Welcome to Momardi! Tuesday's Visual Art blog in London.
A Digital Hub for Contemporary Artists and Art lovers
Othello: The add-raptation of Shakespeare by the Q brothers
Othello in hip-hop? There are so many Shakespearean interpretations these days so why not? At the Shakespeare's Globe last Saturday, I had the privilege to see the Q brothers pay homage to Shakespeare in rap and yes in jumpsuits. The Q brothers narrated the tragedy of Othello, giving it a fresh urban vibe to the point of turning it into something comic and light. I know even Shakespeare die-hard aficionados would definitely enjoy this and I believe as long as the crowd digs it (and we did!) and if this adaptation can attract a younger audience, then let's welcome more of these urban twists.
The adaptation used a lot of modern references from videogames, He-man and nerds - the intent of course is to reach as much audience as possible. (more...)
Suzanne Treister’s Hexen 2.0 at the Science Museum until 30 April
It's not everyday that you see an artist like Suzanne Treister who delves into an exploration of human history woven into the paradigms of science, occult, technology and mass intelligence. Most contemporary artists nowadays have made artworks extracted from personal experience but Suzanne has definitely tackled on a mammoth undertaking to give us a view of our own distorted history.
I've been away because of my work at the Festival but these are the type of exhibitions that I am excited to see. I am interested to see how Suzanne will tell our history through these tarot card illustrations. I've scheduled my visit at the Science Museum on 27 April - unfortunately the exhibition will end on 30 April so don't miss this one (more...)
Interview with Young Artist Jay Shaw-Baker: ‘Everyone is now an artist’
Many thanks to this blog, I am getting more and more invitations to see exhibitions of young artists and lesser-known galleries. I have had the opportunity to see great exhibitions from established artists but in my opinion, looking at works of younger or unknown artists is equally as important. (I wish though that I have more time these days to go to shows but that's another story). In my opinion, if I am able to spot who's going to be the next big thing, (kind of having an X-factor radar really), then that means I have finally managed to fine-tune my taste after a year of looking at art. It's clearly a work in progress, so please stay tuned.
I still manage, however, to get some time to do online interviews and I do it randomly. Sometimes I find interesting works from artists online or sometimes I get email requests. I have no guidelines set at the moment but in the future (more...)
My Top Five Picks from the Gesamtkunswert at the Saatchi Gallery
It's intriguing to see the Gesamkunswert especially for someone like me who has been seeing contemporary art in London for over a year. Before I moved to London, I was contemplating on moving to Berlin. I heard someone say in one of those TV art programs that if you can't make it in Berlin, you can't make it anywhere. If that still stands true today, I'm curious to know if this exhibit would reflect the clear sense of ambition of where German art wants to be - it surely demonstrates that it wants to be the leader of the pack.
Some of these German artists show a special devotion in the use of junk. What's very curious though is how they manipulated these materials to create artworks that have a sense of order and colour and most of all, engaging to the viewer. (more...)
Meeting Rachel Whiteread and The Art of Getting Un-starstruck
Starstruck is a word which would always be a part of my psyche especially when I meet artists. Believe me, it's something I would like to overcome because it doesn't really serve me well. It doesn't help that my cheeks get red and my tongue gets tied in front of a famous artist. Do you say 'I'm your biggest fan' as your opening line? How would anyone react to that? Instead of embarrassing myself, I just smile, stare and get red in one corner.
In fact, I recognise that this is a result of being blinded by the newly celebrity status of artists today. It should be a conscious effort on my part to separate the 'celebrity' out of the artist and focus on how their art is speaking to me. Would I still like their art if they were not famous? The answer might be very different. (more...)
The Sunday Times Magazine: 50th Anniversary at the Saatchi Until 4 March
After almost a year of blogging, I can honestly say how much I've enjoyed writing and owning this blog. It's my own little kingdom where I can write about anything without having to follow protocols and restrictive editorial guidelines. And in my book, that is priceless.
One of the other priceless and most touchings things I've seen during two weekends ago was the Sunday Times Magazine exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. The exhibition celebrates photojournalism at its best while also looking back at the importance of print journalism in the 20th century. And although, I love all things digital, nothing can replace the act of flipping pages off a magazine or a book and seeing amazing covers of people and unforgettable moments in history. (more...)
The Online Curator: Interview with Coloursoup’s Shoomon Perry
We can pretty much buy everything online these days and the reliability of online channels like Amazon and its collaborative filtering recommendation tools helps customers find exactly what they are looking for. If shopping online has indeed reached its peak of maturity, the online art market is still unfortunately flagging behind. We have the Saatchi online gallery and the Picassomio that are selling art online but for some reason, it just appears to be a platform (more like an online gallery) to showcase artist's works. What is fairly lacking is a form of curatorship that will help collectors find the best artworks possible.
In recent news, Paddle 8, the Larry Gagosian-backed online sales art venture has secured a 4 million investment possibly signalling the new age of buying art. (more...)
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Recent Posts
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Othello: The add-raptation of Shakespeare by the Q brothers
May 7, 2012 -
Suzanne Treister’s Hexen 2.0 at the Science Museum until 30 April
April 24, 2012 -
Interview with Young Artist Jay Shaw-Baker: ‘Everyone is now an artist’
April 1, 2012 -
My Top Five Picks from the Gesamtkunswert at the Saatchi Gallery
March 24, 2012 -
Meeting Rachel Whiteread and The Art of Getting Un-starstruck
March 4, 2012 -
The Sunday Times Magazine: 50th Anniversary at the Saatchi Until 4 March
February 26, 2012 -
The Online Curator: Interview with Coloursoup’s Shoomon Perry
February 12, 2012 -
Connecting the Dots: Damien Hirst’s Spot Paintings
February 5, 2012 -
Chihuly at the Halcyon Gallery Will Glass-Blow You Away
January 26, 2012 -
A Bigger Picture: My Favourite Top Ten Quotes from David Hockney
January 23, 2012
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