A Dirty Word: Artworld Prestige

Prestige is the ultimate dirty word in the artworld, because it teases out the subtle distinctions between success & significance. The almost total failure of contemporary art criticism to talk about prestige is an oversight with profound implications – until now.

Wade Guyton: Painting* without Paint

In today’s postmedium age, perhaps the most fascinating ‘paintings’ are being made by artists who don’t even use paint at all. Case in point is artist Wade Guyton, who utilizes the accidents and mishaps of an Epson printer in series of mis-registrations of chance. It may be time to re-frame just what painting means in the 21st century.

The Rising of Invus

The ghosts of pigments past are a lurid expose of suffering, murder and tragedy. Today, in a world full of plentiful artificial dyes, it is harder to truly appreciate the mysterious business that once was the world of color. But, back in the day, color was full of great secrets, prohibitions and tragic histories.

The Grass Over Graves

Death & renewal are integral parts of a fascinating creative process. A favorite pastime of modernity is The Grave Dance: a seductive rhythm of destruction whereby the demode & traditional movement is buried, and a new style, celebrated. And yet, despite the demise of our dead styles, they continue to haunt. Ancestral spirits and old forms live on as ghosts.

Pairings

The art of sequencing and installation is perhaps in a bit of a Renaissance right now, as novel and unique installation concepts come to the fore. Pairing brings dynamic and unsuspected combinations into action. Symbiosis, harmony & conflict occur, and works engage in multivalent and multi-layered fashion.