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ELLEN FISCH'S ARCHITECTURAL VISION

Michael Corbin for absolutearts.com — 2009-01-05T10:08:00

Ellen Fisch is a fantastic photographer who lives on Long Island, New York. She wrote me a very nice email about my first book, "Art In King Size Beds: A Collector's Journal." Since then, we've become friends and she is one of the best storytellers I've ever met. That's because she has lived a rich life. As of this writing, she's opening a new exhibition called, "Architectural Visions" on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at the Jadite Galleries in New York City. She told me that her show, which celebrates photography, architecture, the work of artisans and her own architectural vision, brings her full circle. Check out her website at www.ellenfisch.com and then read our conversation and find out why...

MICHAEL: Hi Ellen. First of all, I'm so sorry that I can't make it to the opening of your new show. I have your postcard right here. You've called the exhibition, "Architectural Visions." This is so cool for me because I love your photography and I also love architecture. How did you come up with the idea for this show?

ELLEN: Hello Michael. Thank you for your lovely compliment. I, too, wish that you could be at this particular show, "Architectural Visions," because I believe so passionately in my recent photography. The more I take photographs of architectural details that adorn structures, the more I realize that I am photographing art and history. Thus I am creating art from historical art. It is a unique perspective.

MICHAEL: It sounds like ... you�ve had this on your mind for some time.

ELLEN: I have always been deeply artistically affected by and attracted to architectural ornamentation. When I was a child, the Brooklyn school which I attended underwent a renovation and many of the stone ornamentations on the building were freed of years of grime and neglect. As the architectural details became evident in their own right, I saw remarkable beauty and historical significance in the carvings that artisans had created to beautify the otherwise square brick building. I recorded these details of architecture and many others in Brooklyn in sketchbooks and related the designs to art seen during many childhood trips to the Brooklyn and the Metropolitan Museums ...� seeking relationships between the varied ornaments on the buildings I saw daily and the embellishments from all over the world in museum collections. I also began to photograph these artworks on walks around New York City. Later, in college, I enrolled in photography, architecture, and architectural drafting courses. Throughout the years, I have been motivated by a passionate desire to learn more about the details of architecture in New York City and other cities. In my native city of New York, I have made a comprehensive study of the embellishments that originated from the earliest settlers, who wished to beautify structures as diverse as grand places of commerce and homes, to the humblest structures. I discovered that the origins of the designs were from all over the world: Europe, Latin and South America, Africa, and Asia were among the strongest influences. "Architectural Visions" is an affirmation and culmination of many years of research and intense devotion to architectural details that create beauty, style and mark the history of an age.

MICHAEL: It's funny because I also grew up in New York City and I was always so amazed by the buildings that I saw - especially the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You know, when people look at architecture, I don't think they realize that it's art! Architects and artisans have given us such fantastic gifts. I think architects are highly undervalued.

ELLEN: Having lived in New York City all my life, I have had the privilege of being surrounded by the marvelous architecture and the artworks that ornament the buildings. Like you, Michael, I never took for granted the exquisite architecture and remarkable embellishments that architects, artisans and builders employed to grace their establishments. Architects, artisans and many builders are artists in their own right. When I graduated from college, I worked for architectural firms as a structural draftsman while pursuing my photography and painting at night or on weekends. There I learned the exacting and demanding nature of the architect's work. I was also exposed to the limitless imaginations of architects and the artisans they commissioned to augment the buildings. Builders also share these attributes. Rather than taking time away from my art, my job as a draftsman added marvelous depth to my understanding of form, composition, structure and design. Today, when I photograph architectural details, it is with the utmost respect for those who have given us such aesthetic sensations.

MICHAEL: We have something else in common. I spent so much of my earlier years visiting art museums and now, after all of these years of doing other things, I'm finally documenting my art experiences. You sketched architectural details as a child and now you're opening a photographic exhibition celebrating that very thing. It's funny and yet sad. So many people veer off course from their childhood passions.

ELLEN: I never considered another way of life. Being an artist has dictated the direction of my course. When I was four years old, I did my first drawing and was so exhilarated and enthralled by expressing myself through an image that I devoted all the years since then to my art. I have been surrounded by extremely supportive family, friends and colleagues who have encouraged me along the way. However, looking back, I realize that the single mindedness and dedication that have consumed me in my artistic endeavors have come from within. I am indeed privileged to be living my passion, following my dream and able to share my work with others. Roland Sainz of Jadite Galleries in New York City has always believed in me and has facilitated many shows for me. It is wonderful for me to have a friend and sponsor in my gallery proprietor. Roland has helped me immeasurably through the years: not only with shows, but with well-timed advice, introductions in the art world and unequivocal advocacy.

MICHAEL: How do you decide what to photograph? I mean, architectural icons are everywhere.

ELLEN: Initially, the act of photographing an architectural subject is visceral. I see a magnificent detail of architecture and fall in love with it instantly. I need to capture it with my lens so that I can preserve its beauty, refinement, powerful imagery and artistic nature. Yes, there are architectural icons everywhere at the present time. They are disappearing. Therefore, another force that drives me is the sense of urgency to achieve all of these architectural gems that are vanishing. This tragedy is occurring for two significant reasons: the tradition of creating architectural details is a disappearing art form and because currently builders find it too expensive to incorporate architectural embellishment into structures. Years ago, craftspeople were extensively trained in architectural carving, design, and the art of ornamentation. There are far fewer individuals in this field of art today because of the lack of projects in the construction industry that incorporate the metal, stone, wood artwork that was used to beautify structures as a common added incomparable dimension to lobbies, exteriors, rooms, hallways, elevators and stairwells. In recording the images I am creating fine art photography from details of practice in the past. This past inclusion of art on building facades and in interiors reflects our history. Feathers, gargoyles, ribbons of stone, interlocking metalwork architecture that are melting away from our society like snowflakes on the warmth of coming generations, I am creating personal visions of art from our history.

MICHAEL: Is there a piece in the show that means the most to you? Also, what do you want people to take away from this exhibition?

ELLEN: Each of the 24 photographs in the show has a profound meaning for me. While I photograph thousands of architectural details, I use these images as reference. The single photograph in several hundred that I select as a fine art photograph represents the finest photograph that I can create. When I exhibit my photography, I choose only my best work. The "Architectural Visions" exhibition is extremely significant for me as a fine art photographer because I have included an exceptionally diverse group of images. In addition to the black and white and sepia photographs I have been showing, I have also included several photographs that use color. For example there is a photograph of a gorgeous brass Art Deco elevator door rich with ornamentation. The signature photograph of the collection, "Brass Deco Spheres With Diagonals," also employs color to illustrate the rich sensuality and feel of the material. When I took that photograph, the guard in the building lobby asked me what I was photographing. I gestured towards the brass structure. He continued to ask me what I saw. This man had worked in that lobby every day for 14 years and had never noticed the beautiful art that existed right in front of him! Now many people tell me that I have opened their eyes to the beauty of the details of architecture that are everywhere...for the moment.

MICHAEL: Well Ellen, thankfully, you�ve captured at least some of these visions for posterity. Your photographs are works of art in themselves, but they�re also strong documentation of the work of talented artisans. Thanks for chatting.

