Here’s to women and risk-taking

Housewarming. The ribbons are embroidered with SoEx Rules.

CHEERS to the female-staffed SoEx, for successfully pulling off the grand opening of a beautiful permanent home.

and

CHEERS to Stephanie Syjuco, for successfully bridging her interest in black markets with a commercial art fair, to critical acclaim. It’s a dicey proposition to put other artists and galleries’ livelihood (and by extension, one’s own popularity and career if there’s a bad fallout) at stake but Stephanie forged (ahem!) ahead with a great idea, and it’s proven to be a timely commentary on the art market and the economic climate. Read about Copystand, her project at the Frieze Art Fair on NYTimes.com and Guardian.co.uk.

These feats are admirable. It’s pretty extraordinary to be so committed to a vision and a practice. You could say that being an artist is like being a small business owner — the fact is, most people don’t have the stomach for the financial ups and downs, much less the creative ones.

—

There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious.

Calvin Tompkin’s recent profile of contemporary artist Urs Fishcher in the New Yorker left me with two major takeaways. Curiously, they had nothing to do with art practice — Fischer seems too mercurial to extract much substance in that area. Rather, I was quite impressed with Urs Fischer as an organization.

Tompkins described a visit to Fischer’s studio, where the staff ate lunch — loaves of french bread and cheese — communally in the studio kitchen. I loved this. If I ever have staff, I’d like it to be the kind of work environment where a convivial meal is part of the day. (I’d add tea, fruit and chutney to the pantry.)

Second, Fischer employed close friends whose honesty and judgment he could rely on. Only very successful international artists can command fees that allow for full-time staff, yet I find the idea of paying people who I love and trust, and treating them well as colleagues, to be really beautiful and inspiring.

It’s wildly ambitious for me to imagine myself in Fischer’s shoes. Yet these mental notes form a welcome alternative to the model of the lone artist toiling away in isolation and struggle.

Art & Development

Fine Messes

I had a great time celebrating SoEx’s Grand Opening and the opening of Bellwether this weekend. Great people, great space and a great reason to celebrate. Both nights ended with dancing in the street. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a new home.

I was too busy taking in all the happy faces to bother with photos, but here are two… I’m quite fond of many of the works in the show, and especially of Jonn Herschend‘s work. I know a lot of people came to the opening but didn’t have a chance to see the video, and I strongly recommend going back for it. I’d offer some sort of bribe — cookies perhaps? — but the video in itself is reward enough. Yeah, I know, big words. So?

Jonn Herschend's Another Fine Mess, Part 1

detail of Jonn Herschend's Another Fine Mess, Part 1

And a studio moment:

Firing up dad's old circular saw for the first time.

Fired up a new hand-me-down saw. This one also dates from the pre-dustbag years.

Art & Development

a moment for gratitude

I am feeling humbled and profoundly grateful to be one of the lucky artists to participate in the SoEx network.

SoEx’s Grand Opening Member’s Preview tonight saw the street closed off, strung up in festive lights, and peopled with smiling faces. It was a celebration of a shared hunger for art and ideas, with the tacit common ground that alternative art space is vital.

It seems like nothing short of a coup for a scrappy arts non-profit to secure a permanent home in San Francisco in this economy, and inaugurate it with new artist commissions and public projects.

It took a lot of people to make everything possible tonight. I’ve only glimpsed a small extent of the vision, courage, leadership, labor and generosity needed for this contemporary art barn-raising. Thank you.

Please stop by tomorrow between 4-10pm at 20th and Alabama Streets for continued revelry, of our fair city, and of our good fortune that it is home to a brilliant, generous, like-minded network.

Art & Development

mirrorsblack

mirrorsblack (2009, wood, mirrors, spraypaint, lights, casters, 36x66x36 inches / 1×1.6×1 m) is a new sculpture I’ve made for Bellwether, the inaugural exhibition at Southern Exposure’s new headquarters.

In line with my previous work exploring optimism and pessimism using metaphors like light and dark and how art objects mediate relationships between artists and viewers, mirrorsblack literalizes the attempt to create phenomenological installations wherein viewers experience “mimetic engulfment” and the “dissolution of the self” (Claire Bishop, Installation Art: A Critical History, Routledge, 2005).

Literalizing concepts has been a way for me to point out my skepticism about the expectation that art should be transcendent or ineffable. By putting the viewer (or at least, his or her partial reflections) into the work, I’m also exploring whose expectations and meanings are projected onto the art object.

My engagement with this work was further stimulated by a recent article in the Boston Globe (Drake Bennet, “Thinking Literally,” Sept. 29, 2009) on psychologists’ research on how metaphors are not just a way humans communicate, but are in fact keys to the way we think. An implication of this experiment-based research seems to be that — as phenomenological artists have intuited for some time — while philosophers have valued abstract thought, and and conventionally-minded art patrons might prefer visual stimuli, bodily experience is no less a realm of cognition and the conveyance of meaning.

mirrorsblack suggests my ambiguity about the future, and the sense that one can never get a complete picture from any singular perspective.

Bellwether opens this Friday and Saturday with grand opening parties, including a block party with artist-led events. The exhibition continues through December 12, 2009. For more information, visit soex.org.

