Art I Like

Simon Pericich

Melbourne-based sculptor; DF's former housemate.

I remember the first time I went to their house on Johnston St in early 2007, the studio was full of weapons he was making from found objects, which I thought were frikken awesome.

Also especially liked: Lost Dog and Your Best Friend.

Robin Hely

Whatever his shortcomings as a human being, he's undeniably an amazing artist. And his sociopathy and his genius kind of go hand in hand.

"As an artist, I have a big problem," he said to me once. "I don't really like art. I just love fucking with peoples' heads."

Yeah.

"Interventionist performance art", he's calling it now. Previously known as "interactive public theatre". I still like "reality art". Whatever it is, it's something else.

Interesting review of "Sherrie". Origin of the spycam. Missing Person --> Who Is Robert Henley?. Oh, and then there's this. Changed my life, y'know.

I miss the evil bastard. He's never dull.

(Previously.)

The Telepathy Project

Whilst on the subject of interactional installations involving post-its mounted in windows as part of Next Wave '08, there's this.

See also; also; also.

(Sidenote: Another term for 'telepathy' is 'thought transference'. Both refer to a 'paranormal' phenomenon. But even the most hardened materialist skeptic with half a brain would concede that we all 'transfer thoughts' all the time, in all kinds of ways. Some very obvious and direct; some extremely subtle and amorphous.)

Hiromi Tango

(Via DF.)

Absence was a performance installation mounted in the Degraves St Subway as part of last year's Next Wave.

Japanese born, Brisbane based artist Hiromi Tango is inhabiting Vitrine at Platform in the Campbell Arcade subway throughout the 2008 Festival. During her time there her objective is to hand-stitch collected ‘feelings and voices’ and develop a collaborative sculpture with the theme of ‘absence’. Her personal engagement with the site, situation and the community that passes will determine the final outcome of the artwork.

In 2006 and 2007, Hiromi undertook 18 months of research in Hong Kong, New Zealand, the USA, Japan and Australia, which involved meeting people, listening to their stories and recording her interactions. Hiromi also received photos, personal letters, writings, drawings, diaries and personal items from the people she met. For the past six months Hiromi has been hand-stitching these stories and objects, while considering the authors’ absence.

Absence will contribute to a more critical understanding of how artist and public engagement is defined, and how the artist can intervene into a particular space, potentially generating unexpected moments of intimacy and tension.

How much of the exchange is me and how much of it is you? Is it possible to understand each other?

"During the month Vitrine was transformed into a site of incredible dialogue and culminated in Hiromi staging her own funeral."

Craig

Age article. Time magazine article (!). Flickr set of Craig's work.

It soon emerged that Craig is actually a ripoff of Chris, aka New Yorker Todd Lamb.

But I still like Craig better (and not just because he's local).

Shannon Holopainen

(via Freakley.)

Jason Maling

From website:

From drawing and durational process, through to live workshops and public performance, Maling's work can best be described by the term ‘Live Art’. It extends through a broad range of media and is characterised by a formality of composition with a fluidity of outcome. Often appearing game-like, the roles of players and the rules of play continually evolve through individual and collective expressions of what is 'allowed’. The results can be as simple as a broken tool or as elaborate as a sprawling narrative. It’s about the space between what could happen and what did.

Of particular note: Project George.

Gabrielle De Vietri

(Via Freakley.)

Various works showcased on noise.net.

The Relationship Contracts (well, the two I've seen) are beautiful.

(If these existed outside the realm of Art, they'd make life a lot simpler. But much less interesting..)

Audio interview, mostly about the Ideas Catalogue.

From statement:

Through my work I aim to address common personal, social, and artistic problems. My source material originates in the overlapping codes of behaviour in social, professional and legal interactions and transactions. Departing from flawed givens, misleading texts, and habitual human behaviours, I attempt to locate alternatives, however absurd.

...While my works are mainly text-based, they often expand to incorporate their contexts in performative or sculptural ways...

My central interests lie in a desire to affect and redirect our social imaginary, which disciplines the way in which we lead our lives. I intend to communicate the purpose of my works to individuals rather than masses, broadening and diversifying the way in which their social imaginary functions, and in turn affecting the way in which they think and behave. This public outlook makes for artworks which are frank, moralising, social, and instructional.

Strangers & Intimacy

(Via Rob Hely.)

Strangers & Intimacy was an interactive performance work staged at West Space in Melbourne in early 2005.

The project began in September 2004 when eight artists were assigned a pen pal living in a city on the other side of the world. On the first day of September they all wrote a four line letter of introduction to their foreign pen friend. Over the four months, between September and December they continued writing letters to each other each week.

The development process was interesting enough all by itself..

Part One = Letters - The strangers meet via hand written letters, they reveal themselves, become intimate, share pasts, stories, memories and daily life.

Part Two = Melbourne - They establish a working relationship upon meeting at West Space in Melbourne, they stand face to face, sort through all the material, share ideas and create performances.

Part Three = Glasgow - The artists then travel together to Glasgow, the temperature drops, the poles shift and new intimacies form.

.. but what sounds really interesting (from the account related to me yesterday) is the actual performance, which - probably appropriately - isn't described at all on the page linked above.

Danielle Freakley

AKA The Quote Generator. See also: Artist Running Space, Text Masks, Fotolog.

Hero turned mentor. Unique case.

I wanted to post some excerpts from the surreal, amazing Neurocam application that brought her to my attention in the first place, but of course I can't. Oh well.

I heart you, DF.

Keep on redeeming garbage and doing that beautiful, masochistic, discombobulating lived performance art. (And have fun in New York.)