Madeleine Kelman 11

Madeleine Kelman 11 is a pop up gallery coming to a space in Newcastle in 2012.
Watch this space for dates, times. The inaugural exhibition features work by Michelle Brodie and Jesse Neale.

nostalgia

Reclamation 2003 photograph by Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison

The poetry of art writing

Today we were climbing the hill, walking up the stairs, climbing the stairs, rising above the treetops, leaving the beach behind us, walking through the bush, wandering up the bush track, meandering along the path, making our way back for breakfast, trudging up the wet track….in fact we were doing all of the above. It occurs to me it’s just a matter of perspective as to which one best describes what we were doing. So to, when you next try to write about an artwork it’s worthwhile considering how your disposition lends itself to a response to an image, and how you may respond differently the next day, or the next moment. So in the spirit of pushing the limits, stretching your vocabulary, engaging your creativity on writing about art I am going to start a list of art writers who delight or inspire beginning with Peter Schjeldahl (former poet), George Alexander (AGNSW)…. (Watch this space).

Infinite Klein

Thinking about Yves Klein and his voids there are amazing images on flickr connected to the Walker Art Centre’s current exhibition of the artist (Yves Klein with the Void. Full Powers). There is a quote where Klein looks into the sky and sees a bird and identifies the bird as an interruption of his monochrome- his vast view of sky. In studying Klein the infinite quality of his blue could be made tangible by going outside and looking into the sky with a kind of view finder, or using your palms to block out all except the blue.
The Pompidou Centre in 2009 presented a recreation of Yves Klein’s empty galleries first presented in 1958. I was reminded of this whilst at an event waiting for the orchestra to begin- the act had been introduced but the conductor was waylaid. The moment of silence and anticipation caused me to ponder being in an audience for John Cage 4’33 a composition of silence in three parts created in 1952. The same meditation and anticipation might be experienced on witnessing Klein’s empty rooms.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkerart/5182240798/in/photostream/ Link to Walker Art photos of Klein
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/4-33/ Link to John Cage

Play in Art History

Recently used the theme of 'Play' when teaching Art History from 1920-1960 and have to say the theme feels endless, perhaps even endlesslly delightful. Alexander Calder and his Circus of 1926 is worth a look. There is also a video on youtube.

More on 'play' coming soon - this is short and sweet - I blame the fact that I just joined twit...

Making Art Connections

Intention of this blog is to invite you to make art links. I am an art educator and find most joy in the serendipitous discoveries I make when reading or researching.

Last week, a case in point, had been researching sculptor Barbara Hepworth and thinking about the St Ives School and her marriage to Ben Nicholson. (see TATE for info on him including virtual sculpture garden on her) Then visited a local exhibition Zen and the art of Japanese Ceramics at Newcastle Region Gallery where I noticed pots by the famous Japanese Ceramicist Hamada Shoji.

On looking up Guggenheim exhibition The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia 1860 - 1989 (great exhibition interactive including Chronology) I looked at the date 1920 where I found reference to Bernard Leach and Hamada Shoji going to St Ives to set up Leach Pottery (still active today). Image here Hamada Shoji's workshop. Stay tuned!