April Issue
Hito Steyerl How Not To
Be Seen 2013
Interview
No Solution
Hito Steyerl interviewed by Jennifer Thatcher
Filmmaker Hito Steyerl is one of the most prominent exponents of the so-called 'object turn', embracing a coevalence between self and object. Here, she discusses why the mind is like an iPad, searches for her martyred friend's remains and for images of herself as an S&M model, and explains why the art-education industry is a huge Ponzi scheme.
'I never promised to solve any problem. It is interesting that people keep expecting me to anyway, as if I had signed a contract. But I didn't. It's fine for people to have expectations to this end, but why should I fulfil them? People also expect me to represent Japanese culture, foreigners as such, the internet or to wear size zero. Let me repeat: I am not a social engineer and I don't want to be. And I don't think there should be any prescribed role for artists just as there shouldn't be any for mothers or secretaries.'
Regina José Galindo Lesson of dissection 2011
Feature
Object/Self
Francis Frascina on the objects of exclusion
The recent 'object turn' in art is perhaps best understood as an extension of the regressive 'pictorial turn' of the 1990s. Seen in this light, are current trends a backwards step for all the representational gains made by artists since the 1970s?
'I want to examine whether the new discipline of the image/object turn is a reactionary re-entrenchment of exclusivity and marginalisation.'
Ian Hamilton Finlay A, E, I, O, Blue 1992
Feature
Art/Write
John Douglas Millar makes a case for contemporary art literature
If the nascent 'art writing' field has lost its way, it is not from a lack of interest in the connection between the two disciplines. To continue being productive, however, should not art go beyond mere 'writing' and embrace the deep critical history of 'literature'?
'The question was always open as to what the "art" in "art writing" actually denoted. Was it used, as it would be for art music, to denote a sphere of formal difficulty and conceptual seriousness? Or was it writing about art?'
Comment
Editorial
North & South
Arguments aimed at creating divisions within the country are unhelpful when evidence shows that pooled resources can create expanding, sustainable networks.
'Co-operation is the way forward for smaller organisations, not as an alternative to much-needed extra government funding, but in addition to it. The argument that has broken out between Bradford City Council and its counterpart in Leeds over perceived disproportionate funding is thus somewhat misdirected, which is ironic given that one of the organisations it funds is a theatre group called Mind the Gap.'
Artnotes
Under pressure of artist boycotts, Sydney Biennale drops its controversial corporate sponsor, an action that draws chilling rebuke from the Australian arts minister; Elmgreen & Dragset's public artwork Prada Marfa suffers artistic vandalism and is threatened with demolition; research shows the depressing state of the gender imbalance among directorships at US museums; reports suggest that London's poor pay and high living costs are leading to a curatorial brain drain; Boris Johnson courts the Guggenheim for a Stratford outpost; the latest news on galleries, events, appointments, prizes and more.
Obituaries
Rose Finn-Kelcey 1945-2014
Alexis Hunter 1948-2014
Submissions: Send news items to artnotes@artmonthly.co.uk
Public Movement Dancing in the Streets / How long is now? 2011 performance at the Occupy social protests, Tel Aviv
Profile
Public Movement
Bob Dickinson on the Tel Aviv-based 'performative research group'
Public Movement utilises narrative fiction and commercial branding exercises to choreograph events that challenge institutional positions on migration, representation and public protest.
'I was introduced to a dark-haired, neatly attired woman who, during the next 20 minutes, imparted a complex story containing a great deal of information, about which I was not allowed to take notes but was requested to memorise, to the best of my ability.'
Reviews
Exhibitions
Keywords: Art, Culture and Society in 1980s Britain
Tate Liverpool
Jonathan Harris
Recalling the Future: Post-Revolutionary Iranian Art
Brunei Gallery, London
Jamal Penjweny: Saddam is Here
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
Virginia Whiles
5th Marrakech Biennale: Where are we now?
various venues
Daniella Rose King
AV Festival
various venues
Paul Usherwood
Edward Chell: Soft Estate
Spacex, Exeter
Stephen Lee
Camille Henrot: The Pale Fox
Chisenhale, London
Adam Pugh
Cevdet Erek: Alt Üst
Spike Island, Bristol
Morgan Quaintance
Martin Creed: What's the point of it?
Hayward Gallery, London
Anna Dezeuze
Mark Garry: A Winter Light
The Model Sligo
Joanna Laws
Ship to Shore: Art and the Lure of the Sea
John Hansard Gallery & SeaCity Museum, Southampton
Jennifer Thatcher
London Round-up
Peles Empire • Kate MacGarry • Laura Bartlett Gallery • Matt's Gallery
Chris Fite-Wassilak
Reviews
Books
David Joselit: After Art
Morgan Quaintance queries this take on art after the internet
'While the attempt to dismantle the Benjaminian roadblock is laudable, the use of computational metaphor (the human artist as search engine) is reductive, restrictive and as inaccurate as the popular brain-as-hard-drive analogy.'
Report
Letter from South-East Asia
The Pretenders
Andrew J Stooke visits the wannabe Asian art centres
'In all the cities aspiring to be an art hub for South-East Asia, mammoth new museum projects are taking shape. In Shanghai the state-run Power Station of Art, as the name suggests, like London's Tate Modern, has emerged in a cavernous riverside industrial site.'
