The most striking aspect of social media art is that it contains facets of net.art, by being digital; visual art, by existing on a two-dimensional surface; public art, by existing in spaces used habitually by hundreds of millions of people; and performance art, by being inherently social. Whether the aggregate is greater than its sum remains to be seen …
Art
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The Art World Gets Trashed
This problem isn’t just with the state of criticism in the Los Angeles art world, it’s music and books now too. It is as if anyone who puts pen to paper or fingers to keyboard are more fanboy then critic. It’s one thing to be enthusiastic, loving, and caring for a medium you believe in deeply, it’s another to be so blinded by your affection that you can no longer be honest with yourself and your audience. It’s about liking something solely based on hoping that you will be liked back.
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Always Social: Social Media Art (2004-2008), Part One
Some time in 2004, I logged onto Facebook for the very first time. My alma mater was one of the few allowed coveted access to the Harvard-originated social network. I filled out a profile, uploaded a picture and began adding friends. A coast away, Tim O’Reilly coined the term “Web 2.0” … Computers and the Internet, after decades of association with nerds and misfits, were on the brink of mainstream cool.
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Inside “Work of Art: America’s Next Big Artist”
To keep it real, a reality TV show about visual artists vying to be “at the top” is way too corporate to earn serious street cred in the art world. Nevertheless, I attended multiple shoots last fall of this BRAVO project to see how it was all going to play out and to get to know the contestants personally. Here are some observations.
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Bravo’s Work of Art: Recap and Tweet Digest!
Last night marked a watershed moment for the art world: the first time that contemporary art was inducted in the burgeoning canon of reality TV. But the big question is: will it succeed in picking an artist the art world will accept or will the show turn out to be more of a Dadaist farce, too nonsensical to have any relevance?
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From Bushwick Open Studios: The Fauvist Tattoo
After a decade epitomized by airbrushed photographs that cast the face as a smooth, even and perfect plane of color, these artists are rebelling with wickedly raw and vibrantly colored skin. It was a welcome surprise … Matisse is back from the dead and training artists at an underground tattoo parlor in Bushwick.
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From Bushwick Open Studios: Old Masters Haunt Bushwick
What made the 2010 Bushwick Open Studios so phenomenal was the chance to stomp through hundreds of studios and draw connections. I was surprised by how various artists who have probably never met each other are all re-envisioning the Old Masters with a playful and lighthearted streak.
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A Graphic Essay on Capitalization, Part Three
Artist Lawrence Swan concludes his series, which explores the notion of capitalization in the art world and the plight of the uncapitalized artist.
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A Graphic Essay on Capitalization, Part Two
Artist Lawrence Swan explores the notion of capitalization in the art world and the plight of the uncapitalized artist.
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Considering Abramović as a Symbol of Freedom
Senior editor of Antiwar.com and editor of BushwickBK Jeremy Sapienza unpacks some of the history of artist Marina Abramović to understand the power of her recent performance.
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“One Image, One Minute: Significant People Present Significant Images” Event on June 22
Join us at Hyperallergic HQ on Tuesday, June 22 at 7pm for a special fundraising event “One Image, One Minute: Significant People Present Significant Images,” which will benefit Camp Pocket U. “One Image, One Minute … ” invites you to look and listen to various people in and outside the art world respond to images that made a major impact on their lives.
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A Graphic Essay on Capitalization, Part One
Artist Lawrence Swan explores the notion of capitalization in the art world and the plight of the uncapitalized artist.