Ulrich de Balbian 16 August 2015, part3. www.newstylesgallery.info ; http://ulrichdb.blogspot.com/;https://ulrichdebalbian.wordpress.com/. 'Glimpses into my reality. A world that transcends all notions of a multi-verse. Please do not attempt to imprison me in your minute life world and mind set."
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Sunday, 16 August 2015
3rd Video of work Ulrich de Balbian 16 August 2015
Ulrich de Balbian 16 August 2015, part3. www.newstylesgallery.info ; http://ulrichdb.blogspot.com/;https://ulrichdebalbian.wordpress.com/. 'Glimpses into my reality. A world that transcends all notions of a multi-verse. Please do not attempt to imprison me in your minute life world and mind set."
Three new videos of work Ulrich de Balbian 16 August 2015
Part 1, 16 August 2015 below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhC9bwlBK0E
Part 2 new video of work Ulrich de Balbian
Friday, 14 August 2015
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Sex with a stranger is more exciting? experiential life-coaching app
What would you answer? That was the starting point for Blast Theory's app, Karen. Part game, drama and self-help quiz, this experiential app is inspired by our desire for self knowledge (think of those quizzes in glossy mags) and explores the idea of personal data and consent. Matt Adams, artist and co-founder of Blast Theory, takes us through the app's development in this week's App story, from drawing up the vital privacy policy to the "bonfire of the features" that occurred during the final few months of development.https://youtu.be/Aqa2gTj2uYI
http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/
Karen, at points, will appear to know things about you that she shouldn’t. Photograph: Blast Theory
Matt Adams
artist and co-founder of Blast Theory
SharesOur History & Approach
Blast Theory is renowned internationally as one of the most adventurous artists’ groups using interactive media, creating groundbreaking new forms of performance and interactive art that mixes audiences across the internet, live performance and digital broadcasting. Led by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr and Nick Tandavanitj, the group’s work explores the social and political aspects of technology. Drawing on popular culture and games, the work often blurs the boundaries between the real and the fictional.
Blast Theory is based in Brighton, UK.
Our history
Early works such as Gunmen Kill Three (1991), Chemical Wedding (1994) and Stampede (1994) drew on club culture to create multimedia performances – often in unusual spaces such as film studios and accompanied by bands and DJs – that invited participation. The crime reconstruction installation Invisible Bullets (1994) was first shown at the Fete Worse Than Death in Hoxton. Something American (1996) treated the USA as the Wild West, quoting freely from Hollywood films on a billboard sized projection screen.
1997 was a major step forward: a nine month residency at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin coincided with a proposed performance called Succumbing suddenly shifting to become Kidnap (1998), in which two members of the public were kidnapped as part of a lottery and the resulting event was streamed online. Desert Rain (1999), a large scale installation, performance and game using virtual reality marks the first output of our collaboration with the Mixed Reality Lab at the University of Nottingham. An Explicit Volume (2001) is an interactive installation using page-turners to control nine pornographic books and is part of a sequence of works that use found imagery and/or sexual material such as Choreographic Cops In A Complicated World (2000) and Viewfinder (2001).
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If a life coach in an app asks you:
Sex with a stranger is more exciting, right?
What would you answer? This was one of our starting points for new smartphone app, Karen. As with my fellow Blast Theory artists Ju Row Farr and Nick Tandavanitj, who helped create the app, I’m fascinated by the new kinds of intimacy, interaction and artistic experience created by mobile phones.
I’ve always been a sucker for those quizzes in glossy mags that promise something salacious with a side order of self knowledge (“Test your sex IQ”). While they rarely deliver on either front, these quizzes have endured for decades. Now websites such as BuzzFeed carry on the tradition of feeding our desire for personal know-how in bite-size chunks.
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When John McGrath, Blast Theory’s artistic director, first asked us to develop a project with National Theatre Wales in 2013, we were keen to create a personal and intimate experience for smartphones in which you interact directly with the lead character. We wanted you to be challenged about how honest and open you might be and to experience the thrill of having your personality appraised.
We became fascinated with big data, in particular how governments and large companies are collecting information about us secretly and using it without our consent.
First steps for us included meeting with Dr Kelly Page, an expert in this area, to learn about the techniques developed by psychologists to measure personalities, and research into the history of the subject. We then rifled through hundreds of personality tests from across the decades. We chose some of the most fascinating, unnerving or significant scales and wove them into the story of Karen, a divorcee with just enough knowledge to be dangerous.
You interact with Karen through the app. At the start, she asks you some questions about your outlook and views of the world, to get a better understanding of you. She, and the app’s software, profiles you. Karen will give you advice based on your answers and over the next week you will have calls with her once or twice a day. I won’t spoil the experience, but it soon becomes clear that Karen is somewhat chaotic, with little care for personal/professional boundaries. She will get more and more curious and at points, will seem to know things about you that she shouldn’t. Is she spying on you?
That last point is important. Privacy and our use of user data was, of course, a key concern. The app has to gather and make use of highly personal information and we required the trust of users to do that. We spent a lot of time creating a privacy policy that was clear and robust.
We also had grand plans for how geolocation might be used. We wanted to ask the user whether they were at home, at work or out and about. Then we planned to give them different sessions based on where they were, but it proved just too complex. We were already in unknown territory and the last three months of development were a “bonfire of the features” at times! We stripped it down further and further.
Perhaps the biggest challenge we’ve faced is that the app is a hybrid, sitting somewhere between a game, a drama and a self-help quiz. We developed a strong story for Karen’s world with a great deal happening, but then realised this excluded the participant/player from what was happening.
Tester feedback became more positive as we stripped the story back to make it a world that exists almost entirely between the user and Karen. Words such as “intimate” and “addictive” started to crop up in tester reports and we knew we were on the right track.
A message from Karen
The Android version of the app will launch on 21 August, then in September, for one night only, we’ll invite everyone who completed the app to meet Karen in person at a secret UK location.
Our goal for the app was 3,000 downloads and this week we passed 10,000 for iOS. Most encouragingly, 35% of those who download the app go on to complete the nine-day long experience. Of those who finish, 37% have bought the personalised data report that we offer for £2.99. It shows that there’s an appetite for artistic experiences on mobile and that users are willing to commit time to and spend money on them.
App facts
Length of the project: three years; final shoot and build, six months
Companies involved: Blast Theory, National Theatre Wales, The Space, University of Nottingham
Size of the team: three artists, one lead researcher, one assistant, one lead developer, one producer, two actors, one director of photography, one sound person, one editor, an army of volunteers and 539 Kickstarter backers
Matt Adams is an artist and co-founder of Blast Theory
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TateGallery Sensorium :taste, touch, smell and hear
Tate Sensorium is an immersive display featuring four paintings from the Tate collection. You can experience sounds, smells, tastes and physical forms inspired by the artworks, and record and review your physiological responses through sophisticated measurement devices.
The experience encourages a new approach to interpreting artworks, using technology to stimulate the senses, triggering both memory and imagination. On leaving, you will be invited to explore the rest of the gallery using the theme of the senses as a guide.
About Flying Object
Winner of the IK Prize 2015, Tate Sensorium is the creation of creative agency Flying Object, working with a team of collaborators: audio specialist Nick Ryan, master chocolatier Paul A Young, scent expert Odette Toilette, interactive theatre maker Annette Mees, lighting designer Cis O’Boyle, digital agency Make Us Proud, and the Sussex Computer Human Interaction Lab team lead by Dr Marianna Obrist at the Department of Informatics, University of Sussex.
The IK Prize is awarded annually for an idea that uses innovative technology to enable the public to discover, explore and enjoy British art from the Tate collection in new ways.
Artworks from the Tate collection
Tate Sensorium features four twentieth century British paintings from Tate’s collection of art. Flying Object and their team of collaborators have selected artworks that play with abstraction in different ways, all of which can be appreciated sensually in terms of their subject matter, use of shape, form, colour, style and your own imagination. Here are the four paintings that feature in Tate Sensorium.
