8. Dia:Beacon
12. An Overview
Thursday, December 12, 2013
An Overview
I've been home a few days now, and the jetlag is slowly subsiding, so I think it's a good opportunity to look back at my trip and try to make sense of it all.
I can't say I loved New York. There were times I'd have liked nothing more than to pack up and come home, yet towards the end of the trip I felt I needed to stay longer, there was more to do. But then it's as Seb Chan said in his talk to us. In New York it's not about deciding what to do, but rather what not to do, there's just so much.
The contrast between wealth and poverty in New York is astounding. The wealth sustains the arts and culture of the city. Walk into a museum and every gallery is named for a benefactor. Yet the number of homeless beggars on the street and subway was shocking. There's enough wealth in the city to look after everyone, but there is the mindset that you have to do it all for yourself; the rich will give to the community, in ways they choose.
The speed of the gentrification in New York was notable. We see gentrification in Brisbane, families moving to the outer suburbs simply because it's affordable, and slowly, they become acceptable areas to live. New York doesn't wait for families. The starving artists move in because it's affordable, and soon it becomes a den of galleries rather than a den of junkies and prostitutes, attracting more affluent people until the artists can no longer afford to live there. A local I met told me she remembers when Chelsea was a bad area you didn't venture into, yet now it's a beautiful area of Manhattan, yet signs of its past still remain.
Frank Sinatra sang, if I can make it there I can make it anywhere. And it really is the city people come to to make it. Is New York the centre of art and culture because it's all there, or is it because everyone is going there? It's been a magnet for people looking to make it in all areas of life, not just the arts, for a very long time. Now that I've been, I can see why. As an art history student, seeing the artworks in person was an experience that can't be replaced by lessons in a class room on the other side of the world. Art has to be experienced, and in New York you can experience so much of the influential art that a student will learn about in class. What better place for an actor? In Brisbane there would be few opportunities to see something on stage, let alone perform, while New York has dozens, if not hundreds between Broadway and off Broadway.
I think it's that magnetism that makes New York. Elliott Whitton's talk made me realise that with everyone coming to New York, it's where you meet the people you need to meet, simply because of the vast concentration of people all there for the same reason. That may seem an outrageous idea in a city of over 8 million people, but for all its size, New York isn't that big. It's broken down into different boroughs and other areas, quite often with people with the same interests concentrating in one area. New York's Flower District is still full of florists, The arts were in SoHo, now Chelsea, and they're moving into Brooklyn, more specifically Williamsburg and Bushwick. It's easier to find people when they're concentrated. This was reinforced during my visit to the Whitney Museum, and striking up a conversation with a couple; one of whom turned out to be an artist who gave me her card. New York isn't just what you see, it's who you meet.
I wrote before I went to New York that I don't like big cities, and this holds true. Time spent in open spaces with trees, grass and sky was very welcome, yet part of me feels I could live in New York, even if because visiting is not enough. Three weeks was overwhelming, mostly due to cramming so much into a short time. I feel if I lived in New York I could experience the places I went to at a more leisurely pace. The Met alone requires days to go through, yet I had half a day and saw only a fraction. Even that was overwhelming. There are still areas of New York I didn't get to explore; I feel that I have unfinished business there. As I read about massive cuts to arts funding in Queensland I can fully understand the attraction to a place that appreciates and thrives on arts and culture, yet do we do any good by abandoning what little we do have here? I could live in New York for a few years, but it could never be a permanent home, and I would hope that the experiences there could be brought back to Australia to help enrich our own culture.
I can't say I loved New York. There were times I'd have liked nothing more than to pack up and come home, yet towards the end of the trip I felt I needed to stay longer, there was more to do. But then it's as Seb Chan said in his talk to us. In New York it's not about deciding what to do, but rather what not to do, there's just so much.
The contrast between wealth and poverty in New York is astounding. The wealth sustains the arts and culture of the city. Walk into a museum and every gallery is named for a benefactor. Yet the number of homeless beggars on the street and subway was shocking. There's enough wealth in the city to look after everyone, but there is the mindset that you have to do it all for yourself; the rich will give to the community, in ways they choose.
The speed of the gentrification in New York was notable. We see gentrification in Brisbane, families moving to the outer suburbs simply because it's affordable, and slowly, they become acceptable areas to live. New York doesn't wait for families. The starving artists move in because it's affordable, and soon it becomes a den of galleries rather than a den of junkies and prostitutes, attracting more affluent people until the artists can no longer afford to live there. A local I met told me she remembers when Chelsea was a bad area you didn't venture into, yet now it's a beautiful area of Manhattan, yet signs of its past still remain.
