Text and Light at Art Basel

"A Twilight Labyrnith (Alchemy)" by Josiah McElheny (2019)

In the hustle and bustle of Art Basel, Josiah McElheny's "A Twilight Labyrinth (Alchemy)" was an oasis of calm and beauty. Although it was installed in the wall, I kept approaching it from different angles, trying to figure out how many of his exquisite glass vases McElheny had included in this work. (I finally settled on six.) The illumination made the vases shimmer.  It was stunning.

McElheny's resume includes the Rhode Island School of Design, apprenticeships with master glassblowers such as Lino Tagliapetra and, oh yes, a MacArthur Genius grant. He often replicates objects found in Renaissance paintings and documentary photos. His mirrored works are considered an act of self-reflection and a metaphor for reflecting upon an idea. To see more of McElheny's work, click here.

"All You are is the Result of What You Have Thought"by Jesse Hein 

Now that we're in a self-reflective mood, I'll share "All You Are is the Result of What You Have Thought" by Jeppe Hein. The truth in the statement made me pull up short when I saw it. And looking right back at yourself as your brain makes a quick assessment of what you have been thinking recently adds even more power. If I were one to have a tagline at the end of my emails, I'd be tempted to use this.

Hein's work challenges viewers to be an active participant. And when I say active, I mean it.  His "Mobile Mobile" and "Light Pavilion II" only lit up when you rode a stationary bike attached to the work. Fabulous.

Then there was his recent "Breathe with Me" project. Years ago, Hein struggled with mental illness. He used simple breathing exercises to combat his panic attacks. In "Breathe with Me," Hein incorporated this concept into participatory art installations. The project was launched in connection with Climate Change Week, a symposium at the UN in which Hein participated.

The idea is simple. Standing in front of a blank canvas, the viewer is armed with a paintbrush and a bucket of blue paint. She takes a deep breath, dips the paintbrush into the bucket and paints a vertical line until all her air has been expelled. While the resulting artwork is fun, it's the process that's important. Multiple versions of "Breathe with Me" have been created, including a 600' long canvas in Central Park and a more modest version at the UN.

The connection with the issue of climate change is straightforward. As Hein said, "If you can't breathe, you can't live, the trees can't live. It's a very important thing." And while I like the political connection, I love the idea of including kids in a community art project -- and the advice he gave them. "Breathe in deep, deep, deep and roar like a lion."

To read more about "Breathe with Me," click here and here. And to see more of Hein's work, click here.

"for those who came to bear witness... 2018" 

by Ebony G. Patterson

Then there was "...for those who came to bear witness...2018" by Ebony G. Patterson. If you imposed a plaintive tone on Patterson's words (as I did), it's time for a do-over. Patterson intends the words as a demand rather than a request.

Like many artists today, Patterson works in a variety of mediums, from tapestries to sculpture to video. Her work explores issues of gender and race, often through the lens of the glitter and bling of Jamaican dance hall culture. Sometimes, as discussed in this article, you have to really look to notice what her work is saying. And that gets back to the concept of taking the time to look, rather than just see.

Patterson talked about the difference in an interview with Art Forum. "To look involves analysis," she said, "And with looking comes query. It's an active engagement...We take in so much information so quickly all the time. But we've lost a sense of what it means to just stop and look. In that stopping, the viewer might take away something, but that's entirely up to them.." Boy, am I guilty of merely seeing all too often. To read the complete interview, click here. To see all 16 fabric panels of  "for those who came to bear witness," click here. And to see more of Patterson's work, click here.

"Politicians Make Me Sick" by David Shrigley

I'll leave you with a very relatable work by David Shrigley. His simple drawings and humorous text attract me every time. (His "It's raining morons" from last year's Art Basel still makes me laugh.) Artspace Magazine likened his work to "the musings of a very wise child displaying the wit and humor of a seasoned observer of the adult world."

With only a few hours to see everything Art Basel had to offer, I didn't often spend much time in one booth. Then I was confronted with a wall of David Shrigley pieces. I'm talking at least 32 works. While it was a tad stressful to stay in one place for so long, I read every single one. And I enjoyed them all, from the dinosaur creeping up a set of stairs with the word "QUIETLY" written at the top to a bodiless head saying "My purpose has yet to become apparent. I am starting to consider the possibility that I might not have a purpose." to a group of anxious faces with the word "AUDITIONS" floating nearby.

While Shrigley's art falls much more in the realm of cartoons than fine art, he is a serious artist. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2013. His work is sometimes characterized as "outsider" art due to its naïve style. He considers himself, however, very much an artworld insider.

"Crap" by David Shrigley

The good news is that Shrigley seems to be exactly as you might expect after looking at his art. In an interview with Artspace, he was very down to earth and funny. He talked about everything from why he likes to take the occasional life drawing class to his role as an extra in "Trainspotting" to the art he and his wife have acquired in drunken moments. Click here to read the interview. And to see more of his work, click here.

I could continue on and on blogging about the art I saw at Art Basel. Reflecting on it -- and learning about the artists whose work caught my attention -- is half the fun. But the holidays are upon us, so this ends my 2019 Art Basel journey. Besides, the Sarasota Art Museum has just opened, and its two inaugural exhibits are highly blog-worthy.

Have a great holiday season. Hope you get a lot of good crap!