David Bomberg, 'In the Hold' circa 1913-4
David Bomberg
In the Hold circa 1913-4
Oil on canvas
support: 1962 x 2311 mm frame: 1995 x 2355 x 63 mm
Presented by the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1967© Tate
View the main page for this artwork
Francis Bacon, 'Figure in a Landscape' 1945
Francis Bacon
Figure in a Landscape 1945
Oil on canvas
frame: 1628 x 1464 x 120 mm support: 1448 x 1283 mm
Purchased 1950© Tate
View the main page for this artwork
John Latham, 'Full Stop' 1961
John Latham
Full Stop 1961
Acrylic on canvas
support: 3015 x 2580 x 40 mm
Presented by Nicholas Logsdail and Lisson Gallery, London 2005© The estate of John Latham (noit prof. of flattime), courtesy Lisson Gallery, London
View the main page for this artwork
Richard Hamilton, 'Interior II' 1964
Richard Hamilton
Interior II 1964
Oil, cellulose paint and collage on board
support: 1219 x 1626 mm frame: 1425 x 1830 x 100 mm
Purchased 1967
© The estate of Richard Hamilton
View the main page for this artwork
Technology and the senses
Touch
Touchless haptics work by using focused ultrasound from an array of speakers that vibrate on the visitor’s hand. This will create a sensation of touch, and no gloves or special equipment is needed. Touchless haptics use technology developed by the company Ultrahaptics.
Hear
Directional audio uses ultrasound waves to direct very precise sound waves across distances in a very precise manner. Listeners outside of the audio area will not be able to hear it, while for those inside the channel, the effect is similar to listening to headphones. Directional audio systems will be provided by Hypersound.
Smell
Flying Object collaborated with IFF’s olfactory design lab and perfumery team to produce bespoke scents, many created using ‘living naturals’ materials - captured through a Tenax™ trap or through liquefied gas extraction.
Taste
Master chocolatier and food inventor Paul A Young has developed an edible product that stimulates a haptic taste experience in response to the textural, painterly qualities and potential meanings of a specific artwork.
Respond
Visitors will be given the option to measure their body’s response to the experience using wearable devices. These wristbands measure electrodermal activity, a measure of perspiration, which indicates how calm or excited wearers are. Tate Sensorium will be using E4 wristbands, provided by Empatica, who offer medical quality sensing.
Lighting equipment is kindly provided by Rosco.
Information for visitors
Tate Sensorium is a free 15-minute experience. Free tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis from the Information Desk at Tate Britain’s Millbank Entrance on the day of your visit.
Tate Sensorium is recommended for adults and children aged 8 and above. Tate asks that parents do not take small children into the display with them.
Please note that visitors will be given a food product to consume as part of the experience. This product contains soya.
As part of the experience, visitors will be asked to wear wristbands that measure their physiological responses to sensory stimuli (skin conductivity and heart rate). This poses no risk to health. All data collected from visitors is anonymous. The data is used to give individualised feedback to visitors at the end of the experience and will be made available to scientists researching sensory interaction at The University of Sussex. By participating in this voluntary experience and completing a digital questionnaire at the end, visitors over the age of 18 give consent for their anonymous data to be used in this way. Data from wristbands worn by visitors under the age of 18 will be deleted immediately after they leave the experience.
The Cultivist for artists, collectors, etc;3D gallery online show of your work artists/galleries
The Cultivist makes your journey through art effortless and enriching. With a single card, you glide through museums, galleries and art fairs worldwide: no tickets, no bookings, no complications.
And that’s just the beginning. Through personal service and tailored experiences, we help you deepen your appreciation of the art that matters most to you. Through your membership you are also offering philanthropic support to the many art institutions we partner with.
Welcome to a new world of art.
https://www.thecultivist.com/membership/membership-benefits
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THE DIGITAL CULTIVISTWith the nonstop circuit of art events keeping collectors constantly on the move, even the most seasoned among them can start to feel worse for the wear. Not only are there actual travel logistics to deal with, but to access the best, influential and new can be like ferreting out diamonds in the rough—exhaustive work that requires currying favors and mounds of research.
That’s what Marlies Verhoeven and Daisy Peat discovered during their years running Sotheby’s VIP program in New York and London, respectively. About six years ago, the two founded the program as a way for the auction house to build relationships with its top collectors. “The art market is a little like the property market,” says Verhoeven. “You don’t sell a painting every day, just as you wouldn’t sell a house every day. During those in-between times, we were interacting and trying to build a relationship—beyond selling.”
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exhibbit.com
HOW IT WORKS
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CURATE
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Select a plan and gallery.
Add and position artwork.
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Update and replace sold artworks.
Thursday, 13 August 2015
Moving Pictures: Brian Henry’s digital marvels illuminate—and sell
Tourists stand near the main entrance of SLS fixated and jaw-dropped, watching a digitally animated duck float on the giant LED cube above the Center Bar. Appearing three-dimensional, the illusion creates a rare moment when gawkers are too spellbound to pull out their camera-phones.
Brian Henry smiles.
This is his doing. The anamorphic duck designed for the 32-by-18-by-4-foot multisided LED screen follows his earlier design for it—a woman’s legs seductively swinging down from the projected molten liquid above, larger than life.
There’s no doubt that this town blazes in digital, but even with all the high-def conversation clamoring for attention on massive displays up and down the Strip, the cube and its 2.1 million pixels, angled to provide a 3D mirage, take branding and digital entertainment to a new level.
“It’s fun to pursue something that’s cool and supports the brand but doesn’t have a direct marketing approach,” Henry says. “Something that’s beautiful and smart, but doesn’t have to slap you over the head.”
In New York City’s Times Square, LED screens several stories high—including one that covers an entire city block—combine color, movement and engineering with the sophisticated design that defines competitive digital advertising. Companies throughout the world are developing supersigns, proclaiming “the largest” or “highest resolution” vehicles for visual content that’s stirring and sharp. The pylons and marquees of Las Vegas play a similar role, most serving as brands for properties as they battle the next sign (and next sign) for eyeballs. At SLS, 3D projection mapping on two building exteriors presents abstract colors rhythmically pulsating or futuristic figures playing with energy fields.
“Technology has been a cornerstone of the guest experience at SLS Las Vegas since its initial conception, from the groundbreaking 3D mapping at Foxtail Pool to the digital Starck Frames and main registration desk,” says SLS vice president of marketing Jared Rapier. “These installations complement SLS’ whimsical design and turn the resort into an ever-evolving work of art. The Center Bar is no different, and the international attention it has received demonstrates how the classic Las Vegas attraction has been adopted for the next generation of tech-savvy destinations.”
So Henry is in the right place at the right time. His understanding of the nuances of design developed over a career that began right out of high school, when the native Las Vegan took a job at Anchor Gaming photographing facades of iconic hotels and sketching them—images that would eventually be stamped onto commemorative Silver Strike gaming tokens.
Photo: Bill Hughes
At 38, his imprint is all over the Boulevard: the more than 300-foot full-motion LED sign at the Harmon Corner that he co-designed with Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), the 260-foot vertically oriented Aria marquee, the Linq’s digital sign and lighting schemes on its hotel’s Vortex Roof Deck. Henry even programmed the synchronized luminescence of the Swarovski crystal starburst at the Grand Bazaar Shops in front of Bally’s. The 14-foot sculpture, jutting from the top of the Swarovski boutique, has more than 1,800 choreographed points of light.
This is from someone who believed he’d need to move to LA to have a creative career in art and design, but learned he could carve a niche in Las Vegas’ evolution from neon and argon and static marquees to building-sized animated and lighting sequences. As a student at Las Vegas Academy in the 1990s, he had in his backyard a city legendary for its sculpted neon art framed by the dark, one that has transformed into a landscape of 24-hour high-definition video advertising—sophisticated and carefully programmed televisions overcoming the night sky.
“Digital signage is the medium of the contemporary Las Vegas skyline,” says Danielle Kelly, executive director of the Neon Museum. “The sheer volume of information that can be communicated through digital is breathtaking and malleable. Not only is the content relayed on a sign key to articulating the personality of a property, but how that information is conveyed visually articulates the personality and flavor of the place.”
She adds that Henry “has had a hand in many of the freshest, most creative and most on-point environmental lighting designs in Las Vegas.”
*****
As a child growing up here, Henry knew Fremont Street when cars drove up and down the gash of neon that yawned up into the sky. Now that stretch is covered with one of the largest LED video screens in world, literally blending past and present signage and mirroring the evolution of Las Vegas, a narrative that includes designers like Henry.
An image from Brian Henry's Machina Ex Machina
An image from Brian Henry's Machina Ex Machina
“My main drive was wanting to do something creative and artistic,” he says. “I could draw something that looked like a photo if I wanted to, but where’s the next step?
