San Francisco Art Guide - September & October

These are some of the top Gallery and Museum shows that I highly recommend for the end of summer and beginning of fall in San Francisco.

I.

Exhibition title: Begin Anywhere: Paths of Mentorship and Collaboration
Artists: Amanda Boe, McNair Evans, Kevin Kunishi with Jason
Fulford, Todd Hido, Mark Mahaney, Mike Smith and Alec Soth as
mentors
Venue: SF Camerawork
Dates: Until October 14th

This exhibition, Begin Anywhere: Paths of Mentorship and Collaboration (which was curated by Monique Deschaines), is the evolution of the artistic practice during the exploration of mentorship, collaboration and sharing of ideas and inspiration. The 3 artists, Amanda Boe, McNair Evans and Kevin Kunishi, all go back to their roots exploring the ideas of home, family, identity and landscapes.  The distinct artistic styles and influence of the well known and respected mentors can clearly be seen in the work created by their mentorees. In conjunction with
the exhibition SF Camerawork released the stunning publication Begin Anywhere.

II.

Exhibition title: Grinding
Artist: Takis, Kazuo Shiraga, Tom Sachs, Sterling Ruby, Jour
Pour, Oscar Murillo, Petra Cortright, Petra Collins, Mario Ayala
Venue: EVER GOLD [PROJECTS]
Dates: Until October 21st

Ever Gold [Projects], based at the Minnesota Street Project, presents Grindings, a group exhibition featuring work by Mario Ayala, Petra Collins, Petra Cortright, Oscar Murillo, Kour Pour, Sterling Ruby, Tom Sachs, Kazuo Shiraga, and Takis.  This vibrant group exhibition includes several young and international artists who all work in various mediums. Although quite young in age many of these artists are quite established and have work in well-known museums and collections all around the world. The works created by the various artists, all distinct in style, play off each other very nicely to create a very interesting and cohesive exhibition.

III.

Exhibition title: Soundtracks
Artist: Venue: SFMOMA
Dates: Until January 1, 2018

Soundtracks is the first exhibition that the SFMOMA has had which explores the role of sound in relationship to contemporary art. This group exhibition is cross-generational and includes artists from around the world. Included in the exhibition are various mediums and several of the works are interactive; making this exhibition fun to explore for all.

Take a private tour with Marissa in San Francisco to discover more!

Lisbon Art Guide - September

September in Lisbon is a time of new openings and end of summer shows. It’s the perfect moment for coming to the city and exploring the local art scene. This month is always full of openings and fresh, inspiring projects. On the one hand we can observe well-known galleries starting autumn exhibition season, on the other hand there are a variety of smaller art festivals and new projects to come out. By being here in September you can observe vibrant Portuguese art in its best moment of the year. 

I. 

Exhibition: Bairro das Artes
Artists: various artists
Venue: various venues
Dates: 21st of September 2017 | 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Bairro das Artes (Arts Quarter) is annual event since 2010, which gathers more than 30 galleries. It’s occasion to enjoy the best art during one evening, when institutions prolong their opening hours or prepare a new show to begin that day. Event is located on one of seven hills of Lisbon, so it’s easy and comfortable to stroll around it. Neighborhoods of São Bento, Bairro Alto and Chiado are full of spots for hipster hang outs, so after art there is always something to do. 

II. 

Exhibition: NEW WORK
Artists: Binelde Hyrcan, Tiago Alexandre, Dealmeida Esilva, Horácio Frutuoso, Nikolai Nekh
Venue: Balcony Gallery | Rua Coronel Bento Roma 12 A, Lisboa
Dates: 21st of September to November 11th 

Balcony Gallery is the newest contemporary art gallery in Lisbon. On 20th of September they will open their doors for the first time. The idea is to promote young Portuguese and international art scene. Gallery will organize six exhibitions per year, both collective and individual, highlighting the first solo exhibitions of young artists and the regular presentation of new names in dialogue with the artists represented by the gallery. NEW WORK exhibition is the first show, in which all the represented artists will participate and create new artworks dedicated to gallery’s space. 

III.

Exhibition: Portugal em Flagrante: Operation 1, 2 and 3
Artist: various artists
Venue: Modern Collection, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Dates: until 18th November 

“Portugal em Flagrante” is a semi-permanent exhibition of the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian’s Modern Collection designed to offer an introduction to the history of art and culture in Portugal during the twentieth century. The exhibition occupies three floors of gallery and presents institution’s collection for the first time in 25 years. Order of exhibition is chronological and organized with specific forms of expression: paper, painting and sculpture. All the artworks are accompanied with introduction abouttimesthey were made and the cultural background of Portugal back then.
It’s perfect choice for those who would like to understand more about modern and contemporary art in Portugal. 

