Tag Archives: Contemporary Art

Destroy the Dots: NFTs revisited

As someone who teaches art history, specifically modern and contemporary art, it’s not uncommon for me to get a lot of questions about art’s value and the art market. For a wide variety of reasons, people seem much more intensely interested in why post-war abstraction and contemporary installation works sell for millions of dollars thanContinue reading “Destroy the Dots: NFTs revisited”

Local Individuals: Epoch Gallery Wenzhou Exhibition Review

There was an overall theme in the exhibtion that was slowly divulged to me as I walked through, especially in the upstairs gallery. Things are not what they seem in this show, the allure of surfaces is revealed to be something entirely different, more complex, the closer one looks, more is unveiled.

Burning the Banksy: NFTs and the transmutation of authenticity

Recently, Christie’s auction house sold a piece of digital artwork by Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) for over $69 million. The interesting thing about the work, entitled EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS, beyond its aesthetic and mode of production, for me, is that the item sold is not a physical manifestation of the piece, nor is itContinue reading “Burning the Banksy: NFTs and the transmutation of authenticity”

Worth a 1000 words: “Painting/Language” (绘话) at the Epoch Art Museum (年代美术馆 )

[In Kang Lei’s series] the traces of previous encounters mark the surface of the present. The lines of these encounters either enhance or take away from the immediacy of the now, past and present are always, in our mind’s eye, bounded together into one image.

Sublimity and Shape: Steven Sorman at the FWMoA

I visited the Fort Wayne Museum of Art the first week of April. While there, I had the chance to see a few magnificent exhibitions. First was Steven Sorman: Only When (March 28-June 14). Sorman is known for his complex printmaking techniques which give his works velvety, rich surfaces. The museum has been collecting Sorman’sContinue reading “Sublimity and Shape: Steven Sorman at the FWMoA”

Modern and Contemporary Art at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Sculpture in the 20th Century January 17-March 1, 2015 In addition to the Hunt Slonem exhibition I reviewed separately, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art has a couple other shows worthy of a look. The Sculpture in the 20th Century exhibition is comprised of selections from the museum’s excellent permanent collection. On display are someContinue reading “Modern and Contemporary Art at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art”

Day of the Lepus: Hunt Slonem’s ‘Magnificent Menagerie’ exhibition.

The Fort Wayne Museum of Art hosted a small exhibition of paintings by contemporary, Neo-Expressionist, American painter, Hunt Slonem. (On display until March 8, 2015.) Slonem is known for his works exploring nature, and what he describes as “exotica,”  including images of butterflies and rabbits, for which he is probably best known. He began hisContinue reading “Day of the Lepus: Hunt Slonem’s ‘Magnificent Menagerie’ exhibition.”

Is the future of art Midwestern?

I came across a couple recent articles about artists leaving New York City because of crazy high real estate prices.  At some point (perhaps it’s already here) the benefits of being in the city will be completely undermined by the cost of living there. Where will they go?  The bigthink article (link below) points outContinue reading “Is the future of art Midwestern?”

Aesthetic Distance: Some thoughts on “Torn First Pages” from Amar Kanwar

What is Aesthetic Distance?  According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it is defined, in part, as: “the frame of reference that an artist creates by the use of technical devices in and around the work of art to differentiate it psychologically from reality.”  I find the implementation of devices to establish aesthetic distance by contemporary artistsContinue reading “Aesthetic Distance: Some thoughts on “Torn First Pages” from Amar Kanwar”