Being a freelance art writer in New York is as outwardly glamorous as it has ever been; that is, not glamorous at all. Sure, I have the freedom to wake up at 10:00 am everyday and traipse around Brooklyn armed with a carton of 27’s, my laptop, and $8 for four cups of coffee and several bananas. A the same time, I also have the freedom to make very little money. Here are some lessons learned while writing about art.
Art
A Monument for Transition
There is something beautiful and haunting about Wouter Klein Velderman’s monument in Moengo, Suriname, which is a South American nation that never seems to be in the headlines and 99% of people outside the country probably couldn’t even place it on a map. In his photos, the giant sculpture, titled “A Monument to Transition” (2011), appears to be bathed by a magical light and strangely feels a part of the landscape, even though it is obviously manmade.
The Post-Postmodern Artist
Yasmeen M. Siddiqui is an itinerant curator and critic currently based in Louisville, Kentucky. Last year, she curated Do Ho Suh’s A Perfect Home: The Bridge Project at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in Soho and this year she returns to New York for a new project at the Americas Society featuring a mini-retrospective of Miami-based Cuban artist Consuelo Castañeda.
It’s Art Museum Day! Free Tix & Discounts in NYC
Today is Art Museum Day! The unofficial holiday means deals at art museums all over. In NYC, the American Folk Art Museum, Bronx Museum and Museum of Art & Design are all free. Click through for others.
Origami v Morris: When Paper Folders Strike
In the latest who’s-suing-whom story, six origami artists have filed suit for copyright infringement against artist Sarah Morris for jacking their crease maps to use as a basis for her colorful Origami series of thirty seven paintings.
My first thoughts: Morris cannot lose this one. We have mass-marketed two-dimensional recipes for creating three-dimensional folded paper items, and these recipes have been used as the formal basis for multi-colored two-dimensional paintings. What of it?
Watch: Ai Weiwei Documentarian Alison Klayman on Colbert Report
Director of Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry Alison Klayman hit the Colbert Report last night to talk about the Chinese artist’s arrest and his current situation. Click through for the video clip.
Seven Artists Meet Seven Technologists, But Who’s Who?
Seven on Seven is an annual conference hosted by Rhizome and the New Museum that pairs seven artists together with seven technologists to collaborate on projects created in a 24-hour period. The event’s second outing was last Saturday, May 14. The first question that came to my mind while attending the event was — what exactly is a technologist? Through the presentation speeches and Q+A sessions that showed off the series of thought-provoking collaborative artworks, I began to get an inkling of what the word might mean, and what its implications could be. But at a time when new media artists are technological innovators and software developers are artistic creators, where do we draw the line?
Report from San Diego: Ai Weiwei, Sam Gilliam, Helen Pashgian
Prospect 2011 continues at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego until July 10, 2011
Calling All Mail Artists, Exhibition on the Way
Seven weeks ago, Hyperallergic began collecting Mail Art for our Mail Art Bulletin. Now, we are super excited to announce a new leg of our Mail Art project!
In tandem with Northside Open Studios, Hyperallergic will be curating a Mail Artshow from June 16-19.
Realism, Surrealism and Infographics at Williamsburg 2:ND Fridays
This past Friday May 13th marked Williamsburg 2:ND Fridays, a night of gallery openings and exhibition unveilings. I trekked around the neighborhood from the far north Causey Contemporary all the way down to Like the Spice gallery and checked out the shows. Here are my findings, in photo format.
Mail Art Bulletin: It’s All About the Envelope
It’s only natural that some mail art should focus on the envelope as its an integral part of what “mail art” is. So, today we’re posting a collection of envelopes we’ve received for the Mail Art Bulletin.
What to Do This Weekend: Williamsburg Gallery Night, Man Bartlett, Su Friedrich, Seven on Seven
Can’t figure out how to fill up your culture diet this weekend? We’ve got your back, with Williamsburg Gallery Night going down tonight and Man Bartlett’s 140 hour-long Berlin performance streaming all weekend, plus Su Friedrich’s MICROSCOPE Gallery opening and the Seven on Seven art-tech collaborative event on Saturday.