Eliana Willis

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    in Exhibitions

    Grimes, Bon Iver, and Other Musicians Are Creating Immersive Art Experiences to Draw Attention to the Climate Crisis

    Next month, Grimes, Bon Iver, The 1975, and other musicians will try their hands at art in the name of raising awareness around the climate crisis. Each act will lend their vision to a separate immersive multimedia experience for a pop-up exhibition opening September 9 in Brooklyn. “Undercurrent,” as the event is called, is the debut outing of a new event company of the same name. 
    Each of the event’s 11 installations will be developed in collaboration with one of three environmentally-focused nonprofits: Kiss the Ground, Ocean Conservancy, and Global Forest Generation. 
    A “portion of ticket sales” will be donated to the organizations, but a spokesperson for Undercurrent didn’t specify how much. The event’s organizers will also set up education modules dedicated to each of the three nonprofits.

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    The art projects, meanwhile, will extend across 60,000 square feet of installation space, along with food and drink vendors and areas for special programming. 
    Most of the details regarding what the individual works will look like have yet to be made public, with the exception of Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon’s contribution. His will take the form of an immersive three-channel video installation that mixes collaged video, audio, and an improvisational dance directed by artists Eric Timothy Carlson and Aaron Anderson. 
    “I just want somebody to walk out changed and to be thinking about things outside of the normal concepts that they’re usually worried about,” Vernon said in a statement. “We want them to walk out having a wider perspective on the meaning of life and what we can leave behind.” 

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    Grimes also provided a little hint to what she’s thinking about in a statement about why she signed on: “If we don’t protect the environment, the future of consciousness will be artificial, not biological. Would mental health and wellness even be relevant in a world where emotions aren’t an evolutionary advantage?” 
    Her project, which she describes as “A.I. Meditations,” was made with a generative language program that’s initially fed human-made meditations and then makes its own. “Personally, I find beauty in this work, but it represents a distinct artistic shift from things written by humans,” she said. “This work isn’t critical of A. I., but rather a neutral depiction of what the wellness landscape might look like without us.” 
    The 1975. Courtesy of Undercurrent.
    Other musicians contributing to the event include Jorja Smith, Khruangbin, Miguel, Mount Kimbie, Actress, and Nosaj Thing. (Each will be paid for their contributions, according to the Undercurrent representative.)
    Undercurrent was created by business partners Steve Milton and Brett Volker, who previously founded Listen, a sound agency that designs audio and music for sonic branding.
    “We’re all hoping Undercurrent becomes something that moves people to search out to imagine, to create in ways that benefit not just humanity, but our earth and all the various finite ecosystems that rely upon each other to make sure that everything works and everything is in order,” said Miguel. “Because right now,” he added, “it’s obviously not in order.”
    Tickets for “Undercurrent” are on sale now. They cost $45 each.
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    in Exhibitions

    An Artist Just Transformed Berlin’s Berghain Nightclub Into an Eerie, Immersive 3D Swamp—See Images Here

