Light Box

Fernando Gutierrez, Secret Society, 2010, Intervention at Espacio Liquido stand in ARCO10

Laura Buckley, KZN - Suspended Hexagon, 2010

In honor of the 2010 Wish! Art Auction, LowerOakLawn.com has partnered with Dallas Contemporary to present the first annual “Wish!ful Thinking Photography Contest.”

They want to know, “What inspires you?” Share a photo on their Wish!ful Thinking flickr group of anything you find inspirational. It could be a photo of an art project, a person, a place, an abstract idea — anything as long as you took the photo.

They have selected some of Dallas’ most creative, inspirational and entrepreneurial minds to judge the contest. The photo that inspires the most wish!ful thinking will be selected as the winner. Photos will be chosen based solely on creativity & ideas, so amateurs are more than welcome – this contest is designed to bring out the inner artist in all of us!

A selection of our favorite wish!ful photos will be featured on LowerOakLawn.com throughout the week. Winners will be announced on LowerOakLawn.com and  Dallas Contemporary Facebook Page on the evening of Wednesday May 12.

The deadlines for entries is Wednesday, May 12 at 11:59 pm CST. Entries are limited to three per person.

NIC NICOSIA Love & Lust #7, 1990 ( on display at Peek!)

What do you win?  2 Complimentary tickets to Peek! – a cutting edge art party and auction preview.  It’s a chance to hang out with some of the best emerging artists from all over Texas and beyond. Their art will be on view during the event so you can talk about their work if you want or just the enjoy  music by Hoyotoho, food provided by Park, and oh yea – almost forgot about the open bar…

Runners up will receive prizes as well.

SHELBY CUNNINGHAM Spiders, Shark, and Bunny, 2010 Felt, Thread, Inkjet print on watercolor paper ( On view at Peek!)

If you don’t win the contest but still want tickets to Peek! there are a few highly coveted tickets left.  I am sure if you call Dallas Contemporary 214-821-2522 and ask really nicely, name drop the Wish!ful Thinking Photo contest, they may be able to hook you up.

Tickets are $50 for non-members and $40 for members

Christo & Jeanne-Claude, The Gates, NYC, 1979-2005

Despite the pretentions and cold, rainy weather, the event was genuine and uplifting. Speakers reminisced about her whit and will.  One of my favorite stories was told by an art critic and close friend who was acquainted with Jeanne -Claude just before her first marriage.  He recalled how she fell in love with a poor Bulgarian artist assigned to paint her portrait while she was already engaged to a high society Parisian.   Jeanne –Claude’s whit and will purveyed and one evening shortly after the honeymoon her husband returned home to find that all of the locks had been changed.  Jeanne Claude called out from a window “your locks don’t fit in my key.”

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Valley Curtain, Riffle Colorado, 1970-72 Photo courtesy of Wolfgang Volz

That was the end of that, and the start of a passionate 51 year relationship with her Bulgarian artist / husband Christo. Together the duo Christo Jeanne-Claude would revolutionize the contemporary art world, becoming infamous for their monumental scale wrappings and other public works.  Between 1958 and 2009 (Jeanne- Claude died in November due to a brain aneurysm), the couple created 20 projects – two of which are still in progress.  They also proposed 39 that were refused.  Of the 18 completed many took years of persistency to receive permission – Wrapped Trees took 32 years 1966-1998.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrapped Trees, Fondation Beyeler and Berower Park, Riehen, Switzerland 1997-98 Photo: Wolfgang Volz

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrapped Coast, One Million Square Feet, Little Bay, Australia, 1968-69 Photo: Harry Shunk

Despite their controversial commissions, the works have no hidden agendas, and are meant for aesthetic enjoyment and to provide new ways of viewing familiar landscapes.  Their wrappings are gifts to the world, meant to be treasured and remembered even after they are unwrapped.   When viewing their work it is important to remember the number one rule of gift giving /receiving– the funny shaped ones are always the best.

The Dallas film festival is just around the corner.  I am sure most of you have already checked the Film Society website for a line up and realized the predicament that faces you.  Soooooo many films, sooooo little time.  With over 200 films showing in conjunction with the festival – it is physically impossible to view them all.  Thus, tough decisions must be made.  I will make this difficult time easier for you by suggesting a film that should definitely be added to your “must see” list.

