Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Dead or Alive


I went to the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) today, and it was ah-mazing! I saw an exhibit in November called "Slash," featuring all sorts of crazy avant-garde paper crafts. So I was excited to go back to see their "Dead or Alive" exhibit,--a collection of art pieces made from organic materials--and it was once again unbelievable. If you're in NYC before Oct. 24th, GO to Columbus Circle-this show is SO worth it!! You'll see butterfly wings meticulously arranged into a huge mandala shape, chicken bones sculpted to form the shape of an endangered bird, loose spices condensed into the shapes of skulls and arranged in a grid, and a light fixture made entirely of silk worm cocoons. The paradoxical themes of the natural vs. the technological, repulsion vs. attraction, past vs. future, and life vs. death unify the artists' otherwise distinctive conceptual pieces. Here are a few that I think are pretty nifty (to say the least).
Levi Van Veluw, Landscape I (lambdaprint on dibond, antirefex Perspex (all I know is that no photoshop was used..))
Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, Fragile Future 3 (dandelion puffs and phosphorous bronze)
Shen Shaomin, Sagittarius (bones, bonemeal, and glue)
Jorge Mayet, Obatala (electrical cable, paper mache, feather, acrylics)

Fabian Pena, The Impossibility of Storage for the Soul (cockroach wings, translucent paper, light box)
Christianne Lohr, Giant Seed Cloud (thistle seeds, hairnet)
Kate MccGwire, Discharge (pigeon feathers, mixed media)

“In my work, I am trying to tap into the magic we experienced as

children. I would like people to rediscover it when they see my work,

and for a moment just stand there and say ‘Wow!’.”

Jennifer Angus


“I gather, collate, re-use, layer, peel, burn, reveal, locate, question,

duplicate, play and photograph. I’m seeking answers to questions

about the nature of beauty.”

Kate MccGwire


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