Frank Sinatra sang, if I can make it there I can make it anywhere. And it really is the city people come to to make it. Is New York the centre of art and culture because it's all there, or is it because everyone is going there? It's been a magnet for people looking to make it in all areas of life, not just the arts, for a very long time. Now that I've been, I can see why. As an art history student, seeing the artworks in person was an experience that can't be replaced by lessons in a class room on the other side of the world. Art has to be experienced, and in New York you can experience so much of the influential art that a student will learn about in class. What better place for an actor? In Brisbane there would be few opportunities to see something on stage, let alone perform, while New York has dozens, if not hundreds between Broadway and off Broadway.
I think it's that magnetism that makes New York. Elliott Whitton's talk made me realise that with everyone coming to New York, it's where you meet the people you need to meet, simply because of the vast concentration of people all there for the same reason. That may seem an outrageous idea in a city of over 8 million people, but for all its size, New York isn't that big. It's broken down into different boroughs and other areas, quite often with people with the same interests concentrating in one area. New York's Flower District is still full of florists, The arts were in SoHo, now Chelsea, and they're moving into Brooklyn, more specifically Williamsburg and Bushwick. It's easier to find people when they're concentrated. This was reinforced during my visit to the Whitney Museum, and striking up a conversation with a couple; one of whom turned out to be an artist who gave me her card. New York isn't just what you see, it's who you meet.
I wrote before I went to New York that I don't like big cities, and this holds true. Time spent in open spaces with trees, grass and sky was very welcome, yet part of me feels I could live in New York, even if because visiting is not enough. Three weeks was overwhelming, mostly due to cramming so much into a short time. I feel if I lived in New York I could experience the places I went to at a more leisurely pace. The Met alone requires days to go through, yet I had half a day and saw only a fraction. Even that was overwhelming. There are still areas of New York I didn't get to explore; I feel that I have unfinished business there. As I read about massive cuts to arts funding in Queensland I can fully understand the attraction to a place that appreciates and thrives on arts and culture, yet do we do any good by abandoning what little we do have here? I could live in New York for a few years, but it could never be a permanent home, and I would hope that the experiences there could be brought back to Australia to help enrich our own culture.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Whitney and Studio Museum Harlem
I spent my morning in The Whitney Museum of American Art. There were a few interesting exhibitions, including a look at performance art in Manhattan in the 1970s, and Robert Indiana's Beyond Love.
I must admit, by this point I was suffering a little from museum fatigue. It was difficult to take in what I was seeing. I felt Indiana's work was just the same thing repeated over and over, which I'm sure has a point, but I was in shut down by this time. It was still interesting to see so many objects, films and photographs from performance art in the 70s. Performance art by its nature is ephemeral, and many of the artists didn't allow the performances to be recorded, and even if they were, it isn't the same experience, although I was interested to see one of the works had been purposely filmed, and in 3D, to give viewers who didn't attend as close to the same experience as possible. There are no rules for performance art, sometimes you just have to be there, other times it's intended to be seen as a recording. Yet does this cross over into film?
For me, the most interesting experience came when I was leaving. I was in the lift heading to the lobby with a local couple; they were discussing the attendants all standing, because in Europe they have stools and seats. The man politely explained their discussion when I looked over at them, and I told them that I work in a museum in Australia, where we all have to stand. The conversation turned to why I was in New York, and upon explaining that I study art history and was here as part of a class, the lady reached into her purse and handed me her business card; in case I become a curator.
I later looked her up. Lisa Fromartz, a local artist who has been exhibited around the world, and collected by MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, and a range of private institutions.
This was it. This is why people come to New York. The person you meet in the lift can be a contact. They may be an artist, a curator, a collector, someone who could help your career, or whose career you could help.
Lunch, a subway trip, and a terrifying walk through East Harlem, and I was at Studio Museum Harlem. A pleasant change from the massive, overwhelming museums and galleries, Studio Museum is still a good size, with multiple levels and plenty to see. A museum for artists of African descent, both locally and internationally, this gives an opportunity to see art you may otherwise not get to see. New York's own Guerilla Girls pointed out most artists exhibited in museums are white (not to mention male) in a letter to Eli Broad; The Broad Foundation collection contained 194 artists, 96% of which were white. This lack of representation is the subject of one of the artworks on display. Charles Gaines' String Theory: Romare Bearden in the Body Language exhibition.
