Results tagged “artreview”

For many, contemporary art is hit or miss - overly conceptual installations can confuse more than inspire. But when presented well, contemporary exhibits can speak to both lovers of abstract art and the casual observer. The latest incarnation of Arthouse's annual summer exhibit, New American Talent, is a great example of how contemporary art can be accessible to many audiences. Curated by Hamza Walker of the University of Chicago's Rennaissance Society, New American Talent features twenty-six artists from around the country with a particularly strong showing from Texas. New American Talent closes after this weekend, admission to Arthouse is free and they are open until 9pm on Thursday.

The Austin Museum of Art downtown is showing The Lining of Forgetting: Internal & External Memory in Art. The museum has hosted a series of related film screenings and public tours. In the exhibit, the artists get creative with their interpretation of memory: some of the subjects explored include family photo albums, Road Runner cartoons, and the works of Shakespeare. The Lining of Forgetting examines the ways we remember, and highlights how we often forget, rewrite, and even fabricate memory. “I had a flashback of something that never existed,” artist Louise Bourgeois writes on fabric.

The most recent project facilitated by testsite is Common Sense, a collaboration between venerable New York artist, Sheila Pepe, and curator of Arthouse at the Jones Center, Elizabeth Dunbar. Common Sense is an interactive installation of crocheted "networks" of yarn created by Pepe, who, throughout the show's duration, encourages visitors to deconstruct her art and incorporate her materials into their personal projects. When it was first assembled in late May, two main webs engulfed the living room and dining room of testsite in shades of green and orange. After a few open knitting sessions, the installation has no doubt changed; the exhibit's closing reception and final knitting workshop will be held this Sunday from noon-6pm.

The Blanton's latest special exhibit, Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture, opened this weekend and will be on display through May 17th. The show covers the diverse cultural advances and innovations in design that came out of the West Coast around the late 50s and early 60s. Birth of the Cool focuses at first on the visual art and architectural styles that typify mid-century modern design.

In a society that often limits its definitions of love, Studio2Gallery's current exhibit, Love's Writt is a welcome expansion, particularly as Valentine's Day waves its silken-gloved hand in the distance. The vibrant collection, featuring thirteen local artists and almost fifty different works, explores passion from every angle.

Sculpture artist Damien Priour has been collecting chairs for a few decades now. Although he usually works in large scale limestone and glass installations, he was inspired to create 100 miniature chairs with the same materials and tools he uses to make his larger pieces. To further his creative project, Priour sent eighty-eight of the chairs in eight inch square boxes to artists all over the state. The small chairs were accompanied with a letter explaining that the chair was a gift, but that if the recipient so desired, they could create their own chair, pack it back in the same box, and send it off to Priour. And so The Texas Chair Project was born. The diverse collection of miniature chairs that resulted from this artistic exchange is currently on display at the Austin Museum of Art.