Art Basel 41 Highlights, Part Two
Warped realist sculptures, Op-Art paintings and wearable instruments round out our list of Art Basel 2010 favorites
There were so many great things at Art Basel 41 we needed a second feature to capture them all. Check out Part One of our coverage here if you missed it.
At NYC’s Sperone Westwater, “Michael (Variation #1)” (2010), a larger-than-life bust by Canadian artist Evan Penny, captured the booth. This particular piece, following the theme of most of his work, is a strikingly realistic depiction of avery ordinary-looking man from one angle, appearing warped and disproportional from another vantage point.
Nick Cave‘s Soundsuit series (2010), featured at Studio La Citta gallery in Verona, Italy, expresses incredible energy, wit, and color with materials that include twigs, flowers, and hair. Cave (who’s also the director of the graduate fashion program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago) makes wearable suits of various fabrics that create their own distinct sound through movement.
Known for his poetic work using only fans and tape, Lithuanian artist Zilvinas Kempinas did not fail to impress at Parisian gallery Yvon Lambert with his piece entitled “Oasis” (2010). Consisting of only a round fan and an enormous loop of magnetic tape, the morphing shapes and movement of the stunningly simple piece is fascinating. The tape, floating below the fan without straying, seemingly defies physics.
Venezuelan artist Jesus Rafael Soto‘s installation, “Environment” (1967), featured at Duesseldorf’s Galerie Hans Mayer, consists of what appears to be a window with a painting behind it. Hundreds of thin tubes hanging from the ceiling distort the image, creating multiple perspectives of the same painting, depending on where the viewer stands.
CH muse and Op-Art patron saint Bridget Riley continues to inspire and impress with “Pink and Three Others,” (2009) (above left), a work bursting with color, form and sensuality. The work was featured at Max Hetzler gallery from Berlin.
Neither abstract nor realist, Tomasz Ciecierski‘s work, “Untitled” (2002) featured at Krakow’s gallery Starmach. The painting (above right) balances repetition with a vast array of colors.
“Anillo” (2008) by Juan Genoves, the well-known Spanish contemporary artist, was featured at Marlborough Gallery. Using the fascinating technique of building up acrylic to create 3-D structures, Genoves has created his own unique form of painting. Observers of the piece are given a birds-eye view of a scene in which several miniature people appear to be in motion (see detail above right), giving a new perspective to the concept of painting portraits.
American portrait photographer Katy Grannan hit a home run with her simply shot “Anonymous” portrait collection (2009) at San Fransisco’s Fraenkel Gallery. The unaltered, honest images offer insight into the colorful personalities portrayed.
“TV Man” (2010) by Dublin-native Corban Walker is somewhat of a self portrait video. Presented by NYC’s Pace Gallery the image of Walker himself appears to follow you across the room.
The Bernard Jacobson Gallery included Joe Goode‘s “Sky Painting I” (1972) (above left), which mesmerized us. An American artist known for his images of milk bottles and clouds, this ethereal, impressive painting captures the sky in a way we haven’t seen before. A photograph can’t capture this painting’s energy.
Pavlos Dionyssopoulos‘ “Chemise Orange et Jaune” (2007), (above right) presented by Galerie Thomas Modern from Munich, uses intricate swirls and overlapping lines to create incredible textures.
