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Monday, May 16, 2011

Digital billboards help drivers navigate their political world / The Billboard Art Project, Savannah, GA


All photos David Morrison


As part of
The Billboard Art Project, 50 artists were on display in Savannah, Georgia over the weekend. I was one of the artists: on display were my faux road signs giving drivers the exact distance from Savannah to various cities of political importance in the Middle East and Africa (Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, West Bank, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lybia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, Sudan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan, United Arab Emirats, Syria). The series comprises 32 images.

My intention with the road sign look-alike was to use familiar navigation aids to give people more concrete information about the geo-political world in which they live. I hope it made people look twice and reflect.
They were made specially for this.



The photos are a key element in the process of the project. And the documentation is great, thanks to David Morrison who took tons of pictures of the event.
The jpegs I've created of the road-signs alike get all their significance once
they are projected on a billboard, in the context of Savannah, GA: the distances in miles are calculated between Savannah and an ensemble of Middle Eastern/African towns.

I absolutely love this. It's like the images initially created really exist once they are projected on the billboard. I hope It will be possible for me to participate again in the future, this is such an amazing opportunity to work on site-specific concepts!





























Participating artists

Anna Bruinsma – Los Angeles, CA, Anne Blix – Richmond, VA, Bernard Klevickas – Long Island City, NY, Beth Crews Rommel – Oviedo, FL, Blake Weld – St. Louis Park, MN, Carrie Lee Schwartz – Folsom, LA, Casey Smallwood – Chicago, IL, Chau Dang – Seattle, WA, Claire Accardo – Richmond, VA, CJ Nye – New York, NY
Colin Kidder – Memphis, TN, 8 Compagnons de Route 8 – Antwerp, Belgium & Regensburg, Germany, Damali Abrams – New York, NY, Dan VanLandingham – Martha’s Vineyard, MA, Danny Volk – Chicago, IL, Dawn Hunter – Columbia, SC, Desmal Purcell – Stillmore, GA, Donald Gialanella – Topanga, CA, Elisha Gold – Memphis, TN, Erin Desmond – Los Angeles, CA, Ginny Lloyd – Jupiter, FL, Janice Tieken – Ventura, CA, Jason Miller – Memphis, TN, Jennifer Rarick – Atlanta, GA, Jo Q. Nelson – Long Island City, NY, Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow – Queens, NY, Joseph Ayers – Beacon, NY, Joshua Barber – Richmond, VA, Kathleen Judge – Chicago, IL, Kerry Woo – Nashville, TN, Laura Zaylea – Atlanta, GA, Lori Lipsman – San Diego, CA, Marcellous Lovelace – Kumasi, Ghana, Mardi Linane – Redlands, CA, Michael Krasowitz – Huntington Station, NY, Michele Guieu – Sunnyvale, CA, aNatalie von Loewenfeldt – Savannah, GA, Norma Greenwood – New York, NY, Phillip Hanson – Saginaw, MI, Rachael Gorchov – New York, NY, Rashad Doucet – Savannah, GA, Robert Goodman – Philadelphia, PA, Rosemary Williams – St. Paul, MN, Ruby Hilliard – Savannah, GA, Sarah Farahat – Portland, OR, Scott Allen Motley – Savannah, GA, Stephen Paul Connor – Austin, TX, Subhashis Chakraborty – Kolkata, India, Terry Ward – VA & Brooklyn, NY.

For more information please contact:
David Morrison, curator, founder of The Billboard Art Project

admin@bilboardartproject.com

billboardartproject.com

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Tucker Nichols / New Work / Gallery 16


































Gallery 16
501 Third Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

415-626-7495
Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm

Saturday 11am - 5pm

Thursday, May 12, 2011

The billboard Art Project in Savannah, GA, this Saturday, May 14



I am very excited to be part of this project, taking place this week-end in Savannah, GA, and I am looking forward seeing the photos of the billboards!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 11, 2011

“The Billboard Art Project – Savannah, GA”

When:
Saturday, May 14th, 2011,
12:00 a.m. – 11:59 p.m.

Where:
Lamar Advertising LED Digital Billboards in Savannah, GA
On Hodgson Memorial Drive, northbound exposure, across from Oglethorpe Mall

What:
A Lamar Advertising digital billboard has been privately acquired for
a continuous period of twenty-four hours during which time art work
will be on display. Over fifty artists from all over the United
States, a few from foreign countries, and nine seriously ill children
from the Backus Children’s Hospital will have their submissions on
display within an eight hour show that will repeat two times. There
are over 2,000 different images total in this particular show. The
project is part of an ongoing national exhibit appearing in cities on
digital billboards all across the country throughout the year.

About:
“The Billboard Art Project – Savannah, GA” is the third roadside
gallery presentation of artists brought together by The Billboard Art
Project, a program designed to explore and promote the usage of LED
billboards as an artistic medium all across the country. It is one of
many such shows that will appear in other cities as time and funding
permits. Each show features different artists and completely new
work. The project is open to anyone interested in participating.

