The Iceberg Project: IP2 @ The Rectory Art House

  

Lori Victor: The Iceberg Project: IP2

20 cm of snow today in Ottawa, and even more in the forecast! The city has been officially struck by the first winter storm this season. Busy with shovelling all that snow, we sometimes forget what impact the global warming already has... Therefore, I always find art which focuses on environmental issues very important.

The melting of Arctic ice and their majestic ice bergs are one of the strongest evidence of the climate change and its consequences. Lori Victor’s ‘The Iceberg Project: IP2′ which hangs over the entry to The Rectory Art House in the Byward Market continues to represent the deterioration of our planet due to climate change. It is an extension of ‘The Iceberg Project’ installation originally shown on the balcony during Nuit Blanche 2012.

The Rectory Art House, Ottawa, with Lori Victor's installation, 2013

Lori's Artist Statement:

“The Iceberg Project explores my personal interpretation and representation of an iceberg. My intention is to place the viewer within my artistic vision, and to express the reality of the threat of climate change to the planet.

The Iceberg Project provides an opportunity for viewers to experience the same overwhelming feeling I had when seeing an iceberg for the first time – off the coast of St. Anthony’s in Newfoundland. Through the engagement of aesthetics, The Iceberg Project aims to represent and interpret the majestic power of icebergs.” (http://lorivictor.com/the-iceberg-project/)

‘The Iceberg Project: IP2′ is a mere skeletal structure or shadow of itself, and the myriad of colours seen in ‘The Iceberg Project’ (2012), have all but disappeared. ‘The Iceberg Project: IP2′ reminds us of the nature's beauty as well as its impending loss in our environment.


Facts:
Lori Victor
The Iceberg Project: IP2 (2013)
The Rectory Art House
179 Murray Street, Ottawa
http://lorivictor.com/the-iceberg-project/

Gerhard Richter is Number One

Vanity Fair names in its December issue under the title "Paint by Numbers" the six greatest artists alive. Even though the title is a bit misleading – because not only painters but also a photographer, a sculptor and performance artists are under the top six – that poll is pretty interesting. And the winner is .... Gerhard Richter!

Screenshot from Vanity Fair Magazine, http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/12/greatest-living-artists-poll

The magazine asked more than 100 art stars, curators, academics, and museum directors to name their six contestants (interestingly, art dealers were not asked for that poll, with the reason that they "must look after their own"). The artists who gained the most votes were: Gerhard Richter, Jasper Johns, Richard Serra, Bruce Nauman, Cindy Sherman, and Ellsworth Kelly (in descending order). I'm excited that one photographer – Cindy Sherman – is under the top six. (BTW Nauman also works in photography, but is mostly know for his neon-works and performance.)

These are the numbers:

Gerhard Richter: 24 votes
Jasper Johns: 20 votes
Richard Serra: 19 votes
Bruce Nauman: 17 votes
Cindy Sherman: 12 votes
Ellsworth Kelly: 10 votes

Gerhard Richter with his 24 votes is clearly ahead of the other artists. John Baldessari, Jeff Koons, William Kentridge, and Ai Weiwei each received five votes. David Hammons, Brice Marden, Ed Ruscha, James Turrell, and Kara Walker received four votes.

Facts:

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/12/greatest-living-artists-poll
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/11/greatest-living-artists-poll-results