© Anita Kunz From “Where is My Vote? Posters for the Green Movement in Iran.”

By Kiša Lala

American artists may have the luxury of distancing themselves from politics but in some countries one’s freedom to express is held in check by a knife at one’s throat.

The arrest of Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi earlier this year generated media attention and his release was petitioned by many Hollywood signatories. But the repression of Iranian artists in general came into focus again when he was denied the right to attend this year’s Venice international film festival – despite being a former recipient of the Golden Lion.

© István Orosz, courtesy of the artist

Juliette Binoche protests against the imprisonment of Iranian director Jafar Panahi. Photo: Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images

With the birth of the Green Movement following the 2009 summer elections, an Iranian photographer calling himself “Green Bird” rallied support from graphic artists around the world to design posters to show solidarity for the reform candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, and draw attention to the plight of his followers.

A subsequent show was organized at SVA’s Visual Arts Gallery, with more than 100  artists participating. Milton Glaser, who has entered pop culture history for branding NY with his ‘I Love NY’ logo – along with many other designers like Anita Kunz, Jennifer Morla, István Orosz, Woody Pirtle, Andrea Rauch, Ralph Steadman, and Gary Taxali – are behind the exhibit entitled, “Where is My Vote? Posters for the Green Movement in Iran.”

Farah Ossouli, Passage Through History - Gouache on cardboard 1983

Though the show is of western artists, the exhibition underscores the difficulties faced by artists living both inside and outside Iran. With the recent repression in artistic expression, the Islamic Republic of Iran seems at odds with its rich Persian heritage. Some Iranian artists living in Iran like Farah Ossouli perhaps have some protection against government scrutiny with more traditional routes for their inspiration like Persian miniature painting.

Majeed Beenteha, Untitled from National Riddle Series 2009, Courtesy Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery

Post-revolution, many Iranian artists in exile have flowered while living in the West –  like London based Shirazeh Houshiary – resulting in artworks that meld Iranian identity with western aestheticism.

New York artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat’s works revolve around issues of gender, identity and the artist in exile. In an interview I did with her recently Neshat spoke of having to justify herself as an artist/activist.

“I feel no shame in saying that I am also an activist…Being an artist we can also take political positions.

“Whether you are an artist living inside or outside Iran – it is inescapable – the question of politics. Those who are living in Iran are living with the question of censorship, harassment, arrest, torture and execution.

“[Those of us in exile], are bitter and angry from our inability to access our place of origin.  The sense of resentment, the way in which our past present and future is defined -  leaves us no luxury but to be involved with the question of politics,” says Neshat.

She adds, “Our critics are not just the NYTimes, Artforum etc. but the Islamic Republic of Iran. If I go to Iran I can be arrested. It is impossible not to be political.”

She concludes, “Having said that we need a little bit more activism in this country…”

Film Still from Women Without Men, Film by Shirin Neshat ©2010

Shoja Azari's "Coffee House Painting," 2009. Video projection on canvas. © Shoja Azari / Courtesy LTMH Gallery, New York

School of Visual Arts Presents “Where Is My Vote? Posters for the Green Movement in Iran”
125 International Artists Unite for Iranian Democracy
Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26 Street 15th floor, New York City
August 30 – September 25, 2010 Reception: Thursday, September 16, 6 – 8pm

An introduction to the world of Iranian Modern and Contemporary Art
Thursday, September 23, 2010 6:30 pm MOCA, Los Angeles
Moderated by Jeffrey Deitch and guest speaker Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller

Interview with Shirin Neshat, p82 online SpreadArtCulture.com/current issue

Gavin Brown's Enterprise transformed

On Saturday night, Gavin Brown’s West Village Enterprise played host to the launch of Rob Pruitt’s first collective monograph, Pop Touched Me. A Barbour-clad Pruitt sat perched behind a table, taking up to five minutes to personalize each patron’s book (while an annoyed Brown shouted at him to “hurry it along”). A pack of gum was an essential prop, as he chewed a new piece for each book, spitting it into the title page and, folding it over so as not to stick, inscribed, “My DNA” above.

“Thomas,

Thanks for the support, I want to fuck you.

-Rob,” read one personalized inscription.

In between signings, Pruitt rationalized the copious testimonials lining the pages of his book: “I knew that I didn’t want to have an essay by some big, fancy art writer saying, ‘Oh, this work is just so fabulous, it’s been overlooked for the past twenty years.’ Something that I’d essentially have to pay for that would flop up my position in the art world so, instead, I asked two hundred or so associates—people I have done projects with over the years—to write something heartfelt about me. Some of the things are nice and some aren’t so nice, but I think that it’s a really clear message about what it is that I do.” Marc Jacobs, Jeff Koons, and John Waters are just a handful of those you can expect to find hiding in the pages, renouncing and praising the artist’s artist.

