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Archive for July, 2008

Alessandro Fantini Art Book

July 31st, 2008 by Meg Smith

The Sinovial Gaze - The Art of Alessandro FantiniPress Release from Alessandro Fantini:

“Alessandro Fantini's imagination knows no bounds: his visions have their own story, their own world and their silent messages… a truly singular creation.” - Jean Michel Jarre, world-wide renown composer, author of million-selling albums such as “Oxygene” and “Equinoxe”

"The Sinovial Gaze - The Art of Alessandro Fantini" embodies the first attempt at gathering more than a decade of creative and hallucinative experiences lived by the “multimedianic” italian artist Alessandro Fantini in an unique visual ride along more than one hundred luxuriant color illustrations. The book depicts the progression of Fantini's quest for the medianic rendition of his most inner pulsions and visions. Since the early 90s, with the discovery of the oil painting and the surrealist concepts, his artworks higlight a turbulent tension towards the cinematic and narrative syntaxes that will soon led him to deal with shortmovies, novels, comics, videoart and music languages. The book is structured into three sections which explore chronologically the pictorial and graphic dimensions of his visionary craftmanship.

Among the featured artworks there are the David Lynch's portrait (below right) displayed at the London Brick Lane Gallery, the erotic oil on wood board "O.B.E." featured in the Fantini's selfportrait printed on the Jean Michel Jarre's AERO album booklet, the celebrative painting of the Jarre's "Oxygene" 30th anniversary, the canvas “Memories of Dreams”inspired by “Blade Runner”, and the tribute to Stanley Kubrick personally donated to his wife Christiane Kubrick. Comments and notes by the artist himself, Jean Michel Jarre, Charles de Lauzirika, Claudio Castellini, Lorenzo Fantini, Samuel Toole.

The book will be distributed very soon also on Amazon.com and Barne&Noble retailers.

Printed: Paperback book, 130 pages, 7.44" x 9.68", perfect binding, white interior paper (80# weight), full-color interior ink, white exterior paper (90# weight), full-color exterior ink

Published and distributed by Lulu.com

"Alessandro’s devotion to oil and canvas has rewarded us we with enough medianic meditations on the nature of the human mind to keep us transfixed for many years to come. His discipline and persistence from early childhood through his teens and now into his adulthood has taken the viewer on an incredible journey through an isolated landscape that invites dialogue, challenges preconceptions of existence, and teases us with sexual imagery that writhes through both foreground and background." Lorenzo Fantini – excerpt from the foreword

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Alessandro Fantini was born in 1978 in Sangro Valley, Italy. His creative inclination arose during his early childhood when he began drawing comics and writing tales influenced by gothic authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Sheridan le Fanu. Disliking art school teachings, he learned oil painting techniques by himself and started painting his first canvases in 1993. During the nineties he developed his own visionary style blending the surrealist attitude with hyperrealism and Flemish painting methods. In 2002 he graduated with first class honours in modern literature with a thesis about the relationship between Italian culture and the PreRaphaelism.

Since 1998 he wrote, directed and produced movies and music videos digitally, composing also their soundtracks and writing lyrics for songs performed by himself. His short movies "Tiranti Transit" and "The road to Shakti" were broadcasted in 2006 and 2007 on European Sky Channels. He wrote and illustrated the book "The Night's Veil"(2006) and the dark-fantasy novel "Endometria"(2007) both published by Liberodiscrivere and presented at the International Turin book fair. His self-portrait was published in 2004 inside the Jean Michel Jarre's "Aero" album booklet. His artworks have been shown in several group exhibitions and solo exhibitions such as Pescara, Turin and at the London Brick Lane Gallery.  

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Carrie Ann Baade Exhibition

July 26th, 2008 by Meg Smith

Carrie Ann Baades beinArt GalleryIntemperance:

1. Lack of temperance, as in the indulgence of an appetite or passion.

2. Excessive use of alcoholic beverages.


Carrie Ann Baade
's newest works from her Intemperance series will be exhibited at Kitchen's Ink Gallery in Denver. In addition to paintings, books and prints are available for purchase at the opening. The Opening Reception is on Friday August 1st, 2008, 5 pm to 9pm and the show will run until August 15th.

Kitchen's Ink Gallery

757 Santa Fe Dr. (between 7th and 8th)

Denver Colorado 80204, U.S.

