One of the beauties of navigating the cyberspace is having the capacity to attain the unattainable... haha Yes! In a way you are able to defeat the system from within. Now, what do I mean by this?
Well... as is the case of many museums, the ICA has a strict no-camera policy for rotating exhibitions. Only the fortunate ones with press passes can filter in, unlike the rest of us, simple mortals.
I mentioned Damian's exhibition here, but still felt I was laking the appropriate visuals to get my point across, so... here is a free pass to Damian Ortega's Do It Yourself.
WARNING: The video is noteworthy because of the sneak peak it gives to most pieces in the exhition, but when it comes to the anchorwoman and the reporter... well... uptight and ineffective, to say the least. I wasn't quite satisfied with the coverage and interpretation they gave to Damian's work. He says you have to do your research for this exhibition... Did he?
Trying to define, compare or begin to explain this acronym has been quite a challenge. Even before writing this, I had a hard time arranging my thoughts and, to be completely honest, even after doing some research and going through sleepless nights thinking about it, I am still intrigued by its meaning.
I was given the awesome opportunity to be present in the curatorial/staff walk for the new ICA's exhibition Damian Ortega, Do It Yourself, where Ortega himself was giving a full disclosure of his works. For art lovers, like myself, this was pure bliss. And, I mean, is it possible not to be remotely interested in his exhibition when you are welcomed by his Cosmic Thing? I was drooling all over it when I first saw it.
DIY is a term usually used for things related to home improvement, like building and repairing things without professional help - think about the Ikea phenomenon. In art, it evokes ideas of breaking things down, reassembling, and manipulating everyday objects in such a way that they are brought out of their usual context. Without getting into technicisms... DIY has a lot to do with ready-mades and the Duchamp and Damien Hirst legacy.
Ortega naturally brings a lot of his Mexican heritage into his pieces; references to his natal country are not evident, but definitely present. This survey of the last decade covers his Coke bottle sculptures, leather floor plans, mirror cubes, chair sculptures, videos and photographs... the list goes on. Though, in a brief Q&A session he admitted to be identified, hence, driven to work with bricks.
I genuinely loved this show. But, i know... Contemporary installation art can be scary and slightly confusing. As a friend said, it's hard to be face-to-face with a piece that many times needs to be explained to be understood; a piece that isn't necessarily 'pretty', with bits and pieces of a foreign culture.
If you feel this when facing Ortega's work, then I say: Eureka! Success! He brought you out of your comfort zone, and triggered curiosity. Maybe even made you questioned your own stance.
The ICA will have his show 'til January 2010. Enough to see it once, twice or maybe three times?
This time the ICA went all out: they legitimized urban art, rather disliked by many, by transferring it to their museum walls. Shepard Fairey's exhibition Supply and Demand was one of the more controversial ones this spring-fall, largely because Fairey was arrested at the doors of his very own opening show. Now, putting that minor, yet very important, detail to the side, the show well deserved to turn faces because of the artwork.
Supply and Demand was Fairey's first complete survey, covering work from his early skateboard designs to his latest murals. "Hope", the unofficial poster for the Democratic campaign, received the greatest attention from the public. I find it amusing some have argued this iconic image was the reason for Obama's victory; I leave that up to you to decide...
Unfortunately, the show was brought down mid-August and, of course, Fairey left with a bam. He closed the cycle with a great dancing party within ICA premises, giving the masses a little taste of his spinnin skills, along with Z-Trip and Chuck D. You can still listen to Fairey spinnin, just make sure to check out the Phoenix's video covering Fairey's night of debauchery.
Posts