Art & Development, Sights

so much easier to love…

I came across some snippets of snipes on NYMag.com, wherein two of NYC macho-garde chefs rain rants across the land. It’s hilarious, and it made me wish that there was an equivalently funny bullshit-calling in the art world.

But, there isn’t that much that I hate in art. Hate is a strong word. Maybe I’m just not grouchy enough. Plus, there are loads of things right now that I love, or at least, expect to really, really like:

Maurice Sendak at the Contemporary Jewish Museum
In my college years, I spent hours studying the illustrator’s line and hand lettering. In The Night Kitchen remains one of my all-time favorite illustrated books. We may take for granted the grief and pathos in children’s fables thanks to Pixar, but I think Sendak, along with Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein, bridged a tradition of making children’s stories that are more psychologically powerful and ambiguous than the sanitized moralism of fairy tales and Disney.

Charley Harper at Altman Siegal Gallery
Sooner or later, every designer (myself included) borrows from modernist geometry and late 20th century decoration, but the illustrator Charley Harper was the real deal. I’m looking forward to checking out this show of illustrations from Harper’s estate in person, and spying on his paintings on canvas. It naturally follows that for hard-edged, patterned, geometric abstraction would evolve in Adobe Illustrator, but it’s destined to result in hollow imitations without illustrators’ keen eyes.

—-
Black Mirrors

Some of my fellow CCA post-grads share an interest in black mirrors. For example, I learned of the Claude glass from Elizabeth Mooney last year. Recently, Bessma Khalaf created a black mirror for a video. The object and video appear in You’re Not There, Khalaf’s current solo show at Steven Wolf Gallery. The exhibition is sometimes funny and often disturbing. Bessma’s style might be described as no holds barred; You’re Not There trades in creepy, powerful experiences that are hard to shake, the visceral discomfort reminds me of Bruce Nauman’s work.

My project for SoEx’s Bellwether, incidentally, is called mirrorsblack. I’ve been literalizing the idea of putting viewers into my work for some time, but this new sculpture also attempts to literalize the dissolution of self as well. So it’s a pleasure to read about the latest massive installation in the Tate Modern‘s Turbine Hall: what it amounts to be is a black hole of visual perception: Miroslaw Balka’s giant, pitch black chamber. So often I think people go into museums expecting only visual pleasure, I love the idea of turning this expectation on its head, and putting nothingness — or, perhaps more accurately, non-visual experience or the vision of darkness — at the fore.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Exercises in Seeing, a show curated by Matthew Post at Queen’s Nails Annex coming up in November. It’s a one-night exhibition in which the gallery will be completely dark. The question of where the art is will be literalized, and again, experience will be emphasized over visuality. I’ll post more details as I hear of them.

Art & Development

moments in Bay Area art-time

PAST:

I really liked Kenneth Baker’s review of Kim Anno’s show at Patricia Sweetow Gallery (SF Gate, Sept. 26, 2009) — very concise writing about the work and the context of contemporary painting. How’s this for a tight lede:

New abstract painting arrives today in an interpretive hall of mirrors where quotation, pastiche and the cannibalizing of motifs by designers can instantly embarrass any claim to originality.

The review also mentions a show by stellar artists Walead Beshty, Patrick Hill and Karl Haendel at NOMA Gallery. I’ve been a fan of Haendel’s insanely detailed graphite realism since Glen Helfand’s Particulate Matter at Mills College Art Museum, and of Beshty’s since I saw his Fed-Ex’d glass cubes at the Whitney Biennial, so I regret missing the chance to see their work as well as Hill’s.

Another show I wish I saw was Ian McDonald and Conrad Meyers II at Queens Nails Annex. I totally loved Ian McDonald’s mixed media sculptures at Rena Bransten and YBCA’s Bay Area Now 5; in both exhibits he showed ceramics works that were functional yet their identities were somehow unhinged, with a lot of great material juxtapositions. His latest work about everyday objects and usability really resonates with my Pounds of Happiness project, but I just haven’t been able to make it over there…

Besides opening a show in LA last weekend, I’ve been logging hours at the studio…

PRESENT / JUST PAST:

…where I’ve been nerding out on behind-the-scenes art stuff, like:

1. Taking joy in the small things in life.

I haven’t painted in ages, but that doesn’t mean that I no longer enjoy that brand-new brush buzz… This is my first-ever Purdy. It’s sharp as a razor, and it buoys my hope that craftsmanship can still exist within mass manufacturing.

Some things, though, don’t change: Wood stain, it turns out, smells exactly like the last time I used it, in junior high wood shop class. I’ve lost my printmaker’s tolerance for oil and solvent smells, but gosh, it’s satisfying to wipe down fresh stain and see the wood grain magically re-appear.

Lately, I keep thinking back to Mr. James’ shop class, and my dad’s garage, because those are the places where I learned most of my woodworking skills. I picked up a few things in college and grad school, and I’m picking up new skills quickly as a preparator. But the foundation is the same, and certain traits seem to show through. For example, in junior high I found the jigsaw and bandsaw least intimidating, and to this day I still use circular saws with extreme respect and caution. I also still appreciate my dad’s improvisational handyman approach — try to use what’s around, instead of running to the store for every little bit of hardware or new tool — and his good humor inherent in tinkering.

