Climate change/eco artists

The Copenhagen debacle, in which our world leaders completely failed to see the bigger -non monetary- picture, has at least pushed climate change/the destructiveness of humans on nature back into the spotlight. Although there will always be cynics and strong debate as to our ability to measure climate change in the past through carbon testing/geology etc... it is hard to argue that we are GOOD for the planet. Especially at the moment with the number of endangered species, both plant and animal, rising and air and freshwater quality decreasing.

John Key needs his head re-screwed on. The financially driven shortsightedness of the national government is unbelievable, and they're destroying the 'clean green' image of New Zealand for one of our biggest industries- tourism. Not that we are clean or green, BUT we have the potential to be, and a large number of international visitors come to New Zealand to experience the nature of the country. Twitch.


So with that in mind, I've been browsing a few pretty cool exhibitions with a climate change/eco driven focus.

Acid Rain by Bright Ugochukwu Eke.

RETHINK — Contemporary Art & Climate Change is "an exhibition of 26 works created by trendsetting Nordic and international contemporary artists working in the intersection between art, culture and climate change."

It's interesting. I really like this quote, which comes from Bruno Latour's A Plea for Earthly Sciences which IMHO should be compulsorary reading for every literate adult on the planet....:

" Everything that earlier was merely given becomes “explicit”. Air, water, land, all of those were present before in the background: now they are explicitated because we slowly come to realize that they might disappear —and we with them."

Pretty much sums it up doesn't it?  There are a few more pictures on Greenmuze.

Royal Academy of Arts (UK) at the GSK Contemporary is currently running Earth: Art of a changing world

There's a neat little highlights gallery here. Interesting to see Cornelia Parker and Mona Hatoum in there. Parker's work in particular is an adaption of  what she's done before, but it's still effective. 

Find more videos like this on artreview.com

Antti Laitinen, who is also part of the exhibition at GSK,  is a Finnish artist, and you can see a fair bit of his It's My Island exhibition in the video above. 

All in all a lot to think about in relation to my own work + dissertation, and the honours proposal that I should be thinking up by January 5th.. hmmm..

Press releases + Photos :)

Photo by Andy Morley Hall

5 September 2009

NIPPLE FRIDGE TAKES THE PRIZE

In the Page Blackie Gallery last night, Intersect - a national network of young leaders in sustainability - awarded 22 year old Amelia Hitchcock for her artwork “New Zealand Pure”. The artwork is a ‘dunger’ of a fridge - stacked with old fashioned baby bottles filled with water collected from lowland rivers around the artist’s home town , Wanganui.

“..In a nation that proclaims to the world to be ‘clean and green,’ 90% of our lowland rivers are so polluted, you cannot gather food or swim in them” says Amelia.

Her artwork ‘New Zealand Pure’ is reflective of the state of our freshwater systems, a visual representation of the legacy that we are creating for our next
generation.

The Waiora art competition received entries from all over the country. During the judging process, the judges named the originally untitled work ‘Nipple Fridge’ to distinguish it from other entries, an obvious cheeky reference to the visual impact of the work. Judges included Megan Tamati-Quenelle from Te Papa, Artists Wayne Youle & Sophie Jerram, James Blackie from Page Blackie Gallery and Hayden Montgomerie from UNESCO.

Megan Hosking from Intersect says she is delighted with the result. “We wanted to provoke people into thinking about the issue of our freshwater, and that’s exactly what has happened. As a result, a whole lot of young people across New Zealand have been thinking deeply about water and its significance to our nation. Young New Zealand artists are the right people to work with this issue.” The work is intended to tour public sites, not unlike a roving coffee cart, dispensing a message to its surrounding public which Hosking hopes will enable even more people to come into contact with the issue. Future display sites will include a hospital, a theatre, as well as a university alongside the coke machine.

The art competition was sponsored this year by the New Zealand Commission for UNESCO.



National Youth Art Award Opening

The opening night of the National Youth Art Award on Friday 18 September announced 4 winners out of the 42 finalists. The judges, Kate Darrow and Allison Ewing, were thrilled with the quality of the work and said the initiative for a youth award was important. They predicted that the National Youth Art Award would continue to grow.