I must admit, by this point I was suffering a little from museum fatigue. It was difficult to take in what I was seeing. I felt Indiana's work was just the same thing repeated over and over, which I'm sure has a point, but I was in shut down by this time. It was still interesting to see so many objects, films and photographs from performance art in the 70s. Performance art by its nature is ephemeral, and many of the artists didn't allow the performances to be recorded, and even if they were, it isn't the same experience, although I was interested to see one of the works had been purposely filmed, and in 3D, to give viewers who didn't attend as close to the same experience as possible. There are no rules for performance art, sometimes you just have to be there, other times it's intended to be seen as a recording. Yet does this cross over into film?
For me, the most interesting experience came when I was leaving. I was in the lift heading to the lobby with a local couple; they were discussing the attendants all standing, because in Europe they have stools and seats. The man politely explained their discussion when I looked over at them, and I told them that I work in a museum in Australia, where we all have to stand. The conversation turned to why I was in New York, and upon explaining that I study art history and was here as part of a class, the lady reached into her purse and handed me her business card; in case I become a curator.
I later looked her up. Lisa Fromartz, a local artist who has been exhibited around the world, and collected by MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, and a range of private institutions.
This was it. This is why people come to New York. The person you meet in the lift can be a contact. They may be an artist, a curator, a collector, someone who could help your career, or whose career you could help.
Lunch, a subway trip, and a terrifying walk through East Harlem, and I was at Studio Museum Harlem. A pleasant change from the massive, overwhelming museums and galleries, Studio Museum is still a good size, with multiple levels and plenty to see. A museum for artists of African descent, both locally and internationally, this gives an opportunity to see art you may otherwise not get to see. New York's own Guerilla Girls pointed out most artists exhibited in museums are white (not to mention male) in a letter to Eli Broad; The Broad Foundation collection contained 194 artists, 96% of which were white. This lack of representation is the subject of one of the artworks on display. Charles Gaines' String Theory: Romare Bearden in the Body Language exhibition.
To me, this highlighted the importance of Studio Harlem. It gives voice to people who are still discriminated against. I thought one of the artworks in the Afrofuturist exhibition, The Shadows Took Shape linked back heavily to this idea. A plywood reconstruction of the Millenium Falcon from Star Wars, but inside was not a futuristic space ship, it was Studio Harlem itself. The gallery was copied into the artwork, featuring tables with books. This was it. This was the way forward, through education and the gallery.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Queer History of Fashion, International Centre for Photography and Shaun O'Connor
The morning involved a visit to the Fashion Institute of Technology for a look at the exhibition, Queer History of Fashion. While I have little interest in fashion (I'm terribly unfashionable!) I did find the talk by the curator made it far more interesting. It explained how the exhibition came about, and also how it was put together, exploring both the fashions of the LGBT community, and the creations of LGBT designers. Most interesting was how LGBT fashions became main stream through the appropriation of the trends by LGBT designers.
Next was a visit to the International Centre for Photography. Of most interest was a Zoe Strauss exhibition. Strauss has travelled America, photographing the things not often shown. The dirty, grungy, underbelly. Be it run down buildings, odd signs or someone smoking a crack pipe, she presents a warts and all view of America. Interspersed is imagery of the patriotism of Americans, when presented with the other images it begs the question, what are they so proud of? While I looked at the photos I thought of post-apocalyptic movies and I wondered, are we already there?
Another interesting exhibit was of the JFK assassination; but the bystander's view, presented in amateur photographs and film. In today's world of Instagram, digital cameras and camera phones, the bystander is becoming even more important. Governments and the media can present the story they want to tell, but the myriad of bystander images that can appear may be able to give people a truly unbiased view of events. Will we be able to see something from multiple viewpoints and remove the bias?
Finally we made our way to Brooklyn for a visit with Shaun O'Connor in his studio. While not an artist myself, it was interesting to see what happens to an artist once they get out of university. Not everyone can be a millionaire artist, but what does it mean if you're not?
Tonight in the dorm there was a discussion about what it means to be a successful artist. It was suggested Shaun wasn't successful, but what is the measure? Are you unsuccessful because you're not a millionaire, or are you successful because you're doing something you love to do? Shaun is creating art and showing art. Does it need to make him rich? I can't help but think that if he's living in a city he loves, with a studio to work in, he's doing okay. Is he making a living off his art? I guess not. But to me this does not mean he isn't successful, plus it would be naive to think that you can just turn up in New York, rent a studio and suddenly be the toast of the art world. He may yet make a living from his art, but like anything, it takes hard work and time.
