A Good Knock Off

I don't know if any one else made the comparison but it seems that this FUNCTIONAL mouth-urinal (designed after the Rolling Stones logo) reminds me of Duchamps readymade. Not sure if Duchamps has ever been made functional but I'm sure at one point it could have been.

Of course some feminists started a little uproar claiming sexism, the urinals are now in a Rolling Stones museum in Germany. Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor anymore? 

Meike van Schijndel

Marcel Duchamp - The Urinal - R. Mutt  

The Connection Point : Part 2

New Zealand illustrator, Joeseph Senior took a pop-culture "icon" and did a great mashup of other recognizable pop-culture skins. 


They are pretty awesome to say the least but it would also be pretty awesome to ask students (middle school and high school) to pick a character from popular culture and design some sort of "skin" for them. It could be a recognizable skin, like layering a Batman suit over Hello Kitty or bring in some art history and layer a painting over the skin. Juxtaposing a pop-culture figure with a classical painting skin would be cool! Making a connection to your students is one of the most important way to build trust and bonds within a classroom. Find things that are thrilling and interesting to them and making connections between contemporary visual culture and curriculum. 

Wherever You Go, Go With All Your Heart - Confucius

A huge, giant-sized heart. Created by Zhang Huan,  this 32-foot sculpture of Confucius brings more calm than one might feel when staring at a huge bearded man. Huan situates his creation in a moment of contemplation. Grand in size but the attention to detail brings it down to size. The gaze of Confucius gives delivery to whomever is in its very large presence, but I guess it is important to consider who is doing the looking. 

A Magical World

Last week I stumbled upon the Italian artist Max Papeschi. Specifically his work dealing with some extreme social commentaries. Minnie and Mickey juxtaposed against a backdrop of war and destruction, the Atomic Bomb. But don't worry, the magical cartoon characters are still smiling. 


In an interview with Papeschi he says this is nothing against America, per say, it's not too far off from what is going on in our country. If you can't relate it to how the majority of our population is acting in relation to the economy (turning a blind eye), how about the fact that Minnie and Mickey look like they are about to get hitched? Is it commenting on the way we look and deal with marriage or any kind of union?


It would be interesting to hear what art students might think of this image. 

Out With the Old in with the Rules

The most recent installment (at least at my house) of New York magazine published a how-to on making it in the art world. A set of 19 quirky yet probably true rules on how to stay afloat in today's art culture. 


A few of my favorite. 


Rule 2. Stay on trend. Isn't this a cultural norm, to go with the flow of what is hot and trendy? For instance. Things that glow neon. 

Glenn Ligon, Untitled (America).

Rule 5. Survive. Stay afloat if it's worth it to you to succeed. 


Rule 14. Be Ruthless. Do whatever you need to do, and make some money while your doing it. 


Kind of alarming when skimming through the magazine, but shows a strong stance on where art is at in our culture. And what it really means to be an artist today. 

Untitled.

With so much coming in between interpersonal relationships, whose to say the old ways still work? How do you go about introducing yourself to someone? Are you texting them or talking face to face? Did you meet them at a coffee shop or online? Do you call each other or email? Is that person getting to know YOU or the virtual version of you?

Pin Me

It has become an obsession. I check it almost as much as I check Facebook (not something I am proud of).  This website called Pinterest. A site filled to the brim with millions of beautiful images, categorized in to wonderful compartments. At my fingertips I have all the options, do I need a recipe? What about things to do with kids on a rainy day? Or even, how to lose those last 5 pounds? Everything is here, if you join and create a profile.


 The easiest way is for one of your friends who is already on Pinterest to invite you, or you can go straight to the source and request an invitation (which takes a few days). It's a community of members that appreciates beautiful things and I mean beautiful in the most liberal and all-inclusive way. Pinterest members can share pictures and comment on their own and each others visual collages. People categorize their pinboards in to themes of pictures; "Places I'd Like to Go" (travel pictures), "Make Me Laugh" (humorous pictures), "Wish List" (material objects one dotes over). The options are pretty limitless. 


I created a Pin board, in which I can go on to other boards to re-Pin, Like, and Comment on pictures that I    think are special and worthy of Pinning. I can also follow Pinners that Pin pictures that interest me frequently and hope that they will follow me in return. It's another visual platform that has stormed the Internet. 

A yummy dip

Lighting for a special night