The overall winner, Ben Pearce, from Napier, entered a beautifully made wooden sculpture called 'Great-grandfather Clock'. Though it looks fragile and unbalanced (deliberately), it is suprisingly sturdy and well made with beautifully carved detail in native New Zealand woods. It is a first rate contemporary sculpture which is eminently collectible. The first prize was $2000 sponsored by Tompkins Wake Lawyers.

Danielle Appleton, from Hamilton, won with a blown glass contemporary sculpture which lights up. Amelia Hitchcock, from Wanganui, won with a professional study of a carved apple undergoing decay. Both of those works sold on the night. Category prizes won $300 cash. Convex Plastics sponsored the 3D prize.

Finally, Mikaere Gardiner won the recycled (found materials) award with a dynamic painting on video cassettes of superheroes superimposed on the silhouette of a cave man. In addition to the cash prize, he received a beautiful plaque sponsored by the Peter Sauerbier Trust, care of Remains to Be Scene. Ludwina Saubier of Remains to be Scene is Peter Saubier's daughter.

The place was packed to the walls with people coming in all evening. The music by The Trons, the robot band, fascinated young and old alike. Younger artists came with parents, grandparents and friends; older ones came parents, grandchildren, spouses and children. More than 200 people came through in the evening.

Overall the standard was high and the best was very high indeed. The overall winner is a finalist in the Wallace Award this year, and at least two are international exhibitors, one with a con-current exhibition in Spain and the other opening next week in Israel. Several are finalists in the National Youth Photography Award also announced on Friday night. The finalists range from talented high school students developing both skills and concepts to professional artists becoming established.

We have had a small stream of visitors in to see the exhibition since. Many of the visitors are young artists who are greatly impressed with the venue with it very high roof and window walls front and back. Some of our visitors are art lovers who are pleased with the quality of the art and others are off the street people who normally do not go to galleries and were attracted to the mid CBD location on Victoria Street.

The success of the National Youth Art Award means that Waikato Society of Arts will definitely be organising this award again.

Ucol's Press release here. 

Yuken Teruya

Yuken Teruya is another artist who I feel my work relates to.

"Yuken Teruya manipulates everyday objects, transforming their meanings to reflect on contemporary society and culture. Cutting trees out of paper bags and cardboard toilet paper rolls, he creates meticulous and intricate art works, small and enchanting worlds, which relate to broader concerns. In each bag and roll, the shape of a tree is created without adding or removing anything, just by cutting out and folding the paper from the bag itself. Teruya’s works explore issues such as the growing consumerism of contemporary society, depleting natural resources and other problems associated with globalism, including the threat it poses to localized cultural traditions and identities. " -Yuken Teruya homepage

His works are pretty damn stunning. He made a forest out of the toilet paper roll trees by placing them on rods of different lengths attached to the walls! It's awesome, but what I'm also really relating to is the photographical element to his sculptural practise. I think the photographic documentation of most of my works this year has really added to the impact of the objects, and I'm working on displaying both photograph and object together for my end of year show.

Nele Azevedo

Brazillian Artist Nele Azevedo has been making little ice men since 2005. Xtiaan told me about this about a month ago, and but couldn't remember the name of the artist.
The above photos came from an installtion in Berlin Square, and were used to highlight climate change. Interestingly, Azevedo had no initial interest in the environmental side of the work. When asked in an interview on greenmuze.com if she was a climate change activist she replied,

"No. I'm an artist, master of visual arts from the University of Sao Paulo (UNESP). This work was conceived as a critical view of the official historical monuments. As the reading and interpretation of an art piece is open, I'm glad it can also speak of urgent matters that threaten our existence on this planet."

Well that's interesting, I know what that's like. I know that I'm creating work that speaks to global environmental issues, but I'm an artist first and formost....

Greenmuze.com is a pretty sweet site though, and will be duely added to the links bar.

