Pixel Sweet Pixel

Ok so here is yet another work of art featuring my very own Pixel. I am also working on custom portraits this week. I have around 6 painterly style projects in-house at the moment, and I'm trying hard to finalize those this week. This quick sketch of Pixel was created this morning in an effort to loosen up a bit.


I find the work I do for myself is pretty fast and easy. I tend to work hours upon hours, on client projects. This is sometimes due to low resolution digital files they send me and in these cases I spend several hours just optimizing the photo before I can even start to play with color. The main thing that takes time is just trying a variety of different layouts until I get things just right. I am reminded of a great quote by Michelangelo : "If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all." - Michelangelo
I'm no Michelangelo, but when we think of digital art, I think his quote is a very good one.

Gerhard Richter: the self-critical optimist

Of course I constantly despair at my own incapacity, at the impossibility of ever accomplishing anything, of painting a valid, true picture or even of knowing what such a thing ought to look like. But then I always have the hope that, if I persevere, it might one day happen. And this hope is nurtured every time something appears, a scattered, partial, initial hint of something which reminds me of what I long for, or which conveys a hint of it - although often enough I have been fooled by a momentary glimpse that then vanishes, leaving behind only the usual thing.

I have no motif, only motivation. I believe that motivation is the real thing, the natural thing, and that the motif is old-fashioned, even reactionary (as stupid as the question about the Meaning of Life).

- Gerhard Richter (20 February 1985)*

Several things strike me in the text above. One of them is how distant Richter seems from any sort of affirmation of having found something (he's so incredibly distant from Picasso's "I don't search - I find"!). It is much more than humbleness. It seems an actual feeling of worthlessness. And, all the same, persistent.
Another thing is the wonderful phrase: "a momentary glimpse that then vanishes, leaving behind only the usual thing". The usual thing. Great stuff.

Yet another nice touch is the identification of "the natural thing" with "the real thing". Coming from Richter, it sounds just out-of-this-world. I'm too tired to explain this, I hope you can think of what I mean.

*quoted from:

Breast

picture by Viktor Ivanovski

What other artist does this remind you of?

Technorati: sex, erotic art, visual art, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

The Dogster Blog

Special thanks to Joy at Dogster for featuring our new puzzles in her blog yesterday. If you have not stumbled across her blog yet be sure and check it out. Joy combines interesting dog news stories with fun and entertaining links to create a blog that has the quality of a first rate magazine.

Two Iranian women by Shadi Gadhirian

(From the Qajar series)
(from the Like Every Day series)

I am a woman and I live in Iran. I am a photographer and this is the only thing I know how to do. I began work after completing my studies. Quite by accident, the subjects of my first two series were "women". However, since then, every time I think about a new series, in a way it is related to women.

It does not make a difference to me what place the Iranian woman has in the world because I am sure no one knows much about it.

Perhaps the only mentality of an outsider about the Iranian woman is a black chador, however I try to portray all the aspects of the Iranian woman. And this completely depends on my own situation.

- Shadi Gadhirian

The two images above are my favorite ones from each of the series. The first one, because it's delicate. I find many of the other pictures in the Qajar series too obvious, too aggressive and thus too simplistic. The idea is explicit, and the contrast between modernity and "timelessness" looks more like a Hollywood time-travel film than a piece of reality. And that's fascinating - how carefuly reality needs to be managed in order to appear as reality. In this particular picture, the time contrast fades to second plan. We have a duo - the phone and the girl. The phone seems to somehow upstage the girl. Its silence is stronger. It attracts the girl without her knowing about it. We know she is waiting for a call, and that is the reason for her being serious. And only now, after "reading" this, do we realize we exist in a strange time zone, the picture is old, very old, the girl is "timeless", and the phone is the only connection to... us. At the same time, it is a somehow outdated phone, one we rarely see around us (depending where we live, of course!). And once again, time is suspended: is it the local object-time? Or is it really going back? When is the story being told? How far are we?
The second picture is part of an entire lot of kitchen appliances. Do I need to spell out what it does? I like this particular objects, because it hurts. In this context, it could very well be an instrument of torture. Isn't it?

Technorati: photography, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

Snail on Zebra

This is apparently a fairly old video, but I have just received it now. Hail to street-wise grassroots performance!
(Click on the image above) The video is apparently by one Johan van Hensbergen.

Technorati: performance, performance art, movies, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

I have been desperately trying to make the Fluxus Films work on my computer, alas, to no avail. Hope you have more luck!

Technorati: art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

Jack Vettriano as wall decorator

"I just consider myself a trader. I take my goods to the marketplace and try to get the best price I can."

