Archive: Issue No. 80, April 2004

01.04.04 Candice Breitz in Linz, Austria
03.03.04 Amaler-Raviv, Yudelman and Mthethwa in Norway
03.03.04 Minnette Vari in Switzerland
03.03.04 Marlene Dumas at Museum for Actual Art, Ghent

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

01.04.04 Claudette Schreuders at Arizona State University Art Museum
01.04.04 Zwelethu Mthethwa at Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
01.04.04 Freedom Park Architectural Model on show in Rhode Island
03.03.04 William Kentridge at New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York: Extended Run
03.03.04 William Kentridge at Marian Goodman in New York
16.01.04 'A Decade of Democracy: Witnessing South Africa', in Boston

AUSTRALIA

01.04.04 Candice Breitz at Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane

RUSSIA

01.04.04 Robin Rhode in Moscow

The exhibition 'Open House' focuses on the status of art and the public sphere today. Featuring Candice Breitz, amongst others, the show pays special attention to the rapid transformations of urban space, which have had a lasting influence on critical art practice in recent years.

Starting from the city of Linz and its situation of wide-scale rebuilding as a model case, art projects are presented that reflect on urban space as laboratories for alternative business models, and as a location in the charged field between the official understanding of history and the subversive appropriation thereof.

All the artists and collectives invited to participate are somehow regarded as engaging with the urban public sphere. 'Open House' is not limited to its exhibitions, but includes additional discussion forums, the totality aimed at discerning alternative modes of living and working in a late capitalist society.

Aside from Breitz, other participants include Michael Blum, Harun Farocki, Andrea Geyer and Silke Wagner, amongst others. The show is curated by Thomas Edlinger, Stella Rollig and Roland Schöny.

Opens; March 12
Closes: April 30

Arlene Amaler-Raviv and Dale Yudelman's collaboration 'Live Stock', recently shown at the 8th Havana Biennial in Cuba, has been selected along with Zwelethu Mthethwa's work to be shown at the Henie Onstad Kunstenter in Oslo, Norway.

'Postcards from Cuba - A Selection from the 8th Havana Biennial' is curated by Selene Wendt, and presents a selection from the 8th Havana Biennial. The exhibition includes an international mix of artists working in a variety of mediums.

The venue, Henie Onstad kunstenter was established in 1968 by the famous ice skater Sonja Henie and her husband Niels Onstad. With a collection of modern and contemporary art at its core, the gallery's emphasis is on presenting changing exhibitions of international and contemporary art. Artists who have recently shown at Henie Onstad include: Marlene Dumas, Yinka Shonibare, Olu Oguibe and Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, amongst others.

Opens: February 6
Closes: May 2

Minnette Vari has her first monographic museum show in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Curated by Susanne Neubauer and funded by a generous grant by the Art Club Lucerne, the show opened at the Museum of Art, Lucerne. The exhibition features eight of video and video-based works, including a large installation of the two-channel piece The Calling (2003) with 'found' stone sculptures loaned from the Historical Museum of Lucerne; an installation of the four-channel work Chimera (the white edition) (2001); a large outdoor projection of REM (2001) which can be seen 'floating' every night below the vast ceiling that juts out from the building. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

Shown for the first time is Vari's brand new two-channel video work entitled Riverrun (2004), which looms like a double spectre, filling the entire volume of a 6,5 meter tall room. It features two video as well as two stereo audio components of different durations, which run out of synch, so the viewing experience is somewhat liquid and never quite repeats in the same way. Riverrun is as seamless a loop as is James Joyce's Finnegans Wake (of which the first word, of course, is "riverrun").

Many of the work's conceptual concerns can be traced in the sentence that links the end of that book back to its beginning, namely "A way a lone a last a loved a long the (...) riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodious vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs". This last reference to a place often doubles as the initials of the book's protagonist, but is also used by Joyce to mean here comes everybody.

The piece is essentially a meditation on the courses that we cut in our lifetimes, like water does into earth; sometimes resulting in flood and at other times a dry riverbed. It also contains biographical references and cryptic messages to family members no longer in this world.

"Riverrun", explains the artist, "runs a course set in a loop journey that I made by car to places of personal significance, a loop of footage that serves as the route or backdrop against which many smaller visual encounters take place. The 'journeying' footage runs backwards, creating a strange vertigo: to me a way of communicating that, although the world gears us into thinking of life and progress as rising and forward-moving, like all things we are constantly drawn back into the earth; we fail and fall in big ways and small, and are re-absorbed into something primordial."

