Argentine-born Luis Frangella landed in New York City in 1976 and soon became a recognized figure of the East Village art scene. As a painter, he moved beyond traditional canvases, producing murals throughout the city at unexpected sites like nightclubs and construction zones. His work evokes downtown New York’s artist and queer communities, who congregated and created in public spaces in resistance to the city’s deindustrialization. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: David Wojnarowicz, NYC (Triangle Head) By Luis Frangella→
Nothing gets your attention quite like the bald head of what was likely once part of what’s euphemistically referred to as a ‘blow-up doll’ peering up at you from a table full of fancy scarves being sold on 6th Avenue. Yes, I just typed that. Originally, I thought this was just a garden-variety mannequin head, which would have been less weird, but the eyes and mouth are much too realistic for that. Creepy, for sure, but an effective retail display nonetheless. After all, Halloween is just around the corner.
After making his first frozen blood head Self (1991), contemporary British artist Marc Quinn continued to experiment with his own refrigerated likeness. With The Origin of Species (1993), the experiment became a way to examine the interconnectedness of humanity and nature. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Marc Quinn, The Origin of Species→
The abstract paintings of artist Albert Gleizes (1881 – 1953) often keep strong links with subject matter that inspired them. In Tableau (1921) the image may be based on a female head, possibly that of his wife. Gleizes was a pacifist, but was conscripted into the French army in the First World War. Deeply affected by this experience, he became gravely concerned with the future of society. He thought that artists could help create a better world, not just by making beautiful things, but by offering new ways of seeing.
Tim Hawkinson’s body is the foundation of his art, whether a kinetic sculpture of collaged pictures of the artist’s face or intricate animal skeletons assembled out of his fingernail clippings. Fragmentation of the body is typically associated with death, though in Hawkinson’s work, the effect is perhaps more absurd than morbid. Continue reading Pink Thing of The Day: Tim Hawkinson, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes→
