I came across this recently, I really like it! Perhaps because it is black and glossy and reminds me of coal mining and is minimal and is angular. There is a lot to like.
Last month it was reported that the only Monet in Poland's National collection was recovered having been stolen in 2000. In 2000 Robert Zwolinski was granted permission to sketch the painting, Beach at Pourville 1882, at the National Museum under poor surveillance. Seizing the opportunity, Zwolinski cut the painting from its frame and replaced it with a copy. He was eventually caught when his fingerprints, which were taken for an unrelated issue, matched those found on the frame.
Art thief extraordinaire Zwolinski was not part of a criminal gang or hired by a millionaire mad man to steal the Monet. He was a fan. An art fanatic who acted on impulse and lost control in the presence of the object of his affection. This kind of behavior is common, if not expected, in the celebrity world but rarely seen in the art world. Zwolinski developed a passion for impressionism after spending time in Paris. His interest grew after the break down of his marriage and he said that his life was "empty and meaningless... I escaped into books. In one of them I read about the Monet" He had hid the painting behind a wardrobe in his parent's apartment, a hiding place it never left for ten years.
If art is supposed to give meaning and enrich life, if it is supposed to open up new possibilities then we could call this story a success for the arts.
Debra Baxter, Crystal Brass Knuckles ( I am going to realign your chakra motherf*****) 2009
This piece is many thing; fabricated sculpture, conceptual art and jewelery craft. (And they say art has no use!) But the best aspect of this piece by Debra Baxter is the name. At the moment crystals are big in art, really big, getting bigger. I like that this is a great big crystal that pokes fun at itself with its title; I am going to realign your chakra motherf******. I like jokes in art and I like art that references art, though I can't say if this was the artist's intention.
The city first introduced to me by the musical stylings of Eminem, the socio-economic implications of it's former automobile industry explained to me by Michael Moore in Capitalism: A Love Story and illustrated for me by this informative diagram, seems like a post-post-apocalyptic film set.
A part of me thinks that the end is nigh, not in a 2012 Mayan calender kind of way but in a change of social consciousness. A sort of reversal of the 1950s, 1960s consumerist identity. A quick look at the TV guide shows this redirection of public interest with a increasing number of self sufficiency programming like Grow Your Own Drugs, Kirstie's Homemade Home,Edwardian Farm,Born Survivor and even celebrity chef shows like Escape to River Cottage. Although the other part of me just thinks it is all just a trend what with the recession and that.
Recently, my boyfriend's parents told us about a vacationing American couple that they had met in a bar. By vacationing I mean they were planning to land in the UK but were diverted due to the weather. They were surprised that everyone here was so happy because they had heard how terrible the financial situation was. Irish people do love to have something to moan about and it was Christmas, the season of good cheer. When I told my boyfriend about our new shipmates he joked, "if Estonia bought the last ticket for the Titanic, Ireland must be the band that kept spirits up and continued to play as the ship sank!"
Scene from one of the older Titanic films. Image found here. Other image found here.
Despite my intentions to ignore the recession frenzy, more and more I am writing about this economic nastiness. The arts, of course are affected by this nastiness and really, I cannot imagine an area that isn't.
Drawing my attention (and seething anger) today is Bank of Ireland's announcement that it has decided to wrangle a few more coppers from its customers by imposing new fees on current account holders. As a loyal Bank of Ireland customer for about 20 years now having graduated into this sh*tstorm, I am excited to learn that these new fees will affect mostly the less well off customers. The fees will only affect those who cannot maintain a constant balance of €3000, those who deposit less than €1000 per month or those make fewer than nine payments by phone or online banking. Financial fashionistas will be glad to see that fees are very on-trend in thatthey are likely to affect mostly those who are on low income or unemployed. Perhaps BOI were inspired by the recent Budget cuts to social welfare cuts and reduction of the minimum wage. All this from a bailed out bank. They have seemingly developed a taste for public money and unethical practice.
Understandably the bank is required to try and secure extra revenue, but this unethical move is telling of the socio-myopic mindset of those who make the decisions.
In the New Year I shall be looking for a new bank.
National Campaign for the Arts promotional video With the Budget looming it is difficult to think of the arts without thinking of politics. But the two are never far apart. The country's bailout has seen Ireland get negative publicity around the globe causing the arts, which is a huge figure in cultural identity, to be ever more relevant.
There is a tendency to "live in the past". People focus on what their houses were once worth and where they once wen on holiday. When we think of cultural identity we think of the 1916 Easter rising. There is difficulty in visualizing a new nation. In my hometown Athlone there are proposals/talks/plans of avisual arts gallery. The proposed site was the old library and the plans included what I thought of as a tasteful expansion to the original construction. Opposition claimed that it was a waste of money and suggested that the building be used to house memorabilia of Count John McCormack, "Athlone's most famous son". Count John McCormack was a respected tenor who died in 1945, his memorabilia is already on display elsewhere. My frustration lies in the desire to focus on the past and an inability to visualize a new future. There is talent, skill and ambition being exported out of the the town as it lacks a visuals arts community and a suitable venue would go a long way in rectifying this. It would create jobs and attract tourism and potentially larger employers. However, many would rather focus on something that happened 100 years ago. It is similar to saying "instead of funding next year's Olympic team, lets build a monument to the last team".
Contemporary art is a scary term that is laden down with preconceptions. But contemporary merely references things of today. So it is obvious that contemporary arts have a huge role to play in forging a future and making today a little more enjoyable. The included video is a little cheesy at times but the message is spot on.
I watched the first episode of these a few years ago but stopped due to disrupted internet connection. In fact, I never completed the book they are based on. I am adding both to my to do list. The youtube videos are of poor quality, though I think that is partially because they are old productions. (The old BBC logo after ad breaks has a warming nostalgia). It seems fitting that this book was made into a audio visual programme, fitting that we can be shown how we "see".
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