Waikato National Youth Award 2009

Went to Hamilton for the National Youth Awards last night, I was one of 42 finalists. There was a wide range of entries, in lots of different media, which was nice to see. There was a good selection of artists from the earliest begginnings at the youngest age (15), right through to the established ones who were closer to the cut off age (27).

I was really pleased my One Bad Apple was right by the entrance, and will be viewed even when the gallery is closed. Having perused the other entries, I'd made up my mind that Ben Pearce's
Great Grandfather Clock was the clearly the overall winner. But it was nice to hear people saying that it was between my piece and his. Excitement in the first ten minutes, my print SOLD! was the first to get a red sticker. Joy!

Award speeches were short and sweet, I picked the winner, and rightly so, but was chuffed to get the best 2D prize. :)

The 'robot band' The Trons was quite impressive, and provided nice aural wallpaper. Also managed to nip down to the opening of Lizzy's gallery , Aesthete, to catch up with her.

Been down the markets this morning with 3rd year crew, we made about $500 towards our end of year show, so that was pretty damn sweet :D A good start to the weekend.

Videos

Placing my art in contemporary/art historical context:
A friend of mine, Em, suggested I look up Sam Taylor Wood after seeing my apple print. She hasn't seen the video yet, but these videos, and the text by Ossian Ward are really awesomely relevant to my work. Especially my Opposite of Green Video which I'm working on for pattillo.

"Two earlier films, Still Life of 2001 and A Little Death of 2002, similarly employ the distortion of time – except by speeding it up rather than by stopping it – in order to reveal the extant drama in the banality of the everyday. They also draw on the history of art, specifically from still life painting, long considered the lowliest and most insignificant among subjects for art. The camera records the rotting and putrefaction of, in the first instance, an arrangement of fruit in a bowl, and in the second, a freshly hung hare, both table settings commonly depicted in traditional still life painting. While the 17th-century Dutch or Spanish still life painters captured a peach at its moment of perfect ripeness or a flower in full bloom, Taylor-Wood’s films brings this ordinary genre of foodstuff to life, albeit through the very process of its degeneration. In a further irony, the whole image is magically renewed once the video loops back to the beginning, enacting an “eternal return”, as Nietzsche would have it, denying “Time’s thievish progress to eternity” as Shakespeare would have preferred it." - Ossian Ward, White Cube - Sam Taylor Wood

Intersect Young New Zealand Artist 2009

Waiora

The launch of my New Zealand Pure art work is this Friday. I'm anxious, I have to give a speech.
Had a critique today. Everyone loved my Venus for the 21st Century lionel suggested making sure I can quote off the top of my head artists that have been influencial.
I'm gonna have to do a lot of printing etc in the holidays. I'm just too tired to do it now. I also printed out my portfolio for Friday, and wrote my statement etc.
Got my application for the Waikato Youth Art Awards sent off, and they recieved it in time which was also good. Just waiting to hear if I got in or not now, although am a little worried as the A4 format required for judging does not really do a 22x150cm print any justice at all, and cutting it in half is kind of distracting, sadly.
Had a serious migraine Monday/Tuesday, that is lingering today, hoping I'll be sweet for Friday.
Not much else to say, no time for research this week.

Don't fuck with the planet, it's where I keep all my stuff...

"Scientists have confirmed that there are millions of tonnes of plastic floating in an area of ocean known as the North Pacific Gyre....currents have carried millions of tonnes of rubbish into the centre of the gyre, which now covers an area estimated to be larger than the US state of Texas."
This upsets me! no end. Seriously, we're f**king the planet! Ah well, I have heaps of plastic baby bottles, so maybe I can make something with them which represents my disgust more eloquently than words...


this is an installation which I made last year: 'Don't fuck with the planet, it's where I keep all my stuff!' (below) which was about air quality pollution... and our temporary cover measures... and that was pretty well a turning point for my work, which has been on an environmental bent ever since...