Jeffrey Deitch, who leaves for the west coast June 1^st to clean house at MOCA, was one such friend and collaborator on hand to pay homage to Pruitt’s career. “Rob has been an inspiration for me for years. I’ve known him since the beginning. I knew him when he was a gallery assistant at Sonnabend because I was always there with Jeff Koons and Rob was always coming out of the back room. I’ve followed him from the very beginning as he followed his vision as an artist and I was there for all the ups and the downs, too.”

Sunday marked the closing of another successful Armory Week in New York. Following the trend of Art Basel in Miami, the aisles were teeming with enthusiasts, artists, collectors, and dealers who seemed not to be aware in the least about our turbulent economic climate. Damien Hirst prints had five and six stickers next to them, denoting sales. It truly was a collector’s fair.

Photo by Stacy Kimball

Made up of the Park Avenue Armory show, Scope, Fountain, and Piers 92 and 94, this was the most important week in New York for collectors and gallery-owners alike.

Mike Bevilacqua

James Casebere

James Nares

It seems to be a good rule of thumb to not expect to meet any artists when making your way around art fairs. As one fantastic art—who will remain nameless—told me: “Why do I want to walk around an art show? I’m just going to get frustrated looking at all the crap that’s selling and wonder why mine isn’t up there. It’s very hard to get inspired that way.” As I’ve come to understand it, art fairs are another way for big-budget galleries to boast to one another about who has the most fabulous pieces in their collections and who has the biggest artists in their respective stables. Deitch is always certain to have at least a few Warhols, Basquaits, Harings, Barry McGee installations, ad infinitum. Tony Shafrazi usually counters back with a fantastic collection of David LaChapelle, Dennis Hopper, and Jasper Johns. Expect to see Richard Prince, Picasso, Ed Ruscha, and a handful of other A-listers at Larry Gagosian’s monolithic booth.

Regardless of what you think about the fanfare behind the art fairs, they’re enjoyable to peruse. Until December’s Basel in Miami, stay tuned for more about these cultural instigators.

Photo by Stacy Kimball

Photo by Stacy Kimball

Photo by Stacy Kimball

Sven'tgolle Sven'tolle. Photo by Stacy Kimball.

Photo by Stacy Kimball

Mel Bochner. Photo by Stacy Kimball

Jacob Hashimoto. Photo by Stacy Kimball

]]> http://www.spreadartculture.com/2010/03/10/new-york-armory-week-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.spreadartculture.com/2010/01/11/jeffrey-deitch-named-new-director-of-moca/ http://www.spreadartculture.com/2010/01/11/jeffrey-deitch-named-new-director-of-moca/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:55:59 +0000 Jonathan http://www.spreadartculture.com/?p=751 By JRS

MOCA's new director, Jeffrey Deitch

Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art has officially ended its worldwide search for a new museum director today, announcing that renowned New York gallery owner/art dealer Jeffrey Deitch would take the reins effective June 1, 2010.  Deitch stated publicly, “MOCA has an extraordinary history, and it’s my goal to position MOCA as the most innovative and influential contemporary art museum in the world. I am excited by the opportunity to play a role in making MOCA and Los Angeles the leading contemporary art destination.”

He received nods from his distinguished contemporaries, including co-board chair and co-chair of the Board’s search committee, Maria Bell. “Jeffrey Deitch is the perfect fit for MOCA New, and he has the vision and energy to make the museum the world’s preeminent contemporary arts institution. Jeffrey lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes art. He is passionate about contemporary art and is committed to the future of MOCA.”

A luminary in the contemporary art movement and curator for such artists as Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Ryan McGuinness, SPREAD ArtCulture wishes Mr. Deitch the best of luck in this endeavor.

Nothing could stop Art Basel from having another successful year in Miami. Not a recession, not adverse conditions—though heavy rain and flooding destroyed a few works of art—could keep the droves of people from returning to south Florida and jamming the aisles of all participating spaces and the streets of the Design District.

What felt like most of Miami—and New York, LA, and Europe’s art communities—flocked mostly to the Miami Convention Center in search of fine art and design. The more adventurous patrons made their way across the causeway and back to the mainland.

Comparing SCOPE to Art Basel at the Convention Center is like comparing the Uptown and Downtown scenes in New York; they’re total opposites. For those who have never been, Art Basel is made up of several different parts: Art Basel, SCOPE, Pulse, Art Asia, and the bevy of neighborhood galleries that fling open their doors during the week and curate exhibitions of their own. Truth be told, these are often the most interesting shows to experience, as they have no preconceptions and are akin to Dash’s old shows at Deitch circa 2005: completely uninhibited.

New York Street Artist Judith Supine's Newest Work

One such show was “Art Whino,” which was held at Charcoal Gallery on 1st Avenue in Miami. A somewhat industrial and raw space, the exhibition was curated with the likes of Barry McGee and early Shepard Fairey in mind. Silkscreens as far as the eye could see, paired with stencils on canvas…on top of other stencils on canvas, chunky oils, and collages. Paired with knowledgeable curators and the artists themselves mixing with their constituents, it had a refreshing absence of the structured art-fair feeling.

