Brush up on it...

Cynthia Freeland's 'very short introduction' to art theory covers it all. Concise and clear in her thought process, as in her writing, Freeland does not cut corners in leading the reader through the themes, conditions, milestones, theories and controversies that have shaped art through the years. She also examines the critics themselves, and what perspectives they have brought to the table in our efforts to understand the art world and our relationship to it.

Women are heros, art is illegal...

Here's one way to get your name out there fast: paste gigantic copies of your photographs on major public surfaces, where it is impossible for people NOT to see them.

The anonymous artists has undoubtedly taken great risks to have his work seen and scrutinized across the globe. For fear of repercussions, he has kept his identity a secret. Under the pseudonym 'JR', the artist has accrued a great deal of press, released books, has earned the Ted Prize for 2011, and is releasing a film this coming January.

Check out his videos and the questions he raises at his website.

The importance of Ai

Ai Wei Wei has to be one of the most important artists of our day. His involvement in the political scene in China as well as his fame as an artist make him a complicated issue for the Chinese government to deal with. The love-hate relationship between Chinese politicians and the outspoken artist are evident from Mr. Ai's recent house arrest to prevent him from attending the demolition of his Shanghai studio....which was given to him by the government itself.

Mr. Ai is very frank about his understanding of the reason for his house arrest, saying that they will not abide "anything they [government] don't understand, or will be out of their control". 

Mulder stole my idea

Well, maybe he had it first, but still...I have always been compelled by the mask as a symbol as well as a decorative ritualistic piece of art. What if we could change our faces to become large and primitive. What do these old images do, juxtaposed against the modern human form?

There is much more to Mulder's work. Check him out here.

It's not funny!

"I'm actually trying to make sense of the world. There's nothing cynical or absurd in what I do," says Chinese painter Yue MinJun, about his series of chesire-cat-grinning self-portraits. Yue is accused of being a "cynical realist," but insists that his works are more concerned with exploring reality than with criticizing it. However they are interpreted, his artwork is colorful and bright; amusing and simultaneously disturbing, as it points to the aggregiously showy and loud facade that covers the bleak truths of an inhospitable society. For a more eloquent take on Yue's recent work: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/arts/design/13smil.html

The happy horse maker, Kim JeomSon

Unfortunately, there isn't a wealth of information about this artist on the web. What I can glean from the lady at her gift shop and naver are that she is about 60 years old, and studied at Hongdae. Her style is delightfully child-like. She paints horses, other animals, flowers, and a few figures, with the same bright colors, and simple stylizations that fit notebook covers, mugs, and neckties so naturally. It would be nice to be able to find information on contemporary Korean artists a bit more easily...

Recent work

Or should I say, lack thereof...*vacation*!!!