Next was a visit to the International Centre for Photography. Of most interest was a Zoe Strauss exhibition. Strauss has travelled America, photographing the things not often shown. The dirty, grungy, underbelly. Be it run down buildings, odd signs or someone smoking a crack pipe, she presents a warts and all view of America. Interspersed is imagery of the patriotism of Americans, when presented with the other images it begs the question, what are they so proud of? While I looked at the photos I thought of post-apocalyptic movies and I wondered, are we already there?
Another interesting exhibit was of the JFK assassination; but the bystander's view, presented in amateur photographs and film. In today's world of Instagram, digital cameras and camera phones, the bystander is becoming even more important. Governments and the media can present the story they want to tell, but the myriad of bystander images that can appear may be able to give people a truly unbiased view of events. Will we be able to see something from multiple viewpoints and remove the bias?
Finally we made our way to Brooklyn for a visit with Shaun O'Connor in his studio. While not an artist myself, it was interesting to see what happens to an artist once they get out of university. Not everyone can be a millionaire artist, but what does it mean if you're not?
Tonight in the dorm there was a discussion about what it means to be a successful artist. It was suggested Shaun wasn't successful, but what is the measure? Are you unsuccessful because you're not a millionaire, or are you successful because you're doing something you love to do? Shaun is creating art and showing art. Does it need to make him rich? I can't help but think that if he's living in a city he loves, with a studio to work in, he's doing okay. Is he making a living off his art? I guess not. But to me this does not mean he isn't successful, plus it would be naive to think that you can just turn up in New York, rent a studio and suddenly be the toast of the art world. He may yet make a living from his art, but like anything, it takes hard work and time.
Cooper Hewitt's Seb Chan, The Met and Sleep No More
I found the visit with Seb Chan interesting. I have been interning at QUT's The Cube and The Block, two spaces which are designed for digital and new media, so a talk from the Director of Digital and Emerging Media at the Cooper-Hewitt was a little exciting.
The background knowledge of the Cooper-Hewitt and other museums in the city was interesting. I thought there would be more staff, and the capital held in the bank by The Met was astounding. It goes some way to explaining the massive collections.
Seb made the point that technology is no longer a separate thing in our life. People are now constantly connected to the internet, meaning they interact with the world in different ways, and institutions have to move away from a small panel on a wall. I thought he was right when he said people don't really know how to use the technology yet, and sadly, few are willing to experiment. I was reminded of a discussion about my internship, when I said how much I enjoyed the progressive nature of The Block, with it allowing exhibitions and programs far away from the traditional, and I was told that I would get that experience nowhere else; everything was too traditional (although I believe MoNA may be right up there after the brief amount of time Seb spoke of it). Rather than being off putting, I find this to be an exciting challenge. These changes will be happening, and it would be great to be involved.
So many times people ask me what I want to do with my degree, and I'm always a bit vague, but I felt Seb Chan's talk helped me focus where I would like to go.
Next was a visit to The Met, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Words cannot describe how overwhelming it is. Museum and art gallery, we barely got through a fraction of the building before becoming numbed to everything we were seeing. The scale is massive, and the collection impressive. Yet while I appreciate being able to go into one building and experience everything there, I could not help but shake the feeling that it was all wrong. Many of the artefacts should be back where they came from, not ripped out, stolen and sold to another country.
A long day ended with a visit to Sleep No More. Recommended by Seb Chan, a group of us bought tickets while having lunch, and headed to Chelsea without really knowing what to expect. The owner of the restaurant we had dinner in told us he'd seen it and enjoyed it. With him telling us to keep an open mind, we made our way to the 'hotel'. There's no adequate way to describe the experience; a play you are immersed in, interacting with the set, with the actors, in a way far removed from traditional theatre. I came away exhausted and exhilarated. The lift operator told us the best experience comes to those who explore, so I headed out into the building determined to find all I could. The building itself could have been an experience, but stumbling upon scenes being acted out, sprinting through darkened corridors chasing the players, being dragged into a room and locked in with one of the actresses, I've never had such an immersive experience. While I loved the Broadway show, this was something else again. And I feel something I would not experience outside of New York.
The background knowledge of the Cooper-Hewitt and other museums in the city was interesting. I thought there would be more staff, and the capital held in the bank by The Met was astounding. It goes some way to explaining the massive collections.
