segunda-feira, 30 de abril de 2012

Miguel Palma unpublished

Miguel Palma, Little boy, 2007
Five years later
by ANTÓNIO CERVEIRA PINTO


Note: I decided to publish an essay I wrote in 2007 for Miguel Palma's exhibition at Culturgest — Fundação Caixa Geral de Depósitos. Though I wrote it on commission for the exhibition, by motives I never quite understood it was never published as well as the promised catalogue.

I think it is time to make it public for all reasons.

Carcavelos, April 30 2012

Extract from The Archaeology of Lost Time


To propose an interpretive model is always a risky business, and it is more than likely that there will be flaws at some points in its construction. Whatever the case, if we donʼt try, we run the risk of leaving the dialogue about works of art at the mercy of the inertias of tastes, or of the more or less sophisticated popular clichés of their worldly reception. Greenbergʼs formalist and neo-Kantian paradigm has withstood and survived the linguistic criticism unleashed against it by the English and American Conceptualists, largely because, amongst other reasons, this was an incomplete, inconsequential and opportunistic criticism. 

Copyright © 2007 by António Cerveira Pinto


Dan Graham unpublished

Pavillon Dan-Graham
Dan Graham, pavillion

By ANTÓNIO CERVEIRA PINTO

Twelve years later

I decided to publish an old essay I wrote for Dan Graham's retrospective at Serralves museum. Though I wrote it on commission for the museum, by motives I never quite understood it was rejected by Dan Graham. About it Marianne Brower, co-curator of the show wrote an enthusiastic email to me after she got the English version of my text originally written in Portuguese. I kept the email as a testimony that it is about time to make public my words:

“Schema Likes Children’s Day Care
Art and complexity in Dan Graham’s work.”



Email transcript:

“very good, very different from the others, very radical, funny combination of old-fashion and future, the only true theoretical view on the pavilions, very intelligent”

Marianne Brower
August, 23  2000

I wrote in the end of the essay about Graham:

“Dan Graham’s biggest contribution to contemporary art has, in my opinion, been the reiterative launch of the philosophic and æsthetic grounds of an interactive art in a state of rupture with the elitist notions that tend to view it as a private property of taste, in a state, of rupture, too, with the formalist notions that tend to restrict it to a mere place for anarchistic contemplation of the innominable.”

It was true in August 2000 as it is now.

Carcavelos, 30 April 2012.

Copyright © 2012 by António Cerveira Pinto



quinta-feira, 12 de abril de 2012

Next Biennale



Six degrees of art [6 DoA]
by ANTÓNIO CERVEIRA PINTO

I sometimes realize that ideas behind contemporary art shows are of secondary nature. In big art events ideas and artworks are unnoticed, temporary and subdued by a shadow. Is there a possibility of introducing some objectivity in the process of gathering artists and artworks for an art biennale?
 

Next Biennale/Six degrees of art bets on an algorithm for selecting the artists:

(1x6)+(6x6)+(36x6) = 258

Six invited artists appoint six other living artists, and the thirty six new invited artist will appoint six other living artists each.

A curatorial team formed by six personalities — 

i) an artist, 
ii) an art critic, 
iii) a museum director, 
iv) an art professor, 
v) an art collector, and 
vi) a gallery owner will then discuss the outcome of such an experiment and will ultimately decide the best way to present the artists and their artworks to the public.

Every artist in the biennale should invite up to six guests to the opening of the biennale. A total of 1548 attendees are expected at Next Biennale/Six degrees of art opening.


