ArtHeat

Scam Alert

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:03:00 +0000

As artists we all fall for the allure of the Big Time. However, be careful of a man calling himself Pietro Franesi purporting to be from the New York Biennale. He is doing the rounds in Cape Town. He promises shows and then screws you out of money. Read more here. (Thanks Kirsty)

Curators Early Friday

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:47:00 +0000

Somedays I Just Want to Cry

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:34:00 +0000

I mean real big tears of frustration.
At what point will the Art practitioners stand up and demand a Department that represents their concerns. What is nation building in this context?

The following article is from the Times website. Thanks to Kirsty for the heads up.

Minister slams 'porn' exhibition
Minister refuses to open exhibition after she is given preview of photographs
Mar 1, 2010 10:49 PM | By SALLY EVANS

The opening of an exhibition by young, black women artists at Constitution Hill turned sour when Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana stormed out of the exhibition, calling the work "immoral".

Xingwana, whose department gave R300,000 to the Innovative Women exhibition, which was launched in Johannesburg to coincide with Women's Day last August, left before she was due to speak at the opening.

The Times understands that after she saw a series of photographs by prominent artist and lesbian activist Zanele Muholi, of naked, black women embracing each other, Xingwana slammed the work as "pornographic", spoke to her aides, and left in a huff. Her personal assistant read out her speech.

Xingwana confirmed that she had "indeed" left the event without addressing the gathering.

In a statement read by her spokeswoman Lisa Combrinck, Xingwana said: "Our mandate is to promote social cohesion and nation building. I left the exhibition because it expressed the very opposite of this.

"It was immoral, offensive and going against nation-building."

Combrinck said: "Minister Xingwana was also concerned that there were children present at the event and that children should not be exposed to some of the images on exhibit."

The Times understands that the day after the opening, Xingwana complained to staff at Constitution Hill about the "pornographic" content of the art on display.

Insiders, who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity, said Xingwana did not like the images of women posing as couples.

However, Xingwana denied that any such complaints were relayed to Constitution Hill.

The Innovative Women exhibition featured work by 10 artists including Muholi, photographer Nandipha Mntambo, and painter Bongi Bengu, who also curated the exhibition.

The exhibition was also shown in Durban and Cape Town.

While viewing the artwork, Xingwana appeared most upset by the work of Muholi and Mntambo, which deals with intimacy between women.

Speaking to The Times from the US where she is exhibiting and lecturing, Muholi said she was "very disturbed" by Xingwana's views.

"There is nothing pornographic. We live in a space where rape is a common thing, so there is nothing we can hide from our children.

"Those pictures are based on experience and issues. Where else can we express ourselves if not in our democratic country?"

"Children need to know about these things. A lot of people who have no understanding of sexual orientation, people are suffering in silence," Muholi said.

"We need to educate people about homosexuality. We need to have very good treatment and respect from the minister."

The Times has learned that after the exhibition opening, Xingwana demanded to know why it was not censored and why her department had contributed R300,000 to it.

Although Xingwana denies this, three insiders told The Times that after the department's lawyers found nothing pornographic about the art, she then called in lawyers from a Pretoria law firm to "inspect" the work. Insiders said they were flown to Cape Town for the opening of the exhibition there to decide whether the art was "suitable as art or not".

The exhibiting artists told The Times many artists feel there is no place for them in South Africa.

One said: "It is worrisome to artists that everything we do is going to be censored.

"There is no room for us in South Africa, so we are having to relocate overseas, where our work is recognised and appreciated because sadly it is not in South Africa."

Mntambo, who did not attend the exhibition opening, said she found Xingwana's views "irritating and sad".

"I was quite surprised by what happened. I actually found out just after I had done a presentation on censorship," she said.

Mntambo said she received funding from international sponsors or from private individuals.

"I don't even apply for funding from the department. I like being able to do what I want to do, it's really important," she said.

In the exhibition's catalogue, Muholi's artwork has been described as being "without precedent in South Africa, where there are very few instances of black women openly portraying female same-sex practices."