After his stint at Anchor Gaming, Henry spent 15 years with the esteemed YESCO. He worked in its interior sign division, first screen-printing belly glass on gaming machines and then designing animated sequences, leading him to work on some of the biggest projects at noted megaresorts. In 2013, he went independent with Brian Henry Design. Now he collaborates with YESCO while tackling solo projects, always tapping into the next thing.
That sentiment mirrors his approach to his personal artwork. He has created digital pieces for exhibits at the Life Is Beautiful Festival (where he whited out man-made elements in video footage of Nevada natural landscapes) and Trifecta Gallery. His Machina ex Machina at Trifecta in 2012 involved a computer program in which the machine went through a daily routine of waking itself up, creating an image every 30 seconds and saving it, resulting in thousands of computer-generated abstract works that could be ordered as one-of-a-kinds for print. Trifecta Gallery owner Marty Walsh later said that Henry’s show of parametric works was one of her favorites during her 11 years of operation, that for her it had one of the biggest impacts.
Henry and his wife, fashion designer Jennifer Henry (they met as teenagers working at Anchor Gaming), also had a studio and gallery in the Arts Factory for three years where they collaborated on art projects.
Brian Henry at Trifecta Gallery
Brian Henry at Trifecta Gallery
More recently, he’s collaborated with internationally recognized American artist Peter Wegner, whose work is in the permanent collections of major museums on both coasts.
Henry says his concentration on art projects is entirely separate from his commercial work.
“I don’t want to compromise my personal explorations,” he says. “That comes from absolutely compromising on the other side.”
His career is such that if he’s on the Strip chatting with someone and they ask, “So, what do you do?” the answer is easy.
German Museum Has a Living Copy of Van Gogh's Famous Ear
Everyone knows that tortured Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh cut off his own ear. As if the actual act was not disturbing enough, another Dutch artist has for some reason fabricated the long-dead artist a new ear from genetic material provided oneby of the artist's relatives, reports the Guardian.
When Van Gogh, in the midst of a psychic breakdown (or, depending on who's telling the story, in a fight with Gauguin) chopped off his ear and presented it as a gift to a horrified prostitute way back in 1888, he had no idea that he was reserving a place in the art history textbooks for his now-missing appendage, which has since become one of the most famous body parts in human history.
Now, artist Diemut Strebe has taken genetic samples from Lieuwe van Gogh, the great-great-grandson of the artist's brother Theo van Gogh, and created a new ear, titled Sugababe, with computer imaging technology ensuring that the ear is a faithful copy of the artist's body part.
The science of growing artificial ears dates back to 1995 and was developed by Robert Langer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University's Charles Vacanti. Believe it or not, the Van Gogh ear, which is displayed suspended in a clear nutrient solution inside a glass case, is probably less disturbing than Langer and Vacanti's first ear, which was incubated on the back of a mouse.
Before Strebe tracked down Lieuwe van Gogh, she actually tried extracting DNA from a postage stamp the famed Impressionist had allegedly licked. Eventually, she settled for a living relative, who willingly provided saliva and cartilage samples. The two should share the same Y-chromosome, and about one sixteenth of their genes in total.
The admittedly creepy project, a strange hybrid of art and science (the artist calls it a “living art-piece"), is on view at Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, where visitors can use computer software that simulates nerve impulses to talk to the ear (whatever that means).
While the ear is just one of a limited edition, neither Van Lieuwe nor Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum is interested in owning a copy, according to Dutch News.
Nevertheless, artificially-grown ears are becoming a trend of sorts. An episode of this season of Elementary, the Sherlock Holmes television series starring Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, featured a pair of replacement ears secretly incubated on a woman's back, that figured in an elaborate murder frame-up job. According to the show, convincing faux ears are very easy to cultivate, and can be grown around a cartilage frame.
Sugababe will be on view at the museum through July 6, 2014, but Strebe may have plans to bring it to New York for her show at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts next spring.
ARTIST'S 3RD EAR, HAND - SO PEOPLE CAN LISTEN IN TO HIM;Anti-Circumcision ART
Stelarc's third ear.
Photo: Stelarc.
In the annals of strange things done in the name of art, Australian performance artist Stelarc is quickly making a name for himself.
Stelarc, a professor at Curtin University in Perth, was first inspired to grow a third ear in 1996, about a year after the technology to do so was first developed by Robert Langer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Charles Vacanti of Harvard University. The pair incubated the world's first artificial ear on the back of a mouse.
It took ten years for Stelarc to raise the necessary funds for an extra ear of his own, and to track down a team of plastic surgeons willing to perform the unorthodox procedure.
"You don't really expect people to understand the art component of all of this," Stelarc told ABC. "This ear is not for me, I've got two good ears to hear with. This ear is a remote listening device for people in other places."
Stelarc's third ear. Photo: Stelarc.
Stelarc's third ear.
Photo: Stelarc.
At this point, the ear is a permanent fixture on Stelarc's arm, having integrated the biocompatible frame surgeons inserted under the skin into its own tissue and blood supply within six months. Next, the artist hopes to raise the organ further off his arm by growing an ear lobe from his stem cells.
The final step would be to insert a wireless microphone that will let interested parties around the world tune into Stelarc's days, eavesdropping at any and all times—privacy be damned.
"If I'm not in a wi-fi hotspot or I switch off my home modem, then perhaps I'll be offline, but the idea actually is to try to keep the ear online all the time," Stelarc explained.
He's already tested out a microphone, but developed an infection that ended an otherwise successful trial.
Other artists have explored technologically-minded surgical modifications to their body, such as Wafaa Bilal, whose body rejected a camera implanted in the back of his head, and Neil Harbisson, a cyborg activist who drilled an antenna into his skull in 2004. Harbisson's antenna allows him to receive phone calls and connect to the Internet, and translates colors, some beamed down via satellite signal, into sound.
Stelarc has explored cyborgization before, performing with a mechanical third hand, and placing cameras in his lungs, colon, and stomach.
"I am particularly interested in that idea of the post-human, that idea of the cyborg," Stelarc told CNN. "What it means to be human will not be determined any longer merely by your biological structure but perhaps also determined largely by all of the technology that's plugged or inserted into you."
-----------------------
Vincent Aiello, framed sculpture of the foreskin made from silicon resin.
Vincent Aiello, framed sculpture of the foreskin made from silicon resin.
Italian artist Vincenzo Aiello is celebrating the foreskin—and protesting male circumcision with the aid of a Kickstarter campaign.
His project, titled "HUFO: The Missing Piece" (shorthand for "HUman FOreskin") is dedicated to raising awareness about circumcision and the negative impact that circumcision can have on a man's emotional health and sex life.
Aiello creates hyperrealistic foreskin sculptures using silicon resin and is selling them, displayed in frames inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, for $1,000 a pop as part of an "intactivist" Kickstarter campaign. This campaign could be the perfect bookend for the successful campaign to build a massive vagina sculpture in Texas (see Help Kickstarter Artist Build Six-Foot Vagina For Texas Women).
Smaller pledges will earn you a print or T-shirt showing the piece, which Aiello created after carefully studying circumcision surgeries to determine how the foreskin, dubbed "America's censored body part," is removed. For $10,000, the artist will build one of his signature mosaics in which the sculpture will be displayed.
The HUFO projects questions whether it's "ethical for parents to remove functional tissue from their children's bodies to conform to social or cultural norms," and compares the American propensity for male circumcision to widely decried African traditions of female circumcision. Aiello claims that the foreskin is important erogenous tissue, and that the surgery to remove it is painful and potentially traumatizing to infants.
"Circumcision has become so commonplace in the US that parents often forget that circumcision is a surgery," Aiello states on the Kickstarter page. "Every other surgery in Western medicine requires both compelling and urgent medical reasons to perform without consent."
Aiello, who was circumcised as an adult for undisclosed medical reasons, has also founded a research company called Foregen, dedicated to developing medical techniques that will successfully regenerate the foreskin.
With 42 days remaining, HUFO has already raised nearly $13,000 towards its $40,000 goal.
foreskin compared to iPhone 5s
A comparison of a so-called average adult male foreskin and the iPhone 5s.
Via Kickstarter.com
Collectors’ Mindsets Move from the Physical to Digital;change from art world to art experience
Anna Johansson
13 august 2015
Arts & Culture
Most art galleries you visit today will feature mostly (if not all) physical paintings, sculptures, and other artwork. Any artwork portrayed on a screen would be considered a little too different for the traditional museum. However, more and more prominent art galleries are sharing digitally-created art, and thanks to websites such as Neon Mob that make the creating and selling of digital art easier than ever, we are seeing a general shift from physical art to digital in galleries and museums around the country.
