Michael Anastassiades at 10 Corso Como

Posted by Susan Happersett

10 Corso Como has recently opened a NY location of the famous Milanese store. Like its Italian counterpart the new retail space at the Seaport in lower Manhattan features an art gallery.

Michael Anastassiades installation “Arrangements” is all about scale. Based on the concept of jewelry the designer creates over sized geometric outlines using rods of light to fill the gallery space.

Each arrangement is constructed using a singular geometric theme.

Here is a structure made up of circles.

And a type of curtain composed of squares.

It is great to see a large retail establishment that is dedicated to cultural endeavors and provides a large dedicated art exhibition space.

Susan Happersett

Analia Saban at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

Posted by Susan Happersett

“Punched Card”, Analia Saban’s solo exhibition, includes work from the artists “Tapestry” series. This series introduces two very interesting dichotomies. The patterns presented in these weavings are circuits boards that allude to the history of computers into the digital age. The title of each work references the actual technical hardware. This is juxtaposed with the process of weaving on Jacquard looms that was one of the first industrial uses of binary analog systems.

“Tapestry [1,024 Bit[1K] Dynamic RAM,1103,Intel,1970]”

For these weavings, Saban uses linen thread for the warp and strips of dried acrylic paint for the weft. This choice of materials opens the dialog about the distinctions between what has been considered fine art (painting) and craft (weaving). The first weaving you see as you walk into the gallery (above) is hung on a wall, but farther into the space there is an installation of tapestries hung from the ceiling.

Image 3

“Tapestry[Computer Chip, TMS 1000, Texas Instruments, 1974]

This installation technique allows the viewer to walk around the textiles and get better understanding of the weaving process.

This series of work highlights two topics that have are currently important and intertwined in art and society today, the development of technology and the artificial hierarchies in culture.

Susan Happersett

“Chance and Control: Art in the Age of Computer” at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Posted by Susan Happersett

This week a guest blog entry by Elizabeth Whiteley

If you are planning to visit London very soon, consider viewing “Chance and Control: Art in the Age of Computer.” The exhibit is at the V&A Museum until November 18. It’s a small and well selected show of pioneering work since 1968. That year there was an international show titled “Cybernetic Serendipity” at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. Many of those artists are included in this exhibit.

Vera Molnar (French, born 1924) detail from “Interruptions”

One of the wall notes contains a description of the way images were produced in the early years of computer-generated art. Next to a work by George Nees it says “The plotter was operated by feeding punched tape into a computer that used the instruction to direct a pen across a drawing surface. As the computer had no screen, Nees would not have been able to fully anticipate the appearance of the resulting drawing.” Nowadays, we can preview an image pixel by pixel!

Manfred Mohr (French, born 1938), detail from “P-049” from the portfolio “Scratch Code”

Georg Nees (German, 1926-2016), “Untitled’ [red black]

Thanks for your contribution Elizabeth! Next week more New York art.

Susan Happersett

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at bitforms gallery

Posted by Susan Happersett

“Confirmation Bias” is the current solo exhibition for Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at bitforms gallery. The term confirmation bias relates to how information or data is interpreted in a way that favors one’s preexisting ideas believes and preferences. This can pose a negative effect on scientific study.

“Vanishing Points”is a data generated screen based work form 2018 that reacts in real time to the position of the viewer in the gallery. Using software that adjusts the grids to form a vanishing point that corresponds to the viewers perspective.

“Vanishing Point” has mathematical themes on numerous levels. The use of geometry to create the changing grids is just the beginning. Using computer algorithms Lozano-Hemmer takes the work outside of the 2 dimensions of the flat screens into the 3 dimensions of the gallery while adding the element of time. The concept of confirmed bias relates to the the societal implications of numerical data and how it can be distorted due to peoples existing opinions and feelings.

Susan Happersett