Ellen�s opening reception is slated for Tuesday, January 6th from 6-8pm at Jadite Galleries which are located at 413 West 50th Street in New York City. Check ...Ellen�s website at www.ellenfisch.com

MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK, �THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR�S JOURNAL.� CHECK HIM OUT AT WWW.ARTMAESTROGALLERY.COM

Created by Michael Corbin On 01/05/09 At 10:08 AM

Mexico

Andrew Wielawski for absolutearts.com — 2008-12-25T12:21:00

I hadn't been in Greece long before I started planning the next venture. Someone had contacted me over the internet about doing a statue for them. I didn't know what it was all about, but during the summer we exchanged a lot of e-mails and gradually I got the picture. An angel for the tomb of a friend. I thought about how cool it would be to do this piece at a small prep school with a nice art center, the Wooster School in Danbury, CT, sharing the technical creation of a statue with some students. I worked up a proposal, asking for work space and offering what I thought would interest students.
I had an in there, one of my old clients from NYC knew someone on the school's board of directors, and since I was an alumnus, the two things seemed likely to give me a good chance of success. I started researching pre-schools for my two kids, and tried to figure out how much transplanting my family from Italy would cost. The last piece of the puzzle was the school's art teacher. I had spoken to a few people there, and had only to propose the idea to her. I did, and received no response whatsoever.
Now you can speculate all you want about why she closed the door, but in any case I'd talked about doing this statue in the US and that had been the attraction for the client. I knew its eventual destination was Mexico. With my plans derailed, I had to come up with something even more attractive, without raising the costs.

Somehow, the idea of doing it in Mexico came out of the woodwork. I talked to my wife about moving the family there, but when I read the State Department travel warnings, it got me thinking, well, this one is not for the family. I wasn't going to be in Juarez or Nuevo Laredo, or Monterey or Chihuahua, the hottest trouble spots, and although little Delicias was right smack in the middle of all of them, it wasn't really on a through road. So all I'd have to do was sculpt away, not drink the water, and stay off the streets after dark for four months. At first I was going to drive, but in the end I parked my Honda with its flashy NY plates in Houston, and flew to Chihuahua. TSA confiscated 3 out of four of my bags, you know, marble tools packed in suitcases with socks, underwear and t shirts padded around it doesn't look good on an x ray screen, but after a few days I got it all back. And how is an interesting sidelight.

There's a big difference between the conduct of officials in the US and those of other countries. Now just imagine, you're entering customs, and you want to know if what you're doing is considered work or not. You want to know if tax is due on the tools, many of them brand new because Mexico is 120 volts and all my Italian tools were 230. The customs guys and the baggage guy filling out the lost luggage report start talking about sculpture and what I'm going to be doing there. They actually get excited! So the question of tax doesn't even come up, they give me 180 days instead of the sixty I asked for, 'just in case...' and lo and behold, when the bags finally show up the baggage guy actually drives them himself from Chihuahua all the way to Delicias, with friends. And promises to come back every so often to see how the work is progressing. I'm beginning to like Mexico. Try to imagine this happening with any official, anywhere, in the US. I think our priorities here are round the bend, and that this is the main reason why so many people in the US have gone postal.

I do see a few Hummers with all black windows around this town, and wonder who owns them. But I know they won't have anything to do with me, if I don't with them. My setup is a marble studio just like the ones I used to work in back in Italy, except that this time, my room is behind the front office. It's true I can't go outside after the workmen leave for the day, because they release four junkyard dogs into the gated enclosure I'm living in, but then again, I'm not here for the nightlife, and they pretty much guarantee there won't be any unexpected visitors.

My client and I drove from the airport in Chihuahua to Delicias and checked into the Casa Grande, a four star place. We went to see the brother and sister of the deceased, visited the cemetery where the statue would go, and stayed for four days more in the hotel. Then he flew back to Houston, and I was on my own. The block didn't come right away, so I passed the time carving little things, some of which are here.

The day after he left, I glanced at the headlines in the local paper, and they were about seven kids at a high school in Juarez, who'd had their hands tied behind their backs, been executed, and left alongside the school's soccer field for the other kids to see. Of course the drug world exists for all teens, but in Mexico it has far worse consequences. Each day there was another story, sometimes two or three, about people found dead here, there, and everywhere, always shot with more than one kind of weapon. Thankfully, not in Delicias. This becomes a part of the culture an artist has to absorb, and in doing so, enter into the mentality of the people around you. Beauty is in fact, an escape, which is why in so many oppressed places and times, beautiful art was produced and desired. In the sterile world of country clubs, of keeping up with the Joneses and their flat screen TVs, of getting that new Prius or better, there really isn't any need for art. What amazes me about Mexico is that I know I can sell every piece I make here. It hasn't ever been like that for me in the places I went chasing after the money. Yes, there were buyers, and of big pieces, but how many thousands would pass by something I spent months making, without even glancing at it? Not here. The red carpet is rolled out for artists more than for anyone else.

By my third day working, a family comes in and sees a bas relief of a girl's face I did in a couple of hours placed on a shelf in the office. They ask if I could do a portrait of a deceased member of their family, in the same way I'd done that one, and hand me a postage stamp size photograph to work from. I have no idea what to charge, and no one seems to want to tell me. But by night time, during a ride around town I didn't think I'd be taking, the son of the owner tells me a hundred dollars is too cheap. I'm a bit surprised, because everyone around here drives thirty year old pick up trucks with broken windshields, and you can get three Coronas for a dollar. I didn't imagine you could make more than a hundred dollars a day this easily here, however, in Delicias, art and the dead are highly honored, and both worth spending money on.

Not so in someplace like Mexico City. An artist will have the same problems exhibiting there and selling their work as in any cosmopolitan setting anywhere in the world. I start to wonder if perhaps the best places to produce art are the remote ones, where you won't be contaminated by anything except what moves you to create in the first place, and perhaps a desire to serve someone else's needs. Wanting to show in a 'major' venue, is pretty much the same as wanting that big flat screen, so you can tell everyone you have one. It's pretty far removed from what art is supposed to be all about, and if it becomes the driving force in what you produce, you can count on it corrupting, in one way or another, what might have been beautiful and pure.

You can see art corruption in another form if you visit the Menil collection in Houston. While the taste of the Menils is worthy of being called great, subsequent curators who made acquisitions after their deaths brought down the level of the whole significantly. When you consider that all curators of all museums are beholden to numerous corrupt entities, it should surprise no one that their choices of what to acquire are often suspect. No works are ever bought just because they're good. The main corrupting influence comes from the largest donors to those museums, who have the leverage to see that what they want gets bought, because it serves no one, particularly the curators themselves, to refuse their requests.

One of the greatest, and purist, collections in the United States is in the Frick museum in NYC. Before donating his property as a museum, Charles Frick insisted that no artworks be added, nor any moved from their assigned spots within the building. These masterpieces remain a testament to the clear vision of one man, as he did so well to foresee, and their placement within what used to be his home is nothing short of divine.

Ah, Mexico! These four months have just begun, and all I'd ever believed about this country has proved to be baseless and unfounded.

