Easy Art

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There are several things about this image that give me great pleasure. It's always such a happy surprise to find works of art like this that remind you that simple, casual ideas really can work.
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The interaction between the adults and child is quite fascinating. I don't know what the relationships are and they might not even be discussing the painting, but the whole thing is just so cozy.

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The image is from a post about the - Lincart Gallery in collaboration with David de Rothschild's Adventure Ecology & Sculpt the Future Foundation: SMART Art ­ Trash into Treasure - Exhibit on the Art Business Site, which posts reviews and pics of exhibits in San Francisco.

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Graffiti Goes Mainstream ?

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A while back I expressed the opinion that street art (graffiti) was the new avant garde. Well it was and in a way still is, but it's become so entrenched in it's own values and emulations, that it has become just one more mainstream genre. On top of that, street artists and academically trained artists have so cross-informed each other that, except for location, the distinction between the two is becoming quite blurry at times.
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The blog Arrested Motion made note of the fact that the famous street artists Banksy, Faile and Ryan McGinness were included in the Southey's London Contemporary Day Sale (on June 26). The works of these three blended seamlessly with the other contemporary artists hanging on the walls. No graffiti here.

Where I did find graffiti was in the street art auction by Artcurial. Now this was news. You'll want to check out the 4 pages of offerings which include a wide range of oeuvres. Work (below) by SKKI caught my eye and researching him took me for a very fascinating ride.
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All of that brought me to the TAG exhibit at the Grand Palais this spring, where they featured examples of graffiti from 300 street artists. You'll find more fotos from their site here and there's a boat load of images from that show on Edwin Bartlett's flickr page.

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In this image from the TAG Exhibition, SKKI's piece is second from the bottom, on the right. You'll find a much better picture of it on Ed Bartlett's link listed above.
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What's ironic about all this is that on the one hand tagging is a crime and a scourge; on the other hand, galleries are recognizing the talent and embracing this art with the hopes of bringing them in from the cold. But one of the hurdles for these artists is their street cred and notoriety. And regardless of how many do forsake the old ways and join the ranks of gallery-exhibiting artists, there will always be new taggers to take their place
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Meaningful Geo-Abstracts

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How could you not like the Geo-abstracts of Sarah Morris ? Described as using "the formal language of Pop Art and Minimalism"* and at other times called constructivist, her paintings are clean, bright, attractive and they induce contemplation. What was a real treat was to come across a video of her explaining the concept behind the paintings in her current Exhibition at MAMbo Museo in Bologna. She's also being featured at the MMk, Frankfort Show, "Yellow and Green".

There's a lot more thought that goes into these works than just where to put the next line and which color. Her oeuvre includes film making and actually the films inform the paintings. Upon further reading you come to understand the importance of the color schemes and architecture of the paintings in each particular show.

The image below is of two of her "Pool" paintings that I found quite fascinating, both in the concept and the subliminal images that these works conjure. (Titles are so amazing in how they guide the mind.)

A painting from her "Pool" series sold at auction for $70,000 in 2007



She's represented by Friedrich Petzel and you can see how her work has matured in the four different Exhibitions since '99.

She's also represented by Barbara Krakow Gallery.

To round out the train of thought about the development of her paintings and films, go Here.
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