A truly modern affliction

"Art paralysis: It is a widespread and often crippling malady, striking everyone from the new college grad in his or her first apartment to the super-rich banker, lasting anywhere from a few months to a lifetime.

"How many are affected is not known, perhaps because the victims are often too embarrassed to come forth. Who wants to admit that “I’ve had these posters since college, I know that as one of the American Top 10 Orthodontists I should get some real art, but I don’t know what that means”?

"Or that “It’s not that I’m trying to make a minimalist statement with these empty white walls, I just don’t know what to buy”? Or “I walk into those snooty galleries in Chelsea and feel like I just don’t belong”?

The Terrible Toll of Art Anxiety, New York Times

On sale now

Art World: "... beautifully designed ... jargon free ... news, previews, reviews ... inside information ... hundreds of images of the world's most exciting contemporary art ..."

I've been watching the domestic art magazine market shuffle awkwardly around the long-running institution that is Art New Zealand for years now (even daring to suggest a makeover/takeover at one stage).

I haven't looked at the circulation figures of the art magazine sector recently, but suspect that might tell some interesting stories - one of mass market expansion at entry level, one of shifting balances of advertising to editorial, and one of style over substance.

A story of beautifully designed, jargon free inside information, perhaps.

Art World: for sale now. Pictured: ad from P2 of the Dominion this morning (not mentioned in the Herald).

Why I love student radio

"...thanks guys.

We're now going to listen to a song by Peaches called Tent in your pants."

4 seconds following an interview with Brett Graham and Rachael Rakena, about their show Ani Wani Wa (ph.), Active, Saturday.

3...2...1...

The race is on to open New Zealand's first artist-specific museum, with a $9 million Hundertwasser gallery in Whangarei, lining up against New Plymouth's proposed $15m Len Lye Centre.

Interesting that both are seeking to open without an ounce of ratepayer cash, relying on central government, private and corporate investment for development and construction.

Here's hoping Whangarei manages to avoid the letter-to-the-editor bunfight that New Plymouth has gone through in an effort to get this major community asset up and (more to the point) running.

For the record my money's on Lye, literally and otherwise.

Left: Lye's Water Whirler proto

Right: Hundertwasser's Kawakawa toilet

The Superfino Sessions

Superfino Session 2

The ongoing debate and solution series continues this week, with a focus on artist run spaces. Sure, they're artists, but have you ever seen any of them actually run?

Sunday morning-ish, Superfino, World Trade Centre, Ghuznee St.
(Would have gone Floriditas, but they take bacon sandwiches off the menu on weekends).

For Sale: Secret lair of one moment caller

The Challenge

Late last year we got a small work by Julian Dashper which consists of a series of 5 found metal rings in ascending sizes. It's wonderfully relevant to us right now for a whole for a bunch of reasons, but the most fun is the reaction it elicits from visitors. Generally there's a stunned silence, followed by "You paid how much? For that?" and the inevitable "How can you call that art/I just don't get it" accompanied, usually, with a shaking of the head. As you can imagine, it's an intensely rewarding work for precisely that reason.

In unrelated news, there are currently 10 Constable prints available on Trade Me. Just before Christmas, there were 14. (Just think: 4 lucky people received a faded Constable print under the tree on 25 Dec).

This week's OMC Challenge, if you will, is to trot out the tried and true contemporary art reactions in a generally un-contemporary art situation. For example, my Grandparents have had a Constable print (embroidered from memory) on their wall for at least 30 years now, and not once have I questioned it or asked for an explanation. Time for a trip to Taradale, I think.

Photos out of airplane windows 4

Heading north to convince someone they need shipping-container sized lightboxes to get their message across (top), and again to test-drive fuel-efficient cars on a cloudy start to a sunny day(bottom). More on the shipping containers later, all going to plan...