    It feels familiar and alien at the same time. Many Berliners have stepped inside the towering walls of Berghain, the most famous nightclub in Germany, but it is different this summer. Its halls are not yet again filled with strobing lights and beating techno music. Instead, filling its empty dance floors is a glimmering, two-story art installation featuring an unusual soundscape of flora and fauna. The club has been re-wilded.
    Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen’s ambitious installation, Berl-Berl, which opened this month, delicately transforms the notorious nightclub into a swampy 3D ecosystem using innovative technologies and gaming software. The artist, who is based in Berlin, stitched together masses of archival and original images to create a fluidly moving filmic landscape that twists and turns across vast and microscopic panorama.
    “Berl,” the first syllable of Berlin, is actually an old Slavic word for swamp, a testament to the Slavic populations that used to reside in the region (some still do), and to the landscape’s former state, before it was drained in the 18th century. All the moving imagery used for the show was culled from around the German capital’s traces of remaining wetlands, or from the Nature Museum’s extensive archives. It immerses viewers in a fictional world of nature that feels impossible and infinite, but very much stems from the real—a realization that feels particularly harrowing in a summer of back-to-back climate emergencies, including Germany’s worst-in-a-century floods.
    Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Berl-Berl (2021). Live simulation (still). Courtesy of the artist.
    The sophisticated imagery is splashed across nearly a dozen screens over two levels, with reflective flooring creating a watery slick that doubles the vibrant imagery. It’s a unique take on immersive art that is tactile and contemplative—soothing, too, at a time when the theme of climate is wrought with anxiety.
    Steensen, a recent resident at the Luma Arles Foundation in France, often focuses on the environment and harnesses technology to achieve a supernatural result. He tapped the acclaimed musical artist Arca to collaborate on the soundscape. She will have a performance at the exhibition in September.
    Jakob Kudsk Steensen’s installation Berl-Berl is on view until September 26 at Halle am Berghain in Berlin.
    Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Berl-Berl, Halle am Berghain, 2021. © Timo Ohler
    Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Berl-Berl (2021). Live simulation (still). Courtesy of the artist.
    Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Berl-Berl (2021). Live simulation (still). Courtesy of the artist.
    Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Berl-Berl (2021). Live simulation (still). Courtesy of the artist.
    Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Berl-Berl, Halle am Berghain, 2021. © Timo Ohler
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    In Pictures: See Inside the Italian Futurist Painter Giacomo Balla’s Apartment, and Works From His Long-Awaited Retrospective in Rome

    Born in Turin in 1871, artist Giacomo Balla went on to become one of the world’s best-known Modernist artists. Associated with the Italian Futurists, he left an indelible mark on the history of painting, uniting elements of fantasy with close studies of light, space, and movement.
    Inspired by Eadweard Muybridge’s dynamic photographs, and along with peers Umberto Boccioni, Gino Severini, and Mario Sironi, Balla infused his works with the Futurist ethos that pervaded Italy in his day. It was not without controversy: members of the movement, including the poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, who wrote the Futurist Manifesto, were closely aligned with Italian Fascism. Those ties are what led Balla to break with the group.
    Alex Cecchetti’s Come la luna si vede a volte in pieno giorno at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
    Balla’s work is on view now at the Fondazione MAXXI in Rome, the city in which he lived for more than 30 years. The show, titled “Casa Balla: From the House to the Universe and Back,” also includes a thematic exhibition of works inspired by Balla and his home.
    The apartment where the artist and his family lived until his death in 1858, Casa Balla, is a kaleidoscopic space filled with cloud-scapes and mosaics, where each object, utensil, and article of clothing is a work of art unto itself. According to curators Bartolomeo Pietromarchi and Domitilla Dardi, the apartment is a true gesamtkunstwerk.
    See more images from the exhibition and Balla’s home below.
    Detail of Balla’s apartment at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
    Detail of Balla’s apartment at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
    Detail of Balla’s apartment at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
    Detail of Balla’s apartment at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
    Detail of Balla’s apartment at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
    Detail of Balla’s apartment at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
    Detail of Balla’s apartment at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
    Detail of Balla’s apartment at Fondazione MAXXI. Photo: ©Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini.
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    in Street Art

    New “Artiste” Deck by Shepard Fairey OBEY x UNO Collaboration

    Today, UNO #1 card game in the world is announcing its latest collab with contemporary artist, activist and illustrator Shepard Fairey for the release of an all new UNO deck made with sustainable materials: UNO Artiste Series: Shepard Fairey.The deck is designed hand-in-hand with UNO at Shepard’s LA studio (Studio Number One), the UNO Artiste Series: Shepard Fairey deck features new, original environmentally-themed art in Shepard’s iconic graphic style.The will deck will be available exclusively on Mattel Creations on Friday, July 30 at 12pm ET, 9am PT. SRP: $20.00UNO Artiste Series: Shepard Fairey features new, original environmentally-themed art in Shepard’s iconic graphic style and design elements including:

