I feel kind of obliged to talk about Chinese pavilion as a Chinese. I am not sure whether it is out of national responsibility, or simply the problematic issues about the art works and curatorial practice there. It is indeed an exhibition I have words to say, and want my words heard. Also in the…
The Liberal Bubble Abroad
On one of our final days at the Generator Hostel in Venice, I was talking with group of people from England, and the conversation made its way to economics and politics. The discussion progressed, as political discussions between those from the United States and other countries often do, to the differences between the United State…
What Am I Looking At? No Seriously, What Am I Looking At: When Abstraction Goes Too Far
I like weird art. I like art that’s Hard To Get. I like art that forces me to reevaluate how I see an object or think about a concept, art that brings me to a new level of understanding. If anything, I at least like art that takes a possibly goofy approach to a subject,…
Celebrity Culture
Passing Nick Jonas, the singer of the Jonas Brothers Band fame on a recent jaunt across the Rialto Bridge got me thinking a lot about celebrity. Particularly, in the context of the art world, aspects of this cultural realm have risen to the status of celebrity. And art tourism is at the center of this….
Better at Biking
The Twin Cities has consistently been ranked the best large bike city in the US. Complete with a citywide bike share system, on road infrastructure and dedicated bike paths, bike culture in the cities has impressed me. Living there for the past two years has got me pretty accustomed to an active bike community that…
An Art Pilgrimage
On the program we are seeing a ton of art and have had opportunities to travel when not doing things with the group to see more! Since the program started, some of my classmates and I have been trying to plan trips to various places near where we will be with the program. One of…
Venice as Hyperreal
“the imagination demands the real thing and, to attain it, must fabricate the absolute fake.” -Umberto Eco, The Fortresses of Solitude I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Prada Foundation’s most recent exhibition, entitled The ship is sinking. The captain lied. It’s not the focus of this blog post, but in short, it’s an…
The Ghent Altarpiece and the Time I May Have Cried in Public
For the past few weeks, I’ve been astounded and amazed by the art that we have seen in Venice and now in Cologne. In addition to the contemporary art, which has proved provocative and fascinating, I’ve been floored by the wealth of older, historically significant works that we have had the chance to see. Many…