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Stupart) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:17:00 +0000

Marc and Sarah, founders of Wooster Collective, which is pretty much the coolest blog in the world ever, will be in town tomorrow night and have invited all Cape Town artists and art lovers to join them for a drink at Waiting Room on the upper balcony at 21:30. [... Read more on Mixtape]

GAY WESTERN EARLY FRIDAY

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:58:00 +0000

Mixtape: Artchandising

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:05:00 +0000

Sure it's kind of ugly, but it makes sense; the medium, the image, the form all create a piece of merchandise that does not seem to compromise the artist's ouevre...

Read more over at Mixtape
Also, get the skinny on ghastly murderbook

Sentences on Art Criticism

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:28:00 +0000

The following was first presented by Sean O'Toole at the Gipca Pre-Post-Per-Form Colloquium. Thank you Sean for allowing ArtHeat to publish it.

In 1969, Sol Lewitt published his now famous tract, ‘Sentences on Conceptual Art’. I often return to these sentences, because they encapsulate everything the critic is not.

Lewitt: “Conceptual artists are mystics rather than rationalists. They leap to conclusions that logic cannot reach.”
Me: Art critics are rationalists not mystics. They do not leap.

Lewitt: “Rational judgements repeat rational judgements.”
Me: Rational judgements repeat rational judgements. This is why we have come to despise criticism.

Lewitt: “Irrational judgements lead to new experience.”
Me: The critic rarely braves irrationality.

And so on…

In the spirit of Lewitt’s ‘Sentences on Conceptual Art’, I would like to propose my own, self-styled ‘Sentences on Art Criticism’:

1. Criticism is not a constitutional right; freedom of speech is.

2. Criticism is not an entitlement – it is a response.

3. Criticism does not arrive dressed in a bow tie or pressed suit.

4. Criticism is misunderstood. The role of criticism is overstated and undervalued. This can be
the source of productive tensions for the writer, or simply induce depression.

5. Criticism can be a sharp blade, Occam’s razor. Mostly, though, we are made to believe that criticism is a traditional weapon – a gnarled knobkerrie, perhaps.

6. Criticism is not a period or a full stop; it is not the end of a sentence, statement, thought or idea. In this regard, read Ian Buruma’s The Wages of Guilt (1994): “To catch truth there must be conflict, debate, interpretation, and reinterpretation – in short, a discourse without end.”

7. Criticism is a love letter to someone you don’t know.

8. Criticism is reading other critics.

9. Criticism is Simon Njami consciously setting himself up for failure when he travelled to Senegal to interview the filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambety about photography.

10. Criticism is not a liturgy: it need not be churchly or have a spiritual purpose; laughter is allowed.

11. Criticism is reverence.

12. Criticism is, as JG Ballard said of science fiction, “wholeheartedly speculative”.

13. Criticism is a position; it has no true north.

14. Criticism is Jean-Loup Pivin writing in the editorial to the launch issue of Revue Noire: “Revue Noire should be savoured on a shady terrace like a glass of ginger.” In other words, criticism is the rattle of ice in a glass on a hot day.

15. Criticism in not ventriloquism: it cannot make a thing or an experience speak for itself.

16. Criticism is not the noose that hangs the thought. If the thought’s dead already… the critic merely operates as an obituarist.

17. Criticism is a contest, a Rumble in the Jumble: Ali is the verb, George Foreman the adjective.

18. Criticism is a clutch of spurious synonyms: bad press, brickbats, censure, critical remarks, disapproval, disparagement, fault-finding, flak, knocking, panning, slam, slating, stricture

19. Criticism can also offer analysis, appraisal, appreciation, assessment, comment, commentary, critique, elucidation, evaluation, judgement… a notice, a review.

20. Criticism is the sweat in the palm of your hand when an annoyed artist, piqued by a review, demands: “What right do you have to shit in my garden?”

21. Criticism is Gore Vidal, floored by Norman Mailer’s punch, retorting: “Norman Mailer, at a loss for words again!”

22. Criticism is the startling sound of thunder.

23. Criticism wants to be a veld fire. Typically, however, it is a stompie jettisoned from a car window.

24. Criticism is responsibility. In this, it is an ethical pursuit, for as the unpopular poet Ezra Pound reminds: “Fundamental accuracy of statement is the one sole morality of writing.”

25. Criticism is journalism.

26. Criticism is for sale.

27. Criticism has no section in Exclusive Books.

28. Criticism is the lightning bolt that flashes in the pages of The War Against Cliché (2000). In the foreword, Martin Amis offers: “Enjoying being insulting is a youthful corruption of power. You lose your taste when you realise how hard people try, how much they mind, how long they remember.”

