bloggy

All hail the genius that is David Rees

David Rees, the creator of Get Your War On, demolishes Michael Ignatieff’s painfully self-serving essay on “getting Iraq wrong” in the New York Times Magazine_. Ignatieff is one of many slimeballs who were horribly wrong on Iraq, but now say they feel a little bad and are happy that their careers will continue. He is presently Deputy Leader of the Liberal Opposition in Canada. 59363.html">Go read it</a>. Here is a teaser.

“I made some of these mistakes and then a few of my own. The lesson I draw for the future is to be less influenced by the passions of people I admire — Iraqi exiles, for example — and to be less swayed by my emotions. . . .”

And here, finally, is where my skull cracked open, my heart combusted, and a murder of crows flew out of my ass. Michael Ignatieff is drawing lessons for the future. Michael Ignatieff has a future in public policy. Sure, it’s CANADIAN public policy, so it doesn’t really count, but still— it’s like the guy can’t be stopped. You know why? Because he’s at that level where you literally can’t make a big enough mistake to be fired, shunned, or indicted. I’d like to visit that level someday. First thing I’d do is get rip-roarin’ drunk and rob a bank using Richard Perle’s face as a weapon. (JOKE!)

Alise Spinella at SVA open studios

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installation view

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detail

Hydrangea, 2007
found objects, oil on canvas, acrylic and gold leaf on wall
50 × 58 inches

 

alise spinella

Love Machine Prototype, Airborne, 2006
acrylic and paper on canvas
24 × 24 inches

 

Here is more work I spotted and liked last week at the SVA open studios for the Summer Art Residency program.

The artist’s website tells us a bit more about the work.

My artwork depicts organic machinery and hand-crafted nature: tree machines, emotion machines, and sea kites, or byproducts such as factory-generated insects and sunlight circuitry. I think about the meaning of hand-made, machine-made, and nature-made, and I create a world in which all three categories can define a single object. In each case, the mechanism almost works properly. I’m interested in the poignancy of this pure, unattainable goal being earnestly (and naively) sought. I paint about fragility and hope.

The most recent painting series is entitled Love Machine Prototypes. Each is a single scenario from an otherworldly marketing experiment in which the Love Machine Prototype is tested. It is mostly learning how to walk.

Gabriel Shuldiner at SVA open studios

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Until Repetition Becomes Endurance, 2007
Modified acrylic polymer, pigment, gesso, rust and alkyd resin on canvas on mounted wood
approx. 19.5 × 19.5 × 3 inches

 

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The Purpose And Function Of Art, 2007
Modified acrylic polymer, pigment, latex house paint, gesso, rust and alkyd resin on canvas on mounted wood panels
approx. 40 × 30 × 24 inches

 

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Duration And Constancy, 2007
Modified acrylic polymer, pigment, gesso, rust and alkyd resin on canvas on mounted wood
approx. 24 × 48 × 3.5 inches

 

James and I met Gabriel some time ago, but this is the first time we’ve seen the work in person. I like the painting/sculpture combination of these black shiny works. Check out his website for more images, and James’s remarks and photos.

Note: The bluish shine you see is from the lighting, and is not in the work itself.

Here is James Kalm’s video of his visit that night:

David Newton, "Found Space"

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David Newton
Found Space, 2005
Found object suspended in steel form, held in place by wires, on top of geometric wooden form
77”H X 22”W X 33”D

 

David Newton is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Guilford College, Greensboro, NC. He is also the latest ArtCat artist, having found us via Emily Noelle Lambert. I love this sentence from his statement:

The sculptures sometimes include wheels, which highlights the tragicomic reality that most of us are rolling around, trying to keep it together.

Check out his new site for more information.