OnTheCusp.org

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Sorry folks, for not having the First Friday Preview and IDADA Map link up yet, you should be able to check it out by morning. In the meantime I was making a few modifications to the right hand side of the blog and will be finally updating the blogroll this weekend. I thought I would try out Blogger's new survey option this week to get an idea of who our readers are and how they are associated to the blog. Why? Partially just curious but then I also feel it may help to focus and improve the direction of the blog over the coming months.

TAKE THE SURVEY in the right hand column. --->

If anyone would be interested in being a contributor to On the Cusp, drop me a line at narziss01@aol.com.

Have a good week.

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For those of you out and about this coming First Friday, if you happen to be in the Fountain Square area, you should head on over to see the eye filling installation/studio/exhibition by Mike Lyons at 1651 English Ave. This will be his closing reception so do not miss it.

A couple weeks back, on a cold evening, I made a trip out to Fountain Square to check out an installation by local artist Mike Lyons. Or was it his studio? On the corner of State and English sits a nice little two story building that over the last year or more has been home to a few art shows and installations as the owners continue to search for a buyer. [I love the collaborative nature of this sort of real estate / artist exhibition, grassroots stuff. It keeps things exciting and unexpected.] Exciting and unexpected is what Lyons studio as installation brought forth but not without numerous questions and perhaps few answers. At first glance, looking into the space as the sun has set, the scene is staged with a large monolithic structure centered upon a large step ladder, a tangle of orange extension cords, paintings reminiscent of graffiti and street culture pinned to the walls floor to ceiling, re purposed sections of milled Styrofoam, fragmented drawings, TVs and videos playing on loops, with even more assorted odds and ends. Barely a spot in the space is unfilled (and this is just the front room). In short, I would say that it is this aesthetic some would deem a "Clusterfuck". Ah yes, I have always enjoyed that term and find it perfectly suitable in this context. While I tend to shy away from this sort of aesthetic, I do find that some artists work best in this manner, like the late Jason Rhoades.

Here, Lyons confronts us with the culmination of his artistic practice, the idea of studio practice as art. Here nothing is presented to us as a precious or particularly important. Instead we see fragments of his thought processes, hints of where he is coming from as an artist, be it through his sketches of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes or those of Paul McCarthy's Block Heads. Everything here is in a state of flux and feels it shall always be in such a state. From clay carvings of a rat to an ever changing tangled sculpture pieced together from wooden moldings that run around the backroom like a miniature rollercoster or an elaborate hotwheels fast track. All of this streaming out at you at once and feeling a bit displaced and almost claustrophobic.

Overall, this may be the hardest installation or body of work that I have ever attempted to write about. And the thing about it is this... The more I write and think about the work the more questions it raises for me. Do I like it? I am still unsure, but then again I think it may be irrelevant in this context. This is a look into the Mike Lyons world, his way of thinking and seeing. And as such is beyond contestation. But I will tell you this. There is a lot to see and I would almost guarantee you that there is bound to be something in there for everyone to enjoy. Last I heard, he was in negotiations on purchasing the building. Good Luck Mike.

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Fort Wayne native Bruce Nauman will represent Indiana (and the rest of the United States) at the 2009 Venice Biennale. The US Pavilion will be commissioned in 2009 by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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For those of you who may or may not have noticed the work being done outside the Old Point Tavern on Mass Ave. The Cultural Trails getting a new Julian Opie LED piece. The inaugural lighting of the piece takes place today. I can not make the ceremony but I plan on grabbing a drink at the Old Point later tonight. I guess I can drink and watch ol' Ann dance all night long...

Julian Opie Artwork Returns to Indianapolis

In 2007, the Julian Opie: Signs public art exhibition brought 11 installations by the internationally acclaimed artist Julian Opie to the city. Now, one of the pieces is coming back. The artwork – a four sided light emitting display (LED) featuring an animated artwork of a woman dancing – was on the corner of Maryland and Illinois streets during the exhibition. The LED unit will be installed permanently along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and feature a new animation purchased for the city of Indianapolis and entitled “Ann Dancing.”

The work will be illuminated and officially dedicated on Tuesday, Jan. 22, at 11:30 a.m. Join arts, tourism and Cultural Trail officials, as well as Mass Ave business owners at Tuesday’s event to learn more about the project.

