Art and the big themes. About “Before the law” (Museo Ludwig, Colonia)
Article published in A*DESK Kaspar König is retiring and doing so with a group exhibition at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, the institution that he has directed for twelve years. With “Before the Law”, König once again makes a declaration of principles: art should talk about the big issues, whatever the circumstances. And the subject, […]
A punch in the face. On Kendell Geers and other artists who show reality directly and without concessions
There are times in history when subterfuge, cynicism and double meanings dominate discourses and ideologies. The early years of the 20th century were particularly dark and turbulent, years of crisis at all levels in which the only possible reaction was through fury: “Punch yourselves in the face and drop dead.” That was the end of […]
In pursuit of zebras
Link to the article in A*DESK A group exhibition, that explores research methodologies and the need to look at the world as an enigma. “Modelling Standard” is shown in a private gallery but could equally be in a museum. Is there some point of union between Aby Warburg, George Steiner, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Matt […]
The 80s and the art system. Based on some of its protagonists
“In the 1980s, the art system was being transformed,” Muntadas explained in an interview with Anne Bénichou. “In the art world, there is, on the one hand, the work of the artist and everything that goes into producing the work, and on the other, the system that constitutes the environment of intermediation; dissemination, sale, collecting, […]
Exposing oneself. On ridicule as an artistic strategy
Andy Warhol said that “an artist is someone who produces things that people don’t need to have but that he, for some reason, thinks it would be a good idea to give them.” This conviction is what drives artists to expose themselves, to take risks, to face the possibility of failure and also to accept […]
Fairennials. From Art Basel onwards, fairs, biennials and the role that art plays in all of this
Link to the article in A*DESK Art Basel and the Venice Biennale coincide in the calendar every second edition but also in many other ways. It seems evident that what separates art fairs from biennales is beginning to be very unclear. Venice is remarkable for its form of particular (non) financing. While Art Basel needs […]
PRECARITY. Between the overdose of cultural offerings and the fragility of the artistic scene in Catalonia
The impressions are contradictory. It seems that the Catalan art scene is moving between euphoria and precariousness. This spring in Barcelona has been a clear example: two fairs (Loop and Swab) accompanied by their respective parallel programs, Off section and round tables; to which other events of great attendance have been added such as Primavera […]
Formación y requisitos profesionales del comisariado
Comisariado_triptico
Storytellers
How is memory constructed? What role does it play in creating and understanding a story? What mechanisms determine the construction of reality? There is a whole line of recent works in contemporary art that explore these aspects: memory and its ambiguities, authenticity, experience and its recording, how history is written and how it transcends, the […]
“And Google, how would it do it?”
That’s what Jeff Jarvis recently titled a book about new strategies for achieving business success. The way the book was sold was brilliant: “Whatever you do, Google will end up doing it better than you and for free. Are you ready?” And he was right. Google is the company that has had the greatest growth […]