The artist will present a talk at the museum on April 28.

Opens: February 7
Closes: May 9

'Grasduinen 1' is the pilot of a series of exhibitions organised by the City Museum for Actual Art (S.M.A.K.) in Ghent, in collaboration with the coastal village of Bredene.

Former Walker Art Center curator Cis Bierinckx dug around in the S.M.A.K. collection and added privately and artist-owned work to it. The project aims also to commission and introduce artists who have not yet shown in Belgium for the show. Bierinckx has commissioned the Croatian artist Milijana Babic, until recently resident in Durban, to create a new work in situ, while Capetonian Ed Young will present a performance at the opening.

The exhibition looks at art as a seducer but at the same time as a disturbing agent that forces the viewer to take a position. In this way the viewer becomes a participant rather than a consumer. Other artists on the show include Vito Acconci (USA), Lawrence Weiner (USA), Steven Blum (Switzerland), Wim Delvoye (Belgium), Noritoshi Hirakawa (Japan), Marlene Dumas (SA/Netherlands) and Maria May Post (Netherlands).

Opens: April 3

The Arizona State University Art Museum presents an exhibition of sculpture and prints by Claudette Schreuders. Entitled 'The Long Day', the show features 11 new sculptures, lithographs and drawings. Schreuders is best known for her autobiographical figurative sculpture inspired by family photographs and memories and by the specific social experience of growing up white, female and Afrikaans in the broader political context of South Africa.

Assembled from carved and painted wood, the works often include other materials such as iron, leather, nails and found objects, reflecting the influence of African sculpture. Schreuders' accessible but moody works convey the revolutionary changes in South Africa and of individuals grappling with the country's inscrutable past.

In her artist's statement, published in the catalogue Liberated Voices: Contemporary Art from South Africa, she remarks: "(The) sense of (my) dislocation was not only the result of a European heritage within an African context, but also the marginalisation that formed part of a restrictive society that set limits and threatened to reject those who did not conform."

Her new work reflects on the burden of representing contemporary South African political and social realities. Her allegorical figures range from works inspired by family history to anonymous figures observed in private moments that become political in a public space - like reading the newspaper about Rwanda in a park.. Schreuders draws inspiration from the iconography and style of African tribal art, the Colon figures of West Africa, and Western traditions of religious woodcarving, particularly Northern and Spanish baroque sources.

Claudette Schreuders received a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Cape Town in 1997. Her work has been exhibited in numerous group exhibitions in South Africa, Japan, Germany, Great Britain and the United States, and in solo exhibitions at the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York.

Opens: March 20
Closes: June 19, 2004

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'Lines of Negotiation' is the title of Zwelethu Mthethwa's latest New York exhibition of photographs. The works in the exhibition continue Mthethwa's investigation of the lives of ordinary South Africans living at edges of the global economy, focusing here on sugarcane cutters in KwaZulu Natal.

As with his images of township dwellers in Cape Town, Mthethwa aims to highlight the individualism and creativity of his subjects in the face of adversity. Remarking on this, Mthethwa states: "What is intriguing with the sugarcane cutters is their response to the camera, how they portray and present themselves and how they wish to be perceived. Their gestures and postures, clothes and working tools speak volumes about their social and economic circumstances and most importantly their personal experiences within the landscape where they are depicted."

The setting is intentional. In many respects the history of sugar and of the spread of sugarcane cultivation is a textbook study in the history of colonialism. The market for sugarcane has grown exponentially since the 16th century with the expansion of industrialisation and points to the roots of today's globalising economy in the colonial system.

Mthethwa is well aware of this, and states: "Sugarcane is an international commodity. The depiction of the landscape in the photograph displaces or erases any clues of an identifiable national geography, thus the images negotiate universal conditions. For the subject of sugarcane and its politics are global phenomena."

A prolific artist, Mthethwa has previously held solo exhibitions at The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Hamburg Kunsthalle, Galerie der Gegenwart, Hamburg, as well as The Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis. Recent group exhibitions include the Havana Biennial, the Istanbul Biennial, and 'Strangers: The First ICP Triennial of Photography and Video', held at the International Center of Photography in New York.

Upcoming exhibitions include the Sao Paolo Biennial and 'Africa Remix', which will travel to Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf; Hayward Gallery, London; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.