I'm having a frustrating day, where it feels like there is little I can do. I know, changing myself and my immediate circle is the best I can do...
but some days even that seems too hard, and like all humans, I get wrapped up in my own little world; having a cry about my fucked up hair cut (I got 'jackassed'... a large strip of no hair, so I'm now down to a grade one all over again...) seemed more immediate yesterday than the effect my existance has on the natural environment. I feel guilty about it, but that's the way life is sometimes. I have to continually remind myself that if I'm doing my best, I can't ask anymore of myself.

In other news...
Green Peace is using ice sculptures too... must be something in that eh? I have something somewhat like this planned for Wanganui, although, not on such a massive scale, and also to do with the RIVER as much as the global warming.. interesting.

One hundred days before governments meet in Copenhagen to decide what they will do to stop climate change.
One billion men, women and children in Asia facing drought from climate change.
Time is running out.
We need that climate summit to take fair and effective action to stop climate change, or like these ice children, our futures will melt away. These melting statues represent the melting glaciers in the Greater Himalayan region which are melting faster than ever before because of climate change.And without these glaciers more than one billion people will go thirsty.Western scientists and Chinese scientists agree on the accelerated melting.

Weathering the Perfect Storm? What can I do?

Yeah, I've been on BBC's Science/Environment page again. At least they're reporting something, not many other media groups even bother. I'm well aware of the fact that all media releases are biased in one way or another, but the scientific community has been unanimous in telling us, "you're fucking the planet," for years!

"The UK's chief scientist John Beddington has warned that by 2030 the rising global population will create a 'perfect storm' of food, energy and water shortages - unless the world changes its ways.

But despite virtually unanimous academic opinion, half of us still believe science is divided on whether mankind's activities contribute to climate change, and more than a quarter of us don't think our individual behaviour makes any difference to the environmental crisis."

These few articles have got me wondering, just how we're going to survive cause it's one thing to talk about changing lifestyles and habits, it's another thing to actually do it. I've been trying to get my family into a meat+dairy free day a week, but resistance to change from the carnivorous males of the pride is fierce. Especially from the alpha male, who is passive-aggressively stuck in his ways. Maybe I need to get him a 'smart meter' so he can measure what he's saving on electricity/energy if he changes things. But even the suggestion that we use my partner Becca's new model Fridge instead of our ten-year-old-with-leaky-seals one in the kitchen have been met with stubborn resistance.

The more I read about the state of the planet, and the more I discuss it with those that are working in Ecology or Conservation, the more I want to be able to make a difference. This is the driving force behind my art work at the moment. Science is so vital to our existence, but the communication between scientific communities and the rest of the world is often not as effective as it needs to be.

I think if more artists can push into making art 'environmentally' or making art which is conceptually charged about important climate/political issues, people will get a higher dose of exposure to the same message. We're living in a fundamentally visual culture, people have shorter attention spans due to television and new media, so why not show them images/artworks that challenge them to think about the state of things, which might prompt them into doing their own reading on the subject, which may inspire change.

I know there's a lot of maybes and mights, but I think sensationalism. globalisation and the media have made people feel like the problems are so huge, that they can't actually do anything about them. This goes for so many things.

I remember as a child watching Save the Children Fund adverts showing hundreds of children that were starving, these adverts were overwhelming, the poverty and sickness such huge things that it felt inaccessible. But when they changed to having the story of a single child, it became accessible, and more people felt like there was something they could do. This is the kind of model that needs to be applied to climate change.

Yoko Ono was saying on twitter the other day, that everyone should try and do 'Meat free Mondays' because the impact of that alone on the level of methane etc. released into the environment. It was good to know I'm not the only one trying to encourage that. And I'm sure she has a lot more clout than I do! It's little things like this that everyone needs to start doing. Even remember to turn the lights off. Scientists are already calling this the age of waste! That's not a name I want to be branded with.

I was speaking to Marty Vreede about my Waiora piece the other day, and my concern for the fresh water systems in this country. He told me that he's been saying to people for years that the wars in 100years time are going to be over water, and as such, NZ is in deep trouble - there is huge rainfall on the West Coast of the South Island, war could come here.