Participants:
Anna Bruinsma – Los Angeles, CA
Anne Blix – Richmond, VA
Bernard Klevickas – Long Island City, NY
Beth Crews Rommel – Oviedo, FL
Blake Weld – St. Louis Park, MN
Carrie Lee Schwartz – Folsom, LA
Casey Smallwood – Chicago, IL
Chau Dang – Seattle, WA
Claire Accardo – Richmond, VA
CJ Nye – New York, NY
Colin Kidder – Memphis, TN
∞ Compagnons de Route ∞ – Antwerp, Belgium & Regensburg, Germany
Damali Abrams – New York, NY
Dan VanLandingham – Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Danny Volk – Chicago, IL
Dawn Hunter – Columbia, SC
Desmal Purcell – Stillmore, GA
Donald Gialanella – Topanga, CA
Elisha Gold – Memphis, TN
Erin Desmond – Los Angeles, CA
Ginny Lloyd – Jupiter, FL
Janice Tieken – Ventura, CA
Jason Miller – Memphis, TN
Jennifer Rarick – Atlanta, GA
Jo Q. Nelson – Long Island City, NY
Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow – Queens, NY
Joseph Ayers – Beacon, NY
Joshua Barber – Richmond, VA
Kathleen Judge – Chicago, IL
Kerry Woo – Nashville, TN
Laura Zaylea – Atlanta, GA
Lori Lipsman – San Diego, CA
Marcellous Lovelace – Kumasi, Ghana
Mardi Linane – Redlands, CA
Michael Krasowitz – Huntington Station, NY
Michele Guieu – Sunnyvale, CA
aNatalie von Loewenfeldt – Savannah, GA
Norma Greenwood – New York, NY
Phillip Hanson – Saginaw, MI
Rachael Gorchov – New York, NY
Rashad Doucet – Savannah, GA
Robert Goodman – Philadelpihia, PA
Rosemary Williams – St. Paul, MN
Ruby Hilliard – Savannah, GA
Sarah Farahat – Portland, OR
Scott Allen Motley – Savannah, GA
Stephen Paul Connor – Austin, TX
Subhashis Chakraborty – Kolkata, India
Terry Ward – VA & Brooklyn, NY

For more information please contact:
David Morrison, curator, founder of The Billboard Art Project
admin@bilboardartproject.com
(804) 648-2422
Billboard Art Project Website

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

South First Fridays May 6, 2011



I went to the monthly South First Fridays in San Jose, starting at MACLA: Latino Art Now / 13th Annual Art Auction. Colorful auction show with lots of works by artists who were shown there during the year. Here are some of my favorite pieces.


Teddy Cruz
Mapping non-conformity, digital map printed on watercolor paper, 2010
My San Diego friends can certainly recognize this landscape!


Jesus Barraza
Frida en Gringolandia, screen print / AP, 2010


Rio Yanez
top: Riding for la Raza
bottom: La Maussy and Yoloxochitl Empezando el Day
Both: 3D anaglyph prints, 2011



Rhode Montijo
Skeletown, screen print, 92/100, 2010




I headed to Anno Domini where "What He Meant by The Self Was Simply Our Truest Nature, Our Natural State" opened: new works by Jeremiah Maddock (Brooklyn, NY). Also ensemble of works by Christian Breitkreutz (US), Collin van der Sluijs (Netherlands) and Luciano Scherer (Brazil). Anno Domini shows artists from around the world.


Jeremiah Maddock's exhibition (detail)


work by Jeremiah Maddock



An obsessive/repetitive work, full of tiny details. There is something reminiscent of hieroglyphs in the use of the signs, like the letters of an alphabet, organized/disorganized in combined sentences. The eyes have this empty/shiny/illuminated look. What were they looking at when they suddenly froze (die)? Things slightly vibrate all around them.
All the pieces are fairly small. The paper is yellowing: the artist uses old books cover which are not acid-free. Right now it gives a nice shade to the work, later I do not know how it will turn out.



Christian Breitkreutz


Collin van der Sluijs


Luciano Scherer


Kaleid Gallery

Then I went to Kaleid Gallery. A large space in which it is kind of difficult to understand what is going on - it was my first time there. There were two solo shows and a myriad of mini shows displayed in booths, on tables, shelves...









I've heard a lot about "Psycho Donuts" and I wanted to check it out, so I went there and there were actually quite a few people buying donuts around 9pm. Psycho art on the wall and the tables are painted too.


Cereal Killer Donut, love the labels!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Paper Cut Flowers


each image is 12"x16"

Very interesting session with the second graders - I love this project and I love watching kids making art! Lynn Susholtz gave me the idea one day at Art Produce Gallery. There was a vase with flowers and colored paper on a table in her studio. Visitors (adults and children) were invited to make an art piece just by using the colored paper, scissors and glue. Simple set up - endless solutions.

I did this project several times with different classes in elementary school. The results are always great. The children are first surprised that they do not need a pencil and an eraser.
There are not many rules for this project, but I am asking the children to really take their time to look at all the different shapes: stems, leaves, flowers - and of course the vase. This project is more about shapes than about colors. I always try to get some very good quality paper (when it is on sale at Michael's), the colors are bold and there are just a few of them. And that is what the children use to make their piece.

The children can chose to represent one flower, or more.
I buy a large bouquet of mixed flowers (for a very good price at Trader Joe's) and I divide it in different transparent vases I have, so that there are just a few flowers in each vase. Then it is easy to "see" each flower. Each group of approximately four children is very close to one bouquet. All the bouquets are different.

I do not show the children what they can do. They find by themselves and they find great solutions. I like how they are always amazed by the result!