Anish Kapoor

1.Research Kapoor's work in order to discuss the ideas behind 3 quite different works from countries outside New Zealand.


Svayambh, 2007 - The work itself is a huge deep red wax-like block that slides on tracks at the entrance of the gallery of which takes in some form of an abstract train. To me, it looks like a coffin, trailing blood along its path, like some form or sign of an apocalypse.


My Red Homeland, 2003 - Made out of more than 20 tons of dark-red coloured Vaseline, the cylindrical sculpture with a diameter of 12 metres is a piece of work which has this aura of Chaos and Order to it, mixed with a feel of India to it. That is quite a recipe. There is also a metal arm which churns the substance into a smooth surface in the middle.


Marsyas, 2002 - A 150 metre-long, ten story high sculpture which looks like an over-sized flute instrument is comprised of three huge steel rings joined together by a single span of PVC membrane. The title itself was inspired by the he Greek myth captured in Titian's 1576 painting, The Flaying of Marsyas, in which the eponymous satyr is flayed alive by Apollo for playing the flute better than the god.



2.Discuss the large scale site specific work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.

The sculpture itself was built on the private site on the 400ha (1000acre)

3. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?

His work is located in Kaipara Bay in Northland Region. The sculpture is fabricated by Ferrari Textiles in a custom deep red PVC-coated polyester fabric which alone weighs 7,200kgs. This is also supported by two identical matching red structural steel ellipses which weigh 42,750kgs.

4. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and why.

I dont really like choosing favourites, but if I really had to choose one, I would choose Marsyas because it has this futuristic feel and look to it with its over-sized morphed trumpet look.








reference
http://fabricarchitecturemag.com/articles/0110_sk_sculpture.html
http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2003/09/29/31404.html
http://www.sculpture.net/community/showthread.php?t=6790
http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/sculpture+%26+installation/art13875

The Walters Prize 2010

1. What is the background to the Walters Prize?

The Walters Prize is a biennial award for New Zealand artist who have made a outstanding contribution to the visual arts in the previous two years. Honouring the life of an artist called Gordan Walters (1919-1995) the award was founded by the Auckland art gallery of which the prize includes $50,000 and an all expense paid trip to New York to exhibit at Saatchi & Saatchi’s world headquarters.

2. List the 4 selected artists for 2010 and briefly describe their work.


Saskia Leek - The picture is small so it hard to go into detail of it but by looking at it, looks like an island made out of ice or some floating piece of ice from Antarctica with tree like things surrounding these two figures which one looks like an ice witch lady who is getting captured by a super woman from the comics. The thing that first comes into my mind is global warming.


Fiona Connor - Another small picture, but by the looks of it, its a modernist-like building.


Dan Arps - Yet another small picture of a photo which captures that stereotype look of the pacific islands or tropical islands in general.


Alex Monteith- I think this is the video which shows 3 slides of a someone riding their bike on the motorway, which I thought was an excellent way to get a POV and feeling of a driver.

3. Who are the jury members for 2010?

Jon Bywater - Programme Leader, Critical Studies at Elam School of Fine Art, The University of Auckland.
Rhana Devenport - Director, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
Leonhard Emmerling - Visual Arts Adviser, Goethe Institute, Munich, Germany, former Director, ST PAUL St, AUT University
Kate Montgomery – Director, Physics Room, Christchurch

4. Who is the judge for 2010 and what is his position in the art world?

The Walters Prize judge for 2010 is Vicente Todoli. His position in the art world is that he was the Director for the British national museum of international modern art, Tate Modern until just recently he resign.

5. Who would you nominate for this years Walter's Prize, and why?

I will have to nominate Alex Monteith. The reason why is because its different and involves more of today's technology such as use of the video itself, cameras and in fact the motorbike and car used in the video. It really doesn't relate to my artwork entirely but by looking at the video, it reminds me of how it feels to drive, that drowsy feeling of following the road to your destination and all of a sudden snap back into reality when the ride is over. In a way, it does point out what I want to try and do in works in the near future which is trying to capture a feeling at a certain place and time using things from the place and morph it into something surrealistic.

Hussein Chalayan

1. Chalayan’s works in clothing, like Afterwords (2000) and Burka (1996) , are often challenging to both the viewer and the wearer. What are your personal responses to these works? Are Afterwords and Burka fashion, or are they art? What is the difference?

I think the two works are both art and fashion, but it sways 70/30 to art than fashion. The reason why i think this is because Chalayan combined both fashion wear, or for the Burka (2000), an everyday clothing and by simply by challenging the wearer and viewer is a point made by art. But the reason why the scales tip more to the art side than the fashion side is because fashion, to me, is more for everyday wear or a special occasion dress as opposed to what the Burka (1996) and Afterwords (2000) is something you might show inside an art gallery with like-minded beings and to run around naked waist down or carry a huge table like structure is not something seen as comfortable, yet see as 'acceptable' in today's society.

2. Chalayan has strong links to industry. Pieces like The Level Tunnel (2006) and Repose (2006) are made in collaboration with, and paid for by, commercial business; in these cases, a vodka company and a crystal manufacturer. How does this impact on the nature of Chalayan’s work? Does the meaning of art change when it is used to sell products? Is it still art?

The impact on Chalayan's work should be a positive one, if seen in a positive way. It gains recognition for the work itself, but it will be seen differently in the art world and the people who are in it, because to me, its like getting one of Raphael's paintings and running around Queen street with it above your head. Its still art I reckon, just like a Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-SV is art on wheels and it should still be art if it was created as art such as a human was to be human.

3. Chalayan’s film Absent Presence screened at the 2005 Venice Biennale. It features the process of caring for worn clothes, and retrieving and analysing the traces of the wearer, in the form of DNA. This work has been influenced by many different art movements; can you think of some, and in what ways they might have inspired Chalayan’s approach?



Having a look at the picture itself makes me think of someone or nearly everyone in today's society confined in a box or room like that. Its actually quite post-modernist due to it's meta-narrative theme of gathering traces in the form of DNA from clothes. And saying so about DNA and stuff, kind of makes you think about shows like CSI and SVU, which also has a pop culture influence to it.

4. Many of Chalayan’s pieces are physically designed and constructed by someone else; for example, sculptor Lone Sigurdsson made some works from Chalayan’s Echoform (1999) and Before Minus Now (2000) fashion ranges. In fashion design this is standard practice, but in art it remains unexpected. Work by artists such as Jackson Pollock hold their value in the fact that he personally made the painting. Contrastingly, Andy Warhol’s pop art was largely produced in a New York collective called The Factory, and many of his silk-screened works were produced by assistants. Contemporarily, Damien Hirst doesn’t personally build his vitrines or preserve the sharks himself. So when and why is it important that the artist personally made the piece?

It is because we, as people, want to see what we are capable of individually. We see that when an artist hands down and actually putting in the soul and passion into his or her's work which would give that quality and special touch to it. That all disappears when we know it wasn't them who made the work, which leaves the buyer's paying for the name of the work and not both the work and the name, like a car for example, Lexus and Toyota. Same company, but you almost pay $10k extra for the name Lexus on the car.