Tag Archives: 2022

Eye On Design: Bling Industrial Garbage Bin By Arlo Walker

i could have been a dolphin by arlo walker photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

I Could Have Been a Dolphin is a modern sculpture designed and realized by Arlo Walker in 2022. Consisting of a 65 -gallon, industrial-size trash bin completely covered with tiny reflecting crystals, this work was part of a larger exhibit of design student projects entitled Utopia, which was on display at the 2022 edition of Wanted Design at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). What follows is the manifesto presented with the exhibit to which this eye-catching sculpture belongs.

The title of this exhibition, Utopia, is an irony; each piece confronts, the realization that our civilization is anything but utopian. Indeed, the sociopolitical infrastructure of our world spells dystopia –- a place where the values of fulfillment, health, and wealth appear all but unattainable. The pieces in this exhibition reflect a disillusionment  with the very concept of utopia; the past, present, and future equal equally convey an image of injustice and hardship.
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Modern Art Monday Presents: Sayre Gomez, The Whole Wide World is a Haunted House

the whole wide world is haunted house photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

The Whole Wide World is Haunted House (2022) offers what appears to be a gritty, realistic depiction of Los Angeles but is actually an airbrushed scene constructed from many locations across the city. Artist Sayre Gomez‘ (b. 1982) use of photographic resources and lived experiences in LA builds a portrait of a city in decline, contrasting glamorized illusions peddled by the entertainment industry. However, the technical aspects and references in Gomez‘ practice recall the work of set designers, prop masters, and various specialists who are responsible for making television shows and movies. Gomez‘ application of the industry’s vernacular is used to illustrate the transformative qualities of the constantly developing city.

Photographed in the Broad Museum in Los Angeles.

Modern Art Monday Presents: Deliverance By Amy Sherald

deliverance by amy sherald photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

According to artist Amy Sherald (b. 1973), she paints “Black people doing stuff.” Her committment to uplifting the everyday experiences of Black communities  can be seen in Deliverance (2022), in which she paints Baltimore-based figures on dirt bikes in the manner of lofty equestrian portraits. Sherald appropriates the style of portraiture  historically reserved for elite white sitters to glorify the bike culture of her chosen home. Caught in mid-air, her subjects lean back as if on a rearing horse, defying the laws of physics.

Photographed in the Brooklyn Museum as Part of the Exhibit Giants: Art From The Dean Collection.

 

 

 

Modern Art Monday Presents: Shrine (White) By Agosto Machado

shrine white by agosto machado photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

Downtown New York has hosted generations of underground cultural communities, providing a vibrant home for drag queens, theater performers, filmmakers, and outcasts. Performance artist and queer liberation activist Agosto Machado has been a long-standing figure in these scenes. Over five decades, he has amassed a large collection of art and ephemera from the city’s counterculture, which he assembles into shrines, such as the one seen above. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Shrine (White) By Agosto Machado

Modern Art Monday Presents: Patrick Martinez, Weeping Warrior

weeping warrior by patrick martinez photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

In Weeping Warrior (2022), Patrick Martinez interweaves influences from Mexico and Los Angeles to celebrate the Latinx community and the city’s ever-changing nature. According to Martinez, the mirrored tiles are inspired by the downtown bar La Cita, while the neon evokes the patterns and signs of LA storefront and restaurants.
Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Patrick Martinez, Weeping Warrior