Except for what I found out in the days that followed. It started with a report that there'd been a shooting right here in Delicias. It seemed that at midnight, right next to a huge statue I'd been to look at that afternoon, three men were sprayed in their car with machine gun fire from another car. Well, I told myself, it was on the outskirts of town, not anywhere near where I was living and working. And the hour was one where all good people ought to be in bed. My block still hadn't arrived, and that was making me a bit nervous anyway, not the best time to start reasoning what's safe and what isn't. I'd spoken to the Mexican expediter, Armando Carrillo, many times and he'd seemed friendly and eager to please. But ever since I'd paid him, he'd been on vacation in Cabo San Luca, and I'd only been able to talk to his stand in, who was neither friendly nor helpful. I'd called many times, and although I was assured I'd get a call back, I never did. I'd been here more than a week, having been told my two ton block of pure white Carrara would be here before I was, and was not anxious to be here if I couldn't work on what I came to do.

The next day, two people were executed on the street where my studio is. The local police chief was killed the same day, at two in the afternoon, in a separate incident. A lot of these killings are done with 'cuerno di chivos', or AK-47 assault rifles, by killers arriving in groups of brand new, buffed out and loaded pick up trucks. I see these trucks all over the place, but none are owned by anyone I know, since anyone who's working isn't making enough to buy one.

They say that every day in Mexico, ten people are killed this way. In Delicias, in the last three days, there have been nine. It's time to cut and run. I can do this statue back in Italy, and besides, I miss my family. Get me to the airport!

Created by Andrew Wielawski On 12/25/08 At 12:21 PM

UK Resale Right Update

Nicholas Forrest for absolutearts.com — 2008-12-22T10:24:00

A press release from the UK Intellectual Property Office was posted on the 19th of December which informs people that the UK Government intends to extend the length of time that the resale right applies only to living artists and not to deceased artists. A letter was sent to the European Commission by John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, which outlines the reasons that the UK Government believes that extending the date that the resale right will become applicable to the work of deceased artists from 2010 to 2012 is the best option.

The most obvious argument that the Government has put forward is, as one would expect, that the introduction of the resale right for works sold by deceased artists would increase the financial burden on the UK art market. According to Denham�s letter, the current economic crisis would amplify the effects that increasing the number of works for which a resale royalty is applicable would have on the number of works being purchased. What Denham seems to have overlooked, however, is that by not introducing the resale right for deceased artists the UK Government is in fact promoting a situation where works by deceased artists are more appealing to dealers than works by living artists. Considering that the work of contemporary artists is more likely to suffer during a financial crisis, the added burden of having to compete with the works of deceased artists which to not attract a resale royalty is likely to become a much more significant factor.

The press release from the UK Intellectual Property Office quotes Denham as saying that �If the art traders are seeing a reduction in business they will not only sell fewer works- but will not buy them from artists either. This will have a knock on effect for artists who will find that there is less of a market for their work.� What this quote proves is that Denham really doesn�t understand the art market and is not cognisant of the implications that continuing to promote an unlevel playing field could have on the work of living artists. If Denham doesn�t realise that not introducing the resale right for deceased artists is likely to encourage dealers to favour works by deceased artists over living artists then he needs to do a bit more analysis of the situation.

A solution to all the problems outlined by the UK Government would be a compulsory world-wide resale right for both living and deceased artists. This would mean that the UK art market would not be seen as less attractive than the art markets of other countries that do not have the resale right as the UK government fears it will. It would also mean a level playing field for both living and deceased artists. The likelihood of a compulsory world-wide resale right being introduced in the near future is unfortunately very low.

You can view the press release from the UK IPO here:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/press/press-release/press-release-2008/press-release-20081219.htm

and the letter from John Denham here:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/press-release-20081219-letter.pdf

Created by Nicholas Forrest On 12/22/08 At 10:24 AM

Out-of-season thoughts

Alberto Sughi for absolutearts.com — 2008-12-18T11:55:00

1
It appears − but perhaps it really is happening − that the fog is thickening. I know where I am, but I can't see which way to go from here.
Of course, there�s painting � but couldn�t it just be force of habit that makes me think that it still has something new to offer me?
Could I do without it if it weren�t my only means of supporting myself?
If this were true, the fog would get even thicker.
If I want to continue moving on, I have to move slowly, not hoping to return to brighter times.

2
Things go their own way, and we should be aware that we can�t change the way they are going.
You hope that something unexpected will happen, that not everything is lost; but how, when and where, you just don't know.
The day will come when you won't have the patience to "hold on" any more.

3
The passage of time leaves behind an emptiness filled with memories, for those who know how to preserve them.
The passage of time anchors us to the present, which is so different from how we imagined it when it was our future; in comparison our memories, even the saddest, are as light as ideas.
Time passes and walks with our tired footsteps.

4
Once I had scales to tell me the weight of things. And so I was able to represent even the most dreadful things that were going on.
Today, I feel more frightened than ever, but I�ve lost my sense of equilibrium.

5
I think about a painting that I would like to create, but nothing springs to mind.
I feel I lack new projects. At other times I have stood in front of a white canvas without ideas;
starting to make charcoal marks, rubbing out and throwing on some colour. The painting took shape and seemed to be suggesting an image that I had not yet thought of.
Will this happen again this time?

6
Did I ever require from painting to shed light on a possible path through life?
There has perhaps been an exchange between my work and my life. I have simply followed the kind of vocation that made me choose this difficult and fascinating profession. Painting has, for me, become an essential means of self-knowledge and of knowledge of the world. I don't feel that I need to add any more.

Alberto Sughi
For more info on Alberto Sughi see. www.albertosughi.com

Created by Alberto Sughi On 12/18/08 At 11:55 AM

Reliving The Psychedelic Experience

Alice Cavender for absolutearts.com — 2008-12-16T08:27:00

A new kind of exhibition opened on Friday the 28th of November of this year: the CAPC museum of contemporary art of Bordeaux has decided to become psychedelic for the next few months. The majestic nave of the building is punctuated with visual and sound archives linked to the psychedelic movement, from its beginnings in the 1960's to its current version and by-products. Every corner of the nave is used to accentuate the psychedelic experience, whilst however managing to remain minimalist in its contents; slideshows are projected onto different wall spaces, emblematic and bizarre sculptures and installations appear as if from nowhere, imposing walls have been set up, with on one side archives linked to the psychedelic thought (records, posters, books, etc.) and on the other a huge mirror that allows you to lose yourself in your vision, posters are laid out on the floor, for anyone interested to take, or simply to look at.

But the main and most impressive installation is at the West end of the nave, with two huge mandala eyes peering into the building, reflecting themselves in the mirrors, transforming the stone, brick and wood architecture into a truly vibrant and destabilising experience. Made with wooden structures that go to the top of the gigantic archways and painted in blue, the eye shapes are completed with a huge red curtain-like wall that stands behind the blue installation. In the centre of this 'curtain', a central triangle marking the iris is cut, allowing us to see the third layer, made of concentric circles in all the colours of the rainbow, this layer again taking up all the space of the archway. In all, an imposing and intriguing installation that sets the spirit of the exhibition. Because this exhibition is not seen as an 'exhibition'. It is an experience, a dive into the psychedelic experimentations of today, while also historically testifying to the constant evolution of the movement. The archives play with the contemporary installations, enabling the visitor to fully immerse himself in what was and is psychedaelia.