The greater glory of art doesn't come into it, he confirms. "That's not why I paint," he said. "It's wall decoration for me, I don't regard it as this big meaningful thing. My subjects are men and women getting off, that's all. Mind you, some people don't think sex is serious, but I happen to think it's terribly serious."

from an interview with Jack Vettriano
(via)

Technorati: visual art, fine art, painting, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

Ron Howard's Aunt

More about the dog Museum:
So the gossip we heard regarding the amazing collection at the doggy museum is that the bulk of this woman's collection was donated to her by Ron Howard's Aunt. We admit that we have not done any extensive fact checking and instead we just choose to believe that Ron's Aunt may have been an eccentric dog lover that collected hundreds of different doggy collectibles. The wonderful thing about the collection is the amount of breeds covered. We saw oodles of poodles, fabulous frenchies, billions of bulldogs, dozens of doxies, well you get the idea.

Dog Museum

On the way back from Austin last week we stopped into the best antique mall on the planet. I had been there once before a few years ago. It is one of those large metal buildings with different booths set up inside. The coolest area of the mall is at the very back where the owner has set up her own private collection of doggy antiques and created a huge museum style display. I shot enough pics for a week's worth of posts so if you like antique dog-stuff check back in on the blog next week.

Below is an odd contraption that made me think of Hannibal Lector. It was quite scary looking until I realized it was some sort of mold. Everything was shot through glass display cases so please forgive the glare.



The one piece I wish was for sale is the Scottie Dog heater shown below. I don't think you will be seeing this on ebay!


In my next post I'll tell you the gossip on how this gal came into the bulk of her collection, it involves a movie star's aunt. Ha, what a cliff hanger.

Women Say No To War

On the picture are "women and crosses and coffins on a beach in Santa Monica", a few days ago.
(found here)

Technorati: politics, anti-war, pacifist, art installation, performance art, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

Fetch

I finally got to meet Cynthia at Fetch in Austin. Her shop is way too cool. If you get to Austin you have to check out this cool doggy boutique ...Your dog will dig it! Unlike a lot of small boutique owners this gal has her priorities in line and you will not find tons of nick knacks for humans ....nope this place is all about the dogs. Fetch has cool toys, beds, collars, clothes and more .... all for the canines. We are proud to have our art in this very hip Austin shop.



Visit the Fetch Site

Nude Art? Exhibitionist? Provocative? Lazy?

Alessandra Cestac in São Paulo.

Technorati: erotic art, photography, painting, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

The Search for the Perfect Dress

Burkha, by Spanish designer/artist Alicia Framis, is made of Twaron, also known as kevlar or aramid fiber, an ultra-resistent material that is bullet-proof, but also resists flames and dog bites. This is to protect its wearer in dangerous extreme right-wing neighbourhoods where violence against immigrants and religious minorities often takes place.

Looking at the picture, Linda Zacks' question "Burka or Bikini?" comes to mind.
Why does this answer scare me even more? Am I being way too conservative? Besides being an artistic work, it is also a social statement. Yet, somehow, it seems to provoke both sides, the islamic culture and the "Western rationalism". Yes, I think I like this chill down my spine. There is something wrong with the picture, because there is something wrong with the sudden proximity of tradition in its most limiting sense and modernity in its most limiting sense. Seen from the point of view of the other, they both might seem ridiculous. And they could, if they wished to, listen more carefuly to who the other one is. On both sides.

We cannot escape having divided personalities. Having our culture invaded by the culture. I always tend to think of the times of the Roman Empire, when latin invaded the world. The ridiculous nature of civilization is so clear in these periods of overcoming, swallowing... A recent lecture, Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians, comes to mind: are we better because we wash twice a day? Are we better because we have a method for writing down our history? Because we own what we call rationalism? How many of us own it, to be precise? But, if we accept the "barbarians", if we embrace the other, either in our tolerance and/or in our wish to enrich ourselves, who are we? And if we are the other, and decide to take some of this otherness in parantheses, as the vast majority of religious people do today, as do people from influencial cultural backgrounds, who are we then?
Double-headed monsters?

Rosemarie Trockel, Schizo-pullover (1988)

Technorati: design, fashion, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

About Performance Art (I)

In the days of my blogsilence, I went to Coimbra, where I was invited to talk about performance art at the Santa Clara Gallery. I spoke about how performance art has changed in the last few years, and why it has been so often practiced by minorities. Obviously, I wasn't talking about anything one can call performance art, but rather, about certain currents I see in performance.

My idea is that, beyond the fact that it's so ill-defined it can be practically anything, and so "whatever you do, it works", several more specific characteristics make it a great means of expression for groups with a strong sense of identity (as is the case with minorities).

