International Art News

Lee Wen, Splash, digital print on archival paper (Edition 3/5), 61 x 76 cm, Singapore Art Museum collection

From the 20th of April to June 10, 2012 – Singapore Art Museum
Lucid Dreams in the Reverie of the Real is an exhibition of works by Lee Wen, a multidisciplinary artist and one of Singapore’s most internationally recognised contemporary artists. His earliest known work in a book entitled A Waking Dream (1981) with texts and drawings preceded the manga generation of today and showed evidence of his inclination in using dreams, metaphor and myth-making to manifest a narrative of our perception of life and reality.

Best known for his Yellow Man series of work, Lee is also one of the Singapore artists who pioneered in the field of performance art. Through various constructed personas, his work allow visitors an insight into the artist and provocateur, whose very being is motivated by a strong conviction of justice and idealism, with a persistence to stay true to the self in a highly structured world.

In this exhibition, Lee will be presenting key works spanning two-and-a-half decades alongside more recent ones. The vast selection includes installations, photographs, videos and documentations. Lee will also perform ‘live’ during selected exhibition periods and talk about his experiences and personal development as an artist, covering subjects such as memories and myth-making.

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Birdlife IV, 2012 mixed media on record cover 13.5 x 13.5”

Until March 23, 2012 – Sin City Gallery
JK Russ was born in Motueka, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and worked in publishing, layout and computer graphics before acquiring a BVA from Manukau School of Visual Arts in Auckland. As an artist, she work in the mediums of photography, painting, collage and performance art. She have also co-curated four group exhibitions: ‘Sexhibition’ in 2007, ‘Prologue’ in 2006, and ‘Boganville’ and ‘Unleashing the Bogan’ in 2002. In 2009 she received a Creative Communities grant to put together a photography exhibition ‘I go where the party takes me’ which toured Thermostat Art Gallery in Palmerston North, the Wallace Trust Gallery in Auckland, and the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui. In July 2010, JK Russ moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Dan Colen - Peanuts To be titled #32A, 2007 Oil on canvas, 1 of 7 parts Overall dimensions vary with installation Astrup Fearnley Collection

From 20 January to 24 April 2001 – The Astrup Fearnley Museum
The Astrup Fearnley Museum is proud to announce a forthcoming solo show with Dan Colen (b. 1979). Colen is part of New York’s ‘downtown’ art scene – the so-called ‘Bowery School’, which includes, among others, Nate Lowman, Terence Koh and Ryan McGinley. Based on elements from mass media and experiences from contemporary life with a subcultural language, he creates a personal remix that highlights beautiful and magical aspects of undervalued, everyday life. His artistic production encompasses photographs, painting and sculptures, and includes, among other things, Disney motifs and chewing gum on canvas, painted sculptures with ‘low-cultural’ references, graffiti-inspired text paintings and large installations with performative elements.

The New York-based band I.U.D. will be giving a concert at the opening of the exhibition. The band, whose members are Lizzie Bougatsos and Sadie Laska, are known as an “industrial punk-and-dub-duo”. Both are involved in numerous projects as visual artists, as well as by playing in other bands. Bougatsos plays in Gang Gang Dance and Laska in Growing and Extreme Violence. U.I.D. came into existence when Bougatsos asked Laska to start a noise project, which they named with the “body issues” and “women stuff” inherent in Bougatsos performance art. A work by Bougatsos is currently on display at the museum in the exhibition ‘Rotating Views #2’ that consists of works from the Astrup Fearnley Collection.

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January 7 to April 3, 2011 – Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Perspectives 173: Clifford Owens marks the first museum solo exhibition for this New York-based photographer and performance artist. Often incorporating the camera in his performance works, Owens blurs the boundaries between the documentation of his performance events and the creation of photographic artwork born out of action. Additionally, Owens’ performances break through the separation between artist and viewer by allowing audiences to participate in events. He also restages historical work by other artists, creating open-ended situations that challenge the convention of art-making. Inherent in his work, however, is the proclivity for performance as complex and process-oriented work. Owens’ works often contain multiple components and layers based upon his interactions with the public or other artists. These interactions serve to create a context for the work that involves physically demanding actions within a controlled set of conditions. Working within these self-imposed conditions, Owens brings a new perspective to the history of performance art through the incorporation of the camera and audience as well as through the restaging of historical performance works. Particularly in his restaging, Owens brings a newfound understanding of the canon through the recognition of black artists who have been historically lost within this dialogue. Organized by CAMH Senior Curator Valerie Cassel Oliver.

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