STRUCTURE, IN SPLENDID COLOR

Rasheed Araeen painting, detail

Sometimes it’s not you seeking out the art. Sometimes it’s the art itself that pulls you in. And that’s exactly what happened when I walked past the Aicon gallery on Great Jones street and saw the brightly colored art of Rasheed Araeen inside. I had to step in and check it out.

PRECISION AND STRUCTURE, WITH FLEXIBILITY

The name may not ring a bell but I am pretty sure you have seen Araeen’s work before. Maybe at the Tate Modern, or perhaps at the MoMA? His colorful geometric lattice-like structures are pretty ubiquitous in the big museum collections. What differs is the composition. Are they arranged horizontally? Vertically? How many are there? Like legos, these pieces leave room for imagination and play.

COLORS. BLOCKS OF COLORS.

Rasheed Araeen was born in 1935 in Karachi and moved to London in 1964. He trained as a civil engineer, but always wanted to be an artist. His structures may give you a window to his engineering past, but his bold paintings tell you the artist has the upper hand. Bursting with color, they include elements of Arabic philosophy and Islamic calligraphy, all anchored in strong geometric shapes and primary color palette. If you need a jolt of energy on a cold late fall afternoon, you’ve come to the right spot.

Colorful painting by Rasheed Araeen

THE COLORFUL LIFE OF A NEURON

One of the things I have always loved about New York is that it engages you. Choices abound and art lovers like me literally have something new to go see every day.

This time, my inner nerd came to surface and suggested a show that gets in your head - literally. Created by ARTECHOUSE Studio in partnership with Society for Neuroscience (SfN) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of SfN, the show is the first of its kind to use data to bring key neuroscience principles to life. The show allows visitors to walk into a real-life 3D model of a human prefrontal cortex neuron — the “thinking cell” of the brain — and see it grow from birth through death.

While I have been to Artechouse’s tech-powered shows before (last year they had a great one co-created by Refik Anadol), this one felt even more mesmerizing. Watching an artfully presented depiction of the goings-on of a human brain is interesting enough on its own, but combine it with vivid, pulsating color, ever evolving shapes, simple yet evocative sound cues and mesmerizing digital animation and suddenly, you’re transported into a whole new world. Neural pathways coming to life in front of your eyes resembling Brazilian rainforest, forming and re-forming, reflecting joy and play and changing again at signs of stress and trauma. It is fascinating and I loved it.

ARTECHOUSE, located in NYC’s Chelsea market, is the nation’s first innovative art organization dedicated to the intersection of art, science and technology. It produces technology driven exhibitions using the largest seamless megapixel count projections of any cultural institution and integrating Hyperreal Sound technology. The current show runs through November 13.

THE BEST PLACES TO SEE CONTEMPORARY ART IN PRAGUE - PART 3

Prague, a contemporary art destination? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. The city that most associate with stunning Gothic and Baroque architecture, Smetana and Dvorak’s music and beautiful women, is rapidly becoming an amazing destination for contemporary art lovers. I am lucky to be able to spend time in Prague every year and each time I visit, the city has added more galleries and venues. I love it. It makes my heart happy.

So, shall we look at some of galleries?

KVALITAR

Though technically not “new” (the architects-turned-founders opened the gallery in 2012) this gallery is, simply said, awesome. Representing up-and-coming Czech artists along with established names both local and international, the gallery was set up as a platform for art, design and architecture. Whether you like abstract art or latest sculpture, you’re sure to find it here. And they pay it forward, too, with educational programs for future collectors. I loved everything about this place. Located just off the busy Wenceslas Square, Kvalitar is a must on your Prague contemporary art tour.

SMETANAQ

Part of a larger art-focused concept that includes a design store showcasing the works of young Czech designers, an always-busy cafe that will satisfy your sweet-tooth cravings, SmetanaQ also includes a large contemporary art gallery upstairs. The sprawling space allows the gallery to showcase large scale artwork without making it feel crowded. And, if the art inside is not enough for you, take a peek out of the window. You will be hard pressed to find a more spectacular view of the Prague Castle.

KUNSTHALLE PRAHA

This newcomer opened its doors in February of 2022 and now provides a nice counterpoint to the history and antiques that await visitors at the Prague Castle just up the hill. Built in a converted electric plant, the Kunsthalle fittingly opened with an inaugural show focused on kinetic art on the main two floors and supplemented it with an exhibition of a range of contemporary art from a private collection. And, if you are feeling overwhelmed by the busy streets outside, take a minute and relax in the meditation room hidden in the tower on the top floor.

TRAFO GALLERY

This one is definitely off the beaten path, but that does not make it any less worthy of a visit. Originally conceived as “Trafacka” in 2006, the gallery is located in the former slaughterhouse at the Holesovice market complex. Born out of a collaboration between Czech contemporary artists and leading curators, the gallery now produces six shows per year, some tackling the issues of today’s world.

