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South Korean art: an emerging Scene or

a long-Standing tradition?Busan Museum of Art

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Table of conTenTS

Fairs & Festivals

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#204 28 May 2015

south korean art scene

the South Korean art scene has expanded enormously in just over a decade. The South Korean capital, Seoul, boasts several artistic districts, each offering a different backdrop for art lovers to discover the citys

increasingly rich artistic scene. Chinese art, de-spite remaining extremely popular, has nowadays soared to extortionate prices, meaning that it has become inaccessible to most collectors, relegating it to the status of the emerging art scene of yes-teryear. To cite but one example, a Ming dynasty silk wall hanging was sold at Christies auction house in Hong Kong last year for $45 million. This explains why many collectors and art enthusiasts alike are now turning towards the Korean penin-sula, as South Korea currently offers high quality works at far more reasonable prices compared to their Chinese counterparts. The country has seen the birth of a whole host of talented contemporary artists, and galleries are popping up at a great fre-quency. Many of these galleries are also branching out to other locations, establishing spaces in cities such as New York, increasing their interest from Western collectors. In an interview with the online publication 9 muses news, Heashin Kwak, director of Hanmi Gallery in Seoul and London, explained: Korean Contemporary Art has established itself as a cutting-edge and thoroughly contemporary es-sence in the global art arena. [] [The] Korean art scene has been very vibrant in its own way for some time, but due to the geographical placement of the country it has not been exposed to a wider audi-ence until recently.

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul

Credit: Connie

a wealth of contemporary artistsOf course, important developments in any coun-trys artistic production must begin with the artists. Multimedia artist Joonho Jeon has recently caused a storm on the contemporary Korean art scene, creating video works that feature bank notes such as the Bank of Korea note and the US twenty dol-lar bill. Another internationally renowned Korean video artist is Oh Yong-Seok, whose works com-prise footage taken from mass media and popular culture that are then transformed into new works that appear to be entirely different creations. Of a similar vein in terms of incorporating technology into artwork are Han-Soo Lees cutting-edge works featuring fluorescent paint and LED lights, which aim to examine common issues and concerns in contemporary Korean society. A similar energy can be found in Suejin Chungs paintings, whose can-vases are filled with vibrantly coloured characters, depicting the hectic crowds of modern Korean so-ciety, and portraying how loneliness and isolation can be acutely felt even among a multitude of fel-low human beings. Multidisciplinary artist Sook Yung Yees works play on the contrast between the traditional and the contemporary. For example, her series of vases entitled translated, comprises works made out of traditional ceramic creations broken up and reformed into new and different objects.

galleries galoreNew galleries have sprung up left, right, and cen-tre to accommodate these emerging talents. One such gallery is Gana Art Center, founded in 1983 and located in the residential district of Pyeo-ngchang. A modern construction designed by ar-chitect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, this complex boasts the largest exhibition space in South Korea. Having hosted a few hundred exhibitions of international artists, it has previously displayed the works of prestigious figures such as Joan Mir, Roy Lichten-stein, and Pierre Alechinsky, and the institution has also hosted the annual International Photo-Media Festival since 2001. 2010 saw the creation of Son-gEun ArtSpace in the wealthy Gangnam neigh-bourhood (internationally popularised by pop star PSYs Gangnam Style music video). Founded by the SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation, this space carries out the overall aim of the foundation which is to promote contemporary art in Seoul. The three-storey exhibition space also boasts a caf and restaurant, as well as a function hall, and the foundation runs the annual SongEun ArtAward, which aims to support emerging Korean talents.

View of Seoul: a mix between modern and tradition

Credit: Rhian Williams

Gaehwasa templeJeong Seon

AOTW SouTh korean arT Scene

The citys oldest art gallery, Gallery Hyundai, which first opened its doors in 1970, is located on the so-called gallery street, at the heart of the rich artistic scene that Seoul has to offer. The gallery, which has represented several established Korean artists in-cluding Park Soo Keun, Joong Seop Lee, and Dai Won Lee, has been largely responsible for devel-oping the Korean art market and its international recognition. It now holds two spaces in Seoul, one in the Sagan-dong district and another in Gang-nam, as well as the running of the Dugahun Gal-lery. Gallery Yeh, founded in 1978 and reopened in 1982, has also been an instrumental force in es-tablishing South Koreas mark on the international art scene, by displaying the works of internationally renowned artists such as Alberto Giacometti and Raphael Soto, alongside those of Korean masters such as Pon Ung Ku, Ok Yeon Kwon, and Hwan Ki Kim. The gallery has above all popularised South Korean art by representing Korean artists at inter-national fairs worldwide. Another gallery that has been making its mark on the vibrant art scene that Seoul has to offer is Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Seouls most famous private gallery. The centre exhibits a wealth of both Korean and international art, with three separate sections dedicated to Ko-rean traditional art, international and contempo-rary art, and special exhibitions, and is dedicated towards portraying both Koreas rich artistic history and its promising future.


#204 28 May 2015

busan: a thriving art centreSeoul may be the key location as far as the South Korean art scene is concerned, but Busan, South Koreas second largest city is also firmly on track to becoming an unmissable cultural destination. The Busan Museum of Art, which opened in 1998 in Haeundae, has become an important centre for the citys bustling art scene. The museum continues to research Busan art history and to organise exhi-bitions of local art. Busan also offers a rich gallery scene, with new galleries opening in Haeundae and Dalmaji Hill. The Seoul Art Center, Gallery Serene Space, Suhorom Gallery, and Asian Art Works have all opened branches in Busan. Furthermore, many Seoul-based auction houses and galleries have extended their reach to the countrys second big-gest city. Seoul Auction opened its Busan branch in 2006, and Gana Art Busan, the Busan branch of Gana Art Center, opened in 2007. The latter institu-tion not only holds exhibitions but also hosts cul-tural events and has an artists workshop. The city also hosts various art fairs such as Art Show Busan, and the Busan Biennale is an important fixture in the citys artistic calendar. The Busan Biennale 2014 took place last September with the theme Inhabit-ing the World, and was directed by Olivier Kaep-pelin, a French art critic and director of Fondation Maeght in Saint Paul de Vence, and had the aim of building bridges between the local Korean art scene and the international art market.

General View of Mt. GeumgangJeong Seon

emerging: a problematic labelWhilst it is undoubtedly hugely positive that the flourishing art scene in South Korea is being cel-ebrated, one cannot help but question the general practice of branding the countrys art scene as an emerging one. First of all, the term emerging is patronising and symptomatic of an infantilisation of non-Western peoples. Indeed, Frantz Fanon con-demned this mind-set in his anti-colonialist writing, describing a colonised people under the control of a colonising force as infantilis, opprim, rejet, dshumanis, accultur, alin (infantilised, op-pressed, rejected, dehumanised, acculturated, al-ienated). An article on modernedition.com reads: Yet as greater numbers of Korean artists become known to Western audiences, a sense of collec-tive artistic merit is becoming ever more obvious. This phrase is problematic, as it seems to suggest that it is only when Korean artists become known to Western audiences, after being exhibited in the context of an international (i.e. Western) art fair for example, and exhibited alongside Western artists, that they can be seen as legitimate, or their sense of collective artistic merit can be truly appreciated. This discourse is one that asserts the supremacy of the West and indicates that the South Korean art scene only came into being once it was discovered by the West, which is problematic as it seemingly disregards millennia of national history. Again in the same article on modernedition.com, a description of the Korean artist Soo Koo Shim (born in 1949) states: [His] practice reflects the Neo-Confucian emphasis on nature and eloquent simplicity that dominates traditional Korean art forms. At the same time, his idiosyncratic approach and nod towards western formalism is also entirely modern in tone. This phrasing appears to propagate the view that non-Western countries must bend to Occidental art forms, as it equates Western formalism with the term modern, perhaps suggesting that other art forms are primitive and backward. The term emerging does nothing but propagate this ideol-ogy, establishing a hierarchy within the art world, implying that Western art is superior and advanced in relation to the primitive art forms of non-Western nations, whose artistic production can only be ac-cepted and legitimated once their artists use West-ern forms, and only once their art has been seen by Western eyes and approved by Western audiences.

AOTW SouTh korean arT Scene

View of Busan Biennal 2012

Credit: Elsara


#204 28 May 2015


Credit: Severin Stalder

a rich artistic historyWhat is most problematic about labelling the South Korean art scene as emerging is that it in fact glosses over millennia of artistic history in the country and important traditions that have already been established for a long time. After all, it is the countrys illustrious past of artistic tradition that has led to it possessing such a booming art industry today. Traditional Korean arts span a wide variety of media, including pottery, painting, calligraphy, ceramics, bronze art, silver art, jade carving, grass weaving, bamboo pyrography, ox-horn inlaying, and wood sculpture. Broadly speaking, Korean artworks are largely characterised by the main religious beliefs of their respective period. Over the years, artistic production in the peninsula has moved from Korean shamanist art, to Korean Bud-dhist art, and then to Korean Confucian art, and more recently to encompass different forms of Western arts. The history of Korean art reaches as far back as 7000 BC, a period from which pottery made from clay has been discovered. The Goryeo Dynasty (9181392) saw an extremely large pro-duction of artistic material, especially pottery, and Korean artists at this time were influenced by Chi-nese traditions, re-appropriating them into simpler forms, artworks paying homage to the purity of na-ture through their artworks.