Seb made the point that technology is no longer a separate thing in our life. People are now constantly connected to the internet, meaning they interact with the world in different ways, and institutions have to move away from a small panel on a wall. I thought he was right when he said people don't really know how to use the technology yet, and sadly, few are willing to experiment. I was reminded of a discussion about my internship, when I said how much I enjoyed the progressive nature of The Block, with it allowing exhibitions and programs far away from the traditional, and I was told that I would get that experience nowhere else; everything was too traditional (although I believe MoNA may be right up there after the brief amount of time Seb spoke of it). Rather than being off putting, I find this to be an exciting challenge. These changes will be happening, and it would be great to be involved.
So many times people ask me what I want to do with my degree, and I'm always a bit vague, but I felt Seb Chan's talk helped me focus where I would like to go.
Next was a visit to The Met, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Words cannot describe how overwhelming it is. Museum and art gallery, we barely got through a fraction of the building before becoming numbed to everything we were seeing. The scale is massive, and the collection impressive. Yet while I appreciate being able to go into one building and experience everything there, I could not help but shake the feeling that it was all wrong. Many of the artefacts should be back where they came from, not ripped out, stolen and sold to another country.
A long day ended with a visit to Sleep No More. Recommended by Seb Chan, a group of us bought tickets while having lunch, and headed to Chelsea without really knowing what to expect. The owner of the restaurant we had dinner in told us he'd seen it and enjoyed it. With him telling us to keep an open mind, we made our way to the 'hotel'. There's no adequate way to describe the experience; a play you are immersed in, interacting with the set, with the actors, in a way far removed from traditional theatre. I came away exhausted and exhilarated. The lift operator told us the best experience comes to those who explore, so I headed out into the building determined to find all I could. The building itself could have been an experience, but stumbling upon scenes being acted out, sprinting through darkened corridors chasing the players, being dragged into a room and locked in with one of the actresses, I've never had such an immersive experience. While I loved the Broadway show, this was something else again. And I feel something I would not experience outside of New York.
Dia:Beacon
Another opportunity to escape the concrete, the visit to Dia:Beacon was most welcome.
The first artwork you see upon entering is Dan Flavin's Monument to Tatlin. Flavin's work made us question a lot of the traditions of art. Does art go beyond the work itself? The glow of the lights bathed the viewers, drawing them into the art. His positioning of lights to the edge of the wall suggests that the gallery wall itself becomes a part of the artwork. Artworks are not bound by frames, but encompass the environment. As we move through space we see the artworks from different angles, meaning our experience of it changes. As static as they are, they're an immersive artwork.
I found Michael Heizer's work to be quite powerful. The monumental size of it created primal feelings. Vertigo while looking into the deep holes in the ground, the fear that the large rock hanging unnaturally on the wall would tumble down and crush us.
Richard Serra's work had a similar feel. So large you could walk inside them, touch them, interact with them, yet they loomed ominously, twisted and unnatural. While they were reminiscent of canyons and caves, natural formations, I couldn't help but think they also represented the canyons and caves of our own creation.
I felt much of the artwork in Dia:Beacon questioned the nature of art. Is a giant rock art? Probably not. Until it's hung and framed in a gallery.
Is the art the object, or is it the idea? Why make a complicated painting when you can describe to someone what they would see? If we all experience the art in different ways, is it perhaps better to leave more of it to our imagination?
Is it possible to remove the object and leave just an idea?
We discussed a champagne glass left on the floor of a gallery from an function, and how a viewer could then interpret it as art and assign it meaning, reminding me of this Ken Tanaka video.
Weekend Discoveries
A little naughty. A bit risqué. Milking gullible tourists. All things I expected of a visit to the Museum of Sex. Well I'd say I was on the money. Still, there were some interesting exhibits, and surprisingly, quite a collection of artworks;including a Picasso. Art has penetrated even the Museum of Sex. It's just everywhere; walking through the flower district we came across a random art gallery squeezed between flower shops.
After a hunt for an elusive good coffee in New York, we spent the last hours of the day at the New York City Library. A beautiful building worthy of a visit, we were surprised to find an exhibition containing artworks from the Fluxus group, Hirst and Duchamp. Completely unexpected in a visit to the library. I noted that the library actively purchases art for its collection. I can't see this happening in libraries back home.
New York City Library
Fluxus artworks
Marcel Duchamp's Rotoreliefs
I was struck by how much money must have been spent to assemble the collection, and how important culture is in New York. Stark contrast to Brisbane where historical buildings are regularly bulldozed.
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