29. Criticism is literature.

30. Criticism is always remaining fascinated, intrigued and obliquely curious. Otherwise you’re just news gathering. In this, criticism implies a partisan spirit.

31. Criticism is not collaboration.

32. Criticism is a retreat into silence. It demands knowing when to simply look with the eyes, laugh with the mind, and bite the tongue.

33. Criticism is none of the above. These are merely sentences on art criticism.

Its Not a Tumor: Neil Goedhals Day

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:13:00 +0000

Its Not a Tumor has a long an in-depth feature about Neil Goedhals.
Check it out here

BITCHES BE CRAZY EARLY FRIDAY

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:27:00 +0000

THIS IS NOT A JOKE: Sonic, Obama, Harry Potter

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 10:40:00 +0000

Hugh Upsher is a Michaelis Graduate who lives with his parents in the suburbs. He is currently single.

Ever since humankind lost faith in God (about 93 years ago) artists have been trying to pass up found objects as art. A few weeks ago I found myself in the Dada South Exhibition reading the original magazine article on a certain plumbing fixture, it was bizarre and exciting to finally see it in the flesh. It was a reminder for me that making art can be way simpler. Find an object, assign meaning to it (or not) then find a way to display it where it will be recognized as an art object. The last step in that process still tends to ruffle up the classic art school question ‘But is it art?’ now I’m Ok with defending the idea but my reply will in most cases be ‘yes, it’s just lazy/not very good/unclever art’.

It got me thinking about how that particular work really exists as a published magazine. That article was the heart of the concept and therefore in my eyes the artwork. Without the discourse, ‘Fountain’(1917) would never have made it into popular canon of art (high school art essays). Now we have the Internet as a format that can be used not only for documenting artworks and discussing artworks but also creating artworks. And now I’m back to ready-mades and I’ll throw in assisted ready-mades for good measure. So, in theory, one could use the digital domain to source for found objects. Anything from a jpeg to an animated GIF could be re-appropriated and argued as (lazy unclever) art.

But of course there is still the whole authorship/ownership/creative commons argument that is still happening. I will use a photograph of a backpack on a blog called failblog.org as my example. There is Failblog, which is recognized as the author of the image even though someone else took the photograph. This backpack was in a shop that belonged to someone else. It was designed by factory that belongs to someone else, using trademarks and images that belong to someone else. The geographical mileage on this particular image is astounding. What could possibly give me the right to steal it from Failblog and make it into a shitty gouache painting (my personal way of making an artwork less lazy). I am starting to see things unraveling.

THIS IS NOT A JOKE: Before I could read I could...

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Hugh Upsher is a Michaelis Graduate who lives with his parents in the suburbs. He is curretnly studying desktop publishing.

What the hell would you do with a computer that you couldn't view porn with? Nerds from the late eighties found a way.
It turns out naked girls have been on computers pretty much since computers have exsisted.
There is a fantastic online gallery that displays some of the classic artworks from this golden era of innovation.

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New on Its Not a Tumor: Kloofing

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Geez, is it just me or did the Cape Town art contingent come charging out of the 2010 gates en masse with uncharacteristic zeal? Openings, openings everywhere. Whatever happened to being the ~~lazy~~ laid back part of the country? I’d better get scribing, starting with that which is conveniently located in rolling-down-the-hill proximity to my flat. Which in this case is the Kunst House with Uwe Pfaff’s ‘Sculptures’...
Read more on Its Not a Tumor

Changes at ISANG

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:13:00 +0000

Dropped by the Alexis Preller show at SANG last night. I'll leave the historians and connoisseurs to comment on the importance of the show (Though, having seen the recent survey show, South African Art 1938-1958 I think it was called, and seeing the prevalance of poo brown, muted ochre and dirty shoe, one can see why Preller was so popular)

What struck me was the absence of the Sir Abe Bailey Bequest and the craft shop. Ladies and Gentlemen, changes are underfoot. Apparently the whole gallery is going to be closed and the entire Permanent collection rehung. With respect to our illustrious colonial past, I say about fucking time.