The Last Survivor. It’s a documentary that deals with genocide in the 21st century.  Sounds heavy, but the film has an uplifting underscore – following survivors and showing how they cope with the tragedy by working to raise awareness and response to mass atrocity crimes.

Righteous Pictures, a film production & social action company, is the team behind the making of the film.  A group of the creative sorts – they consider themselves a collective of artists and social activists making films and new media projects as a way of sparking dialogue on the most critical issues of our times.

An artsy type myself, I believe in the power of creative thinking to provide real solutions for real problems in society.  And since you all have proven yourselves socially aware and interested in the creative arts by following this blog – this film should be right up your ally.

The film is showing at the Angelika Monday april 12th  @ 7:15pm & Wednesday april 14th @ 1:15 pm.  While this may not be the typical “feel good” movie you like to pair with your bottle of Bordeaux and plastic cups from the bar at the Angelika, it will definitely make you want to “do good” – just wait to save the world until after your wine buzz goes away.

I traveled to Dubai to work at an art fair and get a taste of the local culture.  When I arrived in Dubai I was excited to try local foods, meet local people, and discover some local artists.  This proved to be a challenging task – as most of Dubai is heavily influenced by western culture.  As one ex-patriot working in Dubai put it – Dubai is a lifestyle – not a culture.  I almost believed these words until one day while working at the big commercial fair Art Dubai, a lone wanderer with a long beard and a wise old face tapped me on the shoulder.

He leaned in and whispered to me “This art is not local – you can see this anywhere, want to see the real Dubai? want to get a taste of the real local culture?  Head to Bastakiya – there you will find what you are looking for.” Before I could ask any more questions – he was gone.  but his words lingered in my ear – so I ran out of the fair, hopped in the nearest cab, and told the driver “head to Bastakiya.”

He dropped me off on a decrepit old street and pointed forward.  I got out of the cab and headed into a cultural paradise – I had discovered the real Dubai.

Dirty fisherman gathered at a pier, their boats freshly docked from Iran.  Across the canal their were clusters of old buildings many housing local merchants – woven into this mix were also several local art galleries who showcase local emerging talent.

The day started out with a press preview attended by all walks of media life, I mixed and mingled with press superstars from NYT,  BBC World News, Vogue, Paper Mag, just to name a few.

That evening the fair open for the lucky few who held “collectors circle” gold VIP cards.  And by few I mean a couple thousand of the best dress people from all over the world.

After several hours of drinking free champagne, I built up the liquid courage to try and sneak my way into the Harper’s Bazaar after party.  The party, apparently the hottest ticket around, had even most sophisticated VIPS groveling for tickets.  Maybe it was my blonde hair or the fact that the fact that I said “Ya’ll sure my name isn’t on the list?” – I managed to sneak in.  On the roof top of Madinat Jumeriah overlooking the beach, with a fully stocked top shelf open bar, art world A- listers (and me hehe!) danced until the wee hours of the morning.

It was an glamerous 24 hours – almost like stepping into a fairy tale – but wait I didn’t even get a chance to see the art! Thank god the fair continues all week.  It will take me a good couple of days to nurse this hangover – I can’t figure out is my head still spinning because of the 4am crown & sodas or the fact that I shared the dance floor with Hans Ulrich Orbist (or so I think, his name was on the hush-hush guest list)

But now its back to reality – time to put in another long day of assisting VIP relations – which means hanging out at the beach all afternoon making sure everyone is enjoying their afternoon – I could get used to this job

PS for some coverage of the fashionable people at the party check out this blog, redvelvetnation.

Because I like my curry like I like my art – I traveled to the middle east where the contemporary art scene is hot, hot, hot!

New Middle Eastern artists are emerging everyday, and Middle Eastern collectors are cashing in their oil rigs for arttistic treasures from all of the world.  I had to get in on the action, so I hopped over to the UAE and nailed a gig working in the VIP relations of the world’s most elaborate art fair.

Participating in 2010 Art Dubai, I have access to over 70 galleries from 30 countries.  Not to mention a front row seat at the Global Arts Forum which involves discussions with highly influential people from all over the art world.  I will also partcipate in tours of local galleries, and private collections, and enjoy artists talks from some hoooot middle eastern contemporary artists.  To top it all off I get invites to the preview and opening night, which are some the most extravagant and exclusive art parties this side of the gulf.