Surely it's better to act now than reach times where things like that, and the predicted food, energy and water shortage of 2030 which is being branded 'Perfect Storm'.

From my point of view, I've got reason to fight for a better future that I never really had before. After years of depression and uncertainty about whether I'd be around much longer, I've come to a place where I'm very settled, grounded, and sure of what I'm doing with my life. A lot of that is down to meeting my partner Becca.

The impact that having her in my life has been profound. The love and support she gives me allow me the freedom to pursue anything, secure in the knowledge that even if it doesnt all go to plan, I'll still have stability.

The exposure I've had through her, and her passion for Ecology, to the academic/scientific community in Massey's Ecology department has really influenced my work. It has given me artistic direction for this year and probably the foreseeable future.

Having the stability to plan a future with her has allowed me to push my work in ways that I may not have had the courage to otherwise. It's something that I can not thank her enough for. But the great part about our relationship is that she's found similar inspiration in my passion for Art, and my pushing through to forge my career. It does feel like together we can make changes. Together we've found a future that's worth fighting for, for us and our children...

BTW if you missed it 60minutes on NZ's Freshwater.

A DATE!!! OMG

So the launch of my Waiora work is going to be on September 4th at the Page Blackie Gallery in Wellington :D
Exciting Much?

"Sorry mate. Some pants or something. Thank you."

So, (if you're Marc Quinn*), you can put a naked statue of a pregnant woman with physical disabilities on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. (I know, I was there when it was put up :) ). But if you're Joe Public, taking part in Antony Gormleys One&Other** project you are not allowed to be naked, because that's just indecent exposure... sorry what?!
Art has always contained nudity, what's the big deal, it's not like he was having a wank, although that's ok/art if you're Vito Acconci! Each of the 2400 people that get to stand on the plinth for an hour were supposed to be able to have their say about whatever they want, if you're a nudist, why should you be banned? Ah well, negative publicity is better than no publicity right?

*Speaking of Marc Quinn, I've been looking at his Bloodhead presentation and thinking about my Venus work, and whether or not I'll use refrigeration or dry ice... leaning toward dry ice I think..

**the one&other website has a livestreaming video, and when I was searching round this today there was a young chap playing his drum kit on the plinth, and he was pretty damn good! Good to hear the public getting behind him too... yay performance art!

FAD newsletter and early morning ramblings.

So I subscribe to the FAD newsletter, which sends me a daily update of random things going on in the art world. This morning there was a video interview with D*Face about street art, and a link about Antony Gormely (who I've mentioned before) whose Domain Fields is at The Garage Space for Contemporary Culture in Moscow.It is reportedly "a huge installation of 287 sculptures made from the body moulds of 200 volunteers." Gormley loves his multiples! I really like the ephemeral quality of this work. The space in and around the figures, but how long did this take to make? and how many assistants!?
The mind boggles.

But perhaps more importantly, the FAD post about Gormley linked back to Art Observed, which has news about contemporary and modern art exhibitions, mostly based in New York... it seems pretty similar to Daily Serving well, at least in format, and both can be found in my links bar as well.

I also found on my meanderings (on a Russian Art News site) reference to a recently discovered Venus figure in Germany.
This "Venus" - Venus of Hohle Fel-is reportedly 35000 years old. As with most of the other ancient 'Venus' figurines that have been found, the most emphasised areas are the breasts and genitalia, and the ring carved above its shoulders suggests it was worn as a pendant.

I've been researching the Venus figurines for quite a while now, and have found many conflicting view points as to what they were for. One Dr has even suggested they were carved in the shape of psychedelic mushrooms. Others have suggested they were self portraits, although I'm not sure how much clout this argument has, because even if you're looking down at your own body, you know what other women look like!

The most realistic options in my opinion, are either the 'earth mother/goddess' theories - where the land was looked on as a plentiful 'mother' and worshiped as such, or as a fertility symbol, why else would you emphasise the breasts/stomach/genitalia? It's hard to discount or agree with any theory though, because the best we have are guesses, and we can't but help project our modern day perspective onto things from the past.

