ArtMRKT
The traveling art world is in town this weekend, and we had to go see it with friend and artist, Harry Siter.
ArtMRKT is the way art is being sold these days–galleries from all over the world descend on an unsuspecting city, take over all the available exhibition space, invite the masses and hope for the best. In our case, there are three venues–Fort Mason, the Concourse Exhibition center at 7th and Townsend, and the Hotel Phoenix. Of the three, we enjoyed the Concourse center the most and the Hotel Phoenix the least.
The first piece in the door at the Concourse sets the tone:
Fear Culture, by Michelle Pred. A collage of items confiscated from travelers by the TSA.
All good art shows require some site-specific performance art these days, and ArtMRKT is no exception:
You’ll have to decide for yourself what it means
The man above was collecting signatures for his petition. Of course, I signed:
The supply of art is vast; deciding what you want/need is always a challenge. We have a collection of spheres just off the driveway, and Gail noticed this one:
Contemplating an addition to our sphere collection
This is a beautiful design created out of wind-felled old growth cedar from Stanley Park in Vancouver; it would make a handsome addition to what we have. The $11,000 price tag, though, made the decision quick and easy. If you hurry there today, you might be able to pick it up for $10,250.
Didn’t get the artist’s name, but I love this piece.
I’m seeing a trend to photorealism in sculpture, which can be unnerving when it is life sized, as well. This piece is only about 2 1/2 feet tall, but has such considerable presence and feeling that it fills a room anyway.
You can’t like them all
An interesting thing about art shows is the you can find pieces you hate interesting. This looks like a totem pole of politicians with gunk coming out of their noses. It’s about 15 feet tall, and just obnoxious. I wouldn’t have it in the house or the yard, and yet it is compelling enough to photograph and write about. That’s the art world for you.
Totally Unauthorized 