tires for mocad

Be sure to check out the metro times this week for their art coverage. The first story is on detroit artist scott hocking and his outdoor tire installation for mocad board member julie taubman. The piece was commissioned specifically for the mocad fundraiser. The other story is on the current trend of installation art and the windsor gallery - Artcite.

Detroit artists, don't forget to send your best jpeg image to detroitartworks@yahoo.com to be posted on DETROIT ART WORKS. Also, include a website address or any internet page link you would like attached to the pic.
Keep up the great work!

mocad's opening

If you haven't been following all the comments that have been posted here is an important discussion sidenote that was addressed:

mocad's site is: mocadetroit.org

and interestingly enough, for the inaugural show artist list, the "detroit artist to be announced" has been removed. From what I gather from countless google searches on the unfamiliar name "christopher fachini", he's been liked to Time Stereo and the rock band Detroit Cobras. If this is the right person, I can't really understand what will be included for the opening, perhaps a rock, noise performance much like the hipster acts that sometimes occur at hilberry gallery? Again, I am not 100% sure, maybe he does sculpture that I am not aware of or my seaches are turning up incorrect info, so if anyone has any definite facts please comment. If this does turn out to be true (which it might not be, please don't jump the gun!) I really feel this is some sort of cop out from the curatoral staff...come on...no detroit visual artist can be found??

Nate Kuznia at motor city

I hope that everyone is enjoying this beautiful, sunny day off from work today! I know I am....tell me again, why do people have to work? Here are some pics of the last motor city show that I forgot to post.

mona mia

mariella bettineschi at MONA
May 20 - June 30

Below are images from MIA III: MICHIGANOW

james byars

Look! A Detroit native at Mary Boone Gallery in ny! Born in detroit in 1932 and went to Wayne State!

Andreas Slominski

Andreas Slominski has a big show right now at metro pictures. My first reaction to the new found object paintings - expanded polystyrene, foam, plastic, paint - is man...these are hideous but then I remembered my recent readings from The Critique Handbook and I think there is something to them although I am not exactly sure what yet. I wanted to post the new "paintings" from 2006 in contrast with her older sculptural constructions from the late 90's to show how some artists take risks and create new bodies of works instead of staying in the same vein for years and years. Collectors might get a little bit fidgety but who really wants to look at the same body of work for 50 years? Artists take risks...it is part of the territory...cut them some slack if not every attempt works because it is better to try and fail than to never try at all! OK, enough pep talk for today!

RICH RICH RICH: is this art?

"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive thoughts and related compulsions which attempt to neutralize the obsessions." (Wikipedia)

At first glance RICHRICHRICH (RRR) is a disregarded room of left over construction materials but after careful consideration and observation the room comes alive and reveals that it is a controlled art installation site where every fragment, additive and subtractive is well thought out and meticulously placed. Blue coolers are stacked on the ground, leftover plaster drywall is scattered in deliberate piles, a print is hidden in the ceiling tiles, necklaces sit on the ground like jewels and many other treasures appear before your eyes like in Highlights Magazine's hidden pictures from your childhood. Your mind starts to spin out of control as you see each mark on the wall and small fragment on the floor. To escape the planned mess is impossible. While entering the bathroom, a smashed bowling ball with drywall pieces sits in one corner while a trashcan with empty bottles and beer cans sits in the other corner. The bowling ball is intentional but is the trashcan? Did they put the trashcan there for a reason? What is a trashcan? Is it art? This is an example of the trail of thoughts that go through the viewer's head while in this gallery space.

The three collaborators, Mike Smith, Nolan Simon and Ed Brown - all very different in their craft - come together for this project to pose an interesting question to viewers that is no more original than Duchamp's ready-mades: what is art and should it be aesthetically pleasing? Duchamp states, "When I discovered the ready-mades I sought to discourage aesthetics-[the neo-dadaists] have taken my ready-mades and found aesthetic beauty in them, I threw the bottle-rack and the urinal into their faces as a challenge and now they admire them for their aesthetic beauty." The three very modest yet deserving artists are not claiming to rock the art world with a new never before seen idea but they are throwing some very different ideas in the faces of us Detroiters.

If you are looking for a gallery where oil paintings are hung straight on the wall and sculptures sit on pedestals on the floor then RRR is not your gallery. RRR is a conceptual space that breeds ideas, collaboration and, most importantly, takes risks. Not only is the exhibition a fun house of "what is art" but the location also plays into the show. Would you think to find a gallery next to a pizza joint and a tanning salon in a strip mall in Shelby Township? The aesthetics may be misleading but I can assure you the content is there in full force!

RRR will have ongoing shows until August, a new one every three weeks. So, be sure to check it out before RRR - like other Detroit treasures - disappears with no signs except memories and pictures.

ellen phelan look back

I have to admit that I really wanted to have monday's big feature be RICHRICHRICH but I have started to give that show much more thought than initially planned so I will have pics and a review up in a couple days. I will say that it is a show that is more complex than one may first assume and takes some time to sink in. For now I want to give some teaser pics of the Hilberry show with Ellen Phelan.

The first half is a collection of photographs of friends and family digitally altered. The snapshots are a nice compliment or forethought to the second half of the show - the paintings. I do however feel that as nice as they are, they still are subordinate companions to the paintings. The collection of photos feel like a painter's studio wall of collected images that inspire the artist. I can appreciate the studies and find the inspiration in her paintings but to me the paintings are the meat of the show.



I also have to recommend that you see the show in person because the pics I took look overexposed because of the glazed, foggy layers that phelan uses. The images bury into the dark shadows of burnt umber and sienna tones and mimic an aged polaroid or black and white photograph.

You can actually get a truer sense of this painting below...





The compositions of phelan are very classical. Although much of the imagery has a very distant feel of looking at fading memories or haunting dreams, the way in which phelan paints is very contemporary. Looking at small details of the paintings you can find pleasure in her process as seen in the many glazed layers and amazing abstractions that occur within small areas of the canvas.







This painting reminds me of this (henry fuseli) and this (cecily brown).