Having said that, from what research/archeology has shown us, the climate at the time of the creation of these figurines was pretty harsh, and human technology was still evolving,
people of that time would have been living on the edge - so if they had women as large as that, it meant that they'd had plentiful food for quite some time.

Although, a friend recently pointed out, it may have just been a depiction of a particular woman by someone who was fond of her, I'm not sure they would have found so many with similar features if that was the case.

This paper, has interesting analysis of the Willendorf Venus, and ponders whether it was carved by a male or female. (The Willendorf Venus is perhaps the most universally recognised of all the Venus figurines, and it's the one I'm using in a piece currently.)

Whatever the Venus figurines were used for then, in a modern context, they come to mean something else entirely. Obesity of the developed world, greed, capitalism, the time of waste...dying from hunger,

and dying from hunger....

makes mapping my research seem pretty insignificant! Some how justifying my existence by getting an education and making artwork that speaks to the current global instability, most days I feel like it's a worthwhile thing to do. Not every day though. And what can I possibly know, what perspective can I bring from my middle-class upbringing, that can change the perspective of those around me?

when the media sensationalises things, and you feel like you're helpless to do anything, I think the only thing you can do is change yourself, and those in your immediate circle if you can. We've been encouraging recycling and turning things off at wall at my house, it's not much, but it's a start. I've been trying to get one 'vegetarian' night a week, but separating the men from their meat is quite tricky!

We were told recently to make art that speaks to other things, not just self referential art. I'm not sure where my Venus will sit in that, it speaks to lots of things, but it requires knowledge of the Venus figurines... so is it self referential?

I remember my Mother knew about the Willendorf Venus, and she's my Joe-Public meter: if she gets it, then most people will be able to relate to it on some level, if she goes "huh?" I'm pitching too high, and it's too much of an 'in-joke' for the art institution. So hopefully, it'll sit right.

The longer I wait to do this waiora thing the less confident I am in the art piece. I mean, the concept is ok. I just feel like.. it could have been more, maybe.
Ah well. Moving on to better things. (end ramble)

Meeting with Lorraine Webb

Chaco Kato -
Philosophy of cuttlefish
fishing line, discarded cable codes, installation scene for 2020?(organized project by Ash Keating), variable dimension, 2008
Copyright © 2005-2009 chaco kato All Rights Reserved.
http://www.chacokato.com/

Had a critique with Lorraine yesterday, at my request: she said it was 'FUN' to have a break from paper work. At any rate, she flicked me some artists to look at - relating to my Apple Series and my current environmental concern 'angst'.

She recommended a friend of hers: Chaco Kato, who creates environmental work and works with the Slow Art Movement principles. She also works with recycled materials - some found round her own home, others re-appropriated from landfill.

This kind of work really appeals to me, in both aesthetic and principal.

So I googled environmental + 'slow art movement'... and it appears it's been around for a while!

According to this article/manifesto.. the 'slow movement' began in the 1960's as a reaction to consumerism. Basically - “If it is worth doing well, it is worth doing slow.” (-May West)

I also found this list (2009!) of terms on my search, at greenmuseum.org, which is very helpful!

I feel like this relates a lot to my apple series, and I wish I'd found it sooner. The environmental aspect of Kato's work also reflects issues that are concerning me. Since spending all the time with Becca up at Massey in the Ecology department, it's really become something at the forefront of my consciousness.

This is good, because I work better when I look at 'big picture' things. I'm beginning to realiseb this, and Lorraine articulated it nicely for me. She also said my work is becomming more refined, which is good news.

She also suggested I look at Roni Horn, in particular, her work in Iceland (in relation to idea alluded to in my previous post), Iceland, how fitting!

Roni Horn - Library of Water (water taken from different glaciers)

On some level her work relates back to what I'm doing for Waiora, and the reseach about the quality of New Zealand's freshwater systems that was introduced to me by Dr Mike Joy at an ecology group seminar.

Searches for Roni Horn also lead me to find http://slowpainting.wordpress.com/... which references her several times.