Happy Famous Artists

Just came across one hell of a fascinating FB group specialized in badly stuffed animals. Real masterpieces out there, so if you like surreal, dive in! To set the mood, we’ve preselected some of the gems featured here on the left, but there’s plenty more, rest assured ;-).

The 7th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art will take place from April 27th till July 1st 2012. Each edition of the Biennale, spread amongst various locations throughout Berlin, is shaped by concepts of its changing curators, appointed to enter into a dialogue with the city, its general public, artists & art lovers. This year’s programme should be exceptionally explosive, as its curators are well–known political and social activists & – in case of Voina – also enemies of the state. The projects line up is definitely promising, but who knows what else might be on their agenda… we’re waiting with baited breath!

Curators:

Artur Żmijewski – main curator & concept developer of the 2012 Biennale is an internationally renowned artist and member of the Polish political movement Krytyka Polityczna. In 2005 Żmijewski  represented Poland at the 51st Venice Biennale. In his manifesto The Applied Social Arts he developed a distinct positition on social activism, which also forms the point of departure for the Biennale.

Joanna Warsza – associate curator, is a founder of the independent platform Laura Palmer Foundation: an organization pro­ducing actions that exam­ine social and polit­i­cal agen­das through con­cep­tual exhi­bi­tions, par­tic­i­pa­tion events, staged sit­u­a­tions and per­for­mances.

Voina – associate curators, are a Russian street art group consisting of Oleg Vorotnikov (chief ideologist), Natalia Sokol (chief coordinator), Leonid Nikolayev, Alex Plutser-Sarno (chief media artist) and Kasper Nienagliadny Sokol. Voina engages in radical from of performance art that is directed against the Russian authorities, their actions regularly joined by a large group of anonymous activists. Over dozen criminal cases have been brought against them in the past. Vorotnikov and Nikolayev face up to seven years of prison in connection with an anti-corruption protest.

The city of Paris is test-driving an interesting political manoeuvre: stifling criticism and bafflement amongst the masses by shifting them to an even weirder issue. Case in point, it just announced a major Contemporary Art programme, featuring at least eight specially-commissioned works to be installed on or around the newly extended T3 Tramway line. From a purely artistic standpoint, this is indeed great news, and there is no doubt the works will be varied in type, scale and message: a dedicated site has been built, and the first work is already up, sending a strong signal to anybody doubting the administration’s eagerness to see this through. However, one is bound to question whether these works would not have been more at home in places where passer-bys would actually have been able to experience them, instead of being artificially jammed alongside busy throughways in an effort to group them in an administratively coherent but aesthetically questionable programme. Can one really ask an artist to think about the relationship between bus and subway, devise a work based on this titillating topic, ensure it meets all safety standards and can be cleaned with high-pressure water jets? Parisians in charge seem to think so. As always, time will tell, but we would recommend that interested parties take snapshots quickly, before the lack of maintenance and public indifference start taking their oh-so-predictable toll on a no doubt interesting and well-meant project.

Don’t miss Alex Prager’s upcoming exhibition titled “Compulsion”. Since her debut show The Big Valley in 2008, this self–taught photographer and movie–maker has taken over the hearts and minds of art lovers. Prager’s themes and visual language bear references to work of William Eggleston, Cindy Sherman and David Lynch. Her new pieces continue to explore the cinema esthetics but at the same time indicate new evolution:

Prager’s new series investigates the complexity of observation within a society inundated by compulsive spectators, as well as the recurrent discourse in photography — that “meaning” is often derived from a multiplicity of gazes. Unlike her previous work, the protagonists remain anonymous and distant. (excerpt from the press release)

The show runs simultaneously in three different galleries : M+B in LA (till May 7), Yancey Richardson Gallery in NYC (till May 19) and Michael Hoppen Gallery in London (till May 26). All galleries will also feature Prager’s new short film “La Petite Mort” starring French actress Judith Godrèche.

(Image credits the artist)

The British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) 2012 prizes have been announced and some eagle eyed photogs noticed a curious correlation between judges and prize winners. Four of the seven judges won twelve awards with one -Richard Mayfield- achieving Photographer of the Year. Well done to them, it must have been arduous, trying to deny their genius even as it overwhelmed their clearly integrity filled objective aesthetic senses. The BIPP styles itself as the UK’s professional body ‘an internationally recognised qualifying organisation with over 100 years of experience in supporting photographers‘ that oversees industry standard qualifications and training. They also partner with the UK’s military and police forces, well known bastions of honour, integrity and openness with the highest of ethical standards.

The winning photos (some of them not by the judges) can be viewed online or at an exhibition later in the year, where viewers may also be able to grasp the opportunity to award themselves the Nobel Prize in Photographic Appreciation. However judging for this will be very strict and you are advised not to participate if you suffer from any significant level of self loathing.

Damien Hirst’s grand retrospective opens in 2 weeks @ Tate Modern & we sure hope to make it to the preview to see the Creator in flash & blood, so stay tuned! In the meantime get acquanited with the man behind the brand, who apparently still believes that “art is more powerful than money” and offers some further interesting insights in last week’s interview in the Observer.

Die Antwoord, South African rap/rave group from Cape Town has just released a new album entitled TEN$ION. It didn’t get much of great reviews, musically speaking, but who the fok cares anyway. The style is as ZEF as ever. And the “I fink u freeky” videoclip directed by Roger Ballen & Ninja is totally fokin’ fabulous! Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er & DJ Hi-Tek - we fink u freaky & we like u a lot!

click here for the artist’s website and here for the sold-out section (crisis? what crisis?? :-))
(via trouble in wonderland)