Connecting War and the Arts
The Pavilion of the United States is – regardless of its Wartist-specific content – certainly one of the most compelling on the 54th Venice Biennale. Designed by the artist duo Allora & Calzadilla, “Gloria” consists of six sculptural installations, often including performance. The artists skilfully discuss social aspects, from the worship of money in capitalism about dealing with war and remembrance to freedom.
Continue reading “Sara Rahbar: “I have no faith left for the devil to take” (Hilger, Vienna)”
On 5 May 2011, Kunstraum Richard Sorge will open the solo show “schlachten” with works by Jens Kloppmann. The exhibits presented address war, perception and commemoration by various ways and different materials. On show from 8 May onwards (and thus parallel to the anniversary of unconditional surrender of German forces in World War II), the exhibition will be supported by special events such as an artist’s talk on 26 May, moderated by Martin Bayer (wartist.org).
From 30 April to 9 July 2011, Berlin-based Hengesbach Gallery presents the impressive 8-mins video “we’ll become oil” by Mihai Grecu, born in 1981 in Sebeș (Romania): Attack helicopters appear in an empty desert. After flying some artistic patterns together, they suddenly crash into each other. A cut leads the film to its next scene: a massive wall of flames and thick black smoke is generated by a huge fire, obviously of burning oil. Its destructive power is supported by a both hypnotic and dark sound.
In 1988, the media art festival transmediale was founded under its name “VideoFilmFest” in the periphery of the film festival Berlinale; in 1998, it recieved its current name. There is not only a conference, but also an open competition, an exhibition and various side events. This year’s subject is called “RESPONSE:ABILITY”. In 2011, too, several works address war.
Aesthetics of Disappearance by Jananne Al-Anis (2010) Continue reading “Media Art Festival “transmediale.11” (Berlin)”
Thanks to the twitter stream of the German security-political journalist Thomas Wiegold1, we took notice of the impressive photo spread of Damon Winter, published in the excellent “Lens” blog of the New York Times. The 19 published pictures have their own, direct aesthetics – the photographer took them with his iPhone while accompanying parts of the 10th US Mountain Division in northern Afghanistan.
Continue reading “Damon Winter: War Photography with an iPhone (NY Times)”
From 8 October 2010 until 30 January 2011, Kunsthalle Wien in Vienna, Austria, presents the extensive exhibition “Bruce Conner. The 70s” with works of the US artist. Not the least, the almost ruminant video work “Crossroads” is on show, a 1976 b&w short film of 36 minutes length about the first underwater nuclear weapons test on the Bikini Atoll.
Captivating beauty of destruction: Crossroads Continue reading “Bruce Conner: The 1970s (Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna)”
A friend called our attention to the works of Peter Sauerer: his wooden sculptures are often in a small scale and address history, celebrities and our memory and imagination. For this, he is often making use of irony if not mockery without trivialising his subjects. The spatially small works condense the issues and commit the viewer to take a thorough look at them.
Continue reading “Peter Sauerer”
From 28 January 2010, the Erich Maria Remarque-Friedenszentrum in Osnabruck presents with “Hunde im Krieg – Hunde als Waffe” (Dogs in Wars – Dogs as Weapons) an exhibition that addresses quite a specific subject: the use of “man’s best friend” in wars.
Continue reading “Opening: Dogs in Wars – Dogs as Weapons (Osnabrück)”