Roni Horn, no title
Some Thames is literally the idea of a finite thing having an infinite range of appearance or expression because of its inseparable relation to other things, which is what water is — its relation to other things. When I look at water I’m entering into an event of relation. Rather than an object, water becomes […]
Cyclone Lounger
You can almost hear the “click clacking” of Coney Island’s famous Cyclone roller coaster when you look at the white laser-cut metal base of this lounge chair. One of several items in Uhuru‘s Coney Island Line, this piece is crafted from reclaimed wood from the demolished iconic boardwalk. “The Ipe, first installed on the boardwalk in […]
Lee Lozano, Wave Series
“Now I realize that the wave series must be kept private, within the studio, to be available only to those people I like enough to invite over, or those who have the chutzpah to come uninvited. Make another kind of art for the outside world.†––Lee Lozano on her “Wave” Series, April 3, 1969.
Serena Mitnik Miller
San Francisco based artist Serena Mitnik Miller watercolor on paper (above) and custom painting on a board (below). See more of her work here: twobirdsfly.blogspot.com.
Catherine Opie, Untitled #10 (Surfers)
“I’m a multidimensional person—I don’t have a singular identity. I’m not just Cathy Opie the leather-dyke artist. I’m Cathy Opie the person who’s interested in cities, architecture, landscape, my family. People say, ‘Your work is so diverse,’ but it’s actually not that diverse when you take a broad look or when you walk through this […]
The Last Mountain
Don’t miss this moving documentary about a passionate group of citizens who are trying to stop Big Coal corporations in Appalachia. Still showing at theaters throughout the U.S. and available for purchase on DVD. “The central front in the battle for America’s energy future, with enormous consequences for the health and economic prospects of every […]
Paul Thek, Untitled Seascape
Also, if in LA then there’s still time to see the best show of the year (so far)—Paul Thek’s retrospective. It’s on view at the Hammer Museum until August 28.
Lesley Vance, Untitled
If in LA, don’t miss Lesley Vance’s solo show at David Kordansky Gallery. Closes August 13. Review here!
Underwater Art Installation
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor is a former scuba instructor who’s found a novel way to reduce tourists’ footprints on Caribbean coral reefs: create a new reef. Using marine-grade cement designed to foster coral growth, deCaires Taylor sculpted more than 400 life-size human figures and submerged them 30 feet underwater. The sculpture installation—strategically located near the […]
Lawrence Weiner, Rocks Upon the Beach Sand Upon the Rocks
“Weiner’s medium is language. As a Conceptual artist his constructions of words and phrases seek to affect our perception of the spaces they are presented in. In appearance the language used by the artist is plain and neutral. In effect, however, this particular piece is quite evocative—the artist invites us to imagine ourselves surrounded by […]
Agnes Martin, Falling Blue
“When people go to the ocean, they like to see it all day. . . . There’s nobody living who couldn’t stand all afternoon in front of a waterfall. It’s a simple experience, you become lighter and lighter in weight, and you wouldn’t want anything else. Anyone who can sit on a stone in a […]
Mark Wyse, Surfers
“Sentimental†is a word I don’t feel comfortable acknowledging. I prefer “naïve,†“absorbed,†“impressionistic,†anything except “sentimental.†I tend to defend against it by intellectualizing my desires. When making a mix-tape for someone you don’t have to deal with your conscience beating down on you. What better gift is there than what two lovers might […]
Blanket Statement
Fort Makers was founded by good friends Naomi Clark, Nana Spears and Noah James Spencer. “Our name is about making forts, as kids do, and also as adults do. For instance, small colonial American forts are an inspiration as well,” says Spears of the creative collaboration. “Any small group of people (tribes, forts, etc.) are […]
Mary Heilmann, Surfing on Acid
“I came to New York expecting to align myself with the sculptors, like Smithson. . . . I thought I would be part of that gang. Of course, that doesn’t happen so easily. I wasn’t invited into the Smithson/Serra gang. So I switched my practice rather vocally to painting, because they all hated painting.†—Mary […]
The Reclaimed-Wood Bowls of Alex Downs
Brooklyn-based artist Alex Downs makes bowls out of rummaged scrap wood that he glues together then carves with a chainsaw on a giant spinning wheel. It’s a high-octane version of pottery “throwing.” When he works, bits of wood fly through the room and sometimes even lodge themselves into the walls. The end results are beautiful […]
Raymond Pettibon, No Title (Some things…)
“I don’t think I’ve ever done an image that was meant to be reoccurring in the beginning. What happens is that after drawing one you can’t leave them. They have more to say to you. In a way it can take on a life of its own. I guess people probably think that these are […]
Feasts in the Fields
For more than a decade, Jim Denevan—artist, chef and surfer—has staged amazing outdoor dinners with his roving culinary adventure, Outstanding in the Field.
A Short Review of Jeff Divine’s New Book
A short review of Jeff Divine’s Surfing Photographs from the Eighties Taken by Jeff Devine in the summer issue of Bookforum.
Trisha Donnelly, Untitled
A black-and-white photo affixed directly to the wall. A white border frames the image of a rock jutting out of water. Waves eddying around its base suggest it is an ocean rock. The rock rises from the left, descends, rises even higher to a peak, descends deeply, then rises and plateaus creating a slightly rounded […]
Vija Celmins, Untitled (Big Sea #1)
“It is about the huge, lonely patience that is fundamental to art that is not based upon the parading of self. Miss Celmins does not wish to present herself as  ‘amusing’ or ‘brilliant’ or ‘inventive.’ ” She can do all those things, and she did them to great effect when she first came to notice […]
Surfrider Gets Artists to Paint Epic Waves
From the LA Times “In celebration of the Surfrider Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Gala, held in fall 2009 in downtown L.A., the organization asked 25 contemporary artists to interpret 25 of the world’s most legendary surf breaks. The artworks were a part of the third installment of the nonprofit’s “Art for the Oceans†auction series.
Four Costa Rican Artists to Watch
Artist links: Rosella Matamoros Rafael Azofeifa Federico Herrero Cinthya Soto
Robert Rauschenberg’s Art for Sustainability
Robert Rauschenberg is … surprise … an artist who has done a lot of pro-environment art, including the first Earth Day poster in 1970. There’s a show in New York City that opened yesterday, which displays art he’s made that deals with issues of global warming. If you happen to be in the Big Apple, […]
