC, people that knew of this day would take the subway with no pants on.  I think that this type of art is one that all people can enjoy and certainly grasps people attention in places outside of museums.

Improv Every Where

I found most of improv everywhere to be so stupid but so funny.  The different events that the site puts on are so unique and attention getting.  I really enjoyed the different bits on the subway such as No Pants Subway Ride and Star wars Subway Car.  These little shows are shocking and surprising for unsuspecting observers, who are not prepared for their antics.  This type of installation art is very different from what we have seen in the class.  This sight and these events have really caught the attention of many.  The No Pants Subway Ride has grown from only seven to over 5,000 participants.  It is in its ninth year of running and is starting to catch on around the world. 

Spencer Tunick

Before this class, I've actually heard of Spencer Tunick and his work.  Tunick is best known for his installations that feature a large crowd of nude people posing in artistic forms.  He has photographed in over 20 different locations.  It is easy for people to get involved; they simply have to fill out a form and volunteer to be photographed.  I find this style of art very interesting and unique.  The photographs show how the body is a form of art in itself.

Walking Man I

A sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, one of the 20th century's most prominent artists, sold for a record $104.3 million dollars at Sotheby's in London by an anonymous buyer.  Bidding began at about $12 million and quickly escalated as 10 bidders fiercely competed for the piece until the last bid.  This six foot tall bronze sculpture depicts a man mid-stride and head tall.  When we learned about this piece in class, I was shocked that someone would spend this much on a piece that is not very well known.

The Mona Lisa Curse

The Curse of the Mona Lisa was a documentary narrated by art critic Robert Hughes.  Hughes shows viewers the art world in the 1960's and the present day.  I found the difference in art between these two time periods astounding.  In the 60's, art was exhibited in museums for the publics enjoyment but now individual collectors spend millions of dollars to own a piece for themselves.  Hughes tries to point out that art has turned into a business over the years.  I personally think that it is a shame that art has become all about money and trading.  But if collectors enjoy the piece enough to spend millions on it, there is nothing that we can do about it.

Spencer Tunick

Before this class I have actually seen some of Spencer Tunick's work and found his pictures to be very attention grabbing.  I was always curious as to how he was able to get so many people to come together and stand together for a naked photograph.  It was interesting to learn that artists put out calls for volunteers and people actually take the time to go.  These pictures are very unique, but I find it weird to be standing nude around a group of people.  I cannot imagine how he is able to clear out such popular places, such as grand central station, in order to take pictures.  I really like the imagines where they are so zoomed out you are not sure whether or not they are people.  Everything just kind of blends together with the area they photographing in. 

Curse of the Mona Lisa

The film, Curse of the Mona Lisa, provided viewers with a different perspective on the art world.  We were able to see how the art world has turned from a passion to a cost driven market.  Many new artists seem to have only a focus on making money from their artwork.  Older artists and critiques are disheartened by the change in the art market.  It is amazing to see how some art is sold for million and millions of dollars.  Art has become a serious business.  It started in the 70's when museums started to market shows/exhibits and held events for big businesses.  This helped changed the face of art and bring about an income in a business that was losing money.  I was surprised to see this different world of art, however found it to be very interesting. 

Herb & Dorothy

The story of Herb and Dorothy made me understand how much art can truly mean to certain people.  This couple had low income; Herb working at a post office, and Dorothy being a librarian.  Even though they did not have the significant amount of money like other art collectors, they managed to create one of the most important contemporary art collections in history.  The two devoted all of Herb's salary to purchase art they enjoyed, and lived off of Dorothy's paycheck.  When purchasing the art work, they followed two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one bedroom apartment.  After 30 years, the Vogels collected over 2,000 pieces.  The couple's dedication and love for art made me realize how much hobbies and collections can really mean to someone.  The two cherished their collection and spent a large portion of their life and about half of their income to invest in something they love; art.

Sunflower Seeds

Ai WeiWei's work entitled "Sunflower Seeds" located in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern was very different and took a lot of hard work based on the video we used in class.  The sunflower seeds represent the source of food of the Chinese under Mao.  This piece of work is probably my favorite that we have studied thus far in class.  The sunflower seeds represent the people and the Chinese culture.  Also, the process of creating this exhibit brought work to people that usually would have trouble finding jobs.  The video showed the workers' excitement and hard work ethic.

Dorthy & Herb

The story of Dorthy and Herb was a very touching one.  They are an adorable couple who have simply become famous for their art collection.  Not one where they buy individual pieces for millions of dollars, but one they have gathered over a life time and bought just purely for their love of modern art.
Over the years they have managed to build a collection of 4,782 works mostly focusing on conceptual and minimalist art.  They kept all these pieces in their small NYC apartment until 1992 when they decided to transfer the works to the National Gallery of Art. Dorthy and Herb were offered millions and millions of the dollars but they two did not sell their collection.  This shows how truly genuine their love of art it.  They were not collecting with the hopes of getting rich, but were collecting purely for the love of it. 

Sun Flower Seeds

I really loved Ai Weiwei's piece at the Tate Modern.  His exhibit for the sunflower seeds was so different.  It was so interesting to watch him go through the process of making the seeds from clay to having each one individually hand painted.  I was not only captured by the art but also his moral consideration.  He is having the hand painting done by people in a small poverty stricken town.  He is bringing work to people that typically would not be making money.  I am not sure how well they are being paid, but they seem very welcoming to him and the jobs he has brought to the area.  However, it is unfortunate that his art is causing health concerns at the museum.  This leads one to question whether or not there should be health concerns for the workers who are handling these seeds daily. 

Installation Art

This photo is from Song Dong's exhibit titled "Waste Not."  This work contains various stuff spanning over 50 years belonging to Dong's mother.  Items range from pots and basins to blankets, oil flasks, and legless dolls, form a miniature cityscape that viewers can navigate around and through.  Even empty toothpaste containers, bottle caps, soda bottles, and much more.  This exhibit amazed me because of all the material Dong included.  There are items here that I would never think to save.  I like this exhibit because it allowed guests to walk through, look, and get involved in the layout.