Seoul Downtown

Credit: Mario Snchez Prada

It is clear that South Korea has seen a flourishing artistic scene over the last couple of decades, but it is equally important to consider the question of whether South Korean art is an emerging scene or a long-standing tradition. It is true that the artistic scene is flourishing in terms of the growth in the number of talented and highly promising con-temporary artists and the proliferation of galleries, art centres, and institutions; but is it not all really a question of perspective? From a Western point of view, the South Korean art scene is flourishing in that it is rapidly gaining international recognition and thereby steadily encroaching upon the interna-tional art market. But from a more local perspective, perhaps the current artistic scene is disappoint-ingly second-rate and aesthetically impoverished compared to the heyday of Korean painting in the Joseon dynasty. Only time will tell

AOTW SouTh korean arT SceneThe Joseon Dynasty (13921897) was also a key period in Korean art history, a time when artistic production was characterised by the influence of Confucianism. Painting styles during this period tended towards realism, and the mid- to late-Jo-seon dynasty is considered to be the golden age of Korean painting. It was a time when Chinese artistic influence waned, allowing Korean art to come into its own and become distinctive. Moving forward to the 20th century, painting at this time was the main medium of Korean artistic production, and abstrac-tion as an art form became increasingly popular from the 1930s onwards. From the 1960s, Korean artists began to experiment with other art forms, for example soaking canvas and ripping paper as a means by which to challenge preconceived no-tions of ink painting or oil painting. This eventually led to the formation of one of the most controver-sial of Korean artistic movements in the past cen-tury during the 1970s and 80s: Dansaekhwa, or Korean monochrome painting.


#204 28 May 2015


Credit: Revelateur Studio


Credit: David Baron

Missing a rembrandt and a drer missing from boston public library

Since 8 April 2015, an engraving by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Drer and an etching by the Dutch artist Rembrandt have been missing from the collection of the Boston Public Library.Adam and Eve (1504) by Drer, estimated to be worth $600,000, and Self Portrait with Plumed Cap and Lowered Sabre (1634) by Rembrandt, valued at between $20,000 and $30,000, are no longer where they are expected to be, though the reason for this absence remains unknown. In a statement released by the Boston Public Library, the President, Amy Ryan, remarked: It is our hope that these two sig-nificant pieces have simply been misfiled. However, she also raised the possibility of theft: The curators and department staff are currently conducting a de-tailed search of the collection, and we are working with the Boston Police Department to determine if there is the possibility of criminal activity.While the police investigation continues, the library has announced that it is conducting an independ-ent security review.

liquidity Millionaire hugh levey settles his debts with works by Jasper Johns and lichtenstein

a Supreme Court judge has ordered that million-aire investor Hugh Levey pays $2 million in debt with works of art, including paintings by Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein, antiques, fur, and jewellery.The co-founder of the investment company Gruppo Levey has almost no money to speak of. His fortune comprises a Manhattan apartment worth $15 million, a $5 million home in Greenwich, Connecticut, and millions in various trusts and personal items. Levey had earlier opted to have his divorce documents made public, rather than pay damages to Pensmore Investments LLC, Levey had accepted the court to make public all documents his divorce, including proof of his long-term affair with his business partner Claire Gruppo. In February 2015, the court ordered the sale of Leveys personal items, a ruling that his ex-wife Wendy objected to, as some of them belonged to her. This time, the police are authorised to seize the goods, should Levey refuse to pay his debt.

discovery german police uncover nazi sculptures

on 20 May 2015, German police seized sculptures realised by Nazi artists commissioned by Hitler and presumed lost or destroyed for decades.In a large-scale operation, police searched apartments and houses across Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, and Berlin. At the home of a collector in Bad Durkheim, police discovered Schreitende Pferde, a life-size sculpture by National Socialist Josef Thorak from 1939, which was intended to decorate the new chancellery of the Third Reich. Investigators also seized two female sculptures by Fritz Klimsch, which were displayed in the garden of Hitlers government headquarters, in addition to a large relief by Hitlers favourite sculptor, Arno Breker, which was intended for the triumphal arch of the planned Nazi capital city, Germania. The majority of these sculptures, for which illegal art dealers had re-portedly asked for up to $4.4 million, have been of-fered on the black market for about two years.

oups! latvian artist crucifies effigy of putin

on the European Night of Museums on 16 May, a crucified puppet ressembling Vladimir Putin made by an anonymous Latvian artist was installed in the courtyard of the former KGB headquarters in Riga.For this exhibition, the artist invited visitors to ham-mer the nails into the puppet, N-TV reported. While some where happy to do so, others tried to pull the nails out of the sculpture. Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists: This is bad. This is on the con-science of whoever did this. Unquestionably, it does not reflect a very high level of culture. The Russian embassy filed an official complaint to the Latvian gov-ernment, despite a spokesperson for the Latvian for-eign ministry insisting that the effigy did not resemble the Russian president. The anonymous artist has since publicly apologised for the stunt and confirmed that the puppet was not intended to resemble Putin.The artwork was removed the following day after a gang destroyed it and assaulted two security guards patrolling the former KGB headquarters.

Top STorieS politics Former director of the ina agns saal reinstated to the Ministry of culture

ing given to Agns Saal. With regard to those who might be outraged by this reinstatement, she added: I must not give the impression that Agns Saal has not been punished. She has been punished, since she used to be president of the INA, and is now a project manager [] a disciplinary council is due to give a ruling on what the repercussions of the inquiry that is currently being carried out should be.

the former director of the INA, Agns Saal, has been reinstated to the Min-istry of Culture. She had been dismissed on 28 April 2015, following the scandal caused by the expenditure of 40,000 of public money on taxis.Saal has been given the role of director of strategic workforce planning, while a disciplinary inquest is still underway. Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin, when questioned on RTL on 21 May, stated: I understand the emotion that this rein-statement provokes, even if, in reality, it is only a case of civil service law being followed [] it has nothing to do with the creation of a post, nor is a privilege be-

Boston Public Library reading room

Brian Johnson, 2013

Fleur Pellerin

Lionel Allorge


#204 28 May 2015

solidarity success for urban art auction for the benefit of emmas

on 20 May 2015, the Grande Halle de la Villette held an Urban art auction for the benefit of Emmas, in partnership with Artcurial, Claude Kunetz from Galerie Wallworks, and the tablissement Public du Parc et de la Grande halle de la Villette. 83 canvases were put up for auction, and the sale amassed a total of 278,000.Each canvas was offered at the starting price of 500, with the majority being sold to enthusiasts as well as collectors. The auction was held to mark the end of the exhibition Urban art au profit dEmmas, which attracted 8,000 visitors. It was part of the second edi-tion of the Villette Street Festival, which took place from 4 until 20 May 2015. Highlighted lots included a canvas by JonOne, which sold for 16,800, anoth-er by Speedy Graphito, which sold for 13,000, and two others by Mist and Crash, which sold for 9,000 and 9,500 respectively. JonOne, alias John Andrew Perello, is a New York Street artist born in 1963, who currently lives in Paris. Speedy Graphito, the pseudo-nym of Olivier Rizzo, is a French artist, born in 1961, whose works span a variety of media ranging from painting, photography to video art. Mist is a French Street artist, born in 1972, who has exhibited in private galleries in France, the United States, the Philippines, Morocco, and Japan. Crash is the pseudonym for the American Street artist John Matos, who was born in the Bronx, in 1961. His works are held in collections at MoMA and the Stedelijk Museum.

return the united states returns antiquities stolen from italy by smugglers

on 26 May, the United States returned antiquities stolen from Italy by an international ring of smug-glers that were then discovered on American soil, at an official handover ceremony at the US Embassy in Rome.Following a series of collaborative investigations, which began in the last decade, the Italian Carabinie-ris art theft squad (TPC) and the American Immigra-tion and Customs Enforcement unit uncovered and re-patriated 26 artefacts looted from Italy and smuggled into the United States in recent decades. According to The New York Times, the objects were recovered in the museums, auction houses, private collections, and even a university of American cities such as New York City, Buffalo, Baltimore, Boston, Miami, and San Diego. The stolen antiquities include a 1,800-year-old Roman marble sarcophagus lid seized in Eastern New York and a 17th century Venetian bronze cannon seized by customs officials in Boston, among others. A fifth-cen-tury Etruscan Kalpis vase was also recovered from the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, acquired in 1982 from the antiquities dealer Giacomo Medici, who provided the museum with false provenance documentation.These are but a fraction of the cultural objects that are circulating on the illicit market today, warned the American ambassador, John R. Phillips. Howev-er, every victory, every piece that is returned, every bit of cultural history that can be restored to its right-ful home is a measure of progress.