Digital Art’s Impact Today
Today, more than 2 billion people are on the Internet, and many of that number spend four hours or more per day online. With that in mind, it’s important to recognize the powerful effect that the digital world has on our culture, particularly where art is concerned. It dulls some senses, but heightens others, particularly sight and sound.
One of the biggest pushes today for recognizing digital art as a celebrated art form comes from Jonathan Openshaw’s new book Postdigital Artisans. The book explores the effects of digital art and how it can fit in with traditional works.
“The virtual is no less real than the ‘real’ and the physical cannot be disentangled from the digital,” Openshaw explains in the pages. “More importantly, the mindset and aesthetics that came with digital technology are reshaping the material world around this.”
Essentially, Openshaw is not so much calling for a complete turn toward digital art as a better relationship between the two. He believes that a digital/physical relationship between the two art mediums will help to reshape the art world around us and produce a general shift in the traditional art collector’s mindset.
The Shift Toward Digital
Thanks to this eye-opening piece of literature as well as some other strong opinions on the matter, more and more collectors are beginning to move their mindsets to the digital world. More artists are also embracing the change.
For example, Steve Bloom has been working to produce the type of relationship between digital and physical that Openshaw spoke of. He pairs his unique talents in ancient printmaking with some contemporary digital processes to deliver his internationally renowned imagery.
In fact, his art is so renowned that he is one of the few artists that showcases his work that uses digital processes.
“A true pioneer of the digital art movement, Steve is one of the few to have his digital creations hanging in galleries,” reports a biography written by Park West Gallery.
Other popular artists who have been so fortunate to share their artwork in galleries include Maiko Takeda, Daniel Arsham, and Joan van der Wiel.
Neon Mob Plays a Factor
neonmob
However, in the future, it won’t only be celebrated artists like those mentioned above who have their digital art hung in prominent art collectors’ libraries. One new website called Neon Mob is making sure that art collectors of every caliber have the opportunity to not only create, but become compensated for the their art.
Neon Mob is a digital collectible’s platform that helps connect artists and art enthusiasts. Artists have the opportunity to publish series of digital illustrations that can be bought, sold, traded, shared, and displayed in every corner of the web.
neonmob wallpaper.png
The interface of the website is really quite simple, and if you get confused at any point, there are simple instructions to follow. Basically, artists make the artwork on their computer, and then upload it into the system to begin selling and promoting it.
Each piece uploaded to the website is assigned a rarity and print distribution rating. These symbols are a copyright of sorts to help the artist keep track of their work.
Once the illustrations are made, it’s time to write a story, or at the very least, write a description and title of the work. In this field, a simple explanation of the piece probably isn’t enough. You’ll want to engross your audience with a story.
After the artist has put the final touches on your artwork and the story that accompanies it, they can publish and promote it. There are avid fans of Neon Mob already who will take a look at new pieces, but artists are encouraged to share their work through social media.
neonmob header
The harder they work to promote their art, the faster artists get paid. Currently, the artist can keep up to 70 percent of their sales, depending on the package and their deal with Neon Mob.
This particular website is exactly what budding digital artists need to get their foot in the door and make a living off of this new art form. Though many collectors are still struggling with the idea of shifting their mindsets to the digital age, more and more are beginning to embrace the new concept and are looking to see stronger digital/physical relationships in the future.
Neon Mob
---------------------http://www.ncl.ac.uk/solecentral/
Artists-In-Residence Dubai 2016: Open call for artists;More Instagram Fans
UAE-based artists are invited to apply for a place on this exciting programme working collaboratively with six artists and with the residency’s international curator and locally based assistant curator.
The four successful applications, joined by two international artists, will have the opportunity to work closely with an international curator and to produce a major new work for Art Dubai Projects, the not-for-profit programme of commissions and site-specific works produced for the fair each year. The artists are provided with studio space at Tashkeel January-March 2016, plus access to a programme of mentorship, workshops, readings, talks and outreach events.
A.i.R Dubai also features an opportunity for an upcoming Emirati curator to apply for a curatorial position, working alongside the international curator and helping to curate and produce the artists’works, the residency, public programmes and associated publications. The Assistant Curator position is supported for the second year by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.
Khalid Abdulwahid, Manager of Visual Arts at the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, said: rld,
Having extended our collaboration and support to the initiative since its inception, we are taking it to the next level through a structured and updated programme that enables the participants to experience Dubai’s artistic diversity fully, interact with the artist community, access materials effortlessly and derive inspiration from the city’s cultural identity.”
Algiers- and London-based curator and writer Yasmina Reggad has been selected to lead the commissions and residency programmes for Art Dubai 2016. Yasmine previously participated in Art Dubai as a curatorial Forum Fellow (2014), and is currently programme curator at aria (artist residency in Algiers). Recent London projects include exhibitions at Delfina Foundation and The Mosaic Rooms, and ‘We Can’t Be There: Emergency Provisions for (un)Anticipated Futures,’ at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and Tate Modern, in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London.
Art Dubai Projects supports artists’ practices, and encourages audiences to embrace the quizzical and participatory nature of the fair. In her role at Art Dubai, Yasmina will contribute to the selection of artists A.i.R Dubai and Art Dubai projects and commissions programmes, and will work closely with the artists to develop and produce their site-specific works.
Each year the participating curators and partners collaborate to develop an outreach and collateral programme around A.i.R Dubai. The programme includes unique opportunities for the public to interact with artists such as open studios, artists’talks, practical workshops, city and desert walks, curated exhibitions and special artists’ books.
Antonia Carver, Art Dubai Fair Director, said: “The annual A.i.R Dubai programme is central to the residency partners’ mission of nurturing emerging artistic and curatorial talent in UAE. The residency provides a unique collaborative work environment and a platform that offers reach to the international art scene.”
Applications are open until August 21, 2015. For more information about the programme and to apply, please visit artdubai.ae/air-dubai/2016.
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It's the wall that started it all: a layered amalgamation of multicolored, spray-painted hearts at Mott and Kenmare Streets in New York City. In an earlier time, a viewer might have simply stopped to marvel.
But today, the impulse is different: "Let me take a selfie."
With more than 5,000 followers and counting, fashion maven and former Lucky editor-in-chief Eva Chen's Instagram account PhotogenicWalls isn't just popular — it is a reflection of a young, 21st century viewer's relationship with art.
As we increasingly craft our personas around what we share on social media, the sharing of art — and the sharing of ourselves with art — has become emblematic of modern art viewership. "I was here," your friends (or if we're being honest, all of us) seem to say with each posting, "and this is the kind of style I like."
Though Chen's Photogenic Walls isn't the only account dedicated to sharing art, it showcases the impulse better than any other — the stated purpose of her account, after all, is to inform followers of potential backdrops for their Instagram self-portraits. When it comes to walls, "photogenic" really means "shareable."
Source: Instagram
This new art reality has prompted art institutions to respond in kind, increasingly creating and featuring pieces that contain photogenic elements — think neon colors and tactile or reflective surfaces.
The best example was last summer's Jeff Koons retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. Featuring Koons' signature large, reflective, candy-colored sculptures, the exhibition capitalized on social media's art-sharing trend, handing out cards that said "Koons is great for selfies," promoting the #ArtSelfie hashtag and reblogging selfies weekly.
Even Koons suggested his art caters to this type of viewership, as he told The Cut in July: "What's really great about art is where art happens is inside the viewer. That's why I work with a reflective surface, so that the viewer realizes that they're a very important element and the work can't become art until it happens inside them."
Preview 28 Leading Nordic Galleries at CHART | ART FAIR
Get exclusive access to the third edition of CHART, the fair that’s expanding the Nordic art scene—featuring 28 galleries showing the region’s leading contemporary artists. Now is your chance to explore and inquire on works by Carsten Höller, Bjarne Melgaard, Anna Bjerger, and more before this refreshing fair hits Copenhagen on August 21.
