Contemporary Art « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Contemporary Art

Decoding Jackson Pollock

Posted by sleepboy, September 26, 2009

Could Jackson Pollock’s famous painting “Mural” (commissioned by the collector Peggy Guggenheim for her New York City apartment) actually contain the letters of his name? According to art historian, Henry Adams, that’s exactly what he sees hidden among the one of the 20th century’s most important artworks.Â At first we were skeptical as most Pollock “experts” were, but check out this little roll-over interactive feature and you may be convinced as well.

Viewpoints: Traditional Museums Set Record Attendence Non-Traditionally

Posted by juggernut3, September 25, 2009

The recession has been hitting everyone hard, even the museums are being hit in their wallets. From the MOCA needing a bail out to the Rose Art Museum selling off their collection, museums seem to be dealing with declining attendance and many have been forced to reduce payroll or take mandatory staff furloughs to make ends meet. Yet there’s a silver lining to every situation. Some museums have found ways to boost attendance by tapping into alternative “non-traditional” art forms. Museum mainstays such as Rembrandt, […]

Preview: “Three Apples” Hello Kitty Show @ Royal T

Posted by sleepboy, September 24, 2009

We have tried to avoid posting about this show for a while now, but glimpses of new work pouring into the AM office forced our hand. Yes, Hello Kitty’s 35th Anniversary is upon us (what, you didn’t know?) and SANRIO has enlisted a pretty nice list of artists to help them celebrate including Gary Baseman (featured), Ron English (featured), Buff Monster (featured), Camilla dâ€™Errico, Luke Chueh (interviewed), Deph, Yosuke Ueno, Colin Christian, Amanda Visell, Jeremyville, Melissa Haslam (interviewed), Hush (interviewed) just to name a few. […]

Highlights: Recommended Openings For September 24-30

Posted by Andrew Hosner, September 24, 2009

Leading the charge this week is the return of the renownedÂ Antony Micallef toÂ Lazarides Rathbone Place with his first solo show in almost three years since rocking things out in Los Angeles. September is winding down and the art machine is ready to kick it into full gear as we head into the month of October. The big fairs down in Miami are just around the corner as well, so be sure to keep checking AM for all the latest news and sneak previews.Â Check out […]

Publications: “The Rest Is Up To You”

Posted by sleepboy, September 23, 2009

In a way reminiscent of how some artists have collaborated with their kids in creating art (think Jeff Soto (interviewed) & daughter Shannon or Tim Biskup & daughter Tigerlily), there is a new book out entitled “The Rest Is Up To You.” We don’t know who Cohen Morano is, but his father sure hooked it up for the first-grader.Â He sent some watercolors by the boy to a illustrious list of artists and had them collaborate with the resulting art becoming the basis of this […]

Openings: Faile – “Law of Fives” Group Show @ Perry Rubenstein

Posted by juggernut3, September 23, 2009

Last night, AM visited Perry Rubenstein gallery for their 5 year anniversary show – “The Law of Fives.” This group show featured the works of FAILE (which we will focus on), but the exhibition also includes Zilla Leutenegger, Teresa Margolles, Robin Rhode and Richard Woods. FaileÂ created an impressiveÂ installationÂ utilizing their signature â€œBoxesâ€ to go along with the 4 other featured artists. But, theÂ exclusive stuffÂ was behind the scenes where our friend Rob fromÂ The Most Beautifullest Thing got a little sneak peak at some future works from the […]

Interviews / Preview: Antony Micallef – “Becoming Animal” @ Lazarides London

Posted by sven, September 23, 2009

One of Londonâ€™s most anticipated shows of the year is almost upon us with Antony Micallefâ€™s “Becoming Animal” opening this week at Lazarides galleryâ€™s Rathbone Place location. We certainly got excited after seeing the new image of one of the show pieces he recently put on his website here â€“ and it certainly seemed to fit with the dark tone he described to us. This is the first solo outing from Micallef since his sell out show in Los Angeles, “Impure Idols,” in 2007 where […]

Preview: COMPLEX Magazine October/November Issue – Clipse x KAWS Cover

Posted by Khoi, September 22, 2009

The ever productive KAWS has produced another sick magazine cover.Â He’s collaborated with the rap duo Clipse many times before (including designing their album art). This time, he puts them in his signature blister packaging with imagery in the background from a painting in his recentÂ Honor Fraser show “The Long Way Home” (covered here and here). The magazine hits newsstands on Oct. 6, but COMPLEX was nice enough to show us the cover and behind-the-scenes video before then. More images after the jump.

Studio Visits: Shepard Fairey – “Obama Campaign”

Posted by juggernut3, September 22, 2009

In anticipation of Shepard Fairey’s upcoming retrospective at the Andy Warhol Musueum in October, we thought it would be appropriate to dip into our vault and give you a little gem we’ve been saving for the perfect time. Last November, AM had the pleasure of visiting Shepard Fairey’s Obey/Studio Number One/Subliminal Projects headquarters in Los Angeles a few days after Barack Obama won the presidential election. You would think that Shepard and his crew would be taking a breather and enjoying the fruits of their […]

Behind the Scenes: The Date Farmers – “Medicine Crow” Print

Posted by sleepboy, September 21, 2009

We recently saw some behind the scenes photos of the making of The Date Farmersâ€™ newest print “Medicine Crow” from Modern Multiples. If the image looks familiar to you, it’s probably because you saw it at their most recent exhibition, “Strange Fruit,” currently showing at FIFTY24SF. Sounds like there are three colorways so far – “Watermelon,” “Cotton Candy” and “Southwest.” Take a look at the photo set after the jump.