This continues a new tradition in Indianapolis’ public art exhibition legacy. Last fall, three sculptures from the 2005 Tom Otterness in Indianapolis exhibition were installed outside the convention center at the corner of Maryland and West streets.


Artwork illumination: 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 22

WHERE: Intersection of Alabama St., Mass Ave and Vermont St. in front of the Old Point Tavern (Event will take place rain or shine)

WHO: Brian Payne (president, Central Indiana Community Foundation), Patti Perrin (owner of the Old Point Tavern), Mindy Taylor Ross (director of public art, Arts Council of Indianapolis)

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The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA) will continue its groundbreaking exhibition program with Adam Pendleton’s Rendered in Black and Events Are, opening January 18 at 6 pm. The Rendered in Black sculptural installation occupying the main gallery space will consist of approximately 100 ten-inch, black-ceramic cubes in an improvised arrangement. Their presentation will play with the ideas of minimalism and performance art. The Events Are series is made up of an expanding selection of culturally and historically significant images that are silk-screened and presented as small “paintings” with white backgrounds and black detailing. Works on display will include fragmented text from a Scalapino publication, an abstract painting by a student at Black Mountain College and a small Cy Twombly painting.

At 6 pm, Pendleton will speak about his work and participate in a casual Q&A with the public. Opening reception for the artist begins at 6:30. The artist talk is FREE and the reception is free for members, $5 public. Individual memberships begin at $30 and student memberships are available for $5.


January 18-March 1, 2008
Karl Wirsum: Winsome Works(some)
Public Reception: Friday, January 18, 5-8:00pm

Christel DeHaan Family Foundation Visiting Artist Lecture: Karl Wirsum, 6:00pm
"Karl Wirsum: Winsome Works(some)" celebrates the work of painter, sculptor and printmaker, Karl Wirsum, one of the most revered artists in Chicago. He was a notable participant in contemporary group exhibitions, but it was the landmark "Hairy Who" exhibition in 1964 at the Hyde Park Art Center that established his reputation. Wirsum was identified as a core member of that group that dominated the local art scene for decades, and informed much of contemporary visual art of the period. Wirsum's visual style was typical of the Imagist aesthetic and value-a combined graphic sensibilit-vivid, flat colors, simplified cartoon-like figures-with a sense of humor evident in the works themselves and also in titles that second guess and play with words. Wirsum's imaginary creatures and super hero characters enact bizarre scenes; figures from outer space perform domestic tasks such as mowing the lawn; and space men happily orbit starry objects. His work exists in the buffer zone between real and imaginary, mundane domesticity and super hero powers, day-to-day existence and daydreams.

His work can be seen in every major public art collection in the country, many of whom have lent work to this monumental exhibition of more than 100 pieces. As a special feature of his exhibit, Wirsum will conduct a workshop with Herron printmaking faculty and students to produce a limited edition print. Also, Wirsum will present the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation Visiting Artist Lecture on opening night at 6:00pm in the Basile Auditorium. A catalog ($20) and a Karl Wirsum Paddle ($5) will be available for purchase.


Also on view Friday night at Herron, check out the new works of Chad Gallion.

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I sit patiently in my old Scandinavian chair awaiting the signs of cultural growth in our city... the first Starbucks, the small arthouse theatre getting killed by the corporate version of the same, commodified art districting and interpretive art wayfinding... and yet another milestone is upon us -- Pecha Kucha Hits Indy:


Call for Submissions
Organized by the Harrison Center for the Arts, Kristian Andersen + Associates, and Asthmatic Kitty, the first volume of Pecha Kucha Indianapolis is looking for 14 thought-provoking, concise presentations formatted in "pecha kucha" style (20 slides at 20 seconds each) for demonstration on February 1. Presentations should emphasize ideas and theories from architecture, design, urban planning, the arts, music, education, or academia.

To submit an entry, please email a 250 word or less abstract of your presentation to pkindyinfo@gmail.com by January 20.

Selected presenters will be notified by January 25, and will demonstrate their presentations in Gallery No. 2 at the Harrison Center for the Arts on Friday, February 1 from 7:30pm - 9:30pm. It will be an invitation only event with 60 tickets ($20) available.

