Bob Georgeson, Worlds in Collision #1, 2012
Ines Rojas, Director of the Museu d'Art Virtual de Barcelona, stands in front of Worlds in Collision #1, a six-channel digital video installation at the 2012 Barcelona Biennale...
There's no time like the virtual
Ines Rojas, Director of the Museu d'Art Virtual de Barcelona, stands in front of Worlds in Collision #1, a six-channel digital video installation at the 2012 Barcelona Biennale...
Desecration in the Church
Bob Georgeson, Time of Desecration, 2012
...for Alberto Moravia, who's Time of Desecration is one of my all time favourite novels, and for all those babies who have pissed on the priest at baptism...
Thanks to Suzanne for modelling...
Dog love
Bob Georgeson, My dog is better than your dog, 2012
Always one to appreciate serious obsession I couldn't resist popping in to the local dog show. The 'dogvan' above had a generator running all day (unclear whether it was for air con or television). One thing about the dog owners in general is they are not an effusively friendly bunch, but on further enquiry I found out that the dogs had actually painted the van themselves! Made me think there is an opportunity for the grey nomads to do the same. Don't leave it to the hippies and backpackers to decorate their 'Wicked' campervans, lets see some serious portraiture on the Winnebago!
More pics here...
Creativity in education
In my last post I mentioned a past life as an art teacher, and how valuing and encouraging creativity in the case of Danius Kesminas had led to greater things...at the time at Xavier College they were going through a period of reassessment of their role in society (i.e. Is it in the Christian spirit to be an elitist educational establishment?). I was asked by the Headmaster: 'Why are we teaching art?' Answer: Through art we teach visual perception, the ability to see objectively...nice to see all these years later that Xavier still values this aim, even if it can't shake its elitist reputation.
If you are interested in this subject one of the key global evangelists (not religious here, but who seriously believes in the need to nurture creativity in order to save the world) is Sir Ken Robinson. His talk on the subject at a TED conference in 2006 is not only very profound, but very funny...nearly 9,000,000 people have seen this...you can too by clicking here...
If you are interested in this subject one of the key global evangelists (not religious here, but who seriously believes in the need to nurture creativity in order to save the world) is Sir Ken Robinson. His talk on the subject at a TED conference in 2006 is not only very profound, but very funny...nearly 9,000,000 people have seen this...you can too by clicking here...
Danius Kesminas
Slave Pianos, The Execution Protocol 111: Mutually Assured Production (The MAP room), 2007-11
I first met Danius Kesminas in 1978 when he was around 12 years old. I was an art teacher at Burke Hall, the preparatory school for Xavier College in Melbourne. One of the greatest rewards a teacher can ever have is when one of your pupils becomes famous! What part did I have to play in this? Well, absolutely none, because by the time I met Danius he was a more than competent draftsman, an accomplished musician, and brought that Lithuanian heritage to the finish of a crafted object. All I could say is develop your own projects and go for it!
He has since gone on to do just that, not only in his own artwork, but a series of collaborative projects that span categories, countries and trends. Whether it's blasting out the 'drip and splatter' with his band The Histrionics, forming collectives like Punkasila with young Indonesian punk artists and musicians, or the above work with group Slave Pianos (where the audience can 'execute' an avant-garde artist from the list on a console, track their movements on the world map and listen as a giant electric chair activates an antique piano in a farewell ode) Danius challenges the contemporary art world without ever losing his sense of humour.
He is represented by Darren Knight Gallery (for more info click here), and was recently featured in eyeline - contemporary visual arts, which is in my opinion the only art publication in Australia worth reading. Hang on! Did I say read? Silly me...of course you can't READ it, its full of wanky art speak, but the pictures are nice...
...and back to The MAP room...no prizes for guessing I would choose Joseph Beuys first.
Spiral Gallery - Past and present
Bob Georgeson, Burnt out cafe, Campbelltown, Tasmania, 2011
Last night Spiral Gallery in Bega celebrated 15 years in existence with the opening of Past and Present, a group show comprising the 54 members who had been involved with it since it's inception in 1997. The exhibition was opened by founding member Barb Crowden who paid tribute to the original vision of Alexandra Seddon in bringing the co-operative to life. The show, which runs until 29th February, includes some of the far south coast's finest artists, and is testament to the voluntary dedication of members and associates who believe in the Spiral aesthetic of a non elitist public art space. An honour to be exhibiting the above work in such company...
Bega to Cobargo after the party
Bob Georgeson, Bega to Cobargo after the party, 2012
I was going to enter this one in the Bega Valley Art Prize but when I saw who was judging it! Ooops...just joking...I actually couldn't afford to get it framed...which reminds me that all of my work in this site is for sale...
The series...