When asked what most impressed him at the Venice Biennale last week, mega-art-collector and Interview publisher Peter Brant quickly replied, “From Hand to Mouth,” while pointing to the US Pavilion. The shorthand reference to Bruce Nauman’s Biennale exhibition, Topological Gardens, was taken from the title of one of Nauman’s earliest work on view in the show — a 1967 sculpture of a fragmented hand, arm, shoulder, and mouth. The seminal piece, made from wax and cloth, references the simple act of eating and serves as the perfect introduction to Nauman’s lifelong engagement of interpersonal communication, rituals, and mundane situations. Read More »
The artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset originated one of the most winning ideas of the Venice Biennale: The Collectors. The talk of the town among critics and curators, the project has contributions by 24 international artists and artists groups, along with some classic pieces of Scandinavian modern furniture, and earned Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset a special mention from the Biennale jury of the 53rd International Art Exhibition. Presented in the Danish and Nordic pavilions, which represents a first-time collaboration between Denmark and Norway and the first joint venture of two national pavilions in the Biennale, the exhibition transforms the neighboring, Modernist-style buildings into domestic settings, where the spectator becomes a voyeur to the private lives of the inhabitants. Read More »
The knowledge that François Pinault — owner of Christie’s, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Puma, Chateau-Latour, and other major brands — is one of the richest men in the world doesn’t make his art collection any better than the next guy with deep pockets; but the fact that he has impeccable taste in art and design certainly makes his collection, and the buildings that house it, stand out. Read More »
More than a year in the making, the 2009 Venice Biennale kicks off this week with high expectations. The ailing art world needs a shot in the arm right now, and everyone is looking to the 53rd International Art Exhibition, which runs through November 22, to provide it. Some 6,000 members of the international press and 30,000 museum directors, curators, collectors, artists, and dealers descend on “La Serenìsima,” the serene city, to view proud national pavilions and special exhibitions — turning the three days of previews and openings into one continuous party.
This past weekend marked the third annual Aftertaste symposium at the New School, a free two-day event taking place at at the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Auditorium in the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center that kicked off with a welcome by Laura Biggs, Interim Dean of the School of Constructed Environments at Parsons. Biggs said that the mission of Aftertaste is to “frame and focus the critical issues that surround design.” Listening to her talk, we were excited about the possibilities — it seemed interior design was a field on the cutting edge, ready to be completely transformed by technology. When she told us “interior design has the potential to heighten our consciousness,” we believed. Read More »