Top STorieS


#204 28 May 2015

cultural policy and inFluence

Politics and culture took centre stage at AMAs latest speaker event on 18 May at the Club de la chasse in Paris. Henri Paul, former cabinet director under Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres,

and current Rapporteur-General of the French Court of Auditors, spoke about the role of the state in promoting the arts, and harnessing the power of culture

View of former Minister Frdric Mitterrand's office at the Ministry

of Culture

Henri Paul opened by recalling the bold politi-cal move of former French President Charles de Gaulle to accord greater importance to the arts by appointing the countrys first ever culture minister, Andr Malraux, ushering in an era in which the no-tions of exporting French culture abroad and of a broader democratisation of culture were at the centre of the political discourse around the arts A progressive and firmly un-elitist vision, but one that to some, Paul noted, appeared to be a one-way street, transforming culture into an ideological tool for the state

The discussion then moved onto the Mitterrand era, during which: the Culture Minister, Jack Lang, held his post for ten years, saw the budget double, and effected significant change a period defined by a will to do more, all the time, everywhere, with the result that the world of culture was drowning under public subsidies to the extent that govern-ment arts subsidies accounted for more than half of the countrys total cultural spending. Next came Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, who tried to follow in Langs footsteps [] but with slightly less influential a choice of ministers and a political will to cut spending in certain areas [] by providing operators with individual spending targets, a spo-radic approach which revealed the contradictions within the system.

Noting the way in which the advent of digital technology destabilised all branches of the cul-tural sector, Paul explained that the cultural sec-tors contribution to the French economy rose from close to 2% in 1995 to 2.5% before falling to 2% in 2012, remarking that cultural excellence came under attack from all sides. The year 2007 brought a nasty shock with a Time magazine front cover proclaiming the Death of French culture, and an accompanying article noting that none of the 20 most important artists in the world were French. On top of that, Paul explained, the culture sector came under threat from a president who no longer wished to be at the centre of cultural policy and who had a less-than-amicable relationship with the Culture Minister, whose budget was reduced from 7.4 billion in 2013 to 7.2 billion in 2014 and 7 billion in 2015.

Andr Malraux (1974)

Credit: Roger Pic

View of the French Ministry of Culture - Salon Jrme

repOrT henri paul

The discussion then shifted to the way in which institutions are falling into the clutches of corpora-tions and private sponsors, Paul citing the example of the astronomical sum donated by LVMH (in the millions) for the Yves Klein exhibition at the Cen-tre Pompidou. The whole system has been turned on its head, explained Paul, the dependence on private funding means that our museums are more like private patrons or corporate sponsors than public institutions. [] Its a serious problem, and it means that power is changing hands. Worst of all, for Paul, is the way in which gimmicks and spe-cial events are increasingly dominating the cultural sphere. Well end up with hip hop performances on the grave of Jean Moulin at the Pantheon [] the monuments themselves are no longer enough.And more worrying still is the fact that people are less and less willing to pay for cultural experiences, which undermines cultural institutions. For cul-ture to exist, it must come at a price, says Paul, if not, how can artists earn a living? With disagree-ment from some audience members, Paul con-ceded that the issue is a very difficult one for the Ministry, not least because the digital age makes it easier to access everything for free.

Paul concluded by underlining the importance of an international, outward-looking perspective, particularly in a time of growing globalisation and budgetary restrictions. Citing the example of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Paul explained we made use of our international expertise to land a 1.4 billion contract. The annual budget for culture was 3 bil-lion, and from one project alone, we earned as much as half of the ministrys annual funding. Whilst we were expanding in Abu Dhabi, he continued, we also created France Museums, an organisation that aimed to export French museums expertise to for-eign institutions. Lamenting the way in which this initiative fell by the wayside after his departure from the ministry of Culture, Paul commented: Museums have regained their autonomy, which is one thing a weak minister will always ensure. Paul concluded by wondering whether the ministry will survive, as digi-tal technology is poised to fulfil its primary mission: cultural democratisation.


#204 28 May 2015

hr whitney Museum increases its manage-ment team

the director of the Whitney Museum, Adam D. Weinberg, has announced the appointment of Donna De Salvo as director of international initia-tives and senior curator, and Scott Rothkopf as di-rector for programmes and chief curator. They will assume their posts as of 1 July 2015.These appointments will increase the museums management team in response to the development of its structure following its new premises, which will present new opportunities in terms of programming as well as international outreach. Former curator in chief and director for programmes Donna De Sal-vos main task is to define more precisely the place of American artists in contemporary international culture and to organise the museums international outreach programmes. She will also be in charge of exhibitions, professional exchanges, and institu-tional development. Currently a curator and associ-ate director of programmes, Scott Rothkopf joined the Whitney Museum in 2009. Within his new role, Rothkopf with supervise the programming as well as the management of the museums collections.

closing closure of praXes center for con-temporary art, berlin

the PRAXES Center for Contemporary Art, locat-ed in St. Agnes Church in Berlin, Germany, has announced that it is to close in June 2015.PRAXES, a non-profit space dedicated to interna-tional contemporary art and research which has es-tablished itself as one of the citys key art centres, will close after two years of exhibitions, publications, lec-tures, conferences, screenings, and performances. Rhea Dall and Kristine Siegel, the centres founding directors, revealed that they will join the 2016 Ber-gen Assembly in Norway as co-conveners. Founded in August 2013, the institution has hosted exhibitions and events with artists such as Gerard Byrne, Matt Mullican, Jason Dodge, and Jutta Koether, among others. Until 13 June, the centre is hosting an exhibition of works by Chris Evans and Rimini Protokoll, which will be honoured with a grand closing ceremony.

Funding egyptian museum faces funding crisis

the construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which was due to open this summer, has widely exceeded cost estimates, and requires another $300 million for completion.Construction of the museum, which is to be Egypts largest, began in 2012. Situated on a 117-acre plot near the Giza Pyramids, by the time the new museum opens it will have cost a staggering total of $1.1 billion. The countrys Antiquities Minister, Mamdouh Al-Damaty, blames the ballooning cost of the project on the weakness of the Egyptian pound relative to the US dollar. So far the Egyptian government has provided $37 million to the pro-ject, whilst the Japanese Agency for Development has provided an additional $140 million.The museum, which organisers claim will have univer-sal human value, has previously been subject to con-troversy, when, in March of this year, the throne of King Tutankhamun was damaged whilst being transferred to the site from the Egyptian museum.

hr letizia ragaglia to continue as director of the Museion of bolzano

letizia Ragaglia is to continue to carry out her du-ties as director of the Museion, The Museum for Modern and Contemporary Art of Bolzano, Italy, after recently being re-elected by the museums administration committee.Under the direction of Letizia Ragaglia since 2009, the Museion has hosted a series of solo exhibitions of artists whose works are perfect examples of the current trends in contemporary art. The museum organised the first solo exhibitions in Italy of art-ists such as Carl Andre, Rosemarie Trockel, and Isa Genzken, alongside more contemporary artists such as Monica Bonvicini, Klara Lidn, Rossella Biscotti, Danh Vo, Ceal Floyer, and Tatiana Trouv.

