Contemporary Art « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Contemporary Art

Overtime: July 23 – July 29

Posted by Khoi, July 29, 2012

Stories of the week: The Village Voice visits Chuck Close on occasion of his upcoming Pace Gallery show. Original cover for Amazing Spiderman no. 328 by Todd McFarlane sells for record $675,250. RIP – Franz West, who has been sick for quite some time, dies at age 65. RIP – Herbert Vogel dies at the age of 89. Judd Tully looks back on the life of Herbert Vogel. RIP – Karl Benjamin, who died at the age of 86. Roberta Smith finally comments on the […]

Openings: Kamea Hadar – “White Dreams” @ Loft In Space

Posted by sleepboy, July 29, 2012

Last weekend, the our friend Kamea Hadar opened a new solo show at the Loft In Space gallery in Hawaii. Kamea is one of the people who has been instrumental in planning the annual POW WOW art festival (covered) in Oahu and is an artist himself. For this new body of work entitled White Dreams, he put together a series of paintings that deal with his personal experiences with his Jewish and island upbringing. As such, his new paintings reflect influences from both background and include a wall to ceiling installation.

Art Focus: Jill Sylvia

Posted by sleepboy, July 28, 2012

This week’s artist who we want to introduce to you in our Art Focus feature is Jill Sylvia. The American artist uses an unusual medium – ledger paper – to create famous buildings in the United States utilizing a painstaking and time-consuming process. The symbolism of her raw materials is not lost on the viewers as she explores ideas of greed, debt, financial responsibility, and economics with a sort of an artistic hijacking of the idea of “accounting.” For those who are interested, head over […]

Teaser: “Cheer Up! It’s not the end of the world…” @ Edinburgh Printmakers

Posted by sleepboy, July 27, 2012

On August 2nd, the Edinburgh Printmakers will be opening a group show entitled Cheer Up! It’s not the end of the world… Included is work from artists Ricky Allman, Martin Barrett, Gordon Cheung, Etienne Clément, Jake & Dinos Chapman, David Faithfull, Damien Hirst, Konstantin Kalinovich, Kris Kuksi, Lori Nix and Andy Warhol that explore ideas “bout the end of the world, apocalypse, finality, the death of thought, or related eschatological concerns.” As a advanced look at the show, we have photos of Alpine Equestrian, a new mixed media […]

Jen Stark for “40 Under 40: Craft Futures” @ Smithsonian

Posted by sleepboy, July 26, 2012

Expert paper sculpture artisan Jen Stark recently had one of her pieces acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum for their permanent collection. The psychedelic multicolored piece which looks like it is dripping down the wall is entitled Power of Being and is part of the 40 Under 40: Craft Futures exhibition currently underway at the Renwick Gallery part of the institution which also includes a piece from Olek (mentioned earlier). Check out a slideshow of the rest of the work here as well as a video below where Stark talks about […]

Releases: Jeff Soto – “Seeker Friends #5: The Guitarist”

Posted by sleepboy, July 26, 2012

Next Thursday, August 2nd, sees another release from the Seeker Friends series of prints from Jeff Soto (interviewed). The fifth in the line is entitled The Guitarist and again will be sized at 6 x 6″ and cost $25 + shipping with $1 of every sale going to plant one tree through the Plant A Billion Trees program. Head over to Prints On Wood starting at noon PST, or the next 24 hours after that, to purchase this time release limited edition. Original painting seen below and print seen above. Discuss Jeff Soto here.

James Jean for Black Dog / RSA

Posted by sleepboy, July 25, 2012

Los Angeles-based painter James Jean (featured), who recently took part in shows in both Beverly Hills, London, New York, and Orange County, found time in his busy schedule to collaborate with Black Dog & RSA Films. Featured here are two of the final versions along with the exquisite concept sketch, but also check out one of the initial designs that did not make the cut on his blog here. Discuss James Jean here.

Video: Arrested Motion – “City of Fire” @ Stephen Webster

Posted by sleepboy, July 25, 2012

With about a week left until the close of the City of Fire show we curated for Stephen Webster, we would like to encourage fans of the kind of art we cover here on AM to head over to check out the work for themselves. For those who are unable to, here is a video of the event created for us by Carlos Gonzalez. In it, you will see the setup and opening of the show along with footage of the work from Cyrcle., Thomas Doyle, Ron English, James Jean, Kid Zoom, Dave […]

Rewind: July 16 – 22

Posted by sleepboy, July 24, 2012

This week’s featured video in our Rewind summary is a short film from Miami design collective FriendsWithYou. The focus of the animated shore is an exploration into the life of clouds, a reoccurring motif in Samuel and Arturo’s work. The visual soundscape that results certainly projects the happy and joyful vibes that has become their signature aesthetic. Other notable videos below include: Teaser for Rebecca Lowry, who is showing in August at Design Matters Gallery. BMW Art Car. 1975 – 2010. The LA Launch of […]

Openings: “Ghost in the Machine” @ New Museum

Posted by juggernut3, July 24, 2012

Last week, New York’s New Museum opened a new exhibition entitled Ghost in the Machine. The survey contains over 140 works of art by over 70 artists which explore the relationship between humans, machines and art. Taking over all three main gallery rooms, it providee a unique look at the digital age and its influence/interaction on the artistic movement. Spanning over 50 years with works from over 15 countries represented, this show is definitely a comprehensive feast for the senses. We saw traditional paintings, installations and […]