Childhood Memories

Grandmother, she is always present. I remember her sitting by the window in the afternoons, in the room that leads to the bathroom. A nice light falls in the room, she sits in solitude. With her colors and her brush she paints her city from a window in that room. From that window I can see the backyard, or at least part of it, I can see the short road up to where the fruit trees grow plump and sweet. On the far right side of the yard is where my grandmother raised pigs. She would feed them a thick cereal made out of yellow corn flour, they grew very big. At certain seasons my grandmother's backyard became a most delicious place to be, filled with fruit trees; Pe de Jabuticaba, Pe de Goiaba, Arvore de Abacate, Abacaxi, Uvas, Pe de Limao, Cana, Amora, Fruta do Conde, enfim, my grandmother planted everything. I remember she would wake up early, make coffe and start to take care of her daily bussiness. She would wash the linens and sheets outside in the tank, the water was very cold, it came from a big cemented block up high in the yard. As far as I can remember, I grew up watching my grandmother plant seeds and I watched her gather from those seeds. Her cooking was my favorite, her food had the flavors of the earth. My grandmother loved to wacth tv, after dinner she would sit with her needles and yarn and while watching the soap operas which by the way are excelent, she would create beautifull kneatted blanckets. I remember she one day told me that my hair was pretty the way it was, a short afro. She never wore pants, always with a dark colored knee high skirt and a dark color top, preferably with some sort of collar. I never understood why, but I never asked either. When I left my country to come to the United States I left my grandmother. Time passed, she grew older. I visited my grandmother before she died and yes she was very old and very weak, and how I wish I could turn back time. I would sit with her by that window and ask her all the things I never did. I remember my grandmother and I know she remembers me.

A Review of the 1st DallasArt Fair, 2009

 Dallas Art Fair, 2009 -Review-

Sunday Symposium at F.I.G. Fashion Industry Gallery

1807 Ross Avenue

dallasartfair.com

The moderator and artist Gary Panter

 

Panelists:

Art patron Marguerite Hoffman, 

Dick Solomon with Pace Prints,

Art dealer John Berggruen, 

Julie Taubman, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

Format: 

Informal discussion identifying the various approaches to looking at artists' work by collectors and dealears.

- Question -

Where does it all begin?  The art buyer thing...

For those more conservative in taste, a deep involvement in the art world contributes to an educated choice, judgement based on traditional values. But there are those who rather recall childhood memories of summer camp spent in and out of museums and galleries, going to church with the family on sundays and taking in all the imagery, the icons, symbols of art and life. Attending art school or simply a trip to Marfa, Texas. 

- Question -

How is selection done?

How much is speculation, are collectors buying with their ears?

What about the patrons and philantropists?

What is their role?

Is it a passion, an obssesion?

- A summary -

Maguerite Hoffman: The nature of art collecting is speculative in nature and in turn it stabilizes the art, art acquisition should be like acquiring a spouse, you  need to know the history of the artist. It is a combination of passion and obssesion and everything that drives you , akin to falling in love, it is an addiction when you find yourself in a hotel room surrounded by bad art and you start to take teh work down and hide in the closet. Art should be seen by everyone, in a museum, collectors should collect to give back, art is an asset that will hopefully grow in value. 

Dick Solomon: Art is generational, art education and a strong relationship with the artist is important, as a dealer you need to educate the young collectors. There is no formula and there are no  more isms.

- Question-

The question is art globalization, what is new?

There are too  many styles and too many artists, artists having international following have a better chance, more exposure. The artists can look to the past but must push forward, craftsmanship and a break with the limits of medium, stressing material and meaning. Like global artists, approching their work in different ways, growing and competing with other things. Questioning what is sculpture? what is a print? A good example is Flavin's Yellow and Pink Fluorescent Light installation piece from 1969, an edition of 3/5.

Time runs out, the informal discussion ends, time to tour the galleries present at the Art Fair.

The 35 prominent participating galleries represent 12 U.S. cities, the exhibition space (F.I.G.), occupies 70,00 square feet in the heart of Downtown Dallas.

In my excitement I paid no attention to detail, I felt as if a was running through the exhibition like a kid running through the state fair, so much to see and so little time. To my excitement I stand in front of Romare Bearden's collages and watercolors, they are small and intimate, they are honest. Quite a few Jim Dine's Hearts, his famous Red Robe and a piece I had never seen before; Pinochio. Quite beautifull. Damien Hirst's  Orvieto, 2007, in a mozaic like style, butterfly wings and diamond dust are arranged in a tondo format remindes me of looking into a caleidoscope. Sol Lewit's Wall Piece no4, 1979, surrounded by Rauchenburg's prints, Chuck Close and Wolf Kahn's soft pallete landscapes overwelmed Lewit's Wall Piece, its grandiose in concept got lost, pitty, I  really like Lewit's work. Cy Twombly, David Smith, David Bates, Motherwell, Segal's sculptures and drawings, Picasso,  Jasper Jones' Target piece, they were all there occupying the same space, in print form or original, and there I was walking amongst these giants, the cannons of modern art. As I walk in a hurry to see all the works I begin to loose that sense of awe, somehow the fair format closes the gap between the artists and the viewer. It makes them more real, more accessible, art as a commodity. But it does not end with well known names, at least to me, the diversity in the works displayed by contemporary artists better reflected some of the issues informally pointed by the  panelist: craftsmanship, originality, fresh approaches, breaking with media bounderies, pushing the medium. Artists like Sarah Cain, Jasmin Sian, Yayoi Kusama, they are remaking the object, like a global artist, they are utilizing unconventional materials and seeing possibilities, paint becomes fabric, shell becomes color, color is simply color and meaning is implied in the medium. Playfullness, a truth to materials and the love of art making is what I experienced. It was an inspiring and validating experience, and I only wished I had an extra day.

So I leave you with these last words, continue to be inspired with your work whatever it is that you do and allow it to take you to new ways of expressing and communicating your voice.

Solange Mariel