Current Shows in Copenhagen (11)
Art Relay: Danish Contemporary Art
Kunstforeningen GL STRAND
Art Relay: Danish Contemporary Art
Gammel Strand 48
Closing in 3 days
PETER DOIG
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
PETER DOIG
Gammel Strandvej 13
Closing in 3 days
LOUISIANA ON PAPER: TERRY WINTERS
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
LOUISIANA ON PAPER: TERRY WINTERS
Gammel Strandvej 13
Closes Aug 30
Summer in the City no. 10
Martin Asbæk Gallery
Summer in the City no. 10
Bredgade 23
Closes Sep 5
Art in Sunshine
Arken Museum of Modern Art
Art in Sunshine
Skovvej 100
Closes Sep 13
Man Ray – Human Equations
Glyptoteket
Man Ray – Human Equations
Dantes Plads 7
Closes Sep 20
Laura Lima: The Naked Magician
Statens Museum for Kunst
Laura Lima: The Naked Magician
Sølvgade 48-50
Closes Oct 18
Africa: Architecture, Culture and Identity
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Africa: Architecture, Culture and Identity
Gammel Strandvej 13
Closes Oct 25
Randi & Katrine: Between Towers
Arken Museum of Modern Art
Randi & Katrine: Between Towers
Skovvej 100
Closes Nov 8
Ai Weiwei: Ruptures
Faurschou Foundation
Ai Weiwei: Ruptures
Klubiensvej 11
Closes Dec 22
Bjørn Wiinblad
Arken Museum of Modern Art
Art Appraisal - Valuate a Work of Art Online;Interview with Stefan von Bartha
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Interview with Stefan von Bartha
Stefan von Bartha. Courtesy von Bartha.
Whether as an artist, collector, dealer, or curator, we all can probably recollect, with relish or regret, our first introduction to the art world. For Stefan von Bartha, however, his first memories of the art world are intertwined with his first memories of growing up. The son of Swiss art dealers Margareta and Miklos von Bartha, who founded their gallery in 1970 and operated it out of the family home, Stefan literally grew up in an art gallery. Starting out his career as a vintage design dealer at the age of 18, Stefan von Bartha now holds the directorship of von Bartha, where he has put new emphasis on contemporary art and staged memorable exhibitions of artists like Superflex, Sarah Oppenheimer, and Bernar Venet in the gallery’s expansive converted-garage space in Basel, as well as artist interventions in the von Bartha Chesa in the mountain village of S-chanf. In the following exchange, we ask Stefan von Bartha about his personal collection of contemporary art, and what it was like growing up in the art world.
Beat Zoderer, Bodenzeichnung No.2/09 (Floor Drawing No.2/09), 2009, Merker-Areal Baden. Courtesy von Bartha. Photo: Andre Huber.
Natalie Hegert: You came back to Basel to take over the directorship of von Bartha Gallery in 2008. What prompted you to return to the family business to run the gallery? What were you doing before then?
Stefan von Bartha: Initially, my business interests revolved more around design. When I was 18 I put together a show, which consisted of 420 vintage space toys. My parents gave me 800 francs to set up the show. They invested in me and helped make it a success by giving me the gallery space and, I suspect, by telling people to support me. We even went on to create a vintage design label.
Von Bartha's Basel gallery. Courtesy von Bartha.
By the age of 21, however, I realized that my real love was art and not design. I tried working with my parents, but if you grow up in the art world and only have your parents as teachers, then you’ll surely have a problem when you start working for them. How will you earn respect in the family business? That’s when I decided to enroll in Christie’s education program for contemporary art in New York; and then I worked for Sotheby’s in Zurich and for Galerie Nordenhake in Berlin. Other people I met during this time had a huge influence on how I saw the art world, and that gave me other, much needed perspectives.
I returned to Basel when I was 26 and there was the family business! I was determined to move the gallery into the next generation and I clearly stated that I would only join the family company if I would be allowed to contribute my own ideas. As a member of the second generation, you are always quite focused on what you want to do. At the time, we were transitioning towards a focus on contemporary art. I wanted the family business to become a professional setup for contemporary art. My parents thought I was crazy, but they got excited about the idea. We found this gallery around that time and decided to buy. I recently found the first proposal I wrote to my parents regarding the setup of the new gallery and had a good laugh – it didn’t exactly turn out the way I had planned at the time. It was good entertainment. The space is complex but was well worth it.
Von Bartha's S-chanf gallery. Courtesy von Bartha.
NH: Before that, von Bartha Gallery, which was founded by your parents Margareta and Miklos von Bartha in 1970, was operated right out of the family’s home. I’m curious how that worked as an exhibition/domestic space, in S-chanf, a rather remote area of Switzerland? What was it like to literally grow up in an art gallery?
SvB: I always used to help my parents because it was way more entertaining to spend time with artists than to do homework. Annual Art Basels were always fun. I remember the install process most growing up. We would just park our car in front of the fair and I would help my parents carry the art works to the booth. It was as simple as that: we’d pack up the white Volvo, all squeeze into the car and drive off to the fair. Believe me I would love to do the shipment this way today – it would be so much simpler.
Terry Haggerty work installed at von Bartha S-chanf. Courtesy von Bartha.
NH: Generally one would start an interview like this by asking about that “first piece” and how you began collecting, but seeing that you grew up around artists and within the art world, I imagine it might have happened sort of naturally that you would also collect. Is that true? Or was that first acquisition, or the decision to collect art, a big milestone for you?
SvB: Yes, it happened completely naturally. I can’t remember the very first piece of art I owned because my parents would take me travelling to artist’s studios, and sometimes the artists would feel sorry for me – this kid being dragged around by his parents – that they’d give me small works as presents. Aurélie Nemours gave me a small oil painting at the age of 12 when we visited her. I started buying work for myself from about the age of 16, but as my taste was so different to today, it’s so hard to remember my first purchase.
Sarah Oppenheimer, P- 21, 2008, installed in Stefan von Bartha’s apartment, courtesy LUVO Architekten.
NH: What do you consider your personal philosophy when it comes to collecting?
SvB: My collection doesn’t have a clear concept, but all of the works I have bought have either excited or irritated me in some way. I think it’s important to be fascinated by a work of art, and sometimes that means that it bothers your subconscious for some reason. I tend to find that these works are slow burners – they grow on you over time, whereas as other works captivate you instantly. When I first started collecting I would buy work on paper because it was cheap, and now I buy work on paper because I love it and I don’t see any differentiation between paper and other mediums.
NH: What are some of the works of which you are the most proud to have in your collection?
Superflex, Guaraná Poer Corner, 2006. Courtesy of the artists. Photo: Anders Sune Berg.
SvB: One of my prized possessions is a rare Gerhard von Graevenitz from 1962. I’m also very proud of the installations I’ve acquired by Superflex called Guaraná Power Corner (2006) and by Sarah Oppenheimer called P- 21 (2008). I also have two very early sculptures by the great Swiss artist Bernhard Luginbühl made out of different coloured wood recovered from old machinery.
NH: What kind of relationship is there between the public aspect of your art-related activities—running the gallery, curating, going to art fairs—and the private side—as in your personal collection? Do you keep them strictly separate, or do they feed into each other?
Bernhard Luginbühl, Dieter Roth, & Björn Roth, HAUS, 1976 – 1994. Courtesy von Bartha.
SvB: My public and private lives are extremely intertwined. I don’t know how I could begin to separate them out! There’s a famous quote by Bruno Bischofberger about how you should be the biggest collector of the artists you work with, and I collect all of the artists we represent. Saying that, I also collect a lot of great work by artists like Bethan Huws, Albrecht Schnider and Raymond Pettibon whose work doesn’t naturally align with von Bartha’s vision.
NH: I like to ask the hypothetical question: if there were one thing about the art world that you could change, what would it be?
SvB: This is an easy one - I’d like it if we all stopped talking about art as an investment. Art should be bought and sold because it is enjoyed and ignites a special response in the viewer.
Beat Zoderer, “Raster, Grid Works from Three Decades” installed at von Bartha S-Chanf. Courtesy von Bartha. Photo: André Huber, Wettingen.
NH: The next two exhibitions at von Bartha feature Swiss artists, Beat Zoderer, which opens August 1 at the S-chanf gallery, and Bernhard Luginbühl at the Basel location, opening September 5. Can you speak a bit about the gallery’s commitment to nurturing and showcasing the Swiss art scene, and how you maintain a balance and dialogue between Swiss artists and international artists?
SvB: Switzerland has a fantastic art history – from the establishment of the Dada movement in Zurich in 1916 to artists such as Alberto Giacometti and Paul Klee. We also have some of the best art schools, and our contemporary artists, like Fischli and Weiss are well respected and prominent on the international stage.
