3 women at MAM Vienna

The first work  'New Citizen', when entering the spacious gallery, was a large mural.  In the large wall, that looked like an intriguing wallpaper, three small screens showing different videos.  A work by Turkish artist Inci Eviner.  Taking pictures from this work was not allowed, but you can have a look at it via this LINK on the artists' site.

"In her sculptures, video works and performances, Madeleine Berkheimer (NL) plays with social conventions from a sexual and erotic perspective, hereby confidently using her own body, challenging the voyeuristic gaze of her audience".

The realism in these sculptures is so stunning, I kept looking to find something that would convince me the leg wasn't real.  The veins, wrinkles, skin tone and irritation at the squeezed toes, a few hairs that escaped waxing the leg are very realistic... fascinating and disturbing at the same time.

More legs 'Noire' from another artist: Ana Rito (P).

Seen in May during

curated by_vienna 2010

Mario Mauroner Contemporary art Vienna

http://www.galerie-mam.com/

more on curated by ... tomorrow
to view all posts on Vienna click label below.

Vienna continued

Sunny May-days in Vienna Austria ...

The MuseumsQuartier is definitely a place not to be missed.  The former imperial stables are buzzing with activities.

'With its about 50 institutions for contemporary art and culture the MuseumsQuartier Wien is one of the ten largest cultural areas worldwide'.

Visual and performing arts, dance, architecture, theatre and music as well as new media, design, film, cultural activities for young and old, and eight different gastronomic venues. (we had a nice lunch in one of them)

One can easily spend a day here visiting all the exhibitions at the Leopold Museum, The MUMOK (Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna) and the Kunsthalle Wien.  And there is a great bookshop on architecture to spend more time in.

MuseumsQuartier Wien

www.mqw.at/

The day ends with the sun going down on the old part of Vienna.

Bottom right on the picture above is the city hall and it is a copy of the one in Brussels (I was told), the resemblance is striking apart from the fact that the Vienna building is symmetrical and the one in Brussels isn't.

Back home I realized that the memory card of my camera had let me down in Vienna.  The photo shop managed to rescue my pictures.  I will post a selection of the galleries I've visited back in May.

farniente

Beautiful summer days ... time to relax and enjoy the outdoor life.

This is what I'd like to do just now, but I'm actually too busy working to make a decent post and relax.

Just want to share this nice idea I saw recently at a party.

France & Hugues Siptrott - Sculpture

A secret valley hidden in the Northern Vosges in France.

Sculptures along an alley leading towards a peaceful haven.

We're at France & Hugues Siptrott's hide-away where the artists both live and work together.

A gallery, two studios and a large barn where the son will perform the first public view of the plays he writes.

Nice details wherever one looks.

The models of a group of 8 sculptures - Les Hommes de la Cité - the final version is at La Défense in Paris.

A peek into the sculpting studio.

Just another stable with some of the smaller works.

Fascinating details wherever I look.

Great textures in wood.

A whole community of sculptures populates the valley.

Apart from being passionate sculptors, France and Hugues own the charming guesthouse 'Auberge de la Faveur' (excellent food, nice atmosphere) in Windstein, Alsace.  If you like forest walks and ancient castle ruins in a silent environment, this is the place.

View more of the artists' work and guesthouse/gallery and painting studio by typing Siptrott in the 'search this blog' on top right of page.

UPDATE 18.10.2010

At the end of October 2010 'Auberge de la Faveur' is closing in its present form.
Taken over by a new owner it will have another name and a new chef in the kitchen.

nature plays landart

A long walk through a silent and shady forest, Windstein in the Northern Vosges of France.

We do have a goal at the end of the walk, but on our way we pass along part of the Maginot line built in the thirties.

A casemate is peaking out of the green.

I'm quite fascinated by the marks in the concrete dome.

But now I think it must be an iron dome, it has been shot at and the iron seems to have melted at the impact.

Underneath the dome, half sunken into the ground, the shelter with heavy door.

We continue our way and pass along a whole string of these small shelters.  The surrounding nature has decided to take over, it seems it has created a prehistoric sphinx-like living sculpture.

The casemates look like funny cartoonlike faces. 

A bit further we arrive at our destination ... a piece of heaven on earth.
More in the next days.

meanwhile ... at home

A lot of work outside in the garden and barn ... but I need to go back into the studio...

meanwhile ... in the garden

spider tree

Every day there is a new web at exactly the same location, a doorway in our garden we use daily.  I've walked into it several times ... the spider does not move and has woven it for the - I guess - fifteenth time.  I wish I did not have to destroy it, it looks just great.  Quite inspiring.