NEWS — Art 19

The Art Newspaper : William Kentridge Self Portrait Coffee Pot

At the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, people all over the world were stuck by themselves (and with themselves), thinking over hard existential questions. Inside his Johannesburg studio, the South African artist William Kentridge took it a step further—making a film series in which two versions of Kentridge discuss philosophical topics and argue with each other about misremembered childhood occurrences. At times, a third Kentridge drops in to play peacemaker or explain something to the camera. Made over the span of two years and now streaming on Mubi, the nine-episode Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot (2022) combines humour and seriousness through dialogue (and monologue), animation, drawing, music and performance. A Dada-esque love letter to the studio and art-making, the series is delightfully optimistic. It is also exactly what one might expect from Kentridge in lockdown.

gabriela ancoOctober 24, 2024William Kentridge

The Collector : Who Is Kiki Smith? (by Lea Stankovic)

During her over four-decade-long career, contemporary American artist Kiki Smith predominantly explored themes concerning the human body, identity, and feminism. She was one of the first artists to address the AIDS crisis. Smith’s work also explores issues related to the female body and identity. She has challenged traditional depictions of women and their roles in art, by tackling issues such as sexuality, fertility, and the aging process. Smith’s art reflects a broader social and cultural dialogue about gender and social justice.

gabriela ancoOctober 23, 2024Kiki Smith

Designboom : interview with william kentridge on his 'self portrait as a coffee pot' film series

South African artist William Kentridge teams up with global film distributor and streaming platform MUBI to release his nine-episode film series Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot. Shot in Kentridge’s Johannesburg studio during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the series draws inspiration from Charlie Chaplin, Dziga Vertov, and the innovative spirit of early cinema. Through a collection of distinct yet interconnected vignettes, it explores themes of humor, philosophy, politics, and artistic freedom—showcasing the resilience of creativity amidst isolation. ‘I wanted to make the films in the same way I would create a drawing,’ Kentridge explains in an interview with designboom, ‘without a script, following the impulse, letting the process unfold naturally.’ Following special previews at the Toronto International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival, and a presentation at the Arsenale Institute for the Politics of Representation during the 2024 Venice Biennale, the series will be available on MUBI starting October 18, 2024.

gabriela ancoOctober 17, 2024William Kentridge

Britannica : Shirin Neshat Iranian-born American artist (by Alicja Zelazko)

Shirin Neshat (born March 26, 1957, Qazvīn, Iran) is an Iranian-born American artist whose photography, video, and feature films investigate how women find freedom in repressive societies. About her work, Neshat stated: “Everything I’ve done is a celebration of the power of women. The Western world sometimes views Iranian women as victims, and while they’ve been continuously oppressed by religion and difficult political situations, they’ve always fought back. They’ve always broken rules.”

gabriela ancoOctober 15, 2024Shirin Neshat

Monsters + MMoCA raises oppressed voices through poetry (by Akhilesh Peddi)

Five poets gathered at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) on Thursday evening. The group consisted of two University of Wisconsin professors, Erika Meitner and Timothy Yu. Other poets included Natasha Oladokun, a queer Black poet and essayist from Virginia; Nicholas Gulig, a Thai-American poet from Wisconsin; and Steven Espada Dawson, a poet from Los Angeles. They were gathered as part of the Monsters + MMOCA poetry reading to share their experience after visiting New York artist Shilpa Gupta’s current MMOCA exhibit, “I did not tell you what I saw, but only what I dreamt.” (until April 28). The exhibition focuses on state-sanctioned censorship and violence against free speech.

gabriela ancoOctober 15, 2024Shilpa Gupta

RadioFrance : Yoko Ono, le parcours romanesque de "la célèbre artiste inconnue"

Today in Affaires Sensibles, Yoko Ono, Oh yes, or the romantic journey of a mysterious artist, and a 1.57 m tall misunderstanding, who has hovered over popular culture for almost 60 years. Yoko Ono is first and foremost the black widow through whom the scandal arrived; the one who, by dint of manipulations and satanic acts, destroyed the Beatles from the inside [...] Of course, all this is false, but it's the little tune we've been hearing regularly since the group's official split in April 1970. So who built this reputation? One thing is certain: before being the wife of a genius, Yoko Ono is first and foremost a unique artist whose aura extends far beyond music. A survivor of the Second World War, who arrived in New York from Japan at the age of 19 and was close to the Fluxus art movement, Yoko Ono had a thousand lives before embracing that of the Liverpool 4. Clever and calculating as well as warm and optimistic, she remains a mystery to this day. But who's behind that round face, impassive gaze and inimitable voice?