    A consistent illustration style and limited color palette, mirroring Fairey’s signature style that fans have come to love.
    In keeping with Fairey’s fascination with repetition in his own art, the deck includes the phrases “Card Game” and “Artiste Series” repeated on the front of the package.
    Shepard Fairey’s wife, Amanda Fairey, is prominently featured in the deck.
    Four special two-sided cards that create two different art pieces when put together.
    The UNO Artiste Series deck is made with sustainable materials, including recyclable cards, a paper belly band around the cards, wood-free paper for the instruction sheet and all cellophane wrapping removedAs a paper-based product, UNO has always been committed to creating a low-waste and reusable card game for all people to enjoy. This deck follows the launch of UNO Nothin’ But Paper, the first fully recyclable UNO deck without cellophane packing materials, part of UNO’s plan to remove the cellophane from from 100% of standard, paper-based decks entirely in 2021 and Mattel’s goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials across all products and packaging by 2030. More

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    in Street Art

    Abstract Mural by Elian Chali in Yekaterinburg, Russia

    At the international street art festival STENOGRAFFIA in Yekaterinburg, Argentinian artist Elian Chali painted the wall of the university building using the signature features of his style– basic geometry, abstraction and contrasting color schemes.Elian Chali, an Argentinian author with over 10 years of street art experience, created an art object in Yekaterinburg, the capital of street art in Russia. Mural on 62 Vosmogo Marta Street stands out in the context of the city with bold colors and simple shapes. With his art objects, Elian starts a discussion between people and urban space. The main idea of ​​all his works is to show that life in the city is beyond everyday routine. And it is thanks to his abstractions that the dialogue between the townspeople and the artist can develop as successfully as possible. Such images are not defined by specific images – a passer-by himself can think out what he sees in this work.Elian explains: “Abstraction does not give you prepared answers, you have to think about it. It also works like a bridge. I am building one part of the bridge, and passers-by are completing it. Also, I enjoy working in a variety of environments. There are many countries, a lot of contexts and conditions. Abstraction and geometry make me a big part of this environment without too many problems”.The architectural shape of the wall was also important to Elian because he wanted to work on the festival with a non-standard surface. The most suitable canvas for the author was the wall of the Ural State University of Economics. The seven-story building was built in 1981 and the area of ​​the painted wall is 400 square meters. In addition to its scale, the surface is distinguished by its own rhythm of panels, on which Elian applied his abstract forms, thereby giving the space a new dynamic.Elian Chali’s large-scale works can be found in more than 30 cities in countries such as Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Canada, Chile, United Arab Emirates, USA, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Peru and others. He is the founder and co-director of the Kosovo Gallery (2012-2015, Cordoba) and was the chief curator of the MAC Feria de Arte Contemporáneo. In 2016 he published his first book, Hábitat. His work is documented in many publishing projects related to art, design and architecture. Check out below for more photos of the mural. More

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    “The Slash” by Motorefisico in Santa Croce di Magliano, Italy

    Street art duo Motorefisico just recently worked on their latest urban art intervention in the framework of the 8th edition of Antonio Giordano Urban Art Award (Premio Antonio Giordano) in Santa Croce di Magliano, Italy.The artwork, entitled “The Slash”, has been made on two facades of a private building, in the heart of downtown Santa Croce di Magliano. The inclination of the two facades made it possible to create two different optical effects that merge at the intersection with one of the windows, thus giving the composition a remarkable kinetic 3D effect. More

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    “Pulling Faces” by Fanakapan in Aberdeen, Scotland

    The Dorset-born, London-based street artist Fanakapan brought a smile to Aberdeen this week – two in fact – with his perspective-defying street art, the fifth artist to appear for Nuart Aberdeen Summer 2021.Fanakapan is the latest ‘artist in residence’ in the Granite City curated by Nuart to bring new life to its walls.With a background in prop making, Fanakapan began creating hyper realistic visuals of real life objects in the early 2000’s. Free-hand yet technical, eye-catching but with literal and metaphorical depth, Fanakapan is best known for gleaming metallic balloons floating their way across canvases and city walls around the world. His works have earned him a stellar reputation within the urban contemporary art scene.For Nuart, he added his unique style to NHS Building, the Frederick Street Clinic, with the piece ‘Pulling Faces’ a fitting goodwill message for the city and its health service.The huge smiley faces, one rendered in a ‘3D’ style while the other wears its own pair of red and blue 3D glasses, are visible on West North Street all summer long and beyond.Hit the jump for more photos of Fanakapan’s work. Photo credits: Clarke Joss More