What is Pecha Kucha?
Pecha Kucha (Japanese for "chit-chat") is a forum for designers, architects, artists, musicians, thought leaders (and more!) to share their ideas and work in a concise, visual manner.

Originally crafted by architecture firm KDa in Toyko as an opportunity for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public, Pecha Kucha has spread virally to cities across the world. It is essentially an evening of slideshows and socializing. The attraction of Pecha Kucha (besides the beer and wine) is its format: each presenter is alloted just 20 slides, shown for only 20 seconds each. This fast paced format ensures that each presentation is distilled to it's essence (and prevents long-winded lectures!).

Pecha Kucha has been a great success in many other cities across the world, and we believe it represents an exciting opportunity to spread ideas and connect people in ways that will truly benefit the city of Indianapolis.


More About Pecha Kucha
The Official Pecha Kucha Site
A Sample Presentation
Photos From Past Events
Ping Mag's Top 5 Tips for PK Presenters
Pecha Kucha Night and Beer: A Sober Guide to Better Presentations
Pecha Kucha Helps Make Power Point Presentable
Call For Submissions

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Alas, we get a second chance to hear Allison Smith lecture at Herron after the highly unfortunate theft of her laptop minutes before her lecture last fall. Hope to see you all there.

Artist Talk: Allison Smith
Tuesday, January 15 / 6:30 pm
Basile Auditorium, Herron School of Art and Design, IUPUI
Free

Enter the world of Allison Smith, an artist whose practice investigates the cultural phenomenon of historical reenactment and the role of craft in the construction of identity. This spring, Smith will undertake a major sculpture project with Herron students and faculty to be featured in the IMA’s On Procession parade and exhibition.

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For those long time avid readers, you may remember me mentioning a site that was to open last summer, well, it has finally up and running so go and watch some art videos at NewArtTV. This should add to your online art video options similar to Vernissage.tv. While recently opened, there are some interesting videos to check out. So far I have only sat through the 2 part Alex Kats interview. Must say I like his large landscape paintings more than his portraits. This is what NewArtTV says about themselves.

NewArtTV is the new video magazine on contemporary art. It's the place for visits to artists' studios and major private collections, interviews with leading and emerging artists, artists' performances, and reports on key museum and gallery exhibitions, biennials and art fairs.

And for those of you who are hungry for a new blog to add to your list, you may find Sellout right up your alley. Again, Sellout is a new kid on the block so the number of posts is still limited, but I have enjoyed what is there so far. The site has this to say about itself, "SELLOUT is a practical blog about an impractical lifestyle." Along with:

SELLOUT is a dialogue about every practical aspect of being a visual artist--from saving money to resizing jpegs, and everything in between. It is more than a professional advice aggregator and hot-tip provider. We want any information we provide to be fleshed out as anecdote or called out as bullshit.

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Richard Lacayo on Takashi Murakami at the Geffen Contemporary.

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Typically, no new posts are inspired when the latest edition of Artforum arrives at my door, but Robert Storr's 7 page letter to the editor defending his decisions as the curator of the latest edition of the Venice Biennale is an exception (I don't think there's a link online so you'll need to buy the print edition). After being thrashed by Artforum and many other media outlets, Storr responds directly to the criticism of Jessica Morgan, Francesco Bonami and Okwui Enwezor. My favorite line inspired the title to this post:

In short, Bonami has become my stalker, and, as with most stalkers, what begins as a charm offensive designed to co-opt a fantasized symbol of power eventually sours into resentment and aggression when the narcissistic craving to assert one's own identity takes over.

Priceless.

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Happy New Years Everyone. I could go on and on about my lack of regular posting these past couple months with weddings, holidays, family and all equally playing a role in my distractions, not to mention the curating projects I have been busy with... But, it is a new year and there for a good time for new beginnings.

Some good news I can pass on, for those of you who had been paying attention to the Carmel museum talk for half of last year, with out getting into the numerous layers of troubles we came upon in that journey and some that we are still working with, MiCo (Midwest Museum of Contemporary Art) has made the decision to go nomadic for the time being, and bring forth the exhibitions I have been curating for them. The first of which is opening this Friday at the Harrison Center for the Arts. We hope to announce the date and location of the next show soon. While MiCo currently does not have an official home, we can still bring art to the city. I hope you all enjoy it.