For von Bartha it is therefore important to represent both modern and contemporary Swiss artists and support the art scene here. But I wouldn’t want to just focus on Swiss art; for me what is interesting is the dialogue between the Swiss artists we represent and the international artists such as Bob and Roberta Smith, Superflex, Imi Knoebel and Sarah Oppenheimer. It’s these contrasts, as well as the contrasts between the modern and contemporary artists in our program, which makes von Bartha what it is.
Stefan von Bartha. Courtesy von Bartha.
Beat Zoderer, "Raster: Grid Works from Three Decades" is at von Bartha, S-chanf from 1 August – 5 September.
"Bernhard Luginbühl and Friends" is at von Bartha, Basel from 4 September - 24 October www.vonbartha.com.
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Nouveau riche Chinese driving record art market
They're here in search of gems to offer a seemingly insatiable market for historical Chinese art. And while pieces can pop up from anywhere, Chong says many of the best collections of Chinese art come from "reputable families with rich historical backgrounds which have migrated to Australia in the early 20th century".
While the biannual valuation visits are essentially a marketing exercise and part of Bonhams' Asian expansion plans, there's no denying that the local market for Chinese art has delivered some strong results at recent sales. In June last year, a blue and white porcelain dragon box sold for $146,400 with Bonhams – or 146 times its lower estimate. At a Mossgreen sale last month, another blue and white porcelain went for $20,740 on an estimate of $2,000 to $3,000. These sale prices include a 22 per cent buyer's premium while estimates do not.
Chong says these results are nothing compared with what's been happening in recent Hong Kong sales. "Obviously Hong Kong is the centre of the art market here in Asia," he says, pointing to its proximity for Chinese buyers who make up the majority of the market. It means the best pieces are typically consigned to the Hong Kong sales and accordingly, the results are higher. In November last year, a blue and white garlic mouth vase which went for HK$76.3 million [AUD $11.5 million] on an estimate of HK$6 million [AUD $905,404]. He also points to exceptional results for Chinese snuff bottles.
A Chinese blue-and-white 'dragon' box and cover, with Wanli six-character mark on the base, sold for $146,400 at Bonhams on an estimate of $1000-$2000.
A Chinese blue-and-white 'dragon' box and cover, with Wanli six-character mark on the base, sold for $146,400 at Bonhams on an estimate of $1000-$2000. Supplied
He cites the usual factors that affect results at auction: an object's quality, rarity, provenance and prior appearances on the market, as well as the general health of the economy.
Nouveau riche Chinese
But there are other reasons for the stratospheric results seen in the Chinese art market, including the growth of the collector base. "It's actually growing quite exponentially," says Chong. "You're seeing more world records being broken in the past five to 10 years than in the past 50 years."
"It has a lot to do with the opening and the booming of the Chinese art market. You have a lot of nouveau riche buyers willing to relate themselves to such luxuries, not just art, but maybe watches, jewellery, a car, or houses."
There is also an element of wanting to connect with history. "For Chinese antiques, it's a part of Chinese heritage, part of our tradition," he says.
The history effect has been amplified by the Chinese government, which Chong says "has taken a considerably firm stance in protecting and preserving their cultural heritage and national treasures in the recent decade. This has raised public awareness internationally on the importance and appreciation of Chinese cultural relics, resulting in a positive impact on the global perception of these valuable vestiges."
The Chinese art market is also very broad, he notes, covering not only artworks such as blockprints, watercolours and oils but also antiques from jades, to bronzes, cloisonnés, porcelains and buddhas. "There are collectors in every different category."
"In every different category and period of Chinese history there are different buyers who are interested in it, which is why the Chinese art market is very buoyant, because you're not just banking on the same few rich buyers buying the same few top lots every time."
Chong sees no signs that the market will soften. "The economy has been suffering its ups and downs for the past 15 years but the Chinese art market has always been growing and has resisted these crises… I only see good things to come for Chinese art."
art expert's guide to buying art for your home
art expert's guide to buying art for your home
4:12PM Thursday Aug 13, 2015
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A contemporary art expert's guide to buying art for your home
Date
August 12, 2015
Ali Gripper
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Sydney Contemporary art show director Barry Keldoulis says buyers should trust their instincts.
Sydney Contemporary art show director Barry Keldoulis says buyers should trust their instincts. Photo: Brendan Esposito
With works by artists such as Shaun Gladwell, Fiona Lowry, Imants Tillers and Jonathan Jones jostling for attention on the walls, Barry Keldoulis' Bondi apartment looks more like an art gallery than a regular home.
"Each one of them evokes strong memories," Keldoulis says. "I remember when and the circumstances around how I acquired each one; they are the journal of my life."
As the director of the upcoming Sydney Contemporary art fair, and with more than 30 years in the art world behind him, it seems only natural for him to amass such an impressive private collection.
But what do you do when you love art, but you don't know Mapplethorpe from Matisse and you want to start buying art for your home? With so many artists thrusting themselves into the limelight on the internet, how do you identify the right, up-and-coming contemporary artists to invest in?
Educating yourself by seeing art up close and personal in galleries or art fairs is the first step, Keldoulis says. "Nothing beats seeing it in the flesh," he says. He'll never forget the visceral punch of gazing at Goya for the first time in Madrid after poring over his masterpieces for years in books.
Art fairs have been put together by people with knowledge and taste to "siphon out the dross."
"We do a lot of the initial work for you," he says. "The trouble is that since Warhol everyone wants to be an artist, but the real artists are people who simply have to do it, and we present these authentic ones in the best possible light."
Keldoulis developed a finely honed appreciation of the real thing working in New York for a decade for the "art tzar" of New York, Henry Geldzahler. He went to the opening of David Hockney exhibitions. He met Andy Warhol. He hung out with graffiti artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.
He learnt how to trust his instincts when buying art. "Seek out what you love or hate, rather than what leaves you cold," he advises. "The ones that speak to your heart and mind are going to engage you a lot longer than the ones that just look pretty."
Don't worry about how it fits into your existing decor, he says. "A good work will hold its place wherever you are living. Buy what you love and what challenges you rather than what's in vogue. Be a slave to integrity not fashion. Have confidence in the strength of the piece."
Sydney artist Fiona Lowry, pictured in her studio, won the Archibald Prize for her air brushed portrait of Penelope Seidler. She's one of the artists you can buy at the upcoming Sydney Contemporary art show.
Sydney artist Fiona Lowry, pictured in her studio, won the Archibald Prize for her air brushed portrait of Penelope Seidler. She's one of the artists you can buy at the upcoming Sydney Contemporary art show. Photo: Peter Rae
After all, contemporary art often pushes the boundaries; it's a marriage of ideas and aesthetics and the artists are often expressing concepts through their painting, sculpture, video or sometimes simply just light or sound.
A classic example is an installation by Aboriginal artist Jonathan Jones.
"Jonathan came to the gallery and drilled hundreds of holes in the walls, through which he looped electrical cords with light bulbs hanging down, creating an intricate web of light and shadow. It was a stunning installation, but I thought there's no way anyone can buy this. But we quickly sold it by the square metre. One collector had a mid-century deco apartment in Bondi, the other a Grand Federation home in Vaucluse – two very different styles of homes, but the work looked amazing in both."
Keldoulis also advises that once you've identified the artists who resonate most with you, examine their CV. Are they in institutional exhibitions, at home or abroad? Are they winning grants, scholarships or prizes? Are they in private, corporate and public collections? "If they're firing on all those fronts, it's a sure bet they're in for the long haul."
Returning to Australia in the mid-1990s after over a decade overseas, Keldoulis was impressed by the explosion of creativity in the visual arts. "Sydney had really grown up and the art scene was vibrant. And Australian artists were gaining greater recognition overseas, led by Tracey Moffatt, Shaun Gladwell, Ben Quilty and more recently young guns like Mark Whalen. Emily Kame Kngwarreye's retrospective in Japan was huge – it was bigger than that of some European masters," he says.
International artists at Sydney Contemporary this year include Chuck Close from the USA, Miguel Chevalier from Mexico and Tony Cragg from the UK. Australian artists include Tracey Moffatt, Reg Mombassa and John Olsen. Ben Quilty will be presenting a new body of work.
If there's one thing Keldoulis would like to achieve, it's for "Australians to cultivate a confidence about art. If you go to Germany, every mechanic will have an opinion on contemporary art, whereas here people are afraid of looking uninformed, so they refrain from expressing their opinions. There's this idea that art is elitist, but it's not – artists are ordinary Australians who have an out-of-the-ordinary capacity to express themselves."