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    in Exhibitions

    LACMA’s Game-Changing Partnership With Mega-Collector Budi Tek Will Kick Off With a Show of Contemporary Chinese Art

    In 2018, Chinese-Indonesian art collector Budi Tek announced an unprecedented partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) that effectively granted the museum—vis-a-vis a dedicated foundation—co-ownership of his vaunted collection of contemporary Chinese art.
    Now, for the first time, a selection of art from that trove is on view at LACMA. Twenty pieces from Tek’s collection make up the new exhibition “Legacies of Exchange,” including works by Ai Weiwei, Xu Bing, and Qiu Anxiong, among others.
    The show “highlights works that relate to cross-cultural exchange, both recent and historical, between China and the West,” said Susanna Ferrell, LACMA’s assistant curator of Chinese Art who organized the show, in a statement.
    The first of the show’s two sections brings together examples of Chinese artists in conversation with historical European paintings. In a 2006 canvas, for instance, Zhou Tiehai reimagines Jacopo Palma’s Venus and Cupid with the mascot for Camel cigarettes standing in for the Roman Goddess. In a 1997 painting, Yue Minjun recreates the central young girl in Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas as a hysterical pink man.
    The second half of the exhibition, meanwhile, looks at the ways in which artists have appropriated the language of commercial advertising in their work, such as in Huang Yong Ping’s 1997 installation Da Xian: The Doomsday. The piece comprises a trio of larger-than-life porcelain bowls filled with boxes of cereal that all give the same expiration date: July 1, 1997, the day of Hong Kong’s handover to China.
    Yue Minjun, Infanta (1997). © Yue Minjun. Courtesy of Pace Gallery.
    A prominent entrepreneur, Tek began collecting art in 2004. By 2014, he had amassed a personal collection of more than 1,000 pieces and founded a 9,000-square-foot private institution—the Yuz Museum in Shanghai—to house it all. Then came an unfortunate turn: The following year, Tek was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
    Just as quickly as his museum opened its doors, Tek was forced to decide its long-term future. After China denied attempts to make the Yuz Museum public, Tek turned to Michael Govan, LACMA’s CEO and director, with an alternative idea. Their eventual collaboration yielded a new foundation to oversee the collection, which would live in China but otherwise travel between LACMA and the Yuz museum for temporary exhibitions.
    Likewise, the foundation is governed by a board of trustees made up equally of representatives from LACMA and the Yuz Museum.
    “I said to Michael Govan, ‘Now we are like a husband and wife. You don’t vote by saying I’m one percent bigger than you—you can’t outvote someone,’” Tek told Artnet News in 2018.
    The first fruits of the partnership came in the form of “In Production: Art and the Studio System,” an exhibition of works from LACMA’s collection that brought in over 20,000 visitors to the Yuz Museum in 2019. 
    See more images from “Legacies of Exchange” below.
    Installation view of “Legacies of Exchange: Chinese Contemporary Art from the Yuz Foundation” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2021. Courtesy of LACMA.
    Wang Guangyi, Joseph Beuys’ Dead Hare (1994). © Wang Guangyi. Photo: Arnold Lee, Dijon Yellow Imaging.
    Installation view of “Legacies of Exchange: Chinese Contemporary Art from the Yuz Foundation” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2021. Courtesy of LACMA.
    Qiu Anxiong, The Doubter 2010). © Qiu Anxiong. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Julian Wang.
    Installation view of “Legacies of Exchange: Chinese Contemporary Art from the Yuz Foundation” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2021. Courtesy of LACMA.
    “Legacies of Exchange: Chinese Contemporary Art from the Yuz Foundation” is on view now through March 13, 2022 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
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