The whole nave testifies to this important movement that has rocked and influenced the last five decades. Not only an artistic movement, or an aesthetic style, it represents a way of life, leaving the simply artistic sphere and venturing into the confines of everyday life.
To follow this idea, the installation is 'activated' at specific moments, becoming much more than a simple exhibition. For the opening, the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings were filled with music groups, performances, films and experimentations. Groups such as the Psychic Ills, Sonic Boom, Arp, Principles of Geometry, and the Reines Angleterre performed on the installation turned into a stage for the weekend, in order to fully convey the experience of psychedaelia. And the exhibition should be 'activated' every few weeks until March, with other performances, concerts and films.

An experience, an experimentation, a must see.

Created by Alice Cavender On 12/16/08 At 08:27 AM

The Four Letter "T" Word

Ellen Fisch for absolutearts.com — 2008-12-15T08:20:00

I grew up in an age that eschewed four letter words as "dirty" or uncivilized. All that has changed: just tune into any prime time TV show and there are bound to be several words casually spoken that would have gotten me and my peers expelled from school. However those are not the most dreadful words of all. In fact, the more a blasphemous word is used, the less shocking and more mainstream it becomes. Think of how ordinary or even welcomed an explicative is in a friendly greeting, an advertisement or a song. However, there is one four letter word that has the worst connotation of all. The four letter word to which I am referring is "time." Time is my nemesis, my enemy and the word that can intimidate me like no other.

Who would not give up millions for time? Recently the MegaLotto in New York was $86 million. Had I won, I would have gladly traded all the lovely cash for a mere two more hours in each day. I can fantasize about millions and paying off my bills, buying necessities (a new lens or some good new brushes) or luxuries (a new camera and all the gadgets that go with), upgrading my equipment and fixing my house, but I space out at the thought of more time. Imagine!!

How would it be if I could go into my studio and actually have the time to work on a painting or a photograph without time constraints? I'm not thinking about commissioned work or art that requires deadlines. Actually, I find that time driven projects drive me also-- in a positive way: less time/ more energy expended. These types of time issues cause me to focus and stretch all my abilities towards a specific date on the calendar. However, wouldn't it be wonderful to develop my own work without stressing about having time for everyday chores that are necessary to live? Obviously I don't mean (in my case) cleaning my house, cooking or doing the laundry. I mean those intrusive time wasters like making a living outside of my own art: whether it be teaching a class, office work, commercial art involvement aside from my personal projects and so on. Then there are family and friends to consider...

Time for family and friends is a serious issue for the artist who cannot say, "Look, I work at an office all week. Let's get together on the week-ends or after work." For me, as an artist, there are no week-ends, no after work, no free time unless I create it. Therefore, just when my starting time is over and I'm really ready to dig into my painting, it's time for dinner with those close to me. A hard call sometimes to say, "I won't be joining you because I have to finish my work."
"What work? Did you get a job?"
"No, my painting."
"Working on a cash commission?"
"No."
"Oh, that work. You can finish it any time. We want to SEE YOU!"

Of course I want to spend time with loved ones. Who does not? But while I'm dining with them or driving to and from the visit or having a chat on the phone, part of me feels frustrated at taking time away from my "work:" my art. I feel guilty either way. If I go, I'm shorting myself. If I work on my art and do not spend time with people near and dear to me, I feel selfish, isolated and cannot seem to work well. Yes, I've read all the articles on priorities, but that's how it is for me: damned if I do/ damned if I don't. Fortunately, my family and friends have been understanding and stuck by me even if they don't always see me.

Periodically I ask people what their most valuable resource is. They answer: love, health, family. I inquire about "time." They stop to think, to reconsider. Time IS the most valuable resource for without it what do you have? It is also, paradoxically, the most terrible and wonderful word I know.

Created by Ellen Fisch On 12/15/08 At 08:20 AM

SCOPE MIAMI 2008

Michael Corbin for absolutearts.com — 2008-12-11T08:31:00

Upon entering, you realize that you�re at the forefront. Like everyone else, you came to scope out the joint and quickly see that it�s more cutting edge than most art fairs. And so, from step one, you comb this contemporary space almost in a trance.

I barely got through the front door when I saw Costa Rican artist Lucia Madriz on her knees in a corner studiously working on a mixed media installation she calls, "EAT."

Lucia and a friend were carefully gluing about 100 pounds of popcorn kernels onto a four foot by six foot long spread of paper with the word "EAT" printed on the front. It was clear that placing the paper canvas on the floor was the most effective way to create the piece. Madriz is concerned about the increasing use of corn and other cash crops for things like ethanol to power our vehicles rather than feeding the world�s hungry.

"One day, we�re gonna look at our food and we won�t know whether it�s edible or not," said Madriz, whose also very concerned about genetically modified food. She told me that the goal of her installation, which she was creating before my very eyes, was to bring the plight of the world�s hungry into focus ... even if it meant that she herself had to use food to make her point.

"In reality, we need food," Madriz said. "Food is a very valuable material ... the main purpose of food is to keep us alive! Hunger is an issue that still needs to be resolved."

As you can see, I got a consciousness raising lesson right off the bat here at Scope Miami 2008. With that, I thanked Lucia for her time, snapped a few photos of her and continued on.

As I wandered and looked at various booths, I remembered that I moved mountains to be here. Looking back, the biggest mountain wasn�t money and whether I could afford the vacation. My mind, my thought process, was the biggest stumbling block. Once you finally get over yourself and those ever present, stubborn thoughts of limitation, mountains begin to fall before you and you get a crystal clear view of what lives behind them. For me, that turned out to be a socially-conscious artist and 100 pounds of un-popped popcorn. But wait, there�s more.

I came upon two more socially awakened artists ... Admir Jahic and Comenius Reothlisberger of Basel, Switzerland. They were here promoting their project called, "WITHOUT YOU BABY, THERE AIN�T NO US." It consisted of 32 works on paper (24" by 30" each) that are color-pencil and crayon recreations of notable YOUTUBE.com pages.

"(We did this) because of all the absurd things you can find on YouTube, but there are also serious things," said Reothlisberger. The artists, who call themselves, "The Invisible Heroes," pointed out two of their favorite YouTube video recreations that include, "Sexy Lady Going Nude With Thong," which at their time of creation had gotten 26,531,932 hits.

They also showed me, "Bitch," which shows two dogs mating. It had received 2,237,930 views when they found it. "It�s like fast food for the brain," said Jahic. "It�s like trash!" But he also quickly showed me the YouTube page called, "1929 Wall St. Stock Market Crash," which, needless to say, has a certain poignancy given our current economic turmoil. "Hello, it�s NOT the end of the world," said Jahic, explaining that the world survived 1929 and will probably get through the current crises. "It�s going to get better," he added.

Ultimately, the artists say they�re using a primitive medium like paper to show how a digital phenomenon like YouTube has influenced 21st century society worldwide. On this second day of the fair, the guys told me they had already sold 22 of the works on display which went for $300.00 each.