So here we go, below are a selection of shows to check out this First Friday and for a more comprehensive listing, click on the IDADA First Friday link. Hope to see you all out there. I know it is cold, just bundle up and enjoy. You may even spy all your favorite people wearing there new christmas wardrobes.

MiCo presents:

“Backyard:
a look at suburban backyard living.”

Opening Reception, January 4th 6-9pm

Harrison Center for the Arts
1505 North Delaware
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317.238-0998
Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat: 12-4pm
Exhibition open through January 26th

This show brings together emerging contemporary artists who have each explored the formal and conceptual qualities of the suburban American backyard. Informed by their own experiences and perspectives, these diverse artists have examined how the suburban backyard speaks to the human condition, escapism, leisure, humor, and the American dream.

Featuring video work, photography, drawing, sculpture and installations by Meredith Allen, Yoon Cho, Chris Doyle, Rachel Hayes, Matt Lynch, Emily Kennerk, Brian McCutcheon, David A. Parker, Macha Suzuki, Chris Vorhees and Pipo Nguyen-Duy. Exhibition curated by Scott Grow


Also at the Harrison Center for the Arts,
In the Unusual Animals Project Space - Mostly Loves Clouds. Every piece of art in this group show is $20 with proceeds benefiting the Unusual Animals Project Space.

First Friday opening event: Jan. 4, 6 p.m. to midnight.


Slownod: A Romantic Nightmare
by Andrew McGaha.

at Big Car Gallery
Studio 214 in the Murphy Arts Building,
Fountain Square

Stark, dark and eerie, this show combines photography and video to capture the mystery that veils our understanding of lovers, friends and family. Though dear to our hearts, what truly lies in their heart can never fully be known. The expressive capacity of the dream state transforms these waking life fears into perverse images of mangled people, broken thoughts and shattered desires. Tiptoeing the line between the conscious and unconscious mind, "Slownod" delivers a mix of strange relationships, amusing oddities, horror, death and love. A nightmare painted with love, desire and desperation, romanticizing the life and death of many relationships.

Music by Gentleman Caller at 9 p.m., free but donations accepted.

Exhibition open through January 20th


Also Showing:

ALCHEMY art + aesthetics
1043 Virginia Ave, No. 3
Launch of “Portrait Trade Project 2008”—This month see the self-portraits
of 10 local artists, all of whom will participate throughout the year in this
innovative year-long show. Hours: Tu, Th, Fri 11–8, Wed 10–6, Sat 10–4.

Ruschman Gallery
948 N. Alabama St
“Group Show”—by gallery artists. Thru Jan. 26th. Regular Hours: Tu–Sat
11–5pm; Open late on IDADA First Fridays 11–9pm.


For those of you lookin for something to do this Saturday, perhaps head down to Louisville, KY to check out the latest exhibition of works by Casey Roberts at a gallery called the 930.

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Catching up from my art reading holiday hiatus, I came across this gem from Charlie Finch on artnet:

...the art world is the black hole of charisma, sucking magic in from the outside world until it disappears. Picasso, he who could make love to a woman with his gaze alone, was the last truly charismatic figure in our esthetic crater. Warhol, the anti-charismatic, began the suckage process, feeding off Elvis, Marilyn and Jackie. Martyrdom fed his output, even after he almost became a martyr himself.

Artists, mimicking Warholism, wallow in a dark bath of their own wretched parasitism on the wider charismatic culture. Terence Koh’s comparing himself to Naomi Campbell is a recent pathetic example. Howdy Doody Koons, Death Mask Damien, Barney the Vaseline Dinosaur: a trio of dick-diddling neurotics who couldn’t get elected dogcatcher in Peoria.

Are there really no charismatic artists working today? Do we want any? I think it certainly they certainly make the art world, if not life in general, more interesting. The first that come to mind are Christo and Jeanne-Claude. What about Eva and Adele (pictured above)? Locally, how about Brian Presnell. Any others???

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RIP Ettore.