• First, its rebellious nature. This is probably the most commonly known quality of performance, which, in my eyes, has done it just as much harm as it has publicized it. True, it puts performance art on the side of the underdogs, giving the "rebels" a chance to speak up. But how "up" is it? Who listens to them? Other performance artists and a tiny crowd of admirers. At least, that was the case with performance art (as it was defined by those who did it and saw it) for the past decades. A scandal is good every once in a while, but constant scandals are simply not a scandal any more. They tend to be tedious, long events where the suffering and pain of the performers brings suprizingly more embarrassment than empathy. Nonetheless, scandal, if used in a fresh way, can be good. It also emphasizes the difference, the otherness, the identity of the other, thus allowing this other to appear as an actual player.

Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Aktion (1965)

• Performance art looks for communication, but not through a mimetic de-monstration. Instead, it puts an accent on the very being, looking for the communicative aspects of reality. This can mean simply performing something, as in executing an action (see Althamer's Film), or it can mean looking at being in an objectifying way, like Vanessa Beecroft or Santiago Sierra might be doing.

What may come as a surprize is that this objectification can actually get us closer to the identity of the people. We feel empathy for Sierra's performers; we somehow refuse to see pure objects in Beecroft's girls. We feel obliged (yes, a moral category!) to project on them a presumed humanity, to see them as people, to ask ourselves about them, about their position, role, about why they are doing what they are doing and why we are doing what we are. This brings another point,

• The creation of intimacy. Look at Rirkrit Tiravanija with his exhibitions- turned- food- feasts, look at the classical Yoko Ono's Cut Piece, or even at the more drastic Rhythm O by Marina Abramovic.
  

They all share a space of intimacy, of sharing, of actually living together. This is a game of acknowledgement, of personal limits being overcome. It is creating a space where it is difficult for me to say something is simply a "good" or "bad" show, because I get involved (remember the Bill T. Jones case?). I don't need to actually be a "participant", i.e. I don't need to be performing an action, but I need to feel that the bond between me and what is happening on the "stage" (or in the "framework", to use an excellent term by the great Irving Goffman), that this bond goes beyond a show.

Technorati: performance art, performance, dance, theater, theatre, visual art, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

Cafe Press Meet and Greet

I actually got away from my monitor for 2 days and went down to Austin for the Cafe Press Meet and Greet this past Sunday. I took my best girlfriend and we had a good time in our all time favorite Texas town. Cafe Press is the company that prints all of our groovy gift shop items. We have been doing business with them for a few years so it was really fun meeting a few of these folks in real life. The founder Maheesh Jain was there and he was just as nice as can be. I also stopped in on another long time business contact that I had never met, my retailer Cynthia at Fetch. I'll be posting pics from her cool doggy boutique later this week.

Post-Private Post

Swipe could be seen as anything but art. It seems simple: the bar has a special ID card reader, just like in a grocery store, or rather - a police car (in the U.S., that is). It allows the bar owners to see a lot of things about the customer. If it sounds to you like a sci-fi film, it's probably because you don't live in the U.S. So far, it is nothing more than an ID-checking system turned marketing device. We've heard about it, we might have had the chance to see some of them, but that's about it.

But this time, there is more.

Many people are unaware that personal data is even encoded on their license, and, if they do realize this, they probably do not know exactly what information is there. SWIPE brings attention to these practices and enables people to see exactly what is stored on their mysterious strip.

SWIPE also illustrates how this information is used and why businesses and government crave it. Our hope is to encourage thinking beyond the individual self ("I do not care if a bar database has my name and address and time of visit...") toward understanding databases as a discursive, organizational practice and an essential technique of power in today's social field.

You can also invite SWIPE to your private reception. Here is the "performance" that will take place:

People who approach the bar in search of a refreshing drink will be asked by a bartender (SWIPE member) to show their driver's license for age verification. The bartender will look at the license and place it in an automated, scanning device. While the customer waits for his/her drink order, the SWIPE cash register performs a technique called computer matching based on the driver's license information. Several minutes later, the person's name is called and he/she receives their drink with "receipt." The receipt is a SWIPE compiled data image consisting of the data encoded on a driver's license augmented by online searches of data-warehouses and/or demographic analysis generated by SWIPE custom-designed software.

Basically, you get a fairly detailed picture of yourself. And if you think it matters that it has a few mistakes - it really doesn't. The data will soon be tested on you anyway. You can also access the internet toolkit, hosted by Turbulence. I found out through it that the data I regularly give away for various reasons (studies etc.) are worth $54.18.
This is a very strong initiative, and one of its creators, Beatriz da Costa, seems to be gaining momentum (she will appear in the San Jose Interactive City festival). The worst part is, this is no conspiracy theory. It is describing a simple fact, something that has been taking place for some time now. Privacy is actually at stake. And if you don't care, you might just not be getting it. Quite yet.