Walking here through Scope is reminding me that the most important thing in life is to be in the moment. Yes, it�s a clich�, but it still has legs. Here I am surrounded by art, artists, dealers and art lovers, but this experience shouldn�t be about whether you love or hate art fairs. It�s about being - PRESENT. I�m here and I�m awake. I�m in a hyper-state of being. Is there any other way to be? I�m in this space where I�m being bombarded with images, faces and all kinds of things. It�s a hectic, glorious spin of life - and here I am right in the middle of it. I could be at a football game, crowded shopping mall or lovely restaurant having dinner with friends. It�s all the same. Who cares that your team lost or that the mall was unbearable or the dinner was overcooked or the art may have sucked. These things are not even blips on the radar of your life. What�s important is that we�re here for the ride - we own our personal space - our eyes are open, we�re thinking clearly and we�re awake to life. Art constantly teaches me that it�s not just about the visit; you have to make the entire trip count. Yes, getting here was a headache. Life can sometimes be a big, fat headache. However, headaches remind us that we�re alive and in the thick of it.

This is what I think when I think about Scope. It�s very modern and forward-thinking. Just so that you won�t think I�m exaggerating, I stopped and asked art dealer Nancy Silverman-Miles to give me her thoughts about this fair.

"The caliber is cutting edge " she said. " And more contemporary. The work is more individual. People attending these fairs say there�s more energy here." Another dealer told me he thought that Scope simply, "takes more risks."

You know, one of the great things about vacations is that you know at the end of them, you�ll return home with a fresh perspective, a new insight - all because you took the risk. After a few days or so, your life comes back into focus and you�re in the driver�s seat again. You�ve spent quality time (hopefully) with your authentic self away from the demands of necessary evils. In short, you stepped outside your personal box.

Given that and all of this challenging art around me, all I can think is that we�re not born to live artificially. This is for real. GET OUT THERE! DO IT! SEE IT! BE IT! MAKE IT HAPPEN! GET CREATIVE! GET OVER YOURSELF! You�re most alive when you put yourself at the forefront. You may as well. It�s not like we get to come back and do this again. Is this art imitating life or life imitating art? Either way, the clock is ticking and the heavens are watching.

I have to keep reminding myself to walk through life the way I walk through art fairs � determined to discover something new and willing to make an ass of myself in the process. We can all do that! Look at it this way, our greatest compliment will come when future historians look back at us through their monocles and microscopes and shout with utter fascination � "WOW! THEY DIDN"T MISS A THING! THEY BLEW IT OUT!"

If nothing else, they�ll be able to say that we had our eyes open.

MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK, "THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR�S JOURNAL." CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.ARTMAESTROGALLERY.COM

Created by Michael Corbin On 12/11/08 At 08:31 AM

ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2008

Michael Corbin for absolutearts.com — 2008-12-04T08:10:00

(MIAMI BEACH) - It seems to have become customary for me to hold my breath in anticipation of something great at Art Basel Miami Beach. After all, this is my third pilgrimage here and with more than two dozen, independent art fairs taking place all over the city, you�re bound to see something that knocks you dead. Right? Hold that thought.

If you�re an art lover, one of the great things about art fairs is that they lift you out of your hum-drum existence. Nothing accomplishes this better than a show-stopper. Many things caught my fancy this year, not the least of which, the economy. How did the tense, bailout-laced, economy play here? Well, I must say that I�ve just returned here to my hotel room after attending Media/Art Collector Preview Day. Judging by the obviously well-heeled crowd, finding the pick of the day still topped the agenda. If you�ve got the money, isn�t this the best time to buy? Anyway, you know that I was snooping. Here are some bits and pieces of conversations that I overheard - I�ll leave it up to you to fill in the context:

"I think there are enough new collectors out there to keep this going!" one dealer said on his cellphone.

"Oh, I�m looking around for cheap stuff," a collector said to someone.

"Are the prices softening up a bit?" a collector asked one dealer who replied, "They ARE and that�s GOOD!"

"I�m glad you�re here. I just hope it goes well!" another collector told a dealer.

Of course, these things might be uttered anytime at any art fair, but the current economy made them all the more poignant.

Art Basel Miami Beach is full of incessant chit-chat. Basically, society, small-talk. I wanted to just yell out - "LET�S CUT TO THE CHASE PEOPLE! NOBODY REALLY CARES ABOUT HOW YOUR POODLE MUFFIE IS DOING!" Let�s face it. All that the freaked out dealers want to hear is - "I'LL TAKE IT!" and all that the hungry collectors want to hear is, "I can cut you a GREAT deal on that!"

Moving on - there are so many great things to see. Alex Katz has two fantastic, oversized paintings here that would look great in my living room, but you know how that goes. I love his work. He�s always so fresh and modern - but let me focus on some unusual standouts this year:

Belgium artist Kris Martin has an absolutely fantastic, steel and bronze installation piece here. It�s called, "For Whom�" It�s a gigantic, bronze bell that rocks back and forth, hanging from huge, steel beams. It reportedly weighs three tons and yes, the bell tolls (in an Ernest Hemingway kind of way).

The dealer told me that it belongs to a private, American collector who paid roughly $250,000 for it. The installation signifies the 1929 financial crises. Really? So, I asked the dealer if this was a case of total coincidence or foreboding genius? That�s when Kris Martin himself came up and starting talking with me. First off, let me say that he could not have been nicer. He�s such a cool, down to earth guy. I told him that I saw him recently on the cover of Art Review. He told me that he had no idea that his piece would be so timely.

"It�s just by coincidence! These coincidences are crazy," Martin said. "It just flashes through my mind. It�s always happening like this. The majority of things are out of my control but they come together in very interesting ways." Nice, quick chat. After that, I moved on, but moments later, he came up to me at another booth and said, "If you find something better here you can have your money back!" I replied by saying, "I won�t!" We both laughed at his joke. At that point, two art dealers looked at me and scowled. Such angry, humorless people. Oh, I asked him if he planned any future large installations and he said, "Maybe BIGGER!" That�s the spirit.

I also loved Michelangelo Pistoletto�s "Buddha 2008." It�s a life-sized, standing Buddha sculpture that�s touching and presumably looking at its reflection in a tall mirror that�s part of the piece. Profound, yet funny. Perfect.

Another great piece was Farhard Moshiri�s tri-paneled, huge encaustic concoction of a roughly six foot tall by twelve foot wide cherry cake that had dozens of yellow-tipped knives seemingly thrown into it that spell out the words, "RUN LIKE HELL." It totally rocked.

Jon Kessler�s "Random Acts of Senseless Violence (Part 2)," also caught my eye. In a nutshell, it�s a tall rotating, steel contraption with a bunch of round, colored photos of minor celebrities that are spinning around with a small, live camera projecting their images into an Edward Hopper-esque television monitor. It�s a Deitch Projects piece. Very cool and original.

I won�t bore you with all of the other notable art pieces. There were plenty. It would take forever. There is one thing that I did strangely notice. There were a lot of face-lifted ladies here. Do you know when you look at someone and you say, "She (or he) has definitely had work done"? That was certainly the case here this year. I�m not judging this - I�m just saying. Why wouldn�t well-heeled art collectors turn the scalpel on themselves? I guess collectors of beautiful things also want to be beautiful themselves. I guess my point is that if you can afford to collect art AND get a face job, you�re doing okay - even in this tough economy.

