Damian Ortega, “Cosmic Thing” (2002) Disassembled 1989 Volkswagen Beetle, 265×296 in, The Museum of Contemporary At, Los Angeles, purchased with funds provided by Eugenio Lopez and the Jumex Fund for Contemporary Latin American Art. (image courtesy ICA/Boston) Mexico City is a hub for contemporary art spawning internationally renowned artists that participate in a global art […]
Claire Breukel
Claire Breukel is a South Africa-born contemporary art curator and writer. Her interest is in contemporary art that falls outside of conventional modes of exhibition, and often affiliated with “developing” regions. She lives and works in New York and Miami.
Posted inNews
Discovering a Photographer Worth a Look
Washington, DC — (E)merge Art fair opened September 22- 25 with 80 international and local galleries spread over two floors of the Capitol Skyline hotel in Washington, DC. I was curious if anything would “stand out” among the many of exhibitors. I then came across a curious series of six standard size loose photographic prints simply pinned to the wall, by Edinburgh-born, London-based photojournalist Muir Vidler.
Posted inArt
India’s About to Explode in Contemporary Art
In 2011, India moved from the classification of “developing” country to that of being a “newly industrialized.” This upgrade was made along Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Philippines, Brazil and China, all of which have economies showing promise towards becoming “developed.” Perhaps as a salute to this increase of stature, India had its first pavilion at the 2011 Venice Biennale with an exhibition curated by Ranjit Hoskote aptly titled, Everyone Agrees: It’s About to Explode.
Posted inArt
WTF Is… Primitive Art vs Tribal Art
Where do the terms “Primitive” and “Tribal” sit in our art lexicon? For the past few years I have understood these both as pejorative terms, but have consistently seen the labels applied to exhibitions, artworks, online and in galleries.
Posted inArt
Does Size Count in Public Art?
On March 24, 2004 in Johannesburg, South Africa, a mammoth sculpture of legendary former president and icon Nelson Mandela was unveiled. Over 15 feet tall, this sculpture was commissioned to stand in the center of Nelson Mandela square in Sandton City, an upscale shopping mall in a well-to-do part of the city.
Posted inArt
Public Art Erections
Washington, DC — “Dub poet Mutabaruka found it necessary to argue, in a public contribution on the subject, that the statue [Emancipation Monument], which represents a woman and a man, both nude standing in a pool of water and looking upward as a symbolic representation of the spiritual emancipation from Slavery, was ‘gay’ because the male figure did not respond sexually to the presence of the naked female figure.” explains Veerle Poupeye, Director of the National Gallery of Jamaica.
Posted inArt
You Said What? A Week of PC Blunders
BERN, SWITZERLAND — This has been a week of blunders. At an art conference in Switzerland a debate began amongst fellow participants about the content of a drawing, which could either be considered bad taste or ironic. The conversation expanded to talk about politics in South Africa, more specifically the demographics of voting, which resulted in the comment “but most of the people who voted for that political party were non-white”. What had been intended from the speaker was to say, “not white.” This may appear as a minor letter error however this discrepancy is critical.
Posted inArt
Artist Residencies in the Developing World
ZURICH — Is being an artist-in-residence in a third world country akin to being a participant on the Survivor television series? If visiting artists are left to fend for themselves in unknown territory, this may well be the case, however at what point does a residency in such an area need to step in and moderate a visit?
Posted inArt
Something Queer About Jamaican Art
In Kingston, Jamaica, making artwork that explores LGBT-related issues is becoming increasingly more accepted, however it still has the potential to be life threatening.
Posted inArt
White Male Artists Get Introspective in South Africa
When Apartheid was abolished in 1991, probably the worst thing to be symbolically in South Africa at the time was a white male, as it embodied everything associated with being the oppressor. With the abolishment of Apartheid came a number of important more subtle shifts.
Posted inArt
Brazil On the Rise
Brazil is one of the fastest growing economies of the “developing world.” In fact, so much so that it is now considered an “NIC” or newly industrialized country, a term used to describe being in between “developing” and reaching “fully developed” status. Today, Brazil is looking towards a future as host to major global sporting events, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2014 Soccer World Cup. Leading up to these events, global investment in the country is sure to rise, promising a healthy future for arts and culture on all levels of the spectrum.
Posted inArt
Art With a Greater Social Good
Artists in developing areas of the world reside in environments where social and cultural complexities are at the fore of conversation. As a result, many artists in these regions carry with them an inherent social awareness that infiltrates their artwork.
