Begun in 1955, the quinquennial art festival, Documenta, in Kassel, sprawls across the small German city in venues large and small, some easy to find and some, more challenging. Documenta 14, this year’s version, involves multitudes of artists and two cities, Kassel, Germany and Athens, Greece. The curatorial theme is displacement, dispossession, power, colonialism and restitution. Some art lovers feel that theme personally, as they struggle to find the art, get lost and experience their own lack of power. Roberta visited and reports.
Read MoreMatthew Rose reflects on how artists, architects, and designers alike deal with objects that remind us of the dead. Catch a ride with Matthew as he explores the depiction of mortality dating back as far as the 16th century, and up to modern times.
Read MoreAndrea reviews “Visionaries: Creating a Modern Guggenheim,” curated by Megan Fontanella, with artwork from five collectors whose gifts to the museum helped the Guggenheim define itself as a pioneering institution. A rare chance to see beautifully-conserved works by Modern masters like Brancusi, Pollock, Mondrian, the show is a must-see this summer, says Andrea.
Read MoreThe University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology hosts a powerful exhibition that juxtaposes work of contemporary Syrian artist Issam Hourbaj with antiquities from the regions of Iraq and Syria. The result is a meditation on loss and destruction that emphasizes the human face of the complex past and present of this region.
Read MoreAndrea immerses herself in Doug Wheeler’s “PSAD Synthetic Desert III” from 1971, currently on view at the Guggenheim. Wheeler created a soundless environment inspired by the deserts of northern Arizona. Unfortunately, she writes, the 10 minute slot allotted to visitors isn’t quite enough to feel the full sensory effect of this remarkable piece.
Read MoreTake in two great shows with the good people of Artblog on Saturday, June 10 from 2–5 pm. Free and open to everyone!
Read MoreIn the second part of a two-part series, Andrea reviews two books that tackle the status of performance art in the museum. Intended to be ephemeral, fleeting, time-bound, how does performance art fit in museum collection, which are by their very nature static?
Read More