Oh, did I mention who I saw amid the crowd? I saw super All-Star Mike Piazza pose for photos with a couple of fans in between looking at art. I shook hands briefly with Art Basel Miami Beach Founder Samuel Keller. He�s shorter than I thought he would be. I also spotted Blaine Trump (Donald�s former sister in law?) hungrily seeking a possible art purchase. Network Newsman Brian Ross, fresh from busting auto executives using expensive jets to fly to Washington in search of federal bailout money, was also here chatting on his cellphone. Also, at one point, I heard a woman yell out - "Lisa! Lisa!" That�s when Former Guggenheim Museum head Lisa Dennison, responding to some friends walked by me. Nice.

Finally, thank God that I decided to go against the advice of artist friends Matthew Beall and Scott Andrew Spencer who told me that I should just relax on the beach my first day here at Basel. That�s because as I left the Miami Beach Convention Center - my eyes met the glory of THE SHOW-STOPPER!

As I exited Convention Hall D, my eyes veered over to the left and there she was - SUPERMODEL NAOMI CAMPBELL - in the flesh, baby! She looked very much like her lovely self. She was wearing big, brownish, Jackie O type sunglasses, a baseball cap and a white, short, low-cut ballerina looking dress that showed off her bad-ass legs. Wow! I kept my gaze on her as I headed over to a nearby bench. I parked myself next to a woman and said, "Pardon me Mam, I just have to sit here and stare at Naomi Campbell!" Suddenly, I was lifted out of my hum-drum existence.

"Well, don�t let ME get in your way!" the woman snapped as she leaned back on the bench, giving me a clear, glorious view of Naomi who knew full well that I and everyone else outside was staring at her while she talked on her cellphone. I watched her the entire time until she went inside with her group of mostly male friends.

At that moment, I realized that I might have been rude. "Oh, I hope I wasn�t being rude," I said to the woman slumping down next to me. "YOU�RE very lovely too!" I said.

"Well, THANK YOU very much!" the woman replied - rather triumphantly.

MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK, "THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR�S JOURNAL." CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.ARTMAESTROGALLERY.COM

Created by Michael Corbin On 12/04/08 At 08:10 AM

Let�s Talk at the Jam Jar

Valerie Grove for absolutearts.com — 2008-12-01T08:22:00

I recently saw a show at the Jam Jar in Dubai, which featured five young Pakistani artists from the Grey Noise Gallery in Lahore. The Jam Jar is one of the few real community arts organisations in Dubai so it doesn�t have to be as commercially slick as the local norm. This means it can show work that is more youth oriented and often experimental.

The show was called �Let�s Talk� and it represented a dialogue between the five artists in which the work shown is linked as if it were a conversation. The central pillar of the whole concept was a small catalogue containing actual email dialogue and images the five artists exchanged when the show was in the planning stage. It was essential to read this catalogue, not only to help you understand what you saw, but also because it enabled a real sense of involvement in the show itself.

The catalogue provided a basic structure of the conversation being had in the work. After that it was up to the viewer to work out exactly where and how the different layers of the conversation intersected. This was challenging in itself because it was not always obvious. Just like a real conversation there were things that were unsaid, slight tangents and unresolved points. However, when juxtaposing the conversation being had by the work with the emailed exchanges between the artists, the show became a complete and cohesive entity. Silences in one and omissions in the other also became comprehensible.

The strongest conversational thread in the work was music or sound. The show began with Lala Rukh�s sound collage containing elements of nature, politics and traditional music with religious associations. Following on from this was Ayesha Jalal�s line of �sound words� running the length of the opposite wall ending in the word �boom�. A full stop was provided by a very simple abstract red and white print entitled �Where is my God�? Turning the corner you see six small white graves each containing a different book. The interesting mix of titles spans a time frame of more than 10 years but the most recent is the biography of Benazir Bhutto. The creator of these works, Ayaz Jokhio, is strangely absent from the catalogue discussion.

Next is one of Mehreen Murtaza�s large prints evoking sci-fi, technology, creation and myth, an image that does not seem to relate directly to the conversation but is understood when placed in the context of the email exchanges. Her other print relates more directly to the sound motif but also explores faith and technology as instruments of control.

Around the next corner �Echo� and �Sleeper� by Fahd Burki are not what you expect to see having read the email exchanges and this intensifies the feeling that you have established an intimate relationship with the artists. The connection to the conversation in terms of sound is obvious but there are other more subtle undercurrents apparent from the information you have been given.

It�s difficult to elaborate further because the presence of the catalogue is so central to the experience. It becomes like a puzzle, which you have to solve and the more effort you put into it the more rewarding it is. It is a nice redefinition of interactive - one in which exclusively mental rather than physical processes become the ones interacting with the work. What is perhaps most amazing is that you get all this from only eight pieces of work and a rather diminutive catalogue! So the show may be small but it is perfectly formed.

That said you do leave wanting more. Although you can keep reflecting on the concept and the different ways in which the conversation works, you want it to develop. Perhaps into another room, with another catalogue, different artists and a counter argument! However, this would be a different show and it probably needs to remain small because another thing I found was that it was hard to see the individual pieces in their own right. They became secondary to the larger concept and it was that, and the mental challenges associated with this show, which remained rather than the work itself.

It is very unusual to go to an exhibition and leave with such a strong understanding of the whole creative process from defining the concept, creating the work and addressing the practicalities of putting it all together. It may be a little too much effort for the average glamorous gallery goer here but for the artists it�s great!

Created by Valerie Grove On 12/01/08 At 08:22 AM

Sacrifice for Cezanne

Nicholas Forrest for absolutearts.com — 2008-11-26T05:18:00

The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia is selling two major works by two Australian artists from it�s collection to raise the remaining funds needed to purchase a painting by Cezanne titled Bords De La Marne. Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Edmund Capon, is the driving force behind the purchase of the work for AUD$16.2 million from a Swiss private collection which will be the most expensive work ever purchase by a gallery in Australia. Having committed to purchasing the work without having all the funds available, Capon and the gallery have had to do everything that they can to raise the extra funds in hurry and have been begging for donations at every opportunity.

The two works being sold to help fund the purchase are Balmoral by Brett Whiteley's and Pleasure Craft John Perceval's both of which are very important works by two of Australia�s most important artists. Apparently the benefactor who donated the pieces has given his blessing to the sale which is all very nice but what would the artist�s think and what would their opinion of the sale be if they were alive today?

It is expected that the price paid for both works at the auction, which is due to take place on the 24th of November, will be considerably lower than if they had been sold six months ago. Capon has even admitted that this is not the ideal time to be selling works of art at auction. By selling these works during a slump in the art market for a lower price it would seem that the sale of these two works has the potential to have a negative effect on the value of the work by both artists which would not reflect well on the gallery.

What concerns me the most is that the Cezanne is being purchased to mark the 30th anniversary of Edmund Capon�s directorship of the gallery. The reason that this concerns me is that two important works of Australian art are being sacrificed in what seems to be a last ditch and desperate effort to secure a work by a non-Australian artist. The whole saga raises the question of whether the gallery has jeopardised the value of the work of two Australian artists just to ensure that Capon gets his anniversary trophy. According to Capon the sale of the two Australian works is not an act of desperation but there is the potential for the market to still perceive the sale to be an act of desperation even if it isn�t. Regardless of the reasoning behind the sale of the paintings I doubt that any artist would want their work to be sold under such circumstances.