Take a private tour with Katarzyna in Lisbon to discover more!

Vienna Art Guide - September

I.

Exhibition: Sir
Artist: Fischerspooner
Venue:  MUMOK
Dates: June 30 to October 29

Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner founded their art, music, and performance project FISCHERSPOONER in 1998 in New York. Success came quickly after perfomances at MoMA and their song „Emerge“ which landed a top 40 hit in the British charts in 2002. With their show „Sir“ they present their own queer-lustrous and passionate universe. A site specific installation remodels Spooner´s New York apartment. The installation is an artistic extension of their new album project, produced by Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) Curated by: Marianne Dobner.

Photo: Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner © Mumok | Foto: Yuki James

II.

Exhibition : HOT HOT HOT
Artist: Toni Schmale
Venue: Secession
Dates: September 14 to November 05

Toni Schmale´s works in mediums such as installation, performance, sculpture, animation, video and drawing question the gender constructions that exist in social power relations. Objects made of hot-dip galvanised steel with an electrostatic powder coating as well as concrete and moulded rubber refer to subjects such as sexuality and gender, fetishism, sport and physical exertion. 

Photo: Toni Schmale, wildkatze, 2016, Courtesy oft he artist and Galerie Christine König, Photo: Peer Sievers

III.

Exhibition: curated by_vienna: image/reads/text
Artist: Various artist
Venue: Various Galleries
Dates: September 15 to October 14

Curated By is Vienna's gallery festival. Every Year, curated by_vienna is dedicated to a specific theme. The festival´s title „image/reads/text“ was coined by the artist Heinrich Dunst. This year you will find 21 individual exhibitions in 21 Galleries related to this broad horizon.

Photo: Calacatta Gold, 2017 © Hong Zeiss | Foto: Manuel Lopez

Take a private tour with Itai in Vienna to discover more!

Vienna and Tel Aviv - so different, and yet...

Staying true to custom, like all other Israelis, I found myself spending August not in Israel. Austria was the destination and Vienna was the peak of excitement. Vienna, a city of emperors and palaces and art. What could a street art lover from Tel Aviv find? Not to worry, there was plenty!

First things first, Vienna is a Mecca for art and museum lovers. While I love all things street, edgy and anti-institution, the art history graduate in me had to check some of these marvelous treasure troves off my list. The Albertina Museum, just across the street from the glorious Vienna state opera house, has a permanent display of the Habsburg State Rooms from the 19th century in which one can admire original sketches and pieces by old masters like Da Vinci and Viennese icons of Modernism like Klimt and Schiele. 

However along with this extravagant piece of history, was an excellent exhibition of contemporary art. Look! New Acquisitions was a unique display of a group of contemporary art recently purchased for the museum’s collection. Surprisingly so, my Tel Aviv street art eye was able to spot a cool connection to the streets of Tel Aviv, even in this distant setting. Burhan Dogancay is a 20th century American Turkish artist who is mostly known for his pieces inspired by walls in the urban landscape of the mid-20th century. During the 70’s Dogancay started a project of photographing walls all over the world. “Walls of the World” actually started in Israel! Graffiti and street art served as a central source of inspiration for this ambitious and innovative project. The pieces in the exhibition have words and letters in Hebrew that can easily be identified.

The paper pieces Dogancay created based on his photographs in Israel are on display in the exhibition Look! New Acquisitions in ongoing until October 8th at the Albertina Museum.

After the museum led me to walls I was thinking I should cut the middle man and find some walls for myself. Vienna has a wonderful source of information for this, the website Vienna Murals. A quick look will prove that Vienna is rich in art in the public space just as it is between the museum and gallery walls. I was specifically intrigued by the walls on the canal banks. Vienna, who’s city center or Innerstaad, is located south to the Danube River, is parted by an arm of the river, the Donaukanal. On the banks one can find many restaurants and bars, and one in particular needed to be checked out – The Vienna Tel Aviv Beach. Equipped with sand and lounge chairs, this place serves cold drinks with a beachy ambiance, and is named after the best beach in the world, at least I think so. On the walls of the bank are dozens of large scale murals to enjoy with a drink in your hand.

Finally after such long walks and such great art, you can’t help but look for a meal. The Vienna Naschmarket is the coolest place to go, offering many small, young and hip places to grab a bite from a variety of different cuisines. If you thought the Israeli street art scene didn’t pop up here – think again. At Neni, they not only serve great Israeli food, but they also have a piece by our local favorite duo – Dede Bandaid and Nitzan Mintz. At night the market booths are closed and their gates are covered in art pieces. If you take a walk around you can’t miss the two large walls they created there.