Michaelis Grad Show Review 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:07:00 +0000

Tash over at Mixtape gives us a (belated) review of the Michaelis Graduate show.
Read more at Mixtape

THIS IS NOT A JOKE: No Fucking E-mails

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:17:00 +0000

Hugh Upsher is a Michaelis Graduate who lives with his parents in the Suburbs. He is currently studying Desktop Publishing.

Few things are worse than checking your e-mail account only to find you have no fucking e-mails. This is captured perfectly in David Shrigley’s drawing. However, an artwork that deals with this phenomenon in a far more dynamic and cruel way was created by an online marketer. These advertising banners (see below) that are strategically placed around your favourite websites are designed to continuously give you false glimmers of hope. Nothing brightens my day quicker than to see I have new messages waiting for me. Unfortunately marketers have realized this and turned it against me in a cruel game. The invasive nature of the work only adds to its effectiveness. Obviously one would not fall for this lie over and over again but it does succeed in teasing you with its ever presence, reminding you of something you can’t always get.

New Post on Work in Progress: The Passing of Jonathan Hamilton

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:18:00 +0000

Jonathan Hamilton committed suicide on August 12 2008, by ingesting yew berries from a nearby graveyard. His father Mr Reckless, who he was living with at the time described Jonathan Hamilton thus:

“He was a ball of fire, full of ideas and energy, but was going through horrific turmoil inside. His death is in keeping with his character. He would have wanted to do something spectacular.”

Jackson Hlungwani Dies

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Hlungwani died at his home in Mbokhota on Wednesday, aged 87. Jackson Hlungwani will be well remembered as a pioneer of South African art, bridging the gap between art and spirituality in a unique way. His legacy will live on.

Best Self-Portrait Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:22:00 +0000

I've never seen this image before, but I think it is amusing.

THIS IS NOT A JOKE: SA Artists & Wikipedia

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Hugh Upsher is a recent Michaelis Graduate who lives in the suburbs with his parents. He has terrible social etiquette.

I wanted to see how South African Artists were represented on Wikipedia. I started by just winging it with random names until I came across ‘List of South African artists’, which is interesting in itself. Check out who cracked the nod, or add yourself as an elaborate joke. Here are a few irregularities I picked up on.

In the absolutely useless category (page wise) we have Brett Murray getting a total of 141 words for his page. Not enough text to fill half the screen of the tiniest of monitors, let alone be used for plagiarizing in a high school project. Willem Boshoff only has a measly 92 words to his name.

Matthew Hindley’s page on the other hand is pimped out in a way that suggests the artist did it himself (fantastic marketing). It includes a huge image of one of his recent paintings sitting in the middle of the page.

“Peet Pienaar (born 29 August 1971 near Potchefstroom, South Africa) is a South African performance artist, most famous for having himself videotaped while undergoing circumcision in 2000.” What a legacy. You know that page isn’t getting updated any time soon.

Jane Alexander doesn’t get any Wiki love and neither does Sue Williamson, Penny Siopis, Nicholas Hlobo or anyone who isn’t white and male (generalization).

There are 12 Stephen Cohen’s with Wikipeia articles, including a South African wrestler better known as Steve Simpson and the disputed owner of sex.com. The performance artist is not one the 12 people featured.

Pieter Hugo doesn’t have his own page but does get referenced on the albinism page, which is hilarious.

What a turn out, Who writes this shit?

Its Not a Tumor Launched

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:54:00 +0000

ArtHeat is proud to launch a new blog Its Not a Tumor. Its a blog by artist, writer and death metal musician Tim Leibbrandt about art. Mostly.
It can be found at artheat.net/itsnot/atumor.html

Welcome Tim!

UCA Gallery closes

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:18:00 +0000

It's incredibly sad that a young gallery with so much promise has to close its doors. The UCA Gallery which recently had good shows like History(n) and No|Thing will be closing from the 1st of February. We wish all those involved the best of luck for future endeavours

THIS IS NOT A JOKE: Star Trek Love

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Hugh Upsher is a recent Michaelis graduate who lives in the suburbs with his parents. He loves booze, art, chicks, skating and rock n roll.

