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PHOTOS: Voodoo by Cristina Garcia Rodero
If you like voodoo, you’ll love the work of Cristina Garcia Rodero. Here’s the link:
Contradiction Remains Vital to Pakistan and Its Art
As a crew of riggers finished hoisting a big taxidermied water buffalo onto its surreal perch the other day at the Asia Society Museum on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, there was a certain logistical satisfaction for those who looked on. “Watch the tail, guys, the tail!” one rigger yelled as the beast was pivoted into place atop a tall Ionic column, where it seemed to have climbed in its confusion.
But the sense of symbolic accomplishment in the feat was much greater. The water buffalo is a ubiquitous presence in many areas of Pakistan, where its tail is often painted red with henna. And the ascension of one onto a pedestal — to create a comically eerie sculpture by the artist Huma Mulji — was an apt metaphor for the larger exhibition being installed around it that morning in several of the museum’s galleries.
The Treacherous Lure of the Art Market
LONDON — The art market lure is irresistible to outsiders with money to spend and a weak spot for painting or sculpture. The huge numbers tossed out by auction houses at the end of major sales further stimulate the temptation to have a fling, particularly when they hear that in contrast to the rest of the economy, the art market continues to be bullish.
Far from sagging, prices have held up during the recession. New auction records were set throughout the first half of 2009. So, newcomers might conclude, here is the dream area for investors. Sadly, there is a snag. If “investment” means spending cash in the hope of making a profit on the basis of careful calculation, using objective data and dependable measuring instruments, then investment is the wrong word. There are no identical units in art, because no two works are ever absolutely similar, making exact calculation impossible.
In painting, this is obvious. One landscape by Claude Monet does not equal another landscape by the same Monet. Even if painted in the same year, the subject will differ. And even if painted in the same place, the light, the composition, the density of the color scheme will vary. The prices that Monets will fetch may be $2 million or $20 million, or more, depending on a host of factors, like size, period, subject, color. To understand the reasons for each specific price, prospective buyers must have an eye trained to evaluate the quality of the composition, the vibrancy of the tonalities. And even if they enjoy that ability, this is still not enough.
Nobuyoshi Araki
Nobuyoshi Araki (荒木 経惟 Araki Nobuyoshi?, born May 25, 1940 in Tokyo) is a Japanese photographer and contemporary artist. He is also known by the nickname Arākī (アラーキー?).
Biography
Araki studied photography during his college years and then went to work at the advertising agency Dentsu, where he met his future wife, the essayist Yōko Araki (荒木陽子 Araki Yōko?). After they were married, Araki published a book of pictures of his wife taken during their honeymoon titled Sentimental Journey. She later died in 1990. Pictures taken during her last days were published in a book titled Winter Journey.
Having published over 350 books (and still more every year) Araki is considered one of the most prolific artists alive or dead in Japan and around the world. Many of his photographs are erotic; some have been called pornographic. Some of his most popular photography books are Sentimental Journey, Tokyo Lucky Hole, and Shino. He also contributed photography to the Sunrise anime series Brain Powerd.
The Icelandic musician Björk is an admirer of Araki’s work, and served as one of his models. At her request he photographed the cover and inner sleeve pages of her 1997 remix album, Telegram.
Araki’s life and work were the subject of Travis Klose‘s 2005 documentary film Arakimentari.
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