"It's Better to Burn Out Than to Fade Away," at Charcoal Gallery's Art Whino

In the big top, Gagosian and Deitch were the undisputed heavy-hitters. Jeffrey brought out his customary big guns—Julian Schnabel, Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey, Keith Haring, Swoon, and Ryan McGuiness—while Gagosian countered with the likes of Richard Prince, Basquiat, Warhol, and Jeff Koons.

Barry McGee's "99 Bottles on the Wall"

"Aung San Suu" by Shepard Fairey at Deitch Projects

Jeff Koons at Gagosian

Stay tuned for more Art Basel updates throughout the week.

The Pruitt Award Is an empty champagne bottle surrounded by plastic ice, which is also a fully functioning lamp.

Was the art world ready for its Oscar moment? Regardless of that answer, the first annual Art Awards presented by Rob Pruitt took place last night in the Guggenheim’s rotunda.

A few choice members of the Hollywood glitterati (Kylie Mingoue, Julianne Moore, James Franco) blended into triviality among the bevy of art celebrities that were in attendance. As an extra perquisite, Rob Pruitt recruited as emcees the Delusional Downtown Divas, a satiric troupe of young, hipster women with an art-world pedigree (and a winsome schoolgirl crush on fellow presenter Jeffrey Deitch). In videos interspersed between the presentations, the Divas schemed to infiltrate the art establishment by any means possible. In one segment that was an animated homage to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, they pitched a tent in the Guggenheim, doing their laundry and shaving their legs in the lobby fountain. In another, they made a pilgrimage to the downtown studio of a wryly shamanic Joan Jonas, deadpanning, “How do you know when you’re performing and when you’re just walking down the street?”

Ms. Jonas took home a lifetime achievement award, as did the curator Kasper Konig. Since the main categories weren’t split along the lines of actor/actress, everyone was keeping an eye on the gender balance, though, in the end, the women nominees ended up taking the majority of the awards home.

The Delusional Downtown Divas and Rob Pruitt

The Kanye-West moment of the evening was undoubtedly art vandal-turned gallery owner Tony Shafrazi’s acceptance speech for Best Group Show of the Year for Who’s Afraid of Jasper Johns? Upon taking the stage, Mr. Shafrazi narrowly escaped being pummeled with a dinner roll. His speech was peppered with jeers from spectators, clearly mesmerized by his egregiously narcissistic discourse, “I’ve probably known for a long time that I was great. This award comes as no great surprise to me.” Known more for his scandalous track record than his curatorial capabilities, Shafrazi was arrested in 1974 for spray painting “Kill Lies All” on Picasso’s Guernica when it was on display in the Museum of Modern Art. On the matter of destroying a priceless work of art, he says “I wanted to bring the art absolutely up to date, to retrieve it from art history and give it life. Maybe that’s why the Guernica action remains so difficult to deal with. I tried to trespass beyond that invisible barrier that no one is allowed to cross; I wanted to dwell within the act of the painting’s creation, get involved with the making of the work, put my hand within it and by that act encourage the individual viewer to challenge it, deal with it and thus see it in its dynamic raw state as it was being made, not as a piece of history.” And this was only one of the evening’s colorful winners/presenters.

The 200 guests enjoyed a seated three-course dinner that accompanied the show, and resulted in sucking a lot of energy out of the room, as did the monotone and banal acceptance speeches that seemed to drag on endlessly, the background music to cut long speeches short seemingly overlooked. Guests perked up briefly when Mr. Pruitt bestowed the “The Rob Pruitt Award,” voted on by a committee of one. It went to the artist Cynthia Plaster Caster, who has been making casts of rock stars’ genitalia for decades and is the subject of an upcoming documentary. Ms. Plaster Caster brandished her masterpiece, the Jimi Hendrix, on the podium as Mr. Pruitt giggled, confident that though first awards shows can be bumpy, he had successfully negotiated his way through the ceremony and had begun paving the way for next year. You could see him stealthily reclaiming ownership of the event, reminding guests that the art world will never take itself as seriously as Hollywood.

The final list of winners is:

• Artist of the Year: Mary Heilmann
• Curator of the Year: Connie Butler
• Exhibition Outside the United States: Jeff Koons, Versailles, Château de Versailles, France
• Group Show of the Year, Gallery: Who’s Afraid of Jasper Johns? Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York
• Group Show of the Year, Museum: The Pictures Generation, 1974–1984, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• New Artist of the Year: Ryan Trecartin
• The Rob Pruitt Award: Cynthia Plaster Caster
• Solo Show of the Year, Gallery: Manzoni: A Retrospective, Gagosian Gallery, New York
• Solo Show of the Year, Museum: Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Writer of the Year: Jerry Saltz