Friday, August 29, 2008

!




above, an invite to my solo exhibition at kaune, sudendorf gallery in cologne, germany. in the main exhibition space there will be 10 pix from the self portrait series and 'the last rose of summer on my nightstand' artist-book. in the roman tower down the street (seriously, an ancient roman tower!) 5 or 6 living with a portraits, and the rest of the first floor 5 pix from the wright commission. look for the full page ad in the sept/oct issue of art forum, which features the firework image.

this is a great end to the summer, which was pretty much all spent in vienna, except for a short trip to amsterdam. photographing and collecting found photos there was really fantastic, i am anxious to scan all the film i shot with gent's help and see what is really there. lately i have been falling asleep fidgeting about whether i did enough shooting...was it smart...is it use-able? this is the liberating and frightening thing about making work in a new culture...i can't help but think it was light years better for me than another summer in familiar chicago.

things i am excited about in returning to the usa:
the election (hey obama, nice speech last night! easy on the columns buddy)
the fall, teaching, students
driving, which i miss actually!
friends
my bed
my plants
a new art season and lots of shows to see
having a cell phone that rings

ps: if you are interested in found photography, i just heard of a great mag called ohio that i haven't got to check out yet but comes heavily recommended...

Thursday, August 28, 2008

von denise

Thursday, August 21, 2008

nirvana entry out of austria


Peter in the middle fronted the band we were in together, called Garbage, in the early 90's in south Austria. We practiced in his parents basement which doubled as an exercise room. One practice he said hey, lets play Smells Like Teen Spirit...I didn't know it or Nirvana, and right then they played them for me on a small cassette stereo. This picture Peter gave me (on the right) for my 17th birthday because he thought i'd like an older picture of us where he was out of focus and i wasn't.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

8 golds



apparently, other people wondered too what michael phelps was playing on his ipod on the pool deck before races...

here is a new piece i am working on...apparently, one of the songs michael phelps listened to before racing in this year's olympics is "it's me" by lil wayne, which we know from an interview on the today show 8/12/08...so i scrunched all the lyrics (the song has a lot of lyrics!) onto this notebook page with a quote by phelps in the upper left corner...i think this piece could work LARGE!!!

i could almost fit the whole thing on my scanner here in vienna, but not quite...click on the image for a closer look...

i love the interplay between the virtue of the olympics, the idea of a champion, and the content of the song...

Saturday, August 16, 2008

installation at das weisse haus









here is the statement, which is posted with the installation:

title
"Untitled (far from home)"
plants, chandelier, plant-grow bulbs, timers set to sunrise/sunset light schedule of home
dimensions variable
2008

Faced with the unique proposition of an exhibition that is not open to the public due to the holiday schedule of Das Weisse Haus, I have conceived an exhibition that is an open-lab for the viewer. Using a chandelier and plant-grow bulbs, an assortment of plants will not only be exposed to the growing and fading light of Vienna, but, in addition will receive nourishment from a aggrandized light source that playfully and earnestly embraces the idea of 'home' when far away. As the light cycle of the chandelier will be staggered to mimic the light cycle of home many hours behind, a typical day for the installation will reveal episodes of nourishment from only Vienna, only the grow-bulbs, both, and neither. Not meaning to test the prospect of the plants growing inward or outward, the installation is an invitation to the viewer to consider the idea of synergy and flux, that we are nurtured simultaneously by multiple environments, even if we are cognizant of a longing for the familiar.

This installation, a departure from my usual art-practice of creating two-dimensional photo works, operates on a history of utilizing the conceptual self-portrait to explore private and public concerns, musings, and observations. As viewers pass by and come to understand the mechanics of the installation, I hope for the understanding that 'lights out' operates as a dynamic action as understood in this context...that the individual, and specifically the artist, understand every environment as an opportunity for growth, even when all the lights are out.

The installation will be viewable 24/7 at Das Weisse Haus, 11 WestbahnstraBe until August 23rd.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Thursday, August 14, 2008

mr mister



above:
"Happy Holledaze from Mr. Mister, found autographs (in hot pink)"
below:
mr.mister

found in vienna

older triumph

gummy

destiny

found

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

u-s-a, u-s-a!!!


aron gent just arrived here in vienna! i hired him to assist me for a couple weeks in vienna for some shooting and, needless to say, it is good to have a great friend here too. most people i've met here are on holiday now, and the scene here is understandably slow.

but ironically, we do have plans tonight...matti bunzl from chicago introduced me to a couple of painters, rainer spangl &
ezara hoffman, that have an opening tonight at the 'wednesday bar' in the 2nd district...

one of arons newer pieces above, his work is getting really strong!

Saturday, August 02, 2008

freud


patient couch of sigmund freud