View of the Museion Bolzano

Views of the Centre Pompidou

Credit: Jean-Pierre Dalbra

MuSeuMS donation centre pompidou acquires five new works thanks to chinese donors

tions: Appearance of crosses 94-11 by Ding Yi, a leading figure in the renewal of Chinese painting in the 1980s, The Water (10) (2014) and The Material (2014) by Zhang Enli, and Spring, by Zhao Yang. Lastly, the installation Corporate (4 knives Group) will allow the public to see Xu Zhen, founder of the label Made In, alongside other great names of the modern and contemporary Chinese art scene already present in the collections, such as Zhang Peili, Chen Zhen, and Ai Wei Wei.President of the Centre Pompidou, Serge Lasvignes, commented: The Centre Pom-pidou is increasingly open to globalisation and diversity in the art world. It is better to learn and to establish a dialogue. The Chinese art scene is especially rich and full of vitality. [] This exceptional donation is a chance to further raise its profile.

thanks to donations by Adrian Cheng, Mr and Mrs Budi Tek, David Chau, William Zhao, and Andrew Xue, the Centre Pompidou, Frances national mu-seum of modern art in Paris, has acquired five new contemporary Chinese works. While the collections of the Centre Pompidou already contain 128 Chi-nese works, these acquisitions mark the entry of four new artists into French national collections.Testifying to the diversity of Chinese artistic traditions, four new paintings are to enter the museums collec-


#204 28 May 2015

chile abdul vas at the santiago Museum of contemporary art

until 19 July, the Santiago Museum of Contempo-rary Art, Chile, is hosting a solo exhibition of the artist Abdul Vas, entitled Hell Aint A Bad Place to Be.Through his paintings, drawings, and visual instal-lations, Vas presents an unusual vision of contem-porary art, taking inspiration from rock n roll and baseball culture. In his works, the imagery of Ameri-can mass culture is transfigured through surprising and incongruous associations. These compositions, which are at times shocking or frightening, recon-struct the policed hell of our daily life. Inspired by the dissonant rhythms charachteristic of groups such as the Rolling Stones, Muddy Waters, Slayer, or AD/DC, Abdul Vas invited young Chilean musicians to participate in his project, by hosting a concert within the museum, thanks to a collaboration with the legendary Schools of Rock.Abdul Vas was born in Maracay, Venezuela, in 1981. he is currently based in Lisbon and Madrid, and he has worked in Suriname, Wales, and Belgium. His works, the result of a practice involving photography and fanzines, have been exhibited in Europe, Asia, and his native Latin America.

gerMany cody choi at the kunsthalle ds-seldorf

until 2 August 2015, the Kunsthalle Dsseldorf is hosting the first international retrospective of Kore-an conceptual artist Cody Choi, entitled Culture Cuts.Cody Chois practice is marked by a critical regard for the idea of civilisation, as well as a wish to offer a dialogue between cultures. The title of this exhibi-tion refers to his prints of cultural wounds. He de-picts these physical metaphors by introducing his themes through bodily images: that of metabolism and stored energy. Through his paintings, sculp-tures, installations, ink drawings, digital drawings, and neon texts, he questions the human condition and the quest for cultural identity. Raised in Seoul, Cody Choi left South Korea with his family to live in the United States in 1983. Af-ter having studied sociology in Seoul, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began studying art. It was his mentor and friend, the artist Mike Kelley, who introduced him to post-colonial theories as well as to intercultural differences.

turkey spaceliner at arter istanbul space for art

until 2 August 2015, the art centre Arter, in Istan-bul, is holding Spaceliner, a group exhibition bringing together some of the most important fig-ures in contemporary drawing.Their works, which lie somewhere between drawing and installation, provide a reflection on the relationship between drawing and space, through a variety of media and techniques. Directed by Barbara Heinrich, the ex-hibition emphasises both the ever-changing nature of contemporary graphic creation, and the use of move-ment as a source of inspiration for the body of work pre-sented. Furthermore, all of the works share an interdisci-plinary desire, directed outwards as much as inwards: to understand the constructed spaces in which we live, as well as those which define our interior visions.Lastly, with the majority realised specifically for the ex-hibition, Spaceliner demonstrates the potential that drawing has as a means of contemporary expression, capable of expanding our field of vision through the use of extraordinary techniques and materials.

united states rob pruitt's Obama Paintings at the Mocad

until 2 August 2015, the Museum of Contem-porary Art Detroit (MOCAD) is exhibiting the works of Rob Pruitt, as part of his projects The Oba-ma Paintings and The Lincoln Monument.The works are being exhibited for the first time since 2009, when Rob Pruitt began to paint one event a day from Barack Obamas presidency. Borrowing from the iconography found in the press and the media, The Obama Paintings act as both performance and ready-made art. Using these materials, images which are omnipresent in daily life of Americans, he invites the spectator to discover a visual summary of the presidency, rearranging his paintings in a random order and forming a new interpretative framework for both historical and social facts. This series, once complete, will comprise some 2,922 paintings. The Lincoln Monument also plays on codes of represen-tation of presidents, this time by using pennies to fill stacked lorry tyres painted bronze. The artist thus turns away from the traditional form of the fountain, which is symbolic of public monuments.Due to the state of Detroits economy during Oba-mas presidency, which has been both critical and sensationalised, MOCADs choice of Rob Pruitt for its first retrospective is by no means insignificant.

MuseuMs WhaTS on

The Obama Paintings (detail)Rob Pruitt

Courtesy Rob Pruitt, Gavin Brown's enterprise, and MOCAD

Raumzeichnung (PoyrazLodos)(2015)Monika Grzymala

Courtesy Monika GrzymalaPhoto: Aras Selim Bankolu


#204 28 May 2015

netherlands global imaginations at the Museum de lakenhal, leiden

From 27 June until 4 October 2015, the Museum de Lakenhal in Leiden, the Netherlands, is host-ing an international contemporary art exhibition entitled Global Imaginations.For the exhibition, 20 major artists from the interna-tional contemporary scene have been invited to ex-hibit their works or to create a new work reflecting their vision of the globalised modern world. The exhibition allows artists from around the world to share modern perspectives that are both rooted in their own cultures and traditions, and a part of the same modern global village. The exhibition is to take place in De Meelfab-riek in Leiden, an abandoned flour factory that reflects the citys industrial past. Exhibiting artists include: Sin-gaporean artist Simryn Gill, Lebanese artist Mona Ha-toum, Anglo-Argentine couple Lucy and Jorge Orta, and Indonesian artist Tintin Wulia.Global Imaginations will be accompanied by a series of events, such as a university symposium, a conference, and numerous presentations organ-ised throughout the Dutch city, notably at the heart of the former university library Rapenburg. The exhibition has been arranged to coincide with the 440th anniversary of the Leiden University.

norway hannah ryggen at the national gallery

From 12 June until 4 October 2015, the nation-al museum of Norway, the National Gallery, in Oslo, is to host a solo exhibition of Swedish-Nor-wegian artist Hannah Ryggen, entitled: Hannah Ryggen. Weaving the World.Hannah Ryggen is known for her strong socio-polit-ical engagement. Since the beginning of her career, she has expressed her revulsion towards the horrors of the Nazi and Fascist movements. As a result, she explores the themes of violence, exploitation, and abuse of power, which are recurrent in her black-and-white works from the 1930s. At times, her approach resembles that of modern paintings, in the tradition of Francisco Goya and Edouard Manet, and several of her tapestries are comparable to Picassos Guer-nica (1937). Her tapestry entitled Vi lever p en stjerne (We Live Upon a Star) (1958), has now been restored following the terrorist attack in Oslo on 22 July 2011, but still retains its highly emotive quality.The exhibition is to be entirely dedicated to major Scandinavian artist of the last century, Hannah Ryggen, who died in 1970. The initiative was made possible by the collaboration between the National Museum of Art in Norway and the Moderna Museet in Sweden.

united kingdoM carsten hller at hayward gallery

From 10 June until 6 September 2015, the British gallery Hayward Gallery, in London, is hosting a solo exhibition dedicated to the works of Carsten Hller, entitled Carsten Hller: Decision.The artists first exhibition in the United Kingdom of such a large scale, visitors will be given a series of choices through mirrors, disconcerting duplicates, and mysterious objects which, brought together, create the impression of a world where nothing is as it seems. Over the last 20 years, Hller has re-alised experimental installations, participative art-works, and immersive environments. These works often feature disorientating architecture and per-ception-altering devices, which the artist refers to as artificial limbs for parts of your body that you dont even know youve lost.Born in Belgium to German parents, Carsten Hller studied science, graduating with a de-gree in agricultural entomology, before devot-ing himself to an artistic career.

united states Jacqueline humphries at the carnegie Museum of art

From 11 June until 5 October 2015, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh is holding an exhi-bition of works by the artist Jacqueline Humphries. In her first solo museum exhibition for ten years, cu-rated by Amanda Donnan, Humphries will present a new body works, which have been created specif-ically for the space at the Carnegie Museum of Art.In this new series, the artist continues her experi-mentation with metallic pigments and painting in black light. Aware of the ever-changing nature of the medium of painting, this series' abstract works addresses the digital world, which is now an integral part of daily life. Using a stencil-cutting technique, with which the artist has been experimenting for several years, she draws over her canvasses, creat-ing an immersive environment.With her black light paintings, which have fluorescent pigments that are only visible in the dark, Humphries offers a similar experience to her visitors. By making them approach this specific, spectacular environment in the darkness, she intensifies the phenomemon of vision: that of seeing as well as being seen.

MuseuMs coMing Soon

World Under Pressure (2014)Batoul S'Himi

Courtesy Batoul S'Himi

Back to Fullness, Face to Emptiness (1997-2009)Chen Zhen

Collection Yuz FoundationCourtesy Galleria ContinuaPhoto: Ela Bialkowska.