Open daily from 12pm to 8pm, closed Mondays

Kitchen's Ink is owned by artist Joe Manly

Gloomy Valentine by Isabel Peppard

July 20th, 2008 by Jon Beinart

I recently met a talented young stop motion animator named Isabel Peppard at a 696 gallery opening. Her first short animation, titled 'Gloomy Valentine' is about a woman who has lost her love and is starting to lose her mind. Her encroaching madness is represented by hallucinatory nightmarish shadows that hover at the edges of her vision and threaten to consume her. 'Gloomy Valentine' is a very impressive debut.

Sculptures And Relief Works By Zdzislaw Beksinski

July 17th, 2008 by Aeron Alfrey
 Piotr Dmochowski has posted a collection of sculptures and relief works by Zdzislaw Beksinski from 1955 - 1960.  Although abstract, the artworks still reflect the atmosphere found in Beksinski's later more figurative works. The art is on display at the Dmochowski Gallery website here.

Interview with Madeline von Foerster

July 16th, 2008 by Jon Beinart

Jon Beinart - "How would you describe your art Madeline?"

Madeline von Foerster\'s GalleryMadeline von Foerster - "I make art about this world.

I know that might sound strange, because I paint in a method and style characteristic of five centuries ago. It also might sound strange, because my work is typically classified as surrealist.  However, my art is strongly rooted in my own experiences, and the world occurring around me, though I often choose to express these things symbolically."

Beinart - "What else has influenced your art? You said you express yourself symbolically, are many of the symbols you paint rooted in esoteric mythology?"

Madeline von Foerster - "Sometimes my symbolism might come from mythology or esoterica… These sources are deep wells from which to draw!  I utilize more archaic symbols when their use will not interfere with the experience of the painting.  And occasionally I use images that reference a homemade iconography: for instance, the pair of doves in my trepanation Self Portrait are my own symbol for unity of the spirit and body, since doves mate for life.  (I leave birdseed, for a beautiful pair of doves, on my fire escape, and they inspired me.)  However, I try to make images that will resonate with any viewer who appreciates them.  One needn't know my story about the doves, I hope, to sense their meaning in the painting.  Or the viewer could invent his/her own meaning, which would also be valuable.

I am inspired by so much around me — the very experience of life, and the witnessing of life, inspire me.  I feel so lucky to be alive in an age where we know of so many beautiful and fantastic things, unimaginable to earlier societies — cloud nebulas, nutrinos, and deep sea creatures.  And, of course, those of us alive today have stepped into an unbelievebly exciting artistic heritage!  Our task is to continue its evolution…  But, I also feel another task is to protect our other inheritance — the environment, and civilized culture.  Artists are not exempt from this effort.  We must all bring our skills to the table."

Beinart - "Does your environmental concern find expression in your paintings?"

Madeline von Foerster\'s GalleryMadeline von Foerster - "Yes, it is a very frequent topic.  In some paintings, it is a primary theme, but it also makes an appearance in others where it might not be the main message.  My paintings can often be read on several different levels, and so one of those layers might reference our relationship with the earth.

For example, in an old painting of mine, The Shadow, a child crowned, holding a tree, stands adjacent to a child covered in blood.  The bloody child is almost invisible, a "shadow" of the first, who is bathed in light.  The image is actually inspired by Macbeth, but to me, the crowned child represents America in all our opulence, and the bloody child is somehow the rainforest.  We are allowing this part of the planet to be extirpated so we can have cheap hamburgers and furniture. Like Macbeth, our "glory" is bought at too high a price, and we shall likely pay a terrible consequence.

I prefer my paintings to suggest, rather than preach, so I'm sure many other interpretations of that painting are possible.  My three year old niece, for instance, is convinced The Shadow is a painting of Spiderman."

Beinart - "Could you list a few artists who have inspired you and explain what you found exciting about their work."

Madeline von Foerster\'s GalleryMadeline von Foerster - "Possibly my favorite living painter is Julie Heffernan, because of her stunning craft, and the incredible worlds she creates.  She is anachronistic yet iconoclastic at the same time.

I also admire the work of Surrealist painter Leonore Fini.  She went through several different "periods" and styles, some of which were better than others, but she created numerous masterpieces.

My grandfather, a great lover of Surrealism (who incidentally, introduced me to Fini's work when I was a child), had a huge painting in his dining room by a French painter named Lamy.  It showed a bleak blue landscape supporting a strange bouquet of thistles.  One of the blossoms opened to reveal a staring eye… a beautiful painting, which terrified yet compelled me as a child.  I was afraid to be alone with the image, but would sneak into the dining room to peek at it and then race out again.  I know this painting is the root of much of my interest in the fantastic… It hangs above my own dining table now.