invitational procedure
1
1a 1b 1c 1d 1e 1f
1a1 1a2 1a3 1a4 1a5 1a6
1b1 1b2 1b3 1b4 1b5 1b6
1c1 1c2 1c3 1c4 1c5 1c6
1d1 1d2 1d3 1d4 1d5 1d5
1e1 1e2 1e3 1e4 1e5 1e6
1f1 1f2 1f3 1f4 1f5 1f6
2
2a 2b 2c 2d 2e 2f
2a1 2a2 2a3 2a4 2a5 2a6
2b1 2b2 2b3 2b4 2b5 2b6
2c1 2c2 2c3 2c4 2c5 2c6
2d1 2d2 2d3 2d4 2d5 2d6
2e1 2e2 2e3 2e4 2e5 2e6
2f1 2f2 2f3 2f4 2f5 2f6
3
3a 3b 3c 3d 3r 3f
3a1 3a2 3a3 3a4 3a5 3a6
3b1 3b2 3b3 3b4 3b5 3b6
3c1 3c2 3c3 3c4 3c5 3c6
3d1 3d2 3d3 3d4 3d5 3d6
3e1 3e2 3e3 3e4 3e5 3e6
3f1 3f2 3f3 3f4 3f5 3f6
4
4a 4b 4c 4d 4e 4f
4a1 4a2 4a3 4a4 4a5 4a6
4b1 4b2 4b3 4b4 4b5 4b6
4c1 4c2 4c3 4c4 4c5 4c6
4d1 4d2 4d3 4d4 4d5 4d6
4e1 4e2 4e3 4e4 4e5 4e6
4f1 4f2 4f3 4f4 4f5 4f6
5
5a 5b 5c 5d 5e 5f
5a1 5a2 5a3 5a4 5a5 5a6
5a1 5a2 5a3 5a4 5a5 5a6
5c1 5c2 5c3 5c4 5c5 5c6
5d1 5d2 5d3 5d4 5d5 5d6
5e1 5e2 5e3 5e4 5e5 5e6
5f1 5f2 5f3 5f4 5f5 5f6
6
6a 6b 6c 6d 6e 6f
6a1 6a2 6a3 6a4 6a5 6a6
6b1 6b2 6b3 6b4 6b5 6b6
6c1 6c2 6c3 6c4 6c5 6c6
6d1 6d2 6d3 6d4 6d5 6d6
6e1 6e2 6e3 6e4 6e5 6e6
6f1 6f2 6f3 6f4 6f5 6f6

last update: 2012-07-20 15:52 GMT 


© Antonio Maria a.k.a. António Cerveira Pinto

domingo, 1 de abril de 2012

Lissy Elle

Lissy Elle — Get Back In Your Book
Born web
by ANTÓNIO CERVEIRA PINTO

I don't know much about Lissy Elle. She is an artist apparently with no CV, that owes her recognition to web travellers. She is from Canada, where many digital manipulators (Jeff Wall) come from and where consistent experimental animation and film making began around the 1950's with pioneers such as Norman McLaren. When I first saw Lissy Elle's digital images I was transported to the anti-gravity worlds by Magritte, as well as the wonders and ghosts that invaded Delvaux or Cindy Sherman imaginary worlds. Elle's images are surprisingly strong and subtle at the same time. And the fact that we know nothing about her, leaves us more space for an open judgement, as if this not verified author appears to us as an anonymous artist, a testimony from the virtual space-time of the neighbour world we call the Net.


Lissy Elle — Up In The Air


Lissy Elle — The Things We Miss


Lissy Elle — Get Back In Your Book, Wendy


Lissy Elle — Get Back In Your Book,Belle


Lissy Elle — Defying Gravity


Lissy Elle in her own words

I am someone who likes to pretend that I don’t care what other people think of me. I like to pretend that I make my art for ME, and no one else. But there comes a point in every artist’s life that they crave recognition. Admit it. Be not ashamed. This is only human.
The overwhelming support I’ve received from the online community may be the only reason I’ve been able to get this far. Whenever someone says I have inspired them I realize I can never stop. If anyone creates anything that wouldn't exist if it weren't for me, I feel like I can change the world. When I don't have that rush for a while, I need that feeling back. My images are half for me, and half for you.

The more views I got on a photo I’d post to Flickr, the more offers I got. For book covers for album covers for magazines for ads, and I feel insanely blessed to do something I love because a few people took a liking to what a teenage girl posted on the internet.


Lissy Elle website