KAMPUS HYBERNSKA

Kampus Hybernska, or Hyb4, is another multi-purpose space. Hiding in plain sight in one of the non-descript streets leading to the Masarykovo train station, just a couple of minutes from the popular Obecni Dum, the campus comprises an outdoor cafe, an indoor reading room/cafe and, if you diligently search (or ask in the cafe, as we did), a surprisingly nice and large gallery reminiscent of the spaces in the much larger and popular Veletrzni Palac (see my post about that one, here). When we visited, the gallery was showing the works of Barbara Valaskova whose world full of blue color reminded me of one of my favorites, Yves Klein.

There you have it. A small sampling of the rich contemporary art scene that you can explore in Prague. But there is so much more. More galleries, more outdoors sculpture parks, terrific new art festivals and annual art celebrations. And, if you stick with me, I will tell you more about it in the next installment. For now, I leave you with another piece from the “Blau” show at Hybernska.

BACK TO THE BIENNALE. BECAUSE...VENICE

After years of pandemic-induced shutdown, travel is back in 2022. And so are music festivals, gatherings and yes, the major art shows. The Venice Biennale, naturally, is among them. And let’s be honest. If you are going to dip your toe back in the art show pool, is there a better city than Venice? I think not!

THE RED AND BLACK WORLD OF ANISH KAPOOR

Going to Venice, especially when one has limited amount of time, requires making choices. Do you brave the crowds at the Arsenale and Giardini and see lots of art but little Venice proper? Or, do you explore the many installations that are sprinkled throughout the city and play tourist in-between? I chose the latter.

First stop: Anish Kapoor. His work is shown at two Venetian venues: The Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia in Dorsoduro and at the historic Palazzo Manfrin in Cannaregio. An in-built sight-seeing! Starting in the Dorsoduro gallery courtyard, you’re greeted by a familiar sight, one of Kapoor’s large scale mirrors. Yes, you have come to the right place. Enter the building, however, and a darker Kapoor emerges. It’s here where you encounter the never-before seen Vantablack sculptures. Vantablack is a ground-breaking nano-technology material that absorbs more than 99.8% of visible light, allowing Kapoor to create forms that both appear and disappear before your eyes. According to the gallery, Kapoor’s work probes the idea of darkness as a physical and psychic reality. In life outside the gallery walls, the use of Vantablack also poses some ethical questions about whether a single artist should be the only one with access to this new material. Many disagree.

In addition to the black forms, there are other earlier pigment works, many relying on blood red, rather evocative presentation. Walking through, I definitely felt uneasy. Definitely not art for the squeamish.

From Dorsoduro, weave your way through the winding canals of Venice (if you are lucky, you might pass a little Banksy on the way) to the charmingly delapidated Palazzo Manfrin. This venue impresses right at the entrance. Walk in and you are met with the monumental new work “Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto” protruding from the ceiling. From there, move on to other rooms to explore a triptych of seething silicone paintings, “Internal Objects in Three Parts”, as well as other influential works from Kapoor’s career.

Move through the rooms to find more iconic mirror works that flip and distort the viewer’s expectations of what is before us, ponder the artist’s geometrical works carved from natural alabaster and admire the blue pigment of Kapoor’s early void hemispheres that bring to mind another artist - Yves Klein and his own blue.

In the palazzo’s courtyard, stop by Kapoor’s mechanized work. The spinning red waters of “Turning Water Into Mirror, Blood Into Sky” have a distinctly mesmerizing quality.

BRUCE NAUMAN AT PUNTA DELLA DOGANA AND MARLENE DUMAS AT PALAZZO GRASSI

OK. I will let you in on my secret. This show made it on the shortlist first and foremost because I hadn’t seen Tadao Ando’s renovated Punta Della Dogana gallery during my last visit and I wasn’t going to miss it this time. I am glad I saw it. I love the simple gallery design that creates spaces that breathe and door and window treatments that let in intriguing glimpses of the city and the passersby.

The show at Punta della Dogana highlights both older works and some recent ones and focuses on video installations that Nauman has developed over the last years related to a single channel video from 1968, “Walk with Contrapposto”, in which we see the artist walk in a narrow wooden corridor built inside his studio while trying to maintain the contrapposto pose. If I am honest, however, I liked the Marlene Dumas show at Palazzo Grassi a bit better.

Palazzo Grassi is showing a major monographic exhibition dedicated to Marlene Dumas. The artist’s paintings and drawings, some of them quite in-your-face, were created between 1984 and today. They provoke a range of emotions, from fear and suffering to ecstasy. A few will make you uncomfortable, forcing you to question the world and human relationships around us. But overall, you will be glad you saw the show.

