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Posts filed under Ikon
japanese ending
You say you’re Japanese, and you want to be an artist? Well then, I predict there are bright colours and bountiful circles in your future. It’s probably not relevant, but still, I’ve noticed lately that Japanese art, regardless of art movement, direction or starting point, embraces saturated, primary colours that are spun in geometric forms…. (read more)
clearly grim
John Salt is an English photo-realism painter, but instead of pursuing perfection, he chooses to focus attention on the destructed. We could use more painters like John Salt on British television. Just think of the possibilities of a dented X Factor or post-apocalyptic Eurovision. Heavy gloss just doesn’t carry the day in moments of pay… (read more)
destroy creatively
Which would you rather have in your neighbourhood; a new Tesco, or a street full of newer, smaller, probably high-quality food (they’re new, so who knows) entrepreneurs popping up? On the one hand, Tesco gives you assurance and wide selection of safe goods, but the entrepreneurs potentially provide better quality, and make you feel socially… (read more)
future stuff
The first thing you think about when entering Robert Orchardson’s exhibition space at Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery is that someone’s left their geometry project out in the middle of the room. At first take, there’s nothing overwhelming or curious about any of the objects carefully positioned throughout the upper rooms at the Ikon Gallery, and in… (read more)
len_lye: science guy
Len Lye is Science Guy for art of all kinds. “How to Enjoy Art Without Thinking” by Len Lye. It’s not the original name of Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery exhibit (The Body Electric) but it’s the first notion that comes to mind wandering through the roomful of audio-enhanced, kinetic sculpture from the New Zealand artist. In… (read more)
seen this movie before?
I’m in a position to completely spoil a surprise here, so if you’re coming to IKON’s Eastside Gallery for the AVPD exhibition (until 14 Nov 2010), read no further. It’s an encounter that requires your presence and determination to go with the flow. For everyone else, pour yourself another cup of coffee or glass of… (read more)
Donald Judd IS Kitagawa
Just a few weeks back, the opportunity arose to attend two art house openings; same company, different locations. My town of Birmingham has a reluctant saviour for art in this part of the British Isles called the IKON gallery. For those not familiar, the IKON is to Birmingham, what spice is to Indian food. Fairly… (read more)
slave to the Amazon
While the popular cry for the slow demise of Earth has been heard from every person, state, corporation, and politician for the past two decades, the Garden of Paradise appears to be handling it like a tough old grandmother. Think of a place on Earth that sees minimal human imprint. A green, square patch of… (read more)
calling all collections
Ikon Gallery violated one of my pet peeves from cultural institutions by organising a retrospective of its own existence. Ordinarily the realm of magazine publishers through distribution of anniversary issues, releasing new content is fairly non-existent. It’s like going to your granny’s 90th birthday where she recounts her memories of every year. In the end,… (read more)
made in China, but possibly not
Can you ever really know someone, a country, or a culture? Armed with the worldwide inter-webby thing, a plane ticket to just about anywhere, and a credit card that purchases just about anything on the planet, you’d think our capacity to be global pals of the highest order is a cinch. What is it we… (read more)
contemporary means contemporary
In October of 2009, the internet turned 40 years old. Not the web, or as some would call it, the Google machine; I mean the internet, developed by ARPANET for the US military to withstand a Soviet nuclear missile attack. Images on the internet arrived later, around 1990, when the CERN Institute developed the world… (read more)
building an icon
Birmingham: England’s second largest city. It’s a colossal second to London in population, cultural energy, and decent pubs. The distance between the largest and second-largest, in population, is the equivalent of New York City and Austin, Texas. Birmingham, however, is ground zero for the industrial revolution, heavy metal music, and the Balti. The intrepidness of… (read more)
ikon’s water works for time
In the middle of a rare dead-level residential Birmingham are two narrow brick towers thrust into the sky, six floors in height, both called Water Works Towers. Water works towers I’ve seen in other cities around the world are usually shaped like this, tall, narrow, mysterious, and I can’t figure out why. I guess it’s… (read more)
decent docents
It’s only a pile of dried, grey brown leaves, swept into a mound, placed in the middle of Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery. They’re not particularly impressive looking leaves either; small and perfect shape, lacking in personality. They’re from the box tree, offers the Ikon employee sitting near the sculpture. He goes on to say that the… (read more)