#204 28 May 2015

bye! eric Fischl leaves Mary boone gallery af-ter 30 years

eric Fischl has left Mary Boone Gallery after 30 years, after having expressed disappoint-ment with the art market.Fischl is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker from New York. Mary Boone Gallery was founded in New York in 1977, and has represented many notable artists, such as Ai Weiwei, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, and Sigmar Polke. Fischl revealed in an article in Interview magazine that he had wanted to join Boones gallery, as it had a glow about it of something really new and fresh. It felt like something different was starting to happen. He also complained that the current art market stifles young artists creativity, and that artists are treated more like brand names.Fischl himself has not yet commented on his de-parture from Mary Boone Gallery, but Ron War-ren, a director and partner at Mary Boone, stated: I think he has decided that the art world and the market have changed so much that he wants to concentrate on making his work, and distance him-self from being represented by a gallery.

succession alexander gray associates now represents the estate of Jack tworkov

the gallery Alexander Gray Associates has an-nounced that it now represents the estate of Ab-stract Expressionist artist Jack Tworkov.Gray, who is known for championing underrepre-sented artists, commented: [Tworkov is] one of these figures who is often on the margins [] he was not afraid to change position and be skeptical about commodification and cult of personality and all of the plagues of our current art world. The gal-lery has already scheduled a small retrospective of the artists work for September 2015.Born in Biala, Poland, in 1900, Jack Tworkov was a key member of the first generation of Abstract Ex-pressionists, alongside major artists such as Rothko and Pollock, and in 1949 was a co-founder of the Eighth Street Club, one of the central meeting points of the movement. In spite of this, Tworkov later broke away from the style, and turned towards geometric abstraction. He died in 1982 at his home Massachusetts, at the age of 82.

representation lisa cooley now represents Jennifer west

new York-based gallery Lisa Cooley has an-nounced that it now represents the Californian artist Jennifer West.West, born in Topanga, California, realises works that incorporate the language of American popular cul-ture, for example through references to Jaws, West-ern films, the Hollywood sign, Snickers, Jack Daniels, beach parties, and campfires. Her work primarily takes the form of films and filmstrip installations, real-ised through unusual techniques such as soaking film in salt water, carrot juice, or coffee, scratching it with sharks teeth, and writing on it with eyeliner.The artist is currently a resident at EMPAC, Rensse-laer Polytechnic Institute, New York, and her work is included in numerous collections, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California, and the Saatchi Gallery, London. Upcoming exhibitions in-clude a solo exhibition in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in 2015, as part of AMERICANA ESOTERICA, and a solo exhi-bition at Tramway, Glasgow, in 2016.

hr James green joins david Zwirner gallery in london

the London branch of David Zwirner Gallery has announced that James Green is to join its man-agement team.James Green, the former manager of London-based gallery Stephen Friedman, left his post to join David Zwirner Gallery as its deputy director. Before arriving at Stephen Friedman, he was the manager of Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery, also in London. David Zwirner Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that was founded by David Zwirner. Based in New York since 1993 and in London since 2012, it is active in both the primary and secondary markets. In 2010, ArtReview ranked David Zwirner in fourth place in a list of the 100 most important people in the art world. In 2012, he was classed in second place by Forbes magazine in their list of The most powerful American art traders.The London branch of David Zwirner is located in the heart of Mayfair, next to Berkeley Square. Un-til 13 June 2015, it is displaying the works of Yayoi Kusama in an exhibition entitled Give Me Love, and the works of Richard Serra until 24 July 2015, in an exhibition entitled Equal.

gallerieS collaboration white cube gallery and the glyndebourne announce collaboration

ing numerous solo exhibitions of contemporary artists such as Sean Henry, John Stezaker, and Michael Craig-Martin, with the added benefit of the gallerys roster.The custom-designed space to house the exhibi-tion was created by the award-winning London-based architectural studio Carmody Groarke, which became well known in 2011 and 2013 for its design of the Frieze London fair spaces.

White Cube Gallery, a well-known London-based gallery, has announced its collaboration with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera.Its pop-up space, situated at the festivals site in Glyndebourne in East Sussex, is to host a solo exhibition dedicated to the German artist Georg Baselitz, which is to take place from 21 May until 30 August. The gallery commented that: White Cube at Glynde-bourne [] is a unique opportunity to present the work of acclaimed international artists to new audiences, as part of Glyndebournes world-renowned programme. The festivals collaboration with the gallery will allow it to continue its tradition of host-

Glyndebourne Festival Opera

Credit: David Hawgood

Twittering (Gezwitscher) (2014) Georg Baselitz

Courtesy White CubePhoto Jochen Littkemann


#204 28 May 2015

china punctuation the First time: shen Fan at shanghart gallery

ShanghART Gallery in Shanghai, China, is host-ing a solo exhibition of works by the Chinese abstract artist Shen Fan, entitled Punctuation The First Time, until 14 June 2015.The exhibition brings together Shen Fans latest paint-ings and mixed-material paintings and installations, realised between 2014 and 2015. At the end of the 1990s, the tensions in his paintings gradually disap-peared to make way for a pictorial language, which lies between early decorative art and Chinese aesthet-ics. After removing the characters contained within his paintings, they seem to resemble Morse code, illustrat-ing a sense of continuation of abstraction. The remain-ing punctuation that emerges from his works is punc-tuated by serene declarations protesting the authority of characters. Through these works, the artist hopes to reveal a new language to their audience.Shen Fan was born in 1952 in Shanghai, where he still currently lives and works. His works are found in the collections of the The National Art Museum of China, the M+ Collection, and the Shanghai Art Museum.

china Zhang dali at pkin Fine arts, hong kong

until 23 August 2015, Hong Kong-based gallery Pkin Fine Arts is to host an exhibition dedicat-ed to the works of Zhang Dali, entitled Zhang Dali: Under The Sky.In celebration of Zhang Dalis first solo exhibition, the artists latest cyanotypes and figurative sculp-tures are to be presented to the public. The graf-fiti artist, best known in China, stopped tagging buildings marked for demolition and construction in 2006, but has continued his fascination with the immediacy of the street, using a variety of medi-ums such as photography, cyanotype, resin, and fibreglass life-size body-cast sculptures.Zhang Dalis practice is research-based, recording his daily encounters with the urban space around the neighbourhoods where he lives and works, situ-ated on the outskirts of Beijing, and surrounded by vacant lots scheduled for urban redevelopment.

France double eye poke at galerie kamel Mennour

until 25 July 2015, the gallery Kamel Mennour in Paris is hosting an exhibition of contemporary art entitled Double Eye Poke.The exhibition will display the works of four ma-jor American artists: Lynda Benglis (born in 1941), Dan Flavin (193396), Sol LeWitt (19282007), and Bruce Nauman (born in 1941). Various minimalist, post-minimalist, and conceptual art forms will be on display, bringing together phenomenon-works inspired by the human figure. This figure, often fragmented and sometimes completely abstract, takes the form of the face through the use of raw material for Lydia Benglis; that of an entire body with the amateur choreography of Bruce Nauman; that of physical traces for the artist-creator Sol Le-Witt; and evanescent structures inspired by tutelary figures in art history for Dan Flavin.Batrice Gross, New York-based art critic and independent exhibition curator is in charge of directing this event. She is currently planning an exhibition of the LeWitt Collection at the Draw-ing Center in New York, and is working with Sen-ior Curator Claire Gilman.

united kingdoM lee Madgwick exhibition at byard art gallery, cambridge

For his third solo exhibition at the gallery Byard Art in Cambridge, United Kingdom, Lee Madgwick, a former student of Lynn, and an award-winning East Anglian artist, is to present a selection of some of his most recent paintings until 14 June 2015.A recently elected member of the Royal British So-ciety of Artists, Madgwicks exhibition unveils the British countryside through depictions of isolated ivy-clad houses, thickets, and woodlands, as well as a bizarre singular tower block in a remote valley and a house ablaze on stilts. One of the common threads connecting his works is the way in which he imbues his paintings with a mysterious haunting quality, often suggesting a scene captured in the moment, frozen in action, provoking the viewer to determine what might happen next.After taking his BTEC Diploma in Art & Design at the College of West Anglia, Lynn, Madgwick stud-ied graphic design at Norwich University College of the Arts. He has been working professionally as a painter since graduating in 2003.

Kamel Mennour Gallery in Paris

Credit: Fabrice Seixas

View of the Zhang Dali's exhibition

Courtesy Pkin Fine Arts

GAlleries WhaTS on


#204 28 May 2015

china wang huangsheng at pearl lam galleries

Shanghai-based Pearl Lam Galleries is to host a solo exhibition dedicated to the work of Wang Huangsheng, entitled FLUX Wang Huangsheng Solo Exhibition, from 1 June until 20 July 2015.The exhibition will present the artists most recent works since his solo exhibition in 2010, in order to highlight the developments in his experimental tech-nique, using continuous fine lines drawn in ink. FLUX Wang Huangsheng Solo Exhibition brings together ink works on paper and multimedia installations, un-veiling a range of expressive artwork, brought to life by an expansive and creative energy.Curated by Dr. Katie Hill, FLUX offers an overview of Huangshengs latest experiments in linear paint-ing. Inspired by the phenomena of magnetism, the artist intends to reinvent xie yi traditional paint-ing, using the language of contemporary art.