gabriela ancoOctober 14, 2024Yoko Ono

ArtDog Istanbul : Drawing Lines with Threads (by Semra Dursun)

Istanbul Modern is currently hosting the exhibition "Between Worlds" (since Septembre, 6th), featuring a large-scale installation created specifically for the museum by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota. Shiota is well-known for her installations that primarily use thread as the main material. Shiota recently answered questions about the exhibition and her artistic practice.

gabriela ancoOctober 14, 2024Chiharu Shiota

Rheinische Post : Die sieben Überraschungen der Gerhard-Richter-Ausstellung (by Philipp Holstein)

Kurator Markus Heinzelmann hat die chronologisch gehängte Ausstellung „Verborgene Schätze“ genannt. Die Stücke stammen aus privaten Sammlungen rheinischer Kunstfreunde und von Unternehmen. Die meisten wollen anonym bleiben. Manche geben sich jedoch zu erkennen, der Fotokünstler Andreas Gursky etwa. Ihm gehört die „Weinernte“ von 1968, und darauf angesprochen, sagt er, Gerhard Richter sei für ihn eine „maßgebliche Inspiration“. Gerade die frühen Foto-Übermalungen hätten enormen Einfluss auf seine eigene künstlerische Entwicklung gehabt. Die meisten Bilder der Schau wurden selten, manche noch nie öffentlich gezeigt. Und natürlich stellt man sich vor, in welcher Umgebung sie wohl sonst hängen: Wohn- oder Esszimmer? Und wie ist es, unter einem Richter zu frühstücken? Manchmal lassen die Rahmen etwas von den Vorlieben der Besitzer erahnen.

gabriela ancoOctober 10, 2024Gerhard Richter

Telegraphi : The forbidden work of Shirin Neshat: The rebellious silence (by Katy Essel for the Guardian)

Dressed in a chador and holding the barrel of a gun in front of her face, a woman looks at us. It is defiant, determined, militant, courageous. The title of the work, "rebellious silence", evokes her quiet sense of power. Her steadfast gaze suggests conviction and trust. On its face, in handwritten Farsi, is a poem that focuses on feminism about the law enacted during the 1979 Iranian revolution that still today requires all Iranian women to wear veils in public. . "The written text is the voice of the photograph", said artist Shirin Neshat. "This breaks the silence of the quiet woman." [...] While Neshat's series is rooted in the women associated with the 1979 revolution, their gaze evokes the determination of today's female protesters. The fact that the work has been banned by Iran highlights the country's conservatism.

gabriela ancoOctober 5, 2024Shirin Neshat

Hyperallergic : Music of the Mind at Tate Modern was a memory bank of seven decades of the avant-garde artist’s career. (by Coco Picard)

By entering the show, one steps through Yoko Ono's gaze into a memory bank that includes seven-decades of her work [...] This reiterates Ono's premise : that the real aesthetic accomplishment exists primarily in one's own mind, or the mind of the viewer, even if that realization is catalyzed by material iterations-like a film, photograph, or performance.

gabriela ancoOctober 3, 2024Yoko Ono

FAD Magazine : Parley for the Oceans x Rosemarie Trockel démodé AI driven print edition launch (by Mark Westall)

Rosemarie Trockel explores the fascinating intersections of technology, memory, and artistic intervention in her limited-edition prints for Parley for the Oceans. This new series, launching in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, a French-based publishing house and gallery, timed to Art Basel Paris in October, showcases Trockel’s foray into her photographic archive, where she employs AI to generate three compelling new photographic portraits derived from her personal images. Each AI-generated portrait is screen-printed on Trockel’s drawings, complemented by the artist’s signature spray-painted motifs. These abstract elements disrupt and enhance the compositions, adding depth and intrigue.

gabriela ancoSeptember 19, 2024Rosemarie Trockel

Cultured North East : Baltic turns to Yoko Ono to join in worldwide call for peace (by David Wethstone)

Yoko Ono is making a return to Baltic; not in person, as in 2008 when her work was the subject of a major exhibition at the Gateshead centre for contemporary art, but as an artistic presence. Her IMAGINE PEACE artwork, exhibited as part of that show, is being displayed again as a banner on the outside of the building to mark International Day of Peace on Saturday, September 21. With so much conflict dominating headlines, it can do no harm – whatever cynics might say - to pay heed to Yoko’s plea to “think peace, spread peace and act peace”. Baltic is marking the day with activities aimed at encouraging reflection on peace and unity. Visitors will be invited to add messages to a trio of Yoko-inspired Peace Trees and participate in creative writing workshops.

gabriela ancoSeptember 17, 2024Yoko Ono