I agree that a work by Cezanne will fill a hole in the galleries collection and that Bords De La Marne does seem like a good buy but considering the economic climate and the circumstances in which the work is being purchased, I question whether the purchase of Bords De La Marne at the current time is such a good idea. Capon is quoted in an article from the Sydney Morning Herald as saying "Our timing is obviously not ideal, but there is a degree of urgency from the gallery's point of view - we simply have to pay for the Cezanne," If the gallery is that short of funds then should they have committed to purchasing the work in the first place or should they have waited for a better time to make such a significant purchase?

Image: Bords De La Marne by Cezanne

Created by Nicholas Forrest On 11/26/08 At 05:18 PM

SPREADING THE GOSPEL

Michael Corbin for absolutearts.com — 2008-11-24T07:44:00

As I sit here pondering the news that I got today, I can only think about how far I've come yet how much more work remains undone.

Have you ever tried to write and produce an illustrated art book for "everyday people" using your own resources on your own free time? If not, I can't say I recommend it unless you're possessed by some overpowering sense of mission. It certainly won't be for "the money."

But I digress. My new book, "THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL," has been honored with a National Best Books Award (Art Instructional Category). For me, this is simultaneously meaningless yet overwhelmingly meaningful. Let's face it, awards don't feed you, keep you warm at night or fill your gas tank. My book is the same exact book that it was BEFORE it won the award and I certainly haven't changed. However, maybe the art world will feel a tiny jolt. More on that in a moment.

Whenever I told people (which wasn't very often. I didn't want to bore anyone) that I was creating a series of illustrated, memoir-like books about my love of emerging art and artists, the responses didn't surprise me. I explained to people that the books would be targeted at people who don't know much about art and are intimidated by it or felt that they couldn't afford original art. I wanted to share my experiences and explain to readers that with art, like everything else in life, you've got to start somewhere. No one is born an expert. I'm hardly an authority, but I'm learning everyday. Everything begins with curiosity and desire. I wanted to try to bridge the gap between living, struggling artists and people who might become art collectors but were terrified by art. I think that most artists have absolutely NO IDEA how intimidated people are by them ... or perhaps some artists DO know this and it makes them feel big. Who knows?

Anyway, here are some of the responses that I got about my efforts:

"A book about art? Nobody is going to read it!"

"Oh, that sounds nice, but I don't know much about art!" (Hello? Were you listening to what I just said?)

"I would NEVER walk into an art gallery! I'm too afraid!"

"I like Monet!"

One artist blogger even accused me of trying to "join the ranks" of "established artists." In short, the naysayers came out of the woodwork like cockroaches on a midnight dinner break. It doesn't take much to get a feeding frenzy started. You know, I'm 100% convinced that the human race ALREADY has the answers to EVERY problem that supposedly confounds us. All we have to do is change OUR ATTITUDES. All we have to do is drop the ego and the politics and the greed and get real, but of course, no one wants to do that ... so we continue to bicker over tiny issues and spin around endlessly like a dog chasing its tail. As a species, we've got to outgrow this. We're wasting time.

An art dealer once told me that the art world LOVES of create mystery around art. The art world LOVES to keep art up on a pedestal so that it seems hallowed and out of reach. As we all know, money is the root of this evil. People will pay more for something that seems priceless and rare. I believe that art IS precious and sublime. Art deserves our undying respect and we should preserve it. However ... ART IS FULFILLING ITS MOST IMPORTANT MISSION WHEN IT IS SERVING US, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. If we can get everyday people to understand how art serves us everyday, art would take its rightful place among society's top priorities. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who are trying to use art to become rich and famous. The art world is often a rat race muddied by tar and selfish intent. There's nothing wrong with trying to make a buck off art ... people DO have to eat ... but there IS something wrong with dishonesty, greed and selfishness.

Which brings me back to my point. I love art. I love writing. I love writing about art and the things of everyday life provide me with artful insights. I believe that this is my tiny contribution to the art world. It's my way of helping to nudge people into an art museum that they're too afraid to visit. It's my way of getting people to gather up enough nerve at an art fair to actually say "Hello" to an artist who is desperately trying to sell his or her work. It's my way of trying to pop the snobbish art bubble. "POP!" There's a whole lotta hot air in there.

It's now 7:21 p.m. Another day is done. This was a good day. I learned today that my book won an award, but my book hasn't changed. Nor have I. Well, I WOULD say that I'm a little more grateful and humbled. At the same time, I'm more confident in the subject matter and certainly the mission. Art has served me well and I'm thrilled to continue writing and collecting and meeting artists and visiting galleries.

Yes, at the end of the day, it's almost like spreading the gospel.

MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR OF THE AWARD-WINNING BOOK, "THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL." CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.ARTMAESTROGALLERY.COM

Created by Michael Corbin On 11/24/08 At 07:44 AM

Art Market Past and Present

Nicholas Forrest for absolutearts.com — 2008-11-17T10:38:00

If you believe that art auction results are the be all and end all of the art market and that art auction results tell the full story of the evolution of art prices then you should probably reconsider your point of view. What art auction results do reflect is an extremely narrow view of how art market participants are reacting to the various influences that affect what price people are willing to pay for a work of art at a very specific moment in time. Looking at the sale history of an artwork over a period of one or two years or for that matter even five years may not give enough information to be able to truly appreciate how the value of that artwork has evolved.

It is difficult to make sense of what is happening when so many different points of view are being expressed by various experts and the media but when one puts things into perspective the figures speak for themselves. As an example of what I am talking about I will use the recent sale of the work �Untitled� (1992) by Albert Oehlen at the Sotheby�s Contemporary Art Day auction on the 12th of November (2008). The estimate for this work was USD $250,000 - $300,000 however it sold for $200,000 (hammer price) which doesn�t appear to be a particularly good result but the full story of this work paints a different picture. First of all, lets look at the sale history of similar works. In June 2002 another �Untitled� work painting in 1989 by Oehlen of a similar size sold for USD $17,322 (hammer price) with several other similar works selling for around the same price. To put this into perspective, if someone had purchased �Untitled� (1992) at auction in 2001 for USD $17,322 (hammer price) and then sold the work for USD $200,000 (hammer price) at the November 12 2008 auction that person would have received an increase of around 860% (taking fees into consideration) on their initial investment which, regardless of the fact that the work sold for $50,000 under the estimate at Sotheby�s on November 12, is an extremely good return. The purpose of this example is to show that the performance of a work of art cannot be determined from one auction results but needs to be assessed using data from a period of at least 10 years.

Another work by Oehlen, �Untitled� (1990), was also sold at the same sale as the above mentioned �Untitled� (1992) but with an estimate of USD $200,000 - $300,000 which was a $50,000 wider estimate than the USD $250,000 - $300,000 estimate for �Untitled� (1990). Although they both sold for the same price and had the same upper estimate the different lower estimate resulted in the sale of one work looking better than the other work. The perceived performance of these works of art have been manipulated by the auction house which once again shows how important it is to look at the big picture. The wider estimate of �Untitled� (1990) may reflect nothing more than the auction house having difficulty determining what the estimate should be and may not have been done to purposely affect people�s perception of the work but never the less the actions of the auction house did in this instance have the potential to alter the way people viewed the sale results and, consequently, the value of the works.