France win knowlton at galerie Minsky

From 4 June until 1 August 2015, Galerie Minsky, situated in Paris seventh arrondissement, is to host an exhibition of the works of American artist Win Knowlton.Knowltons works, anchored in a dream-like world, are above all marked by a distinct taste for nature, which the artist evokes through his cloudy composi-tions, marked by particular rhythms. In his large-scale works, the eye never stops but engages in a series of passages throughout the course of the very struc-tured lines freeing up the form of every box or con-straint. Being a sculptor as well as a graphic designer, Knowlton is to present to the public aa set of 20 works on paper, accompanied by seven sculptures.Born in Boston in 1963, and graduating from the Winchester College of Arts as well as from the Parson Schools of Design in New York, Win Knowlton con-siders himself above all as a gardener. However, his works are held in the collections of some of the most important American museums, such as the Brooklyn Museum, MoMA, and the Whitney Museum. He has been represented by Galerie Minsky since 2001.

italy piero golia at romes gagosian gallery

From 9 June until 30 July 2015, the Rome branch of the Gagosian Gallery is to host an exhibition of works by Piero Golia, entitled Piero Golia: Inter-mission paintings.The series Intermission paintings (2014) is a by-prod-uct of the first phase of his Comedy of Craft trilogy, a sculptural performance in three acts. Golia used foam offcuts from the exact-scale replica of George Washingtons nose on Mount Rushmore that he had used in the first act of Comedy of Craft. He then em-bedded them in a hard layer of polymer and painted them with the same iridescent nano-pigments used in security ink for printing bank notes.Born in 1974 in Naples, Italy, Piero Golia is a con-ceptual artist. His works have been exhibited in major exhibitions in Europe and the United States, such as Uncertain States of AmericaAmerican Art in the 3rd Millennium at the Serpentine Gal-lery, London (2006); The Gold Standard, at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, New York (2007); Pre-mio Italia at the Museo MAXXI, Rome (2011); and Made in L.A. at the Hammer Museum, Los Ange-les (2014). He also had a solo exhibition, Double Tumble or the Awesome Twins, at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, and his work was exhibited at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013.

singapore Mit Jai inn at yavuz gallery

From 30 May until 19 July 2015, Yavuz Gallery in Singapore is displaying the works of Mit Jai Inn, in a solo exhibition entitled Patchworlds.The artist is to present a series of symbolic paint-ings, a large proportion of which are to be exhib-ited in Singapore for the first time, as well as paint-ings created specifically for the event. Due to both their form and their function, the works exhibited in Patchworlds exemplify the non-Orthodox artistic approach adopted by Mit Jai Inn. One of the pieces in the exhibition requires interpretation and partici-pation on behalf of the spectator: Untitled (Patch-works) (2000) was made from 100 components of free-form canvases measuring 30.5 by 30.5 cm. Each piece is divided into four coloured squares and carefully cut to create gaps that allow the work to be folded, curved, and shaped.Born in 1960 and currently based in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, Mit Jai Inn is a key figure of Thai contemporary art. At the end of the 1980s, he lived in Vienna, Austria, where he studied at the Univer-sity of Applied Arts and worked in the studio of re-nowned abstract artist Franz West. Upon returning to Thailand, he co-founded the Chiang Mai Social Installation, an artistic project and a festival with the aim of leading art outside of its traditional, institu-tional, and commercial constraints.

Left: Intermission painting #60 (2015)

Right: Intermission painting #6 (2014)Piero Golia

Courtesy Gagosian Gallery

GAlleries coMing Soon

Left: 2015.010 (detail)

Right: 2015.001 (detail)Win Knowlton

Courtesy Galerie Minsky


#204 28 May 2015

young artists in china

Founded in 2011, Beautiful Asset Art Project is an innovative gallery based in historic Bei-jing dedicated to promoting Chinese artists both domestically and internationally. In order to achieve this, the gallery has devel-

oped a project, entitled China Young Artist Project (CYAP), that will be implemented over several years. Art Media Agency had the chance to speak with Chen Chang, one of the gallerys directors.

798 Art Disctrict in Beijing

could you introduce beautiful asset art project to us?Our gallery was founded in November 2009, after five years of development, and our services now include arts services, such as artwork storage, art promotion, art finance, and art charity. With strong academic and marketing resources online and offline, we provide a full range of services to art-ists, collectors, businesses, and art enthusiasts. In China, we have a unique competitive advantage in this industry. Compared with an ordinary gallery, we have more to offer. For example, we have the CYAP project, which is supported by the Chinese government. We also have an exhibition space in Beijing, as well as plans to build another gallery in 798, so we hope to accumulate more customers and collectors.

what is cyap?China Young Artists Project (CYAP) is a five-year plan that forms part of our companys important public arts project. CYAP's aim is to discover and support China's new generation of artists, pro-moting them through exhibitions and exchange programmes around the world. We demonstrate the status quo of creation for young Chinese con-temporary artists with professional standards, and allow young artists to display their talents on the international stage.

798 Art Disctrict in Beijing

Credit: Lee Luv

inTervieW beauTiful aSSeT arT projecTdo you represent these artists at art fairs, for ex-ample?Over the past three years, we have taken part in several fairs, such as Scope Miami Beach and Art Stage Singapore. We joined Art Paris last year as a guest of honour, and this year we presented art-work from ten different artists. These young artists, who also form part of our CYAP, represented two different artistic types: new ink art and oil painting. The new ink art works demonstrate the develop-ment of traditional Chinese art in a contemporary social context. Some of the artists have studied art in France and so attempt to present their Chinese experience and cultural background by re-appro-priating Western techniques.

what are the differences between the europe-an, asian, and the american art markets?These three markets are very different. The Ameri-can and European art markets are very mature. In the American market, especially that of the United States, collectors are very powerful, and they have a lot of capital investment in the art market. The European market is more academic, and collectors are very introverted. In France, for example, the art market is very stable; most of the collectors here are art experts.

In contrast, the Asian art market is still growing, whether it is in China, Singapore, or India. In Chinas current con-dition, the primary market (galleries and art fairs) is not mature enough; capital is concentrated in the second-ary market, such as auction houses. Collectors in China who deal in several collection disciplines are rare. Most people buy art primarily for decoration or investment; they may not pay attention to the message of the work itself. In the European art market, the collectors remain passionate about the art, while also trying to find the story behind the artist and the work. They then search for link between the artists works and themselves, and finally secure a collection. This is the process that Chi-nese collectors need to learn from.


#204 28 May 2015

award Finalists of kubus. sparda art prize an-nounced

the three finalists of the second edition of the Kubus. Sparda Art Prize, awarded by the Sparda Baden-Wrttemberg bank and the Kunstmuseum de Stuttgart, are: Nevin Aladag, Peter Vogel, and the pair of artists Discoteca Flaming Star.Turkish-born Nevin Aladag presented the work Traces (2015), a video featuring traditional Eastern European musical instruments which appear to be played not by musicians but by the environment itself. Peter Vo-gel, a Fribourg-born electronic music pioneer creates interactive sculptures in which electronic components and musical instruments respond to the movements of visitors. The Discoteca Flaming Star duo, Cristina Gomez Barrio and Wolfgang Mayer presented an in-stallation featuring footage from Pasolinis Uccellacci e uccellini and Jules Dassins La Rptition along with images and documents relating to performances by the duo in a former military complex in Madrid.The Kubus. Sparda prize is an open competition for emerging and more established artists with a link to the Baden-Wttemberg region. The theme of this years edition of the competition was art and music.

obituary rosemarie castoro dies aged 76

new York-based Minimalist artist Rosemarie Cas-toro died at the age of 76 of unknown causes, announced her gallery Broadway 1602.Rosemarie Castoro is a central figure, and one of relatively few female artists, in the New York Mini-malist movement. At the start of the 1960s, she studied at the Pratt Institute, where she took inspi-ration from modern dance, and worked alongside Yvonne Rainer, a guiding force in experimental dance, theatre, and film. Later, Castoro focused on sculpture and installations, exploring materials such as concrete, wood, graphite, and metal. The artist also taught at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the University of Syracuse in New York state, the University of Colorado, the Pratt Institute, and Hunter College. Her work appears in collection in the MoMA and the National Gallery of Australia, as well as in corporate collections.

