Yeah Yeah Yeah I’m Luminescent

Last month I went to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the O2 Academy in Glasgow.  The gig was fantastic and you can read my review on the Skinny website or check it out in the magazine which is out now.

Apart from the music the Karen O’s fashion was as inspiring as usual in a leopard print leotard accessorised with a selection of mono screen print capes and scarfs (for want of a better word) in simple tribal designs.  Half way through the set she added a flourescent pink face mask decorated with a swirl of electro luminescent wire which began at the nose.  Unfortunately my mobile phone completely failed to capture the moment and google has let me down in the search for someone who did.

What impressed me the most about her look was how easy almost every element would be to recreate at home whilst still looking effortlessly cool.  You could get the leotard from American Apparel (the new Zig Zag design is a close match), print the fabrics yourself on white cotton (even old sheets would do) even the face mask would be fairly simple.  Ever since then I have tried to pick up some EL wire but haven’t managed to find a supplier outside the US but fingers crossed I’ll be able to wear a bright pink mask out on the town some time soon!

Yuck’n'Yum

I’ve just found out that I will have a piece in this Summer’s edition of Yuck’n'Yum magazine. My piece is part of a project I’ve been working on for a while about spies… You’ll have to check out Yuck’n'Yum to find out more.

The issue is being launched tonight at the Hannah McClure Centre in Dundee. Wish I could be there!

2:1 Discussions with artists of Chinese descent in the UK

I have just finished reading 2:1 Discussions with artists of Chinese descent in the UK an interesting book which basically does what it says on the tin (that is interviews 21 artists of Chinese discent in the UK).

Published by the Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester this is a really brave book as is it questioning the centre’s reason for existance. Arts organisations have no god given right to exist. Sometimes what an organisation should be striving for is to put itself out of business. The book also manages to be an interesting read too, you can see my full review on the AN interface website.

Andy Warhol’s Blow Job

I just posted a long overdue review of Peter Gidal’s essay on Andy Warhol’s Blow Job published by Afterall. You can check it out here.

And for all those who have not seen this work before here is another Warhol YouTube moment for you to enjoy. Obviously this is no substitute for seeing the work in person but it gives you an idea.

On another note I noticed the other day that the Warhol Museum now has its own YouTube account. This is fantastic news although they do seem to have fallen into the classic YouTube trap of giving a everything a sound track of cheesy music!

Glasgow International

Having spent the last few weeks going round Glasgow International I was really pleased to see this showreel of the festival. I am beginning to think that video showreels and podcasts are one of the best ways to get an impression of an exhibition as installation photos are often totally different to the actual show. You can see the video here

As you can see I have been continuing my mission to be photographed with art, this is me with Calum Stirling’s Rostra Plaza now on show at the Mitchell Library.

Also for those who are interested I’ve been writing a diary of my experiences at the festival for AN Interfaces website which you can check out here.

What Remains: The Life and Death of the Skull in Contemporary Art

Strangely it seems as though some people are interested in coming to hear me speak. Later today I will be at the Fruitmarket Gallery talking about Andy Warhol’s Skulls series of 1976 as part of a seminar looking at the skull in contemporary art. Apart from myself are other more respected speakers including Dawn Ades (University of Essex) and Tiffany Jenkins (Institute for Ideas) so if your interested come along!

Lights On – Norsk Samtidskunst

Following on from my last post I am reminded of an exhibition I visited of Norwegian Contemporary art in Oslo at the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. A lot of the work seemed to focus on the political with very mixed results.

You can read my full review of the exhibition here but I wanted to draw peoples attention to one of the pieces in the show Some Remarks on Discardedness by Stian Ådlandsvik. This piece was a reconstruction of a working slide machine made out of wood and as a visual image I can’t seem to shake it from my mind weeks after seeing it.

Although small and unassuming this sculpture encapsulated much about our throw away society without cynicism. And not only that the image of the slide machine, which is so central to art and art history, says a lot for arts role in the current political situation.

Art, artists and art institutions do not stand outside the world we are a part of it, no matter how much we like to pretend we are on the outside looking in.