THE (DISAPPOINTING) LUCIO FONTANA AND ANTHONY GORMLEY

Don’t get me wrong. I love both artists and their work. And I was truly looking forward to seeing the show. Unfortunately, in this case, the location did not live up to expectations. Tucked away under the archways surrounding Piazza San Marco, the gallery came with the extra excitement produced by a geyser of water streaming out of the store next door as the piazza was partially covered by water, forcing us to abandon plans to raise a glass at the Florian. The inside of the former Olivetti showroom where the show was held was fortunately dry, but the busy (if interesting) interior did not let the art breathe. Great works, from small sketches and sculptures by Gormley to a few iconic Fontana pieces, were lost in the busy space. I still liked the works, but wished that the curators arranged things differently.

THE (CUTE) AND NON-BIENNALE RELATED ART OF BLUB

Those who know me have come to expect seeing some street art in my posts. And, this being Italy, I was delighted to notice a former Florentine discovery in Venice. Blub (or “Art knows how to swim”) has gained notoriety by creating copies of famous paintings (think Mona Lisa) with the characters “submerged” under water and wearing diving goggles. I loved them when I first saw them a few years back and coming across a couple pieces in Venice was no different. In a way, the “swimming” art fits here even better!

We’ve seen several other shows, including Surrealism and Magic: Enchanted Modernity at the Peggy Guggenheim museum and the three-artist show: Danh Vo, Isamu Noguchi, and Park Seo-Bo at Fondazione Querini Stampalia, but perhaps I will cover those later. Now, I am curious about what your favorite shows were! Tell me in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

KUTNA HORA KOOL

If you read Czech guidebooks and are now expecting me to expound on the intricacies of the “bone church”, I am about to disappoint you. Yes, there is one. Yes, I have seen it. No, I am not going to write about it. I have a much better destination in mind.

GASK. WEIRD NAME. SUPER COOL ART CURATION

Lately, I have been really lucky, visiting cool museums in Norway, Belfast and Madrid. Galerie Stredoceskeho Kraje (GASK for short) in Kutna Hora deserves to be mentioned among them. I was impressed by the clever, interesting art curation and the entire gallery setting.

Approaching the gallery from afar, you’d never guess you’re headed for a contemporary art museum. The building that houses this modern and contemporary art gem is—an old jesuit college. A large one, too, making GASK one of the largest galleries in all of Bohemia, with over 3,000 square meters of exhibition space. With its location right next to the beautifully restored gothic church of Svata Barbora, the last thing you’d expect is a contemporary art temple.

Soon, however, the gallery starts revealing its true focus. As you enter the sculpture park, you are greeted by the giant “Bird of Paradise” by Lukas Rittstein. Part bird part repurposed old vehicle, the sculpture is both fun and intriguing. John Chamberlain’s work might pop into your head instantly. Walk on past the rust-colored flower (“Lilie”) by Martin Kocourek and the odd amoeba-like red sculpture (“Socha OF-1”) by Jan Kovarik and suddenly it’s crystal-clear. This place is very contemporary after all.

So, when later on, the internet informed me that the conceptual partner of GASK Open Air is the Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen (another favorite museum and a past subject of this blog) I nodded. But of course!

ULTIMA CULPA

Enter through the doors framed by two larger-than-life lenticular photographs and walk straight into the intriguing “Alley of the Saints” hallway. Right off-the-bat, GASK shows off its contemporary art creds with a whimsical collection of contemporary sculptures and an intriguingly named “Ultima Culpa” show by Kamila B. Richter. The Czech multimedia artist’s paintings - her response to the rapid technology boom—are inspired by faulty, pixelated old Sony Ericsson digital snapshots of classic masterpieces and modern life. Richter translates these flawed snaps into meticulously executed psychedelic large scale paintings. It shouldn’t, but somehow it works and it’s fascinating.

From here, head upstairs. The upper floors house a mix of temporary exhibitions, from a delightful 1930s-1950s textile design and print show that is somehow incredibly contemporary, to a mesmerizing set of Svatopluk Klimeš’s “burnt” images, made with ash and fire and questioning the temporary nature and the Phoenix-like rebirth of the civilization.

The rest of the space is reserved for the permanent collection. This is where the curators are at their best. Someone had the brilliant idea to think about human emotions, everything from joy to fear and loneliness, and organize the art by the emotion is represents. Sculptures among paintings, conceptual pieces next to more classic renderings, all connected through simple, modern graphical signage and clever quotes from old philosophers and modern rock musicians. There is a lot to see yet the art never feels cramped and overwhelming. And you’re intrigued, engaged, and delighted throughout. Both my friend and I absolutely loved it.

On your way out, make sure to stop at the cool and artsy cafe on the first floor and the superbly curated museum gift shop on the ground floor. They are both great.

GASK is located in Kutna Hora, about an hour’s drive from Prague. If you’re in the mood for a fun day trip, I highly recommend it.