Great food, great drinks, great art and all in reference to home. Vienna and Tel Aviv are definitely different but it was great to see Tel Aviv through the Viennese angle.

Book a Street Art Tour with Alternative Tel Aviv here.

Book a private art tour in Vienna with Itai here.

Melbourne Art Guide - September

Earlier weeks in September have been a little quieter than usual in Melbourne. There have been art fairs, events and exhibitions up in Sydney, so much of the Melbourne art world has been interstate either participating or viewing all that is on offer. Nevertheless, this was only one week during September, so there has still be some exceptional exhibitions on in Melbourne during this month. Heidi Museum of Modern art is presenting an extensive survey on Australian artists from different generations engaging with artistic sensibilities rooted in Constructivism, an exceptional solo exhibition by an earlier career female artist Isadora Vaughan at The Honeymoon Suite and a tight exhibition at Bus Projects by Daisy Watkins-Harvey. 

I. 

Exhibition: Call of the Avant-Garde: Constructivism and Australian Art
Artist: over seventy Australian artists
Venue: Heidi Museum of Modern Art  
Dates: until 8th October  

This extensive survey of over seventy artists explores how Australian artists have responded to Constructivism art movement and illustrates an enduring call upon Australian artistic experimentation from the 1930s to the present day. Starting from the early influence of British constructivism on Australian painters and sculptors of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, the exhibition traces a growing awareness of Russian Constructivism among artists of later generations through to contemporary practices. In keeping with the Constructivist impetus towards an integration of ideas across all the art forms, the display includes painting and sculpture, video and photography, the graphic arts as well as theatre and costume design by visual artists. Works by wide array of Australian artists Ralph Balson, Frank Hinder, Inge King, Gunter Christmann, George Johnson, Robert Owen, Rose Nolan, Justene Williams and Zoë Croggon, among many others are shown alongside those by key proponents of the original movement, such as Russian artists Rodchenko, Malevich, El Lissitzky and Alexandra Exter from Russia, and British artists Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth.

II.

Exhibition: Recalictrant Bodies
Artist: Isadora Vaughan
Venue: The Honeymoon Suite  
Dates: until 23rd September  

Recalcitrant Bodies is a sculptural installation by Isadora Vaughan, which includes individual works and text by Clementine Edwards, Debris Facility, Amanda Horowitz and Aodhan Madden. Spanning across the entire gallery, Vaughan utilises steel, ceramic and glass to build a ground across the space, one that houses tender, sculptural manifestations of an imagined body’s interior. A poem by Clementine Edwards plays through earbuds strung up and threaded between a loose mobile of beeswax in the shape of a flying, mollusc-like coat hanger. 

The poem charts a non-linear experience of violence. Textile and sculptural works by Amanda Horowitz draw, tape, glue, drag, burn, and prick pictures onto bodies. She disrupts the pattern or silhouette of cloth and readymade clothing, creating costumes and backdrops for a violently stylish theatre diorama - a cape that can be worn slung across the face of power. Circling around the space, Aodhan Madden contributes a series of small texts, dissolving, weeping, moving towards absorption. In 2016 Debris Facility made a film of a performance with Vaughan’s installation Cunjevoi exhibited at Station Gallery, Melbourne in 2016. Here, the film will be represented, absorbed, reiterating the messy lines of authorship and further subverting any claims of ownership that the individual works might once have made.Recalcitrant Bodies wills felt bodies out of a recipe of dissimilar ingredients, baking them into the building’s mass. It uses the context of material enquiry to engage in the politics of synthetics, feminism, ownership and trauma; and interrogates how these things can manifest in some physical state, bound and unbound by the laws of nature. 

III.

Exhibition: Me they shall feel while I am able to stand
Artist: Daisy Watkins-Harvey
Venue: Bus Projects
Dates: until 23rd September  

Daisy Watkins-Harvey’s Me they shall feel while I am able to stand consists of two new gestural paintings and a sculptural piece made from steel and marble. The exhibition is a meditation on fear, violence and uncertainty. Intuitive and gestural in approach, the works are studies by the artist on the expression of human emotional stages, and the indeterminate space between imagination and memory. The exhibition is presented in the smallest gallery space at Bus Projects, a non-profit organization in Collingwood that presents a tightly curated program throughout its five conjoined galleries each month. Being able to present multiple exhibitions in one month under the one roof enables introduction between artist and audience.  

Take a private art tour with Charlotte in Melbourne to discover more!