Technorati: installation, art installation, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

City Pet Rescue: Angel !

Meet Angel. This stunning pup is up for adoption. Dallas residents looking to adopt should check out all of the pups up for adoption at City Pet Rescue. Here is part of Angel's Bio:
"Angel is just that... a big, beautiful angel of a dog, who came to City Pet Rescue after being dumped out in the country. She charms everyone she meets with those big blue eyes and her sweet disposition. She is friendly and playful and loves people. She plays hard and sleeps hard just as any puppy should. "
Link

New Dog Puzzle Games

We have added some fun new puzzle games to the site, and will be adding more as time permits. For now we have created puzzles for Pugs , Boston Terriers and Labs . If you have a fast connection and time to play check them out.

Boston Terrier Art

Paris' human has decided on the yellow background proof and it looks really bright and fun printed up. I am sampling her with her second Boston portrait of her happy boy Julius. I think the yellow and red grounds will really pop together. These two pet portraits were a total blast to work on.

Ernesto Neto's latest fluff

Ernesto Neto's Humanoids are my favorite piece of his. Most of his pieces are somewhat creepy. Yes, there is light in them, and a playful spirit, but there is also something sleazy, the smell is often intensive, and they seem distant, almost inhuman. It is not the case with these funny, soft creatures. They have a wonderful, light spirit, while remaining somewhat enigmatic and out-of-this-world. I wish they were available in stores. Wouldn't that be an amazing armchair? Design and fine arts couldn't be closer...
The work is part of a whole "labyrinth" of forms called the Malmo Experience (you guessed it, it's exhibited in Malmo).

Technorati: visual art, fine art, installation, art installation, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

A game for those who like to take it slow, get a little confused, a little charmed and above all, who find there is magic in the keyboard.

Technorati: net art, internet art, visual art, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

Pretty plagiarism?

As much as I like this picture by Nicoletta Ceccoli, which adorns the cover of the last Born Magazine, it seems like...well, I'll say it - plagiarism. The Lithuanian-Polish artist Stasys Eidrigevicius painted incredibly similar pictures some 30 years ago or more, in a children's book I have somewhere in Poland. Here is an example of a similar book, though slightly different.
The pictures I'm refering to show a boy with his head covered in birds that fly away out of it. The book is a poem by Joanna Papuzinska about a boy that instead of having toys or adventures has ideas.
Even the birds look similar.
Then again, Bach's copy of Vivaldi's violin concerto was apparently a great tribute. How are we to judge?

Technorati: fine art, painting, visual art, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

Dog Shelter Clip

A friend of mine is a devoted rescue worker and she sent me a link today to a very sad and sobering movie clip about one of hundreds of shelters in our country. The clip is not for everyone as it contains graphic images so watch at your own risk. It is very well done, and it will hopefully help make more people aware.

http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/slideshows/animals/index.html

Monika Hoinkis: humanizing the object

Why is the metronome only listening to its own rhythm? Can't it ever listen to me? React to me?
And this compass? Why should it always point to the North, ignoring me completely?
What if it actually lived with me? Monika Hoinkis decided to live with the objects and see if they will also accept to live with her. And they did.

The compass points at the person holding it. The metronome reacts to physical presence. Even water vibrates to... you guessed it, to your own heartbeat.
And this umbrella? Come on, you know you want it. Give it a hug. It's the only way to be well protected anyway.

See the whole Living with Things series.

Technorati: design, art installation, visual art, art, contemporary art, new art, vvoi, vvoitek, modern art, cool

The Color Green

Lately I have been craving the color green. Maybe it is because it is spring in Texas and our brown lawns are starting to show a hint of the hue beneath the dead straw of winter. When you are a child or maybe a young adult on a first date you often hear the question "what is your favorite color"? My favorite colors change all the time. Right now I can't get enough of green. It is showing up in dirty muddy shades in my current work. I know that some of my clients are living with acidic yellowish greens and all of the funky, dirty green shades I adore, but too often I think my greens are not pure enough for most people. My old assitant Matt called my favorite version of green "swampy". Oh well, as long as I keep offering folks a variety of proof samples I'll keep tossing in my favorite avocado shade from time to time. Shown below are Fannie and Paris. Fannie's humans chose an orange background on their art ( it was quite nice, but not green). Paris' human has not yet decided, and I'm crossing my fingers for the green version, although the blue coated Boston may be more flattering ... I dunno. Often it just depends on the color of their couch and, as a commercial artist I really do repsect that.