Most good art is widely considered to be a blue chip investment over time, he says.
And of course having art in your home evokes a soulful atmosphere that beckons you to stay. For Keldoulis, his life-long fascination with the power of art continues.
"I'll never forget leaving a nightclub in Alphabet City, New York, seeing in an abandoned service station how an artist used old metallic discs to re-create a Mondrian on a giant billboard. Watching the little discs shimmer in the breeze, seeing this huge, dynamic re-interpretation of a modern masterpiece was truly breathtaking."
Sydney Contemporary runs from 10-13 September.
Keldoulis' tips on buying art for your home:
– Educate yourself in the language of visual art by visiting galleries, museums and art fairs.
– Get a feeling for what you love or hate – and go for what moves or surprises you – rather than something that's "just pretty"
– Take your time. You'll live with it for a long time. First instincts resonate most – they rise from your vast unconscious store of imagery, not from your conscious fears and insecurities.
– Look at the artist's CV. Where are they exhibiting? Have they won awards, scholarships and prizes? Are they staging solo exhibitions?
– Don't feel like you have to choose the right "look" for it to co-ordinate with your living space. Chose things that you relate to. Good strong pieces will hold their own and find a place in any home.
JOIN an artist-run project space opening in Germany.
"Artist Jim Denomie depicts politics, history and contemporary Native American issues using bold colors, big brush strokes and a heavy dose of satire. He earned a degree in studio arts and Native American studies from the University of Minnesota, and began painting the world around him. A visual storyteller, his work enlightens and educates people, and is in collections all over the world. " from PRX 10,000 voices
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We are raising money to help cover costs for the exhibition Jim Denomie: Paintings which will take place in Friedrichshafen Germany September 27 -October 25, 2015.
Costs include:
Translation of catalog essay from English to German $300
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Total $1875.00
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artwork online gallery belonging to the artists - sell/buy art
With your help we will transform our art website into the biggest and powerful online gallery of contemporary art and you will help thousands of creative people to express their talents in art and share their artwork with the whole world !!!
Hello everyone. My name is Ilya. I'm a founder of project ARTWORK Online Gallery (www.artwork-gallery.ru).
It is strange how much one trip changes you. I have long lived in Siberia, in Omsk and probably never would have thought about creating an online gallery, if not a nice trip to St. Petersburg. Beauty works in museums and galleries in the city has been able to move me deeply,and ever since I love art and all that it involves. At that moment, when I first touched this wonderful creative world, I was very surprised that my attempts to find some big free internet portal, which would cover the different directions in art, have been unsuccessful. Most part of internet resources offer only to buy or sell the paintings . Well, if we are not talking about selling, we can observe only a very highly specialized portals. Pottery, painters, masters of computer graphics and other creative people… All of them work on their own as separated tribes living in one state, but under different laws and customs.
I was very surprised about this state of affairs and decided that it would be just fine to combine all of these people in a single project. To be able to cover the different types and styles to create a real support of contemporary art. I wanted it to be a place where any beginner or an experienced artist could present their work, show it to the people to express his gift, his talent.
The “ARTWORK Online Gallery” project has come to life. Starting work on a small website, I realized that more and more artists want to express themselves, and among them were many young talents who have just started to take their first steps in the incredible world of art. And each of them works in a different direction. At this point, it became obvious that I can not manage alone, and I got my friends to work on ”Artwork Online Gallery” as well. So we started adding more and more new sections where everyone could find a place in the cozy halls of our virtual online gallery. Later I went to live in Bulgaria, where I told about my “Online Gallery” to new friends and as a result, our team has enlarged, and there also has been new artists who really wanted to show their creativity to the world.
More and more artists from different countries began to join our project and continue to make our gallery even more attractive for those who appreciate art. The next step was to work with social networks and then it became obvious that there are true connoisseurs of beauty , because our communities in social networks is supported by thousands of people and now we know that the work is not in vain and that people are very interested in our project.
But with the big popularity problems began to appear . It turned out that we simply cannot withstand the load on the website, and we just need more powerful servers, and will be a lot of work on innovations for our “Online Gallery”. It was then that we realize where to look for help! Of course, here, in a place where people care about other people's ideas and where we can see with our desire to bring beauty and art to everyone who wants it.
Art - is the thing that has no nationality and language, it is one for all, it is now a world heritage of humanity, which should be available to everyone. That is why we are eager to expand our project worldwide. This is why we created this campaign to raise funds. Our goal is not only to help people enjoy the beautiful works of art of the world, but also give an opportunity to everyone who is talented in art to find their own creative way and even get into museums and exhibitions together with the originals of their works. And it's not just our desire. It is the desire of all those who love art and our project. With your support we can show the wonderful world of creative people which is filled with miracles and beauty.
We also want to create a bridge between those who create and those who are already working in the field of art. We want to help young talents reach out to those people who are happy to take their work to exhibitions, galleries and museums. There are so many fine artists among the young people who cannot find their way due to the fact that there are many obstacles in the art world. And against the backdrop of the global chaos that reigns various military and political wars, we want to create a real home for all those who see a bright future in the arts, in its beauty and purity. And that artists and other creators will be able to show us the beautiful world and can once again regain faith in a better future.
Our team looks forward to your support, because all raised funds will help our resource to develop further. We will be able to help all those who can create works of incredible beauty and it is with your support we will be able to show the best works in the world to a huge number of people from different countries and regions of our planet!
There is nothing better than to give people the light and joy through art in our difficult times. And if we can expand with your help, we will be very glad to see you in our virtual gallery of contemporary art, both as an artist and as a visitor, because “ARTWORK Online Gallery” – it is a real stronghold of art.
After all this we can conclude that the main goal of our updated Online Gallery is a full cooperation of those who create works of art and art lovers from all over the world on one site. And the most important thing is that our website is not online store. All creative people can show their works even if they are not going to sell them. Thanks to a new approach of the project development and a new system of interaction with the site, artists will be able to get acquainted with art dealers, gain fame, show their work to the whole world and get admirers of their works. And users of the portal will be able to communicate freely with the people of art, enjoy beautiful works of art, as well as demonstrate their own talents and learn something new . And the live communication without language barriers with people from different countries and new experience will help everyone to touch the beautiful, to the very heart of our wonderful Online Gallery.
That's why we need your help with fundraising.
Because we want to create the biggest, most informative and useful online gallery of contemporary art, we need to spend a huge amount of work. That's why we suggest you get familiar with the diagram of budget planning. We have identified six of the most important points:
1. Development and programming
2. Seo & PR
3. Purchase of international domain in the .com zone (new site adress will be: www.artwork-gallery.com).
4. Gifts and rewards for anyone who has decided to support our project.
5. Multilanguage (also improve existing translation).
6. Rent of powerful servers.
BUDGET DISTRIBUTION DIAGRAM:
The first paragraph "Development and Programming" also includes at least fifteen subparagraphs (language on pictures - Russian):
1. Add support for hashtags and improve the search engine for works of art.
2. Develop and add a personal user account with an extended set of features (4 types of membership will be available).
3. Add a graphics editor to our online gallery. Each user will have the opportunity to feel like an artist. There will be a special section for users under the title "I am learning to draw ...". In this section, users can upload their creations. Planned support for graphics tablets.
4. Blogs for each artist. Each artist will be able to run their own blog.
5. Function «Follow me» to the user. Every registered user will be able to monitor the work of his favourite master fromthe account or receive the latest news on e-mail.
6. Add the function "Albums" for artists. Each artist will be able to add not only the individual works, but also create albums of a series of works, or add a photo of the creative process.
7. Finalize the feedback form. Now, if the visitoris are interested in someone's work of art they can contact the artistdirectly, bypassing the site administration.
8. Improving commenting of the works. It is planned to make comment form not only through social networking plugins but also by adding comments on the site.
9. Add a visit counter. Will take into account the number of visits to the page of the author and browsing with works of art. On this basis, new sections will be added: Work of the day, work of the week and work of the month. The popularity of the artist will also be taken into account based on the counter.
visit counter
work of the week(day, month)
10. Add filters in each category to simplify searching. Now the filters are not available for all categories of the site. Once finalized this task, visitors can apply filters to all categories.
