New Style Curators Panel Discussion

An incredibly fascinating discussion is circulating around in the art world. As the presence of New Media art forms extend from the esoteric and rarely seen – in the case of Jst Chlln – into the light of the everyday, with online exhibitions presented on Youtube and the option of replacing Firefox ads with art, there comes into question the redefined role of the curator. Enter last month’s “New Style Curators” panel discussion at the New Museum featuring Paddy Johnson of Art Fag City, Ceci Moss of Rhizome at The New Museum, online media consultant Rex Sorgatz, and moderator Joanne McNeil of the Tomorrow Museum. In this influencial group’s attempt to answer the question of what online curating means, it only seems to stir up more questions – for them as much as for us. Do tweeters, re-tweeters, long-form bloggers, and folks with Tumblr accounts count as New Style Curators in their own right? They are, after all, selecting the images, words, and multimedia content that have special significance to them. What I’m curious to know, is what this means for the future of the traditional gallery space and the displaying of web-related art content? Will the “white space” be replaced with “no space”? I can’t wait to find out!

Read Full Post »

Street Safari: Hunting Trophies of Dubai by Vincent Fichard

I don’t know much about Vincent Fichard, AKA Vincent Who, but I believe in the work he’s doing. From what I gather from his bio, he is thoughtful and heartfelt – two qualities that are indispensable to an artist who makes it his mission to enlighten through narrative and inspire with strong ideas. Vincent is a traveler. He’s lived in places that I can only dream of visiting – South Africa and the Middle East – and now lives and works in Paris, France. Where he’s lived is important to note because, unlike the average globetrotter who’s passport stamps and dusty collection of souvenirs are the only record of said travels, Vincent created bodies of work that reflect upon his experience and time spent in the places he visited. In 2007, he created the lovely short film “Go Around Twice if You’re Happy”, which has received over 1 Million hits on Youtube and is one of the most discussed short films on the site. Check it out:

Vincent Who’s latest project is this Street Safari series, inspired by his experience in Dubai. Rather than glorifying the superficiality of wealth and mega-tropolis trappings that Dubai embodies, Vincent reflects on the wasteful exuberance of a culture that is not considering its impact. These days, it’s difficult to make a political statement without scaring people away. I believe Vincent Who manages to hold his audience’s attention through clever story-telling and a non-judgemental depiction of the subject matter at hand. I really enjoyed this body of work and hope you do too. Continue reading for more images and info on the work in the artist’s own words.

Read Full Post »

Giant Stinson Beach Bubbles (Shot with Canon 550D)

I could watch this video for hours. The fiery bursts of rainbow color, the textured ripples of air extending along the bubble’s surface as it drifts through the air like a satin sheet in the wind, and watching the bubble reach its elasticity threshold and disappear backwards, from tail to tip. Gorgeous.

 

Read Full Post »

Banksy Simpsons Episode

UPDATE: Fox pulled The Simpsons Banksy intro from Youtube for copyright infringement but you can still see it here.

Everyone is talking about The Simpsons intro Banksy directed, and those of us here at Argot & Ochre are no different. The intro is brilliant: poignant without being too serious and a true act of covert politics, finding its way into the homes of hundreds of thousands of viewers. I have no idea why a mega corporation like Fox would have the guts to invite an artist like Banksy to direct The Simpsons intro in the first place, much less actually let said intro run. I’m hoping they stand behind Banksy’s message and aren’t just hungry for hits on a viral marketing campaign. But regardless of the reasons why they allowed such a dark message to run, I’m glad they did.

Read Full Post »