I kicked off the gig this past weekend with a trip to Doha, Qatar, where the newly constructed Islamic Museum of Art resides.  This stunning building was designed by none other than I.M. Pei – for you non architecture people out there this is the guy responsible for the famous Louvre pyramids and Dallas City Hall.

I arrived a day late to the event due to technical difficulties, so I missed a private tour of the collections.  Lucky for me, the Global Arts Forum was held in the same building, so I managed to take a peek at some of the art during my lunch break.

The discussions at the Global Arts Forum were fascinating and resonated far beyond the Middle East.  In the morning we talked about public art and how we define public, or should I say “publics” which is the new term to describe the numerous types of audiences who may or may not pay attention to any specific art project.  In the afternoon we had an exciting discussion led by the renouned curator, Anton Vidokle, responsible for the coolest thing to hit the art world this millennia; e-flux.

If you are not familiar with e-flux, they are a website dedicated to promoting the arts and do so with out any typical marketing avenues.  The idea started when Vidokle held an one night only exhibition at a Holiday Inn in Chinatown NYC 10 pm- 10 am. Sending out a press release to 40 friends using email ( it was 1999; Twitter didn’t even exist yet), the document became viral & over 600 people attended the exhibition – pretty cool.

If a one night stand at a Holiday Inn isn’t spicy enough for you then I don’t know what is; ask Ludacris.  Stay tuned for more features as I continue to get oh so curry-ous in the Middle East.

Check out the notoriously amazing fashion & art photographer, Terry Richardson,  giving Jared Leto a mohawk on his new blog ~ Terrys Diary. Chronicling his daily life & musings, Richardson’s blog photos are works of art in themselves & will certainly live up to all of your wildest Terry Richardson fantasies.  From frolicking with Hollywood royalty, to spending valentines day @ a strip club ~ it all goes down in “Terry World” ( follow him on twitter @Terry_World).   He even has a link dedicated to his lady model friends. Who doesn’t love Terry??

While you are getting personal with the artist, check out his website for tons of photos that go beyond his commercial work

“Hello , if you are male or female and interested in posing nude for Terry Richardson please contact us by Email.”

images sources ~ terrysdiary.com & terryrichardson.com

Over 800 guests attended the sold-out $200-per-ticket preview Gala with proceeds going to Booker T Washington School.  The actual fair was well attended, far surpassing the 5,500+ visitors from last year.  Unofficial reports,  based primarily off of the large grins across gallery owners faces, predict that sales were also through the roof.  Gallery owners I did speak with all concurred with my findings. “Dallas Collectors have deep pockets”.  said one anonymous dealer.

Like all successful fairs, numerous satellite projects launched over the weekend including the Arts in the District fair, 20 + gallery show openings, and a new alternative space.

The quality of art at the fair was amazing, and not just from a financial stand point.  When asked if gallery owners from out of town had to tame down their collections for the conservative Dallas audience, most replied that Dallas collectors had surprisingly sophisticated & contemporary taste when it comes to buying art.

Why does this matter to the average non–collector? Because these are the people who donate art to local museums, sponsor artist shows, and dictate the type of art projects which will be brought to Dallas ~ and ultimately viewed by the likes of us.

In case you missed the fair here is a photographic recap:

Carlos Betancourt, COLLECTIONS VIII, AUTUMN 2009

Dirty Harry, David Buckingham, 2010 William Shearburn Fine Art

Jay Rusovich, Divine Smymetry, 2004 - 2005

Yigal Ozeri, Untitled; Jana and Jessica in the field, 2009

Hung Liu, Yellow Current, 2009 ~ Turner Carroll Gallery

By far the one piece I wanted to take home from the fair:  Kiki Smith Turtle, 2009 @ Pace Prints NYC

@ only $6,000 for the single why not make it a set and buy all three for $15,000 ~ I’m not a math wizard but I am half Jew and that sounds like a deal to me ….

Butterfly…..

Bat…..

Kiki Smith ~ Butterfly, Bat, Turtle, 2009  ~ Dimensional iris print with collage ~ 1 of 22 editions

Pace Prints 32 E. 57th NY, NY or 521 West 26th NY, NY

Photo from NYTimes