If you love the original Star Trek series, if you love Kirk and Spock in particular, if you love fantasizing about a homoerotic relationship between these characters and if you enjoy making non-erotic “All Ages” art and poetry around this particular theme… there is a place for you. The Internet has a place for everyone. It is the definition of inclusiveness. The case study I will use to prove my theory is Thyla.com, The All-Ages Kirk/Spock love Archive. The contributors can now embrace their Kirk/Spock Love fantasies without feeling like creepy perverts. The philosophy of Farfalla (current chief editor) is simple “There's nothing pornographic about being gay, and nothing obscene about love between men. There are no links to sites with explicit content here; no pictures of naked men; no sex scenes. Rather, it is a celebration of the love between Kirk and Spock that is accessible for a wider audience.”

Farfalla raises some important issues relating to gay culture. The word gay is too often unfairly associated with eroticism. In saying that, this community must be a minority of minorities. All Ages? Are there people out there under the age of 18 who are fans of the original TV show that ran from 1966-1969? Who happens to have fantasies about a homoerotic relationship between Kirk and Spock? Who would want to browse (or even contribute) this very particular content without the shame of having to hide it from their parents? As I wrote earlier, The Internet has a place for everyone. What an incredibly beautiful concept.

I would like to make it clear that my intentions are not to victimize or ridicule this community but use it as an example of how the Internet celebrates diversity.

Decade List at Mixtape

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:35:00 +0000

Linda Stupart tells of her favourite songs of the Naughties over at Mixtape...

Also Polok tells us about sex...

Some Thoughts on Dada South?

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Sloon) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:34:00 +0000

Admittedly I am still a youngster, but I think looking back over the decade, Dada South? will prove to be the most significant of the big South African blockbuster shows, at least from a local context.
While Africa Remix made waves around the world, and was probably the biggest, most significant show of African art we'll see even in the next ten years, and Picasso in Africa got the hinges on the National Gallery's door swinging and the Tropics: Views from the middle of the globe unfortunately did not (am I forgetting anything important here? Cape 07?), Dada South? has two factors which I think will prove impactful. Firstly, it was an examination of how local production was affected by Western art in a positive way, by a movement which is increasingly seen to hold the roots of most contemporary art production. Secondly, it revisited a chunk of 80's South African art. This second is important. As we drift through our second decade of democracy, looking back is becoming both easier and more necessary. A little distance gives us the leeway to reinterpret and revision (as this show does), but also the opportunity to look critically at where we come from.

Another factor which makes this show a hit is the pure awesomeness of seeing some of these works. Who thought they'd ever see a Hannah Hoch, a Hans Arp, a Man Ray. Or some of the artifacts, like the original R. Mutt article, the old journals and Caberet Voltaire invites. Even local stuff I'd read about but never seen (Fook Island stuff, old Willem Boshoff's). On the downside though, this show really needed to open with a catalogue, a guide through the sometimes obscure bits and pieces and an entry point into some of the narratives and histories.
There are some seminars coming up, and I think they are vital to attend. This show will expose its significance through discussion. I look forward to writing a second piece after that.

Also, while the graphic design clearly wanted be subversive in the spirit of Dada, I really wanted to spit on the supid red and green explanatory texts. I think we have to accept that Dada has been commodified and intellectualised. But that of course is a whole other article.

Also, my work was the best on the show.

THIS IS NOT A JOKE: The Lolcat Bible Translation Project

hughupsher@gmail.com (Hugh Upsher) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:34:00 +0000

Hugh Upsher is a recent Michaelis graduate who lives with his parents in the suburbs. He loves rock n roll, skating, art, booze and chicks.

"The LOLCat Bible Translation Project is a wiki-based website set up in July 2007 by Martin Grondin, where editors aim to adapt the entire Bible into "LOLspeak", the pidgin popularized by the LOLcat Internet phenomenon." (Thank you Jimmy Wales, and fuck you Harvard referencing). I have known about the project for a while now and was extremely excited to find out that the Bible is not only finished in it's entirety (Old and New Testaments with images) but about to be published. Pre-orders are now available from amazon.com. A massive collective effort over a period of more than three years has led to this astonishing achievement. The entire project is essentially based on a single meme called ceiling cat and the parallels one could draw between this particular image and God.

It is easy to disregard this ridiculous concept as pure Internet trash on face value but seeing it as a well executed, completed book really did change my initial reading of it. This project is not only a testament to the "If you build it, they will come" misquote but a loving tribute to people's need to dumb themselves down.

While we are on the topic, here is Wikipedia in book form (Artist unknown).