Opens: March 18
Closes: April 17, 2004

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Architecture has the ability to convey a spiritual essence, to transcend and elevate the human condition to its full potential argue the architectural team of Jennifer Lee and Pablo Castro. Co-founders of OBRA, an experimental architectural practice founded in 2000, the pair has since developed a body of architectural work intended as a series of reconciliatory acts between humans and nature.

"Architecture's role is not only that of creating meaningful spaces for human inhabitation, but also that of telling the story of man's achievements in a way no other art can. The uniquely inspiring outcome of the liberation of the South African people is such a story, one of universal significance, its dissemination and celebration are both necessary and urgent."

Alongside Peter To Tai Fai (Hong Kong) and Vladimir Djurovic & Imad Gemayel (Lebanon), OBRA won the two-stage international competition for the design of Freedom Park. The work done on this project will be exhibited on a show titled 'Architettura Povera', and will be presented alongside two other OBRA projects: Viviendas Acueducto, Guanajuato, Mexico; and Nine Square Sky, Chile.

All the works on show evidence the influence of the Arte Povera movement, of the late 60s and early 70s, in Italy. As such, look forward to works that demonstrate experimentation unhindered by tradition, complete openness towards materials and processes, and the rejection of a defined style.

For more information, contact Jennifer Lee at: jennifer@obraarchitects.com.

Opens: March 23
Closes: April 9

'Point of View: An Anthology of the Moving Image' is an innovative commissioning and publishing project featuring new works by eleven leading artists representing different generations and different cultural perspectives: Francis Alys, David Claerbout, Douglas Gordon, Gary Hill, Pierre Huyghe, Joan Jonas, Isaac Julien, William Kentridge, Paul McCarthy, Pipilotti Rist and Anri Sala.

'Point of View', produced by Bick Productions (Ilene Kurtz Kretzschmar and Caroline Bourgeois) and the New Museum of Contemporary Art, was conceived to make accessible the work of some of the most important artists working in video, film and digital imagery today. Produced as a publication in an unlimited number, 'Point of View' is the first commercially available anthology of the moving image, serving as a point of entry to these new works, and as an ongoing resource for museums, universities and art schools around the world.

The Anthology consists of a boxed set of eleven DVD's, each containing a newly-commissioned work; an in-depth interview with the artist conducted by either Dan Cameron, senior curator at the New Museum of Contemporary Art, curator Hans Ulrich Obrist of the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, or Richard Meyer, Associate Professor, Department of Art History, University of Southern California; an image library of the artist's previous work; and biographical material. The initial print run is 1500 and will be available through the New Museum store and website.

William Kentridge's contribution is titled Automatic Writing (2003), and consists "hauntingly beautiful" series of animated black and white drawings brings viewers into the artist's unconscious.

The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977, is the only museum in New York City dedicated exclusively to contemporary art and shows the best art from around the world. Over the last five years, the Museum has exhibited artists from Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Poland, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom among others. The Museum has also mounted ambitious surveys of important but under-recognized artists such as Ana Mendieta, William Kentridge, David Wojnorowicz, and Paul McCarthy. The Museum's Zenith Media Lounge, launched in November 2000, is the only museum space in New York City devoted to presenting new media art.

In Spring 2006, the New Museum will open a new home at 235 Bowery at Prince Street. This 60,000 square foot facility, designed by the Tokyo-based firm Sejima + Nishizawa/SANAA, will greatly expand the Museum's exhibitions and programs, and will be the first art museum constructed in Downtown New York's modern history.

Opens: February 27
Closes: May 11

William Kentridge returns to Marian Goodman with a show titled 'Tide Table'. This is the third time he will show at this prestigious gallery since exhibiting there in 2000, in late 2002 he showed his Documenta XI work 'Zeno Writing'.

For a review of his 2000 show, follow this link:
www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1248/ 12_88/67872939/p1/article.jhtml

Since 1977, the Marian Goodman Gallery has played an important role in introducing European artists to American audiences and helping to establish a vital dialogue among artists and institutions working internationally. The gallery's 2002/03 program included exhibitions by Jeff Wall, Gabriel Orozco, Tacita Dean, and Giuseppe Penone.

Opens: March 4
Closes: April 10

Taking their cue as the tenth year of our fledgling democracy, curators Sophia Ainslie, Thembinkosi Goniwe and Tumelo Mosaka present a show that bravely showcases the work of a diverse cluster of emerging contemporary South African artists. According to the curators, "the 20 young artists featured critically reflect on how identity used to be defined by the binary black and white opposition under apartheid. They also explore the new multidimensional identities that are possible today, and probe their limits and contradictions".