Am I optimistic about the future of the art market? Yes I am, because there are plenty of signs that people have confidence in the art market and have not lost their nerve. One such sign is the strong results being achieved for contemporary art which has been particularly evident with the November auctions as seen in the table below. The table from chelseaartgalleries.com shows the most successful lots from the November 14 Phillips De Pury Contemporary Art Part II auction. It is important to note that the prices in the table are exceptional and are not representative of the whole market for contemporary art but what they do show is that there is still plenty of confidence in the work of contemporary artists. There has definitely been a reduction in the average price people are willing to pay for many contemporary works but that doesn�t mean that the prices being paid aren�t still good in the overall scheme of things as I have shown in the earlier example of the Albert Oehlen works. The relatively strong market for top works of contemporary art reflects the continued confidence in the work of contemporary artists whose work would usually be expected to be the most seriously affected because of the higher risk involved in purchasing such works. Regardless of what people were paying for works of contemporary art six months ago the prices being paid in this first phase of the art market correction represent an art market that is exceeding expectations on many levels and is still showing strength and resilience in a time of financial distress and uncertainty.

Best performers from November 14 Phillips De Pury Contemporary Art Part II auction:
1 Jin Meyerson Lot: 456 $40,000 - $60,000 $200,000 3.33 times high estimate
2 Steven Charles Lot: 243 $8,000 - $12,000 $32,000 2.67 times high estimate
3 Jack Goldstein Lot: 329 $35,000 - $45,000 $90,000 2.00 times high estimate
4 Eric Freeman Lot: 449 $7,000 - $9,000 $16,000 1.78 times high estimate
5 Beatriz Milhazes Lot: 105 $150,000 - $200,000 $310,000 1.55 times high estimate
6 Yayoi Kusama Lot: 260 $12,000 - $18,000 $26,000 1.44 times high estimate
7 George Baselitz Lot: 346 $15,000 - $20,000 $28,000 1.40 times high estimate
8 Nasser Azam Lot: 120 $150,000 - $200,000 $275,000 1.38 times high estimate

Created by Nicholas Forrest On 11/17/08 At 10:38 AM

Land Change: Art and the Environment.

Valerie Grove for absolutearts.com — 2008-11-06T11:10:00

In a pleasant change from reviews of other peoples work, I am very happy to be able to report on something of my own this month. At the end of October I took part in a panel discussion and exhibition in Abu Dhabi organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority of Culture and Heritage and the Goethe Institute.

The theme of the exhibition was land change, art and the environment and it featured 5 artists who work in some way with environmental issues. The main artist was German photographer Petra Petrick who showed a series of photographs called �German Desert�. The images are desolate, barren and beautiful just like real deserts but actually taken at the abandoned sites of former open cast coalmines in Germany.

One of three Emirati artists in the show, Abdullah al Saadi, exhibited a panoramic scroll of the Khorfakkan coastline as observed from regular boat trips out into the bay. Khorfakkan is a mountainous, coastal area north of Dubai and al Saadi�s work monitors change as new buildings, especially hotels, arise and aspects of the natural landscape are removed. In some cases this has included chunks of mountain used as foundations for some of Dubai�s artificial islands.

Muna al Ali arranges potted plants in various stages of growth to comment on the inevitable cycles of life and decay but also to comment on the effects of human interaction with the environment. The first time I saw this installation called �Dialogue with Nature� was in the Creek Art fair last March. At that time all the plants were very healthy looking but the dialogue is now communicating something much less optimistic.

Mohammed Kazem had two sets of photographs in the exhibition. One illustrated the rapid urbanisation of the landscape around Dubai and the other used small details of urban infrastructure to create unidentifiable, abstracted images.

My work consisted of three �Towers of Trash� which also featured in the Creek Art fair last year, and two paintings from a series called �Artificial Landscapes�. The towers were a response to the fact there was no recycling programme in Dubai when I arrived and for a while I actually kept my recyclable trash assuming I would eventually discover where to put it! In the end it seemed appropriate to transform my collection into something that reflected the most common and iconic image of Dubai which is its skyline.
The paintings essentially take a traditional form but remove it from the associated idea of landscape as bucolic idyll. They are painted on board, also found in the trash, and depict landscapes but in a totally artificial way using unnatural colours, textures and perspectives. The materials used include industrial printing inks, car paint, bleach and other substances reflecting the fact they are landscapes created in a totally urban environment.

In the panel discussion itself the artists talked about how their work relates to changes in the environment around them and reflects and interprets these changes. Petra Petrick�s haunting photographs are testament to industrially devastated landscapes and Abdullah al Saadi is chronicling contemporary landscape loss. Meanwhile Muna al Ali�s work suggests that a dialogue with nature is probably easier while it still seems relatively healthy.

My paintings work on general themes but the towers are site-specific and reflect the fact that Dubai is the fastest growing city in the world and has the highest amount of waste per capita.
What was interesting in the discussion was that the main question seemed to be whether the artists were being critical of the pace of development in the UAE. This was a delicate issue to address but ultimately the panel agreed that artists interpret what they see rather than make judgements about it. Therefore none of the work is meant as unambiguous criticism but is more a mechanism to raise questions about issues of land use, environmental sustainability and even public health.

This discussion was particularly interesting for me in a month that also held a forum entitled �Critiquing Art in the Middle East�. The aim of the forum was to explore the difficulties of critique in a media environment that tends to cut and paste the press release and where public criticism of any kind is a cultural anathema. There is a rather large gap between this context and the occidental view of criticism as a separate discipline necessary for creative and intellectual development. However, the fact that issues like these are starting to arise suggests a gradual maturing of the art scene here and a genuine local desire to start concentrating on the substance of cultural, rather than purely economic development. In a month that also witnessed such global financial turmoil this is really rather encouraging!

Created by Valerie Grove On 11/06/08 At 11:10 AM

Life in motion, in the field of human experience

Richard Solstjarna for absolutearts.com — 2008-10-30T09:55:00

Life in motion, in the field of human experience

Everything in life is in motion and everything in the universe--from a thought to a solid rock, from the smallest electron to the entire cosmos-- is in a constant state of vibration. Life itself in the present moment are orchestrated like a great symphony.
In sharing this same, reality, dream and Spirit. The struggle for a living/survival, understanding and liberation lives on cycle after cycle.
This progress, force us further. In this evolutionary journey lies the potential to be, to become, more that is and more that have been. Through participation lies the potential for creation, to come inte being.

The human being are shown with her inner essence, force and energies with the colors red and yellow representing this. Sometimes shown in her animal body expressed in situations that reflect different states on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level.
The blue color represent the planet, sky and the universe. At the same time a planet in a universe bound by conditions and physical laws. The blues as water stands for emotions and the unconscious. Forces that are influencing and conditioning the human being in her day to day life.

The big empty blues/sky�s are representing the human feeling of loneliness or a belonging. That emptiness also represents humanity�s inner space. An infinite space, a void which is a source of potential(ity) to connect with. The minimalistic environment symbolizing a depth and void of silence, which are inherent and absolute present. This presence and force animates, works in, around and through the paintings. The eternal lifeforce, Spirit, vibrating in one tone, Harmony.

Life in motion, a universal theme presented in a contemporary myth and saga. Communicates, are recognized and fully understood at a soullevel.
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Created by Richard Solstjarna On 10/30/08 At 09:55 AM