award samson young named first bMw art Journey winner

art Basel and BMW have announced that Sam-son Young has won the first ever BMW Art Journey, after the 2015 edition of Art Basels Hong Kong show at the end of March.Young was one of three shortlisted artists, along with Mika Tajima and Trevor Yeung, in the Discoveries section of Art Basel Hong Kong this year. With this prize, Young will be able to travel across five con-tinents. For his project, entitled For Whom the Bell Tolls: A Journey Into the Sonic History of Conflict, he will tour the world, exploring bells and military technology, and he will create visual works and mu-sical compositions based on these experiences. This study will lead Young to travel to Myanmar, Kenya, Austria, Cologne, Morocco, Sicily, South Korea, Aus-tralia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.Young was born in Hong Kong in 1979. He studied Music, Philosophy, and Gender Studies at the Uni-versity of Sydney, and has obtained a PhD in Musi-cal Composition from Princeton University. In 2013, he was named Artist of the Year by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (ADC).

sculpture alexandra pirici to perform her Monument to Work in gteborg

From 28 until 31 May 2015, the artist Alexandra Pirici is presenting her living sculpture Monu-ment to Work, commissioned by the government agency Public Art Agency Sweden. Alexandra Pirici has drawn inspiration for the choreog-raphy of the performers in Monument to Work from the rhythmic sequence of movements that have marked the days of industrial workers from the 1970s to the present day. Her creative process is based in part on the numerous interviews she has conducted with in-dustrial workers of different generations, concerning the movements they carried out over the course of their working lives. These interviews were organised in close collaboration with the workers union Verkstad-sklubben at the ball bearing factory SKF, in Gteborg.Alexandra Pirici currently lives and works in Bucha-rest. She participated in the Romanian pavillion for the 55th Venice Biennale, with a project called An Immaterial Retrospective of the Venice Biennale, re-alised in collaboration with Manuel Pelmus.

arTiSTS vip Jay Z defends himself against Marina abramovis accusations

Rohatyn, Jay Zs artistic advisor, who contributed to shooting the film, defended Jay Z, claiming to have read the acknowledgment of receipt which stated: Thank you for your donation.The Marina Abramovi Institute in Hudson has just apologised to Jay Z and to Marina Abramovi, explain-ing that when she did the interview with Spike maga-zine in Brazil, the artist had not been informed of the donation that the rapper made two years ago.

the rapper Jay Z has responded to the claims made by the performance artist Marina Abramovi, who accused him of having violated their contract.Marina Abramovi had allowed the singer to adapt and to feature in one of her performances for the music video of his song Picasso Baby, in return for a donation to support the construction of her performance art institute in Hud-son, New York. Abramovi then accused the singer of not having made the donation he had promised. I will never do it again, that I can say []. I was really nave in this kind of world. It was really new to me, and I had no idea that this would happen, she explained to Spike magazine. But Jeanne Greenberg

The Artist is present (2010) at MoMAMarina Abramovi

Traces (still) (2015) Nevin Aladag

Nevin Aladag/VG Bild-Kunst Photo: Frank Kleinbach


#204 28 May 2015

photoJournalisM in the spotlight

With an exhibition currently underway at the Chapelle de Beaux-Arts in Par-is, work on show at the 56th Venice Biennale, and the prestigious Fon-dation Carmignac photojournalism

prize under her belt, Iranian photographer Newsha Tavakolian has had a busy year! Art Media Agency met with the artist to discuss her work, her inspira-tions, and the changing face of photography

Mehdi a singer and performer, leaving his usual practice place, an abandoned swim-

ming pool, in the hills near his house

Newsha Tavakolian for the Carmi-gnac Foundation

you began working in journalism aged 16 could you tell us about your career background?I was born and raised in Iran, and have spent my whole life there, however I have never felt cut off from the rest of the world. As a young girl work-ing in the Iranian media, I witnessed many women give up, but I was so focused on my goals that I never really noticed the problems that we faced. I was my own harshest critic, and I always wanted my work to be good enough that I could gain recog-nition outside of Iran and be involved with larger international projects. Im glad that I chose the long road rather than the short road, and focused on my long-term goals rather than jumping on the first opportunity that presented itself.

how did you come to be selected for the Fonda-tion carmignac prize?I had never applied for a grant or prize before, but when I heard about the prize I realised that it would give me the opportunity to work on a subject that Ive always been interested in, but have never had the chance to pursue: the middle class youth of Iran. For a long time Ive wanted to pursue the theme of the middle classes, but it isnt something that Iranian audiences are particularly interested in.

did you begin the project with the idea of an album in mind?No, the starting point for the project was the mid-dle class. My work always starts with a raw idea or concept, which takes shape as I work and discover new things. You can never be sure exactly what di-rection a project will take before you start. I began by looking for characters. I wanted to find normal people, with nothing to set them apart or make them special; people that no one cares about. That was the real challenge. Then I began visiting peoples homes and speaking to them, and for some reason I would always end up asking for their photo albums. I had a real obsession with photo albums since, as a middle child, I never had my own photo album as a child. My younger brother was born when I was nine months old, and so my parents never took photos of me! Subconsciously I was attracted to family photo albums, so the idea of making a photo album as part of the project was a natural one for me.

Newsha Tavakolian

Courtesy Carmignac Foundation

Girls smoking during a break be-tween classes at a university campus

Newsha Tavakolian for the Carmignac Foundation

inTervieW neWSha Tavakolian

how is the exhibition at the chapelle des beaux-arts laid out? The exhibition is in an old chapel, and given the nature of the space, we felt that rather than sim-ply hanging 20 pictures in a row we needed to do something different with the layout in order to bring out the subtle connections between the im-ages. Each story is presented separately. Essen-tially, the exhibition focuses on nine characters that are representative of contemporary Iranian culture. The images deal with complex issues that are not necessarily apparent at first glance, so we had to do something a little more interesting with the hanging.

how do you feel about the exhibition?Im really exited about the exhibition. Everyone has worked very hard on it, but there is always an ele-ment of worry. Its so exciting to see an idea come to completion but at the same time its a bit nerve-wracking.

could you tell us more about your show at the biennale?It is essentially the same work, but rather than show-ing the films on different TVs, we use a single chan-nel, in which the videos fade in and out. It empha-sises the ways in which the stories are connected.


#204 28 May 2015

the iranian middle class forms the principal sub-ject of your current exhibition how important are the middle classes in iranian society?The middle class currently makes up more than 80% of Iranian society, but they are shrinking quick-ly. As in many other countries, the rich are becom-ing richer and the poor poorer, especially because of international sanctions against Iran. With power and influence behind you it is possible to bypass the sanctions, which can generate a lot of wealth. Nonetheless, the middle class is very important in Iran because they are in a position to bring about change. They are not so rich as to be careless, or so poor as to have to focus all their energy on having enough to eat.

does your own family belong to the iranian middle class?Yes. My father lost his job, which involved export and import to and from Europe, though fortunately he didnt become poor. There are so many good middle class families in Iran that are suffering at the moment. They all live in beautiful villas with swim-ming pools, but the quality of life isnt always high.

From a european perspective, iran has an in-credibly rich culture. have international sanc-tions, and western perspectives on iranian poli-tics posed a threat to this?No, Iranian culture is continuing to develop irre-spective of the West. Iranian artists, directors, and filmmakers are increasingly moving away from what the West expects of them. So many directors have made films that are interesting from an outsid-er perspective, but which, for an Iranian audience, are just more of the same. The Iranian art world has greatly expanded its horizons over the last few years; artists read more, travel more, and are ex-posed to a wider variety of art works. It is no longer the bubble that it was 20 years ago. In the past, Iran was very isolated, but with the Internet everything has become much more connected. Audiences are more critical; you can no longer make work for the sake of it.

A taxi driver in his car on a rainy day. Behind him a poster of an upcoming

performance of Samuel Becketts play Waiting for Godot


A view of a microphone and an empty stage in Tehran


inTervieW neWSha Tavakoliantehran is home to a vibrant art sceneAbsolutely! A few days ago Tehran became the biggest exhibition in the world. The mayor of the city decided to replace the billboards and adver-tisements around Tehran with works by great artists such as Picasso, Van Gogh, and also Iranian artists. Over 1,700 pieces were hung in total.

The art scene is very lively. Tourists that come to the city are shocked, since it is so different from the way Tehran is portrayed abroad, but residents no long-er get excited about the opening of a new gallery. Like any city with a large young population, Tehran is a very exciting place to be.

how do you expect iran to change in the com-ing years?I am not a politician, and even politicians cannot re-ally predict the future of Iran. Many Iranians are not looking for radical change; they just live their lives. There is a sense in Iran that people have become tired of politics, and even young people often do not engage in those issues.

the news media is facing a difficult period, has this affected your work?Personally, Im constantly being offered more and more work. People want to be surprised, and to see something new, whether it is a new subject or sim-ply a new perspective on an old subject. In the past there were far fewer photographers, especially since not everyone could afford a camera. To be a photographer was something very special. Today, photography has become much more accessible. Cameras are cheaper, as is travel, and so weve seen a real democratisation of the medium. There is much more competition today, so to survive as a photographer you must bring something new to the table. It is no longer enough to take beautiful pictures; there must be an element of creativity, and an idea behind your work. A camera has be-come like a pen: anyone can write, but not every-one can be a great writer.


