Léon Wuidar is Being Belgian
Here's Léon Wuidar, represented by White Cube gallery, a Belgian neo-suprematist descended from that grand tradition, with a show going on seven weeks already, with just two more weeks 'til it unhangs.
Afterhours Books Releases Superlative Spies Suite
On the subject of Spies, history remained almost silent for quite some time following his untimely death in 1942. He was only 46 years old then, an artist at the height of his significant talent, when he was lost at sea during the war in a tragic case of “collateral … Continue reading
Batungaus Beach Awash in Sandals
The plastic trash that washes up on Bali’s beaches is something I give a lot of thought to. And a fair amount of energy, too. The problem is multifaceted, and has become a chronic one. Looking at beach trash in new ways can help us to increase our awareness and … Continue reading
Dance Vibration – photography exhibition
Tomorrow! 29 March. An evening that will be remembered as “one of those moments” – – a “you should’ve been there” one. Talented photographer Doddy Obenk + important figures in traditional dance and performance. At Three Monkeys Sanur, 7pm. Note: Bring cash, credit card and checkbook. Acquire authentic fine art … Continue reading
Fine Art Asia Fair 2012: Fairest of Them All
Opening in Hong Kong this very minute (vernissage tonight) is Fine Art Asia, a fair that seems to get more interesting every year. Stands to circle on your fair map include: Galerie Christian Deydier (we are lusting after his enigmatic mat weights, above, in gilded bronze, created two millenia ago). … Continue reading
Ouch! A Clothespin Pinch in Liege Leads to Art Dubai and Biasa Bali
The planet is pinching itself to make sure that it’s not dreaming, with this six-meter sculpture by Turkish artist, Mehmet Ali Uysal. The work was installed as part of Festival Cinq Saisons at Chaudfontaine in the Liege district of Belgium. Yes. Belgium. Whether I want to or not, I will … Continue reading
Oddly Haunting: On Camera at Biasa Artspace Seminyak
Biasa Artspace has been missing its mojo for months, during the extended absence of its founder, Susanna Perini. For most of 2010, a bevy of guest curators stepped in to keep the Biasa heart beating (“paddles, clear!”), with a round of satisfactory exhibitions – – most recently On Camera, a … Continue reading
Critical Whimsy: Sandow Birk’s American Qur’an at PPOW
Sandow Birk is one of the most interesting artists working (hard) in America. I began following his work at first because our friendship is a Bali bond. Then I continued following because it’s impossible not to once you start. There’s a plethora of plots to follow in Sandow’s work, all … Continue reading
Ebon Heath at Kendra Gallery Bali: We Listen with Our Eyes
Stereo.type, the subject of the current exhibition at Kendra Gallery, is one of the myriad projects of artist-designer-activist Ebon Heath. It consists of metamorphosed typography which transmits subtle messages about printed words themselves and their broadest meanings. The title Ebon selected for his website, “listeningwithmyeyes” voices eloquently the peculiar effect of freeing … Continue reading
Live Art @ KuDeTa Bali: The Writing is on the Wall (For Charity)
Be at KuDeTa on Friday 26 February for a no-jive, all-live, art attack. Two UK artists painting live before your eyes to the tune of globally-regrooved hip hop, morphed tropical urban house and deep subterranean sounds spun by six (count ’em, six) DJs. This art extravaganza isn’t happening just for … Continue reading
Mondo at Biasa Artspace: This Ain’t No Party, This Ain’t No Wonderland
Nice party. Beautiful people. Harrowing canvasses. Clearly, this ain’t no fooling around, even if it did take place in Bali, the ultimate island for fooling around, art-wise and otherwise. But a wonderland, Bali is not. A rabbit hole to wonderland, this exhibition is not. We are at Biasa Artspace, Bali’s … Continue reading
Tribal Art Special Issue on Beyeler Foundation Tribal+Painting Show
Previously, I posted a piece about the “Visual Encounters” exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler, juxtaposing masterpieces of modern painting with masterpieces of tribal art. It’s worth mentioning again, because Tribal Art magazine has just published their first special issue, a volume devoted to the exhibition. It’s 52 pages, full colour, … Continue reading
Disconnected Threads: Tisna Sanjaya @ Kendra Gallery
Start Here: Too Much Text If art works demand a seven page “curatorial essay” then perhaps there is something amiss, some loose threads in the fabric. Shall we examine some random loose threads trailing out with frayed ends from this unravelled exhibition? Bearing in mind that loose threads … Continue reading
Fine Friends: Tribal Art Meets Modern at the Beyeler
A truly outstanding exhibition at a truly outstanding institution. The Beyeler Foundation in Basel offers “Visual Encounters — Africa, Oceania and Modern Art,” through 24 May 2009. The show juxtaposes masterpieces of tribal sculpture with important canvasses of modern masters; van Gogh, Cézanne, Braque, Matisse, Léger, Picasso, Rothko. The result … Continue reading
It’s Simply Biasa Being a Fool for Indieguerillas’ Fool’s Lore
OK here we go, a bit late. The best gallery opening of the winter holiday high season in Bali was just before Christmas at Biasa Artspace. Indieguerillas were the artists, a husband and wife team out of Central Java, who hail from the worlds of interior and graphic design and … Continue reading
Witness the Self-Evident: Budi Agung Kuswara at Komaneka Gallery
Who hung this show? I forgot to ask during the opening last Saturday at Komaneka Gallery. What was extraordinary to me, and what begged the question about who hung this show, was the spontaneous emergence of a narrative, revealed in the sequence of images considered in turn while circulating clockwise … Continue reading
Pretty Viscera: Davina Stephens at Ganesha Gallery
Something profound happened at the opening reception for Davina Stephens’ exhibition entitled “This Side of Paradise” (Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran, 18 December). What happened is perhaps best voiced by considering the contrasts in Davina’s most recent work. On the one hand these are images that could be, and have … Continue reading
Update on the “Ugo-Filippo Show”
Finally, here are photos from the Ugo Untoro/Filippo Sciascia vernissage at Biasa Artspace (which I posted about a couple weeks ago). Your patience has been rewarded. Sorry, no photos of Ugo. He’s kind of shy. The tense reciprocity of Ugo and Filippo’s collaborative works is visually arresting, and crackles with static electricity. Viewers were … Continue reading