Reading through the list of participants there are a number of surprises, but whatever ones personal reservations the choice is welcome given the almost hegemonic power young(ish) artists like Candice Breitz, Kendell Geers, Moshekwa Langa and Zwelethu Mthethwa seem have abroad. Taking that favoured theme for unearthing truths about South African art practice, the show examines ways how identity has been defined through the use of more personal modes of expression.

Artists Thando Mama and Rudzani Nemasetoni, for instance, reflect differently on how the state defined identity. In Nemasetoni case, the artist uses images from his family's Pass Books, while Mama uses his own body as a site for the recovery of meaning and power associated with the black subject. On the other hand, artists such as Nkosinathi Khanyile, Mthunzi Ndimande, and Nirupa Sing explore influences of African heritage in modern culture. Through their use of natural materials and implementation of traditional skills such as grass weaving, they recover and celebrate an African heritage that is marginalized and threatened by modern society.

'A Decade of Democracy: Witnessing South Africa' articulates the variety of strategies that South African artists use to connect their living history with its past. The framework is to allow for the works to create a conversation that explores the impact of apartheid witnessing the complexities and multitude of issues that South Africa is confronting today. The exhibition will act as a catalyst to generate discussion around the progress and change that has occurred over the last decade transforming a society struggling to reconcile its past legacy. It presents a transient moment in South African history portraying how emerging artists negotiate between what was, what is, and what is to come.

The full list of participating artists is: Bongi Bengu, Pitso Chinzima, Matthew Hindley, Nicholas Hlobo, Fanie Jason, Alison Kearney, Nkosinathi Khanyile, Jeanott M. M. Laderia, Fritha Langerman, Brenton Maart, Thando Mama, Colbert Mashile, Pauline Mazibuko, Mthunzi Ndimande, Rudzani Nemasetoni, Christian Nerf, Charles Nkosi, Roderick Kevin Sauls, Nirupa Sing and Nontsikele Lolo Veleko.

Sipho Mdanda is assistant curator on the project.

Opens: April 2, at 6:30pm

'Video Hits: Art and Music Video Exhibition' brings together works by music video directors and visual artists - several of whom have never before exhibited in Australia. It focuses on the dialogue between art and music video and offers an original and challenging framework for the MTV generation to engage with a form of popular culture that has defined a new aesthetic.

The first stage of the exhibition features large-scale projections of clips by leading international directors. The second stage, scheduled to coincide with 'Prime 04: Art+Music+Video', presents video works that were made for or influenced by music television.

Anyone familiar with Candice Breitz's recent output will know that this is intimately her territory. An artist who utilises video with fluent ease, and sometimes to achingly beautiful effect, her most recent videos presented Breitz painstakingly miming popular songs. Karaoke it isn't.

Breitz will show her works alongside Sadie Benning (Chicago), Tony Cokes (Rhode Island), Dick Donkeys Dawn (London), Art Jones (New York), Liisa Lounilla (Helsinki), Pipilotti Rist (Zurich/Los Angeles) and Annika Str�m (Stockholm/Berlin).

Opens: March 27
Closes: June 14

'Schizorama' is a group show that sets out to engage with the phenomenon of youth culture. Of particular focus here is the deconstruction of media and economic strategies aimed at representing and establishing youth culture. Logo culture and pop culture all form part of the enquiry, which is structured around the works of a group of Berlin-based artists doing investigative 'field research' into phenomena abutted to the youth culture tag.

In many respects it is not surprising then to find out that Robin Rhode has been invited to attend. His performance pieces often confront viewers with the inaccessibility of modern objects of desire, be they luxury brands or public urban spaces.

Other participants on this group show include Shahram Entekhabi, Lise Harlev, Judith Hopf, Katrin Lock, Marisa Maza, Bj�rn Melhus, Jan Rohlf & Maverick, Michaela Schweiger, Anatolij Shuravlev, Sean Snyder and Florian Zeyfang. The show has been curated by Antje Weitzel.

Rhode has also been invited to exhibit in Prague, on a two-person exhibition alongside the English collective Inventory, nominated for the Beck's New Future's Award in 2003. The show is curated by Karel Cizar, a Czech curator based in Prague. The only details presently available are that it will be hosted at the Home Gallery, in Prague.

Opens: March 25
Closes: April 16, 2004