kipjones - interstices: an intervening space

interstices (installation view), 2011, mixed media

“Space is not unlike a living organism. It can change or be changed, affect our moods, be mysterious and even ambiguous.” [From the City Hall Art Gallery exhibition booklet]

The current exhibition at the City Hall Art Gallery opens our senses for space by moving through the installation by kipjones. His intensive installation connects the gallery walls with long, wooden horizontal and vertical wands – and it feels like the room became alive.

interstices (installation view), 2011, mixed media

In particular the walls seems to breath and move because their surface was furnished with organic, round shapes from which the lines reach into the space. The title “Interstice” refers to the space created between two objects and events; and that's what the exhibition is all about: The spatial environments between linear lines in the room, and the relationships between mental and physical spaces.

interstices (installation view), 2011, mixed media

From the gallery's website:

linear gesture

A question of place as it relates to a uniquely defined space.

The modular long thin line gently emerging from an intersection,

a point, diverging,

re-focus,

into a long arcing waves,

defining boundaries, spatial edges.

A delineation of space, a dimensional gesture,

bound to the parameters of the temporal place,

a linear gesture

The experiential movement through the gallery leads to stunning perspectives of the installation that also illustrate movements itself by wavelike forms. We also seem to become a part of the space when we discover the installation from different angles, experience the interstices and become aware of interspace and spatial relations.

interstices (installation view), 2011, mixed media

Facts:

kipjones

interstices: an intervening space

Ottawa City Hall Art Gallery

July 1 to August 21, 2011

Stephen Frew's Colour of Flesh

Stephen Frew at Orange Art Gallery

Ottawa based artist Stephen Frew opened his impressive show with mainly recent works at the Orange Art Gallery last week. I really enjoyed talking to him and he gave me an enlightening insight in his artistic working process. Stephen draws from portrait photographs mostly in the middle of the night. That's why he doesn't use live models so often; and it is the most convenient way for him, as he mentioned.

Orange Art Gallery: Exhibition view

He also doesn't work often with professional models – most of his expressive portraits are actually friends and family. Frew is interested in particular in portraits; but he also tried recently some abstract work. Unfortunately, this is not included in the exhibit.

But he included some of his very impressive self-portraits in the show. Strong lines (in drawings) and almost pointillistic colour dots (in oil paintings) take an expressive effect. The self-reflection is an important part of his oeuvre.

Self-Portraits by Stephen Frew

Stepen Frew holds a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the Concordia University, Montreal; and he mentioned that the etching technique – nevertheless he doesn't use it any more – strongly influences his drawing skills. The base of each work of art is indeed drawing; in strong, energetic lines.

Stepen Frew: Why Not Two

He is interested in precise streaks and therefore prefers wood and strong paper as surfaces, rather than canvas. Some of his recent works oscillates between figurative portrait and abstract geometries – also a reference to Francis Bacon by whom is strongly influenced.

The two works in the centre are also self-portraits.

The Colour of Flesh by Stephen Frew

Orange Art Gallery
July 6 to July 31, 2011

http://orangeartgallery.ca/

More about Stephen Frew on his website

Art as Money - Money as Art

“During today’s financial crisis, art has been frequently cited as an advantageous alternative asset class. But do the millions of dollars that might buy you a Koons or a Picasso speak about the social and spiritual value?” is the question asked by The Art-as-Money-Blog.

The Zero Bill © Exchanghibition Bank

Or do these millions of dollars speak even about the artistic quality, I am wondering! It is indeed an interesting question. I am just reading a book about the the “curious economics of contemporary art” entitled “The $12 Million Stuffed Shark” - clearly referring to Damien Hirst's unbelievable success. The author Don Thompson (a collector himself) states that the art market bases on branding of artists, museums and auction houses – and these brands determine the price and value of contemporary artworks. He writes: “Since art collectors cannot always fathom the value code, the understandably do not trust their own judgement. Their recourse is often to rely on branding. Collectors patronize branded dealers, bid at branded auction houses, visit branded art fairs, and seek out branded artists. You are a nobody in contemporary art until you have been branded.” [Don Thompson: “The $12 Million Stuffed Shark”, 2008, p. 12.] As current art market developments show, outstanding prices are reached mostly by big names and big players, and the quality of works of art is often not proportional to its price.

The Infinite Bill © Exchanghibition Bank

So, why not just doing it the direct way? Turning art into money, I mean. The “Exchanghibition Bank“ had exactly this idea of turning art into money – in the fully literal sense. The Netherlandish artist Dadara creates candy-coloured bills with amounts of “Zero”, “Infinite”, and “Million”. They also provide exchange rates (for the CAD it is currently 1.39).

“The Art-as-Money-Blog” also asks: “Do you want to buy art as an artifact of beauty and spirituality or as a financial investment? Money has always invested in art, though in an admiring, even worshipping way, since it respected art as its superior, something, which can’t be measured by financial values. But today’s hyper-investment in art seems to be an implicit attempt to overwhelm it, demonstrating in this way that money is superior to art.”

Link: http://exchanghibitionbank.com/