11. Simplify the site navigation and implementation of a large number of tips starting with the registration process, and ending with the viewing and adding the artwork.
better site navigation
useful tips
12. Support for the English language forum.
13. Additional functions for the artist's page.
14. Improve artist's personal account.
15. Add a search bar with an expanded set of features.
And of course, this is not the full list of additions to the website, and only a small part of what we are going to do on our portal.
Rewards for your support:
Any contribution is a huge help! Your contributions will help not only to develop the project. You will help all creative people to express their talents in art and share their artwork with the whole world. We will be glad of any support and certainly will show our gratitude with a gift associated with art. For all who support us, we have prepared a lot of pleasant surprises.
$1 - Many thanks for your support.
We are very glad that you have supported development of our online gallery!!! Your contribution is very important to us!!!
$5 - Many many thanks for your support + your name on the website.
Your contribution is very important to us!!! We are really happy that you supported our online gallery. All those who funded this amount for the project will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for".
$15 - Many many many thanks for your support + your name on the website + early access to most new functions of our online gallery (6 month of free membership).
We are very glad that people are not indifferent to the development of art. Your contribution is very important to us!!! All those who funded this amount for the project will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for" + you will get an early access to the most new functions of our online gallery.
$30 + shipping - "ARTWORK Online Gallery" Poster + Early access to most new functions of our online gallery + your name on the website (6 month of free membership). .
!!!non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
All those who funded this amount for the project will get an excellent poster with the image of one of the paintings from our online gallery + your name will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for" + you will get an early access to the most new functions of our online gallery.
$50 + shipping - "ARTWORK Online Gallery" Logo T-shirt + Early access to most new functions of our online gallery (6 month of free membership). (English and Russian Logo available)+ your name on the website.
!!!non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
Your name will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for".
$75 + shipping - "ARTWORK Online Gallery" Logo T-Shirt + "ARTWORK Online Gallery" Logo Cap + Early access to most new functions of our online gallery (6 month of free membership). .
!!!!!!non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
$150 + shipping - Canvas Print Painting + your name on the website + early access to most new functions of our online gallery(6 month of free membership).
!!! frame and non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
You will get an excellent canvas printed painting from our online gallery. Size 30x40 cm or 40x30 cm. Your name will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for".
Canvas Print 40x30 cm. (This is an example of one of the dozens of pictures available for printing).
Canvas Print 30x40 cm. (This is an example of one of the dozens of pictures available for printing).
$350 + shipping - Canvas Print Painting + your name on the website + early access to most new functions of our online gallery + graphics tablet (6 month of free membership).
!!! frame and non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
You will get an excellent canvas printed painting from our online gallery (Size 30x40 cm or 40x30 cm) + graphics tablet to use all new functions of our website. Your name will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for".
Canvas Print 30x40 cm (This is an example of one of the dozens of pictures available for printing) + graphics tablet.
or
Canvas Print 40x30 cm (This is an example of one of the dozens of pictures available for printing) + graphics tablet.
$750 + shipping - Original Artwork from our online gallery + graphics tablet + your name on the website + early access to most new functions of our online gallery(6 month of free membership).
!!! !!! frame and non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
We want to thank you for this contribution and make you a gift from our online gallery. Our team is pleased to present you an original watercolor or pastel paintings. You will be asked dozens of different pastel or watercolor paintings to choose from. (Size up to 30x40 cm or 40x30 cm.). Your name will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for".
It can be:
Pastel painting + graphics tablet
or
Watercolor painting + graphics tablet
And of course, all works of art made by wonderful artists registered in "ARTWORK Online Gallery".
$1500 + shipping - Original Oil Painting (size from 30x40 (or 40x30) up to 50x70 (or 70x50 cm)) + graphics tablet + your name on the website + early access to most new functions of our online gallery (1 year of free membership).
!!! frame and non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
You will get an excellent oil painting made by our wonderful artists and of course graphics tablet to use all new functions of the website. Your name will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for".
Original oil painting + graphics tablet (dozens of paintings are available to chose from).
$5500 + shipping - Original Oil Painting (size from 55x70 (70x55) up to 100x120 or 120x100 cm) + graphics tablet + your name on the website + early access to most new functions of our online gallery(1 year of free membership).
!!! frame and non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
Beautiful gift from ARTWORK Online Gallery - large original oil painting made by our wonderful artist + graphics tablet to use all new functions of the website. Your name will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for".
Oil painintg + graphics tablet:
$15000 + shipping - "ARTWORK Online Gallery" set + your name on the website + early access to most new functions of our online gallery(2 years of free membership).
!!! frame and non-standard shipping methods are discussed separately
For this great contribution you will get a full "ARTWORK Online Gallery" set which includes:
- large original oil painting (size up to 100x120 cm) made by our wonderful artist
- professional graphics tablet to use all new functions of the website
- "ARTWORK Online Gallery" Logo T-Shirt
- "ARTWORK Online Gallery" Logo Cap
Your name will be in a special section of the site under the name of "Thanks for".
ARTWORK Online Gallery set:
Risks and challenges:
In spite of our desire to send our gifts to everyone who has supported us as quickly as possible, we can face a number of difficulties, which do not depend on us.
We cannot give exact delivery times, as they may vary depending on:
- Type of transportation
- The conditions of delivery of postal companies
- Your country of residence.
Of course we pointed that Estimated Delivery date of your gifts if February 2016. But this date is only possible if :
1). Your gift is:
- “ARTWORK Online Gallery” Poster.
- Canvas Print Painting
- “ARTWORK Online Gallery” Logo T-shirt
- “ARTWORK Online Gallery” Logo Cap
2). If the original works of art are at the artist and don’t need to make a copy.
3). If the work is not cultural value and don’t need to make special documents for sending.
If the painting selected as a gift is out of stock, it may take time to create this work of art. Production time of the painting copy depends on the artists themselves. We would also like to warn you that the standard shipping method does not include insurance for works of art and, unfortunately, it applies to all types of work, whether it is a copy or the original.
OUR TEAM:
Ilya Dyachenko (Russia) - Founder of the project.
It was he who had the idea to create ARTWORK Online Gallery. And his team from distant Siberia was pleased to support this idea.
Ivan Zarenkov (Russia) - Design & Programming
Took responsibility for the appearance and the technical part of the project. Experience gained by him for 7 years as head of web-studio allows to solve all tasks at the proper level.
Egor Krutskiy (Russia) : Content
"Write, search and create" - this is his motto. Takes any amount of work and does it quickly and efficiently.
Konstantin Kutsevalov (Russia) : Programming
His mind is always full of fresh ideas. Knows everything and even more about programming ....
Elena Karadjova (Bulgaria) : Support & Translation
She loves to talk and is able to do it in a number of leanguages. She will help all this connect.
Martin Lacabanne (Argentina): Independent artist
FAQ:
Q: How old is your website ???
A: Our site is very young. The domain was registered in 2012, but the work on the website began in 2014. First we made a small website for some Russian artists to show their works. But later we saw that artists from other countries want to show their artwork. They began to ask us questions how they can upload works of art to our website. And we started develop ARTWORK Online Gallery.
Q: How much I have to pay for registration in your project?
A: Our project is free for all .
Q: How many works can I upload for free?
A: You can upload an infinite number of your works of art. But we have a limit on the file size - not more than 2 megabytes. Later we are going to remove the limit on the file size.
Q: You have a Russian domain now. Are you going to purchase international domain name?
A: Sure!!! We are going to purchase ".com" domain. New domain name will be www.artwork-gallery.com . But the cost of this domain name is $3896.20 (https://who.is/whois/artwork-gallery.com - link to check the price). That's why we made this IndieGoGo Campaign.
Q: Are you going to improve personal account for users?
A: Of course. Our team is going to develop and add a personal user account with an extended set of features.
Q: I'm not from Russia. Can I upload my works to your website?
A: No matter what is your country. Everyone can show their talents in art on our website.
Q: Can I sale my paintings from your website?
A: Yes. If someone will show interest to one of your paintings or other works, our administrators will let you know about it. Upon receiving the order the administration of the site conveys the artist’s contact details to the buyer (or vice versa - the buyer transfers the data to the artist), without taking further part in the transaction. Thus, the artist is able to negotiate with the buyer directly, without intermediaries, increasing the chances to sell his work. (In case of a successful deal the website's commission is just 10%. This amount helps to maintain the website).
Other ways to help:
If you can't make a contribution, do not worry. We'll be very grateful if you tell about project "ARTWORK Online Gallery" to your friends and share our campaign in social networks such as facebook, twitter, google+ , LinkedIn and others.
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