Agnes Richter (1844–1918) was a German seamstress who was a patient in a psychiatric hospital where she created her embroidered jacket. She worked on it for many years, sewing personal messages and markings onto the garment’s surface. It is a complex mixture of drawing and writing. Much like a scrawl, the scratching on prison walls, […]
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Artist Ange Arthur Koua, born in Ivory Coast (Abidjan) in 1989, has created a striking body of work using various symbolic materials, specifically emphasizing worn garments and fabric. His work is both personal and political, without a specific agenda. He gives us the freedom to understand what is often unspoken. Ange’s first solo exhibition in
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People have created “installation art” since they discovered they could make marks. Denmark artist Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen’s unique installation was an impressive and complimentary display in the Richard Winthers’ house. “This something, this in between” opened on April 30th in Denmark. How the physical reality of our environment affects the inner reality of our mind and
carol heft “connections”: susanne schmidt-nielsen of denmark Read More »
Drawn together with Marie Cecile Aptel and Jean Pierre Bourquin Any working relationship, regardless of its duration or scale, requires compatible partners. Compatible partners include people who disagree or have opposing feelings. In fact, I have found that working cooperatively is most satisfying when my collaborators are unlike me in distinctive ways. Compatibility and differences
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The impact of time as we know it, or don’t know it, on our work and lives is a question that both haunts and delights. How do we understand history? Is progress linear? Do artists grow in increments like Erik Erikson’s description of human development? How am I similar to or different from the person I
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Why do we leave out so much when we study art history? Wouldn’t exposure to different cultures and aesthetic ideas benefit us all? Who determines what we study in art history books or what we see in museums and art galleries? How do critics, gallery directors, and dealers manipulate public opinion? It has been said
carol heft “connections”: a case for inclusion Read More »
chalk on slate drawings: Ron Shelton’s art is political in both process and content. The fact that he uses perishable materials reflects his feelings about the aesthetic experience; “precious”, contrasted with the ordinary entering the world of the sublime. Using a slate board and various kinds of chalks, he transforms the drawing surface into a
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According to the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Of course, it depends on the picture (and the words). An image which connects the artist, and by extension, the viewer, to his or her feelings, and provokes the exploration of ideas, is, perhaps worth a thousand words. The relationship between visual symbol and
carol heft “connections”: truth under the surface Read More »
With artist Imam Sucahyo, Indonesia. According to Dr. Hans Prinzhorn (1886-1933), art created by people with psychiatric illness and art by the masters are both “valid expressions of the psyche.” But what relationship is there between valid expressions of the psyche and art? This brings us to such questions as what is art, and how
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Artist Joskin Shiljan, Serbia Like the aesthetic that characterizes much of the Art Brut, Tachisme and Cobra movements, Joskin Shilian’s work both delights and disturbs; it combines graphics, drawing, painting, and text into a universal language of symbol, rather than depiction. Primary colors and black and white lines echo the luminosity of leaded borders in
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Carol Heft on artist Jean Pierre Bourquin In an almost perpetually generative state, Jean Pierre Bourquin’s work is saturated with life, fun and energy. An incredibly prolific artist, he is known for using recycled objects such as cereal boxes, packaging, paper plates, and found bits and pieces along with more traditional support materials, with a
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Carol Heft’s critique of Matthew Dibbles’s painting Pearl Beach. This was Matthew’s first solo exhibition in New York. “Useful Pressures,” at First Street Gallery, is a gateway to a sumptuous world of painterly abstraction; a conduit to a place where the language of painting and drawing come together with seamless integration. The dancing lines and
carol heft “connections”: artist matthew dibble, usa Read More »