#204 28 May 2015

so you are looking for a new vision in your workYes, I never want to repeat what others have done. Of course people want to see beautiful pictures, but a beautiful picture alone is not enough. What really counts today is the thought that goes into a photograph. There is no longer a demand for amazing technical photographers that lack vision, or whose images are superficial. More and more, newspapers and magazines are looking for pho-tographers with vision, as well as skill.

does new media play a major role in your work?I try not to limit myself in my work. I use different media, be it photography or film, to tell my stories. In the past, photojournalists were confined to the field of photojournalism, which is no longer the case today. In the project Ive created for the Fon-dation Carmignac Award, each series is accompa-nied by a video installation. Playing with the me-dium of film is important to me because it provides different layers to a work.

A laborer working on a new ven-tilation shaft, on a wall in Tehran


A portrait of Somayyeh, a 32-year old divorced teacher


inTervieW neWSha Tavakolian

what projects do you have on the horizon?When I return to Iran I have another big project coming up. Ill be working for a newspaper for three weeks, documenting the landscape of Iran. After that I have exhibitions in London, New York, and Dubai. Other than that, I dont have any specific plans, but I intend to keep working on this project. Id love to include more characters, not just from Tehran but from all over the country, and eventually create a full photo album. I think its important to have a book about contemporary Iran.


#204 28 May 2015

giulio paolini

Born in Genoa in 1940, Giulio Paolini is an Italian artist who currently lives and works in Turin. His artworks involve a va-riety of different media, including pho-tography, painting, sculpture, collage,

plaster casts, and drawing. He studied at the Giambattista Bodoni State In-dustrial Technical School of Graphics and Pho-tography, graduating in 1959. His first work Dis-egno geometrico was created in 1960, and is a canvas painted with white tempera and ink, an artwork that would set the tone for the rest of his work that was to follow. His first solo exhibition was held in 1964 at Gian Tommaso Liverani's La Salita gallery in Rome. He became associated with the Arte Povera move-ment between 1967 and 1972 when art critic Germano Celant invited him to take part in Arte Povera exhibitions. During this period, he realised works that reproduced details of Old Masters' paintings, as well as works containing references to Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges and Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico. Taking part in the Venice Biennale in 1970, he be-came increasingly internationally renowned in the 1970s, with works displayed in exhibitions around the world, securing himself an important position in the international avant-garde art scene. Paolini is also well known for having worked in theatre, making sets and costumes, contributing to shows including: Vittorio Alfieri's Bruto II directed by Gualtiero Rizzi and Wagner's Die Walkre and Parsifal, both directed by Federico Tiezzi. The artist is known for accompanying his creations with writ-ten explanatory texts, such as: Idem, Quattro passi. Nel museo senza muse, and Dall'Atlante al Vuoto.

L'Altra Figura (detail) (1984)Giulio Paolini

Art AnalyticsDATA giulio paoliniPaolino has had solo exhibitions at many insti-tutions and galleries around the world such as: Marian Goodman Gallery, New York; Galleria Studio G7, Bologna; Whitechapel Art Gallery, London; Tucci Russo Contemporary Art Studio, Turin; Yvon Lambert, Paris; Galleria Christian Stein, Milan; Annemarie Verna Gallery, Zurich; Kunstmuseum Winterthur; Kewenig Galerie, Co-logne; Fundao Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon; and MoMA, New York.

Evolution of the number ofexhibitions by type

Evolution of the number ofexhibitions by type of venue

His work is also found in the collections of nu-merous institutions, including: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris; Muse d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Kunstpalais Erlangen; Museo Speri-mentale d'Arte Contemporanea, L'Aquila; Stedeli-jk Museum Amsterdam; Muse d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, Geneva; and Tate Britain, London.

View of the exhibition Poor Art Rich Legacy

Courtesy Nasjonalmuseet

0

10

20

30

40

1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012group shows solo shows

0

10

20

30

40

1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012gallery museum biennials other


#204 28 May 2015

Art AnalyticsDATA giulio paolini

Distribution by venue type

Distribution by exhibition type

Distribution by country

Evolution of the number of exhibitions by country

Evolution of the number of articles about Giulio Paolini

View of Qu'est-ce que la Pho-tographie at Centre Pompidou

Unsurprisingly, it is in his native Italy where Giulio Pao-lini has been most frequently been exhibited, ahead of the United States, Germany, France, and Switzer-land. Artists with whom he has been most exhibited include: Mario Merz; Michelangelo; Pistoletto; Jannis Kounellis; Alighiero Botti; and Giuseppe Penone.

He has been most frequently exhibited at the fol-lowing institutions and galleries: Castello di Rivoli Museo d'Arte Contemporanea; Lisson Gallery; Annemarie Verna Gallery; Galleria In Arco; and Neue Galerie Graz Universalmuseum Joanneum.

The top four authors whose works have addressed Giulio Paolini are: Lea Mattarella (La Repubblica); Marina Paglieri (La Repubblica); Nicoletta Cast-agni (ANSA); and Carlo Alberto Bucci (La Repub-blica). Unsurprisingly, Italian is the most common language in which he has been written about, with the top three publications in which he has been written about being Italian publications (La Repub-blica, Corriere and La Stampa), followed by articles written in English and German. Naturally, most arti-cles about Paolini have been published in Italy, but also in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Switzerland.

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20

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1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012Italy Germany United States other

6%

60%

30%

gallery museumevents other

12%

88%

group showssolo shows

37%

12% 12%

39%

Italy GermanyUnited States other

0

60

120

180

1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014


#204 28 May 2015

Art AnalyticsDATA giulio paoliniAt auction, Giulio Paolini's work has totalled over $32 million, averaging $62,845 per lot offered and $96,105 per sold work.

The record for the artist's highest-selling work was set at Christie's auction house in London in February 2014, when the work Antologia (26/1/1974) (1974) was sold for $459,396. This record comes just above another work Le Tre Grazie (1978), which was also sold at Christie's in London in October 2006 for $389,865, far above its high-end estimate of $232,062. Another important sale of Paolini's work took place at Christie's in Milan in May 2007, when Lo Studio (1968) sold for $364,878, above its high-end estimate of $202,710.

Drawing represents 38% of lots offered at auction, but only 21% of turnover realised. On the other hand, sculpture and painting each represent 37% of turnover realised, but only 12% and 15% of lots offered, respectively. Multiples represent 30% of lots offered but a negligible portion of turnover was realised from the sale of works in this medium.

Photography represents a negligible portion of both lots offered and turnover realised. Interestingly, de-spite the fact that the majority of lots (62%) were of-fered in Italy, it was in the United Kingdom, where only 21% of lots were offered, where the highest turnover was realised (58%). 8% of lots were offered in France, where 5% of the turnover was realised. The average price of a sold work in Italy is $16,623, and the unsold rate in this country is 32%.

Works created in 1975 generated a large pro-portion of the artist's turnover in public sales ($1.1 million), and a relatively high number of around 55 lots were offered in this year. On the other hand, 1990 saw around 25 lots offered for sale, but less than $200,000 of turnover was re-alised in this year. The unsold rate appears to be relatively unstable, with the years 1989 until 1997 having very low unsold rates, followed by a sharp decrease in sales in 1998 which increased the un-sold rate to 50% and then to around 60% in 1999. However, an increase in sales made the unsold rate relatively stable between the years 2001 and 2009, before another decrease in sales in 2010.

Distribution of lots bymedium and revenue

Distribution of lots bycountry and revenue

Rate of sold lots vs. bought-ins

Distribution of lots and revenue by auction house

Evolution of unsold rate

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013

sold bought in

34%

66%

sold bought in

12%

15%

30%

38%

Drawing Mutiples PaintingSculpture Photography

4%

37%

37%

21% 10%8%

21% 62%

Italy United KingdomFrance other

5%

58%

32%

50%

9%16%

25%

Sothebys Christies Finarte other

11%

43%

43%


#204 28 May 2015

Art AnalyticsDATA giulio paolini

Rate of unsold lots by estimates range

Turnover and number of lots by price range

Evolution of thenumber of lots

Evolution of the yearly turnover

Evolution of the average value

per lot

$0k

$600k

$1,200k

$1,800k

1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013

$0k

$20k

$40k

$60k

$80k

1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013

0

20

40

60

1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013

> $50k$20-50k$10-20k

$5-10k$2-5k< $2k

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

sold bought in

> $50k$20-50k$10-20k

$5-10k$2-5k< $2k

$0m $2m $4m $6m $8m

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