Artlaw
Copyright
Post-Internet Art
Henry Lydiate on copyright licences for digitally distributed art
'It is valuable to consider the use made by many artists of copyright licences developed and made freely available online by Creative Commons, a US-based not-for-profit organisation founded in 2001 whose licences are based on copyright but do not require would-be users to negotiate bespoke terms and conditions of use with copyright owners.'
Listings
Events
London Art Calendar
This month's highlights include:
- Christo talk Royal Academy of Arts 6.30pm Wed 9 Apr
- Judith Barry, Jean Fisher & Omar Kholeif in conversation Whitechapel Gallery 6.30pm Thu 10 Apr
- Sculpture-Performance: Acme Artists Now Acme High House Studios 3.00pm Sat 19 Apr
The updated London events calendar can also be viewed online.
Submissions: Send event info to calendar@artmonthly.co.uk
Exhibitions
Exhibition Listings
Art Monthly's exhibition listings can also be viewed online.
Submissions: Send listings to listings@artmonthly.co.uk
Audio
Art Monthly Audio
On the Radio
Art Monthly hosts a talk show to discuss the current issue at 8pm on the second Monday of each month on Resonance 104.4 FM.
Next broadcast: 8pm Monday 14 April
On iTunes
The Art Monthly Talk Show is available as a podcast on iTunes – subscribe for free automatic downloads.
Online
Audio recordings are available in the Events section of the Art Monthly website: www.artmonthly.co.uk/events
Recent additions:
Opportunities
Opportunities
Jobs
Project Curator – Modern Collections
The British Museum, London | 4 Apr
www.britishmuseum.org
Lecturers in Fine Art and Critical & Contextual Studies
Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen | 6 Apr
www4.rgu.ac.uk
Curator
The Hepworth Wakefield | 7 Apr
www.hepworthwakefield.org
Programme Co-ordinator
Studio Voltaire, London | 8 Apr
www.studiovoltaire.org
Collections Assistant
Arts Council Collection, Longside | 10 Apr
https://southbank.irecruittotal.com
Director
Liverpool School of Art & Design | 15 Apr
https://jobs.ljmu.ac.uk
Director
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Germany | 30 Apr
www.theartnewspaper.com
Competitions/Commissions
The Derwent Art Prize
For works created in pencil, the Derwent Art Prize offers a total of £12,650 to international artists over 18 working in this versatile medium.
The Derwent Art Prize
| 9 Jun
www.derwent-artprize.com
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Open Call: Site-Specific commissions
InTRANSIT, London | 7 Apr
www.rbkc.gov.uk
The John Ruskin Prize
Millenium Gallery, Sheffield | 7 Apr
www.campaignfordrawing.org
The East London Painting Prize
Bow Arts, London | 10 Apr
www.bowarts.org
The Playable City Awards
Watershed, Bristol | 11 Apr
www.watershed.co.uk
Billboard Commission
Bloc Projects, Sheffield | 20 Apr
www.blocprojects.co.uk
Residencies/Fellowships
Call for applications – Rome Fellowship in Contemporary Art 2014-15
3-month studio residency in Rome for an early-career artist with track record in exhibiting. Accommodation, board, grant of £1,500 per month.
British School at Rome, Italy
| 24 Apr
www.bsr.ac.uk
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Kala Fellowship Awards
Kala Institute, Berkeley, USA | 4 Apr
www.kala.org
Research Fellow
University of Southampton | 4 Apr
https://jobs.soton.ac.uk
KFATHOM Artists Residency programme
Four Corners, London | 7 Apr
www.fourcornersfilm.co.uk
Space Residencies
The White Building, London | 25 Apr
www.thewhitebuilding.org.uk
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London | 1 May
http://jobs.arts.ac.uk
Exhibiting
CALL FOR ENTRIES – Exeter Contemporary Open 2014
Submissions are invited from across the UK for this significant annual exhibition. Awards include £1,000 Main Award, £500 Additional Award & £200 Audience Award.
Exeter Phoenix
| 13 Jun
www.exeterphoenix.org.uk
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Open North Call for Entries
The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal | 13 Apr
www.breweryarts.co.uk
MAC International – Open Call
The MAC, Belfast | 30 Apr
www.themacinternational.com
Indie Vision Call – for Artists
Metal, Peterborough | 30 Apr
www.metalculture.com
Juried Solo Exhibition Programme
NARS Foundation, New York, USA | 1 May
www.narsfoundation.org
Panorama Festival – Moving Image Works
Impakt, Utrecht, The Netherlands | 1 May
www.impakt.nl
Call for Exhibition Proposals
Kunst Kraft Werk, Leipzig, Germany | 1 May
www.kunstkraftwerk-leipzig.com
Scholarships/Grants
DIY projects Call for Proposals
Live Art Development Agency | 29 Apr
www.thisisliveart.co.uk
Postgraduate Scholarships
University of the Arts London | various deadlines
www.arts.ac.uk
Part-time PhD Studentships
Institute for Creative Industries, Edinburgh | 7 Apr
www.napier.ac.uk
ECA PhD and PG Scholarships
The University of Edinburgh | 11 Apr
www.eca.ed.ac.uk
Artist Studios
Large Purpose-built Studios
Acme High House, Purfleet | ongoing
www.acme.org.uk
Residential Artist Studios
Firestation, Dublin, Ireland | 15 May
www.firestation.ie
Submissions: Send opportunities to opportunities@artmonthly.co.uk
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