My very good friend, the painter Benjamin Vierling, has also been a constant source of inspiration and much cross-pollination of ideas!

Finally, the artists I spend the most time with are the Flemish Renaissance Masters: van Eyck, Memling, van der Goes, Goessart, and Bosch.  It would be incredible to know something more about these artists' inner lives, but all I can do is gaze at their work and guess. Only through the diligence of attempting their technique do I find myself hovering somewhere near an understanding of them.  But even that is probably self-indulgent imagining on my part."

Beinart - "Have you come accross any resistance from galleries as a figurative painter with a neo-classical style?"

Madeline von Foerster\'s GalleryMadeline von Foerster - "Any painter working in a figurative or neo-classical vein must recognize that their choice is not necessarily "in fashion" at the moment.  I consider that an asset and an opportunity, rather than a limitation, for several reasons.  First of all, imagine the difficulty of standing out as a painter during, say, the seventeenth century, when all working artists were technical virtuosos!  Secondly, by following my own vision, rather than trends, I hope I am creating paintings which will stand the test of time, and not look sadly dated in a few years.  Lastly, in our cynical age of ever more digitized mass production, artworks which focus on craft and beauty give people an alternative, an antidote, to the prevailing culture.  There will always be certain galleries which recognize and appreciate that, but even if there were not, I wouldn't change what I am doing."

Beinart - "I completely agree Madeline. This is a current fashion and I'm sure history will have a very different perspective. I'm also sure your work will continue to attract the attention of galleries and collectors. Thank you so much for this interview Madeline! Do you have any exciting news for our readers?"

Madeline von Foerster
- "Yes!  I am very excited to announce my upcoming show, WALDKAMMER. It will be at Strychnin Gallery Berlin, this November.  The paintings will explore my fascination with Cabinets of Curiosities, but I've manipulated this theme, to create images about deforestation and the threatened natural world.  (The title means "Forest Cabinet.") Strychnin Gallery will also be showing my work at Art 21Cologne, in October.

I have made a "studio visit" web-page, for those who would like to get a sneak preview of this new series!  However, it is not linked to from outside, so interested parties must email me at baphomatty(at)earthlink.net, for the address.

I have also recently completed the "Technique" page of my website, if anyone would care to know more about the oil and egg-tempera method I use in my paintings.  Please visit www.madelinevonfoerster.com to have a look.

Thank you very much for the interview Jon, and keep up your amazing work with beinArt… it is a portal to many wonderous Universes."

Madeline von Foerster is one of 50 artists featured in Metamorphosis 2 (beinArt Publishing)

Alex Grey Coast to Coast Interview

July 15th, 2008 by Leo Plaw

Here is a two part interview with Alex Grey from "Coast to Coast", an American late-night syndicated radio talk show which deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate either to the paranormal, or to alleged conspiracies.

The interview starts with Alex's introduction to LSD induced mystical experiences at college and then moves on to describing various other incidents he experienced while tripping. It also explores how these experiences have influenced his art.

Part 2

Apocalypse

July 14th, 2008 by Leo Plaw

This is one of those random animations that you end up on in your internet travels. There is no indication of it's original source. It moves from a cautious sense of innocence to that of threatening apocalypse.

The ending is much like the "Tower" or "Death" in the Tarot.

Ross, one of our subscribers has indicated, that this animation is very likely "The Adventures of Mark Twain". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Mark_Twain_(1985_film)

Revolutionary Xchange

July 13th, 2008 by Leo Plaw

Revolutionary Xchange R6XX.comPreviously there was Nemo's Utopia, an eBay store where all sorts of psychedelic and visionary inspired goodies could be purchased. It has now taken on a new incarnation as the Revolutionary Xchange (R6XX).

The focus of R6XX is to help creative people bring their passion to the world. The web store carries a wide range of media, from CDs, DVDs, books to artwork.The intention is to help people looking to expand their minds and discover new things about themselves and the universe.

Some of the artists supported by the Revolutionary Xchange are:

Adam Scott Miller, Luke Brown, Martina Hoffmann, Maura Holden, Robert Venosa, Satoshi Sakamoto

Jay Dee at The Lounge

July 12th, 2008 by Meg Smith

Jay Dee\'s beinArt GallerySurreal Works by Jay Dee

July 23rd - August 12th

The Lounge (upstairs)

243 Swanston St.

Melbourne, Australia.

Open reception starts at 6pm.