green pink caviar

“A delicate balance between beauty and disgust.”

Something to convince tourists they just don’t “get” New York… Marilyn Minter has taken out an aggressive advertisement for her new exhibition in the form of MTV’s HD billboard in Times Square at 44th Street. “Chewing Color” is an oddly captivating eight-minute video of a model’s mouth lapping up oozing substances. The extremely close shots give the viewer a slightly disconcerting view of every taste bud of hers licking up goo-like candy. Something about it makes us feel as if we’re watching something taboo, but we can’t tear our eyes away! Imagine the feeling on a 44-foot billboard.

Minter shot the scenes in between takes of a MAC make-up shoot. A five-minute version of the film will be on display in Times Square until April 30th, and a 60-second trailer will be screened before midnight shows at the Sunshine Cinema. For times of the showings in Times Square, click here.

“Chewing Color” is an advertisement for her latest exhibit, Green Pink Caviar. Green Pink Caviar is Minter’s continuing exploration of glamour and its dark underbelly, focusing on the thin line between desirable beauty and robust revulsion. Whether or not you find her work appealing or grotesque, it definitely evokes a strong reaction.

“I don’t want to sound disingenuous, but to me it’s not sexy—it’s gorgeous. It’s about hunger and insatiability, a trailer without a movie behind it, an ad only for itself.” – Marilyn Minter

Her exhibit at Salon 94 will be her second solo exhibition there, and is made up of photorealistic paintings and painterly photographs. The exhibition will run from April 28 to June 13.

Salon 94
12 East 94th Street
New York, NY 10128
646-672-9212
www.salon94.com

barnumville

Matt Hoyle brings beauty and class to freakshows with “Barnumville.” Inspired by the town of Gibsonton, Florida, where vacationing circus folk used to frequent, Hoyle imagines his show to be about a town occupied by sideshow performers in the 1940’s. Notably absent are the bold, bright colors we usually associate with the circus. The oddities of each portrait are captured so gracefully in black and white that they evoke a cinematic feeling, allowing the power and essence of each character to show through.

"The project actually came about and still has the intention of creating 14 cinematic format scenes. I am in the process of creating those scenes in CGI, which is very similar to the process in motion picture CGI movies. These fourteen scenes will depict Barnumville as a realistic 1940’s Florida town inhabited by sideshow performers. These black and white portraits were initially just a recording. I didn’t know they would have such an impact. But the features on each of their faces told so much that I had to create a separate series." – Matt Hoyle












Check out more of the work here: http://www.jkand.com/public/matt-hoyle/barnumville/barnumvillians021a.jpg

http://www.matthoyle.com/

gwon osang

“A new method of playing with illusion and reality” – Gwon Osang

Gwon Osang has created his own form of art, and it’s amazing: the photographic sculpture. An unparalleled arist from Korea, Gwon is a graduate of Hongik University’s sculpture department. His artwork looks as if it might be ceramic statues, but when you get closer you see it’s made up entirely of photographs. Gwon takes hundreds of meticulous photographs of one model and then layers them over a mannequin. By strategically distorting what is real, he plays with the idea of truth.


In his “Deodorant Type” exhibition, Gwon featured 14 life-size sculptures using thousands of photographic images.













In his newest exhibition, “The Sculpture,” he creates a supercar out of bronze.







Gwon talks about ideas for his next work:

“The next concept I have in mind is art that can neither be owned nor collected. At the same time, I realize that even if I make such an endeavor, the galleries will probably find a way to turn them into a saleable item. A pertinent example would be the sand mandala drawn by Tibetan monks. 

Buddhist monks in their self-discipline spend weeks creating sand mandala after which they sweep it away into the river to signify that life is transient. However, if you visit Buddhist museums you'll find such mandalas glued to a canvas for display. So I'm guessing that my next work will probably be made into a form that can be owned. The Flat also embodies a similar concept, the transience of excess, if you can call it that. 

In The Sculpture I also painted things that are heavy to make them look lighter. To me, this society is futile and temporal. There are always two sides of the coin to everything, and everything is cyclical. My view of life is pretty much based on this belief.”

And his “rules for working”:

“The most important rule is to include various codes that can be interpreted in multiple ways. I don’t believe in having my messages delivered accurately. I’m just giving the audience a number of signs for them to find their way to the destination. This may seem callous but I think it is actually the nicest answer to the audience. 

After seeing a film, some moviegoers would often say the film was too difficult to understand. I think it is impossible to see a visual image and think of it as being too complex. All you have to do is just look at what is passing before your eyes. The audience has only to see it and interpret it based on their own life experiences. 

I think there is a range of communication that can be achieved through contemporary art. People at times daydream when they are really busy. I believe that communicating that daydream is a key function of contemporary art. I sometimes think to myself that an artist is somebody who sits at a quite cafe and enjoys himself in place of other people who are too busy to do so. In fact, I personally think that artists should have greater leisure to produce better work. When an artist is too preoccupied, the works will often suffocate.”

www.osang.net

sex cells

Looking for your fifteen minutes of fame? Got any dirty pictures on your phone? You could be in Bushwick art space 3rd Ward’s upcoming show, “Sex Cells.” By accepting erotic cell phone texts, videos, and photos, “Sex Cells” aspires to highlight the transformation of the cell phone from an enabler of everyday conversation into a device for furthering our sex lives. The tamest submission so far seems to be a picture of the crotch of a man’s jeans, called “The Bulge,” and the rest defy normal social boundaries. To be a part of the lascivious fun, go to www.3rdward.com/sexcells; the most intriguing submission will be awarded $500. As 3rd Ward says, “It’s time to show sloppy celebrities and indiscreet politicians how it’s done.” The show opens on June 12.