2. Building a big crate.

This crate, which has a detachable compartment, took about:
— 2 hours to design,
— 2.5 hours procure and unload the materials, and
— a solid day and a half to construct.
To move the crate, though, is gonna take three people and a truck.

(A recurring puzzle: Why do people think that artists just make art all day? When in fact, there’s so many other things that need to be done, like making crates, storing stuff properly, framing, writing, reading, research, procurement, bookkeeping, seeing art, talking to people, emails, etc. That’s why CARFAC Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le Front des artistes canadiens is so exceptional: it reflects an understanding that an artist’s work extends beyond studio work and exhibition installs. See their PDF guidelines for Professional Fees, which include admin and preparatory work, as distinct from baseline Exhibition Fees.)

This crate is for mirrorsblack, my newest sculpture, which will be unveiled at…

FUTURE / Art events I won’t miss:

Friday, October 16, 8–10 pm (Member’s Opening)
Saturday, October 17, 4–10 pm (Public Opening)
October 17–December 12, 2009 (exhibition)
Bellwether
Southern Exposure, 3030 20th Street, San Francisco
I stopped by SoEx’s new digs the other day and it’s all abuzz with activity. Their purpose-built gallery/office/classroom is brand spanking new. I can’t wait for the inaugural exhibition to launch. There’ll also be loads of activities and artist’s projects at the Public Grand Opening / Block Party, so hope to see you there.

Monday, October 5, 7:30 pm
Fred Tomaselli lecture
SF Art Institute
Tomaselli’s resin-cast mixed-media paintings are mind-bending. His works in MOCA’s Ecstacy show were trippy and hallucenagenic enough, but his more recent work at White Cube were completely stunning. He also seems like a down-to-earth kind of guy. I think his lecture will be great.

Thru December 12
Moby-Dick
Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art
Though I helped to install this show, I didn’t get to spend much time looking at the work, especially the media works. I’d love to spend more time with the lovely paintings by Marcel Dzama, prints by Rockwell Kent, and the installation by Ellen Gallagher and Edger Cleijne. Also, I’ve heard high praise of the film by Peter Hutton.

Art & Development, Community

art art art weekend part two

Christine Wong Yap, You Have to Get Through it to Get To It / You Have to Get To it to Get Through it, 2009, ink on paper 7.625 x 11.5 inches each. Produced in the Breathe Residency at Chinese Arts Centre.

This installment of my art weekend update starts off with a few happy observations concerning last Saturday’s Southern Exposure’s Pop Noir auction at Electric Works:

First, it seemed like a successful fundraiser. The bidding was active and collectors seemed to enjoy getting worthy works and good deals while supporting SoEx. It was really great to see people buying art. Non-profits are struggling more than usual, so it’s great to see arts supporters persist.

Second, SoEx puts on a great auction. They got really great donations of local food and booze; the auction was run really smoothly, and the installation seemed to fit an incredible amount of work on rather limited wall space really well.

Third, my donation (pictured above) went at above the retail price; not bad when the minimum bid starts low. It’s nice to see your work appreciated so measurably. I’m not opposed to partnering with the right gallery, but lately, I’ve enjoyed the freedom to just make whatever I feel like, and get on with collaborations with artists and friends.

In the end, my attitude is the same as Leonard Cohen’s, who was recently quoted in “Careless Whisper” by Jennifer Allen in Frieze Magazine (April 2009):

I didn’t want to work for pay, but I wanted to be paid for my work.

In that spirit, I’ve made some works available.

Christine Wong Yap, Dime Store Advice, 2009, China marker on foil-laminated cardstock, 11.75 x 16.5 inches. Produced in the Breathe Residency at Chinese Arts Centre.

Christine Wong Yap, Untitled (Lens Flare, Small Mirror), 2007, Etched mirror, colored pencil, frame, 13 x 16 x 2 inches

Christine Wong Yap, Cheap and Cheerful #3, 2009, neon and glitter pen, 11.625 x 7.75 inches. Produced in the Breathe Residency at Chinese Arts Centre.

Christine Wong Yap, Cheap and Cheerful #10, 2009, neon and glitter pen, 11.625 x 7.75 inches. Produced in the Breathe Residency at Chinese Arts Centre.

If you’re interested in providing a good home for any of these works, please email me at cwy (at) christinewongyap.com, and I’ll send over a link where you can get prices (ranging from under $100 to a few hundred and up) and more info about these and other available works. Cheers.

If original art is out of your price range, consider multiples and books, available at my Store.

Citizenship, Community, Research

Things are grim, but I can’t stop thinking about happiness.

Where my mind’s been at:

Positive psychology — a relatively new field of evidence-based self-help for being happier. Think of it like the shift in medicine from treating illness to increasing wellness. As Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD, writes in Happier, pretty much everything we want in life ultimately leads back to happiness.

The idea is to increase happiness in daily life, rather than dealing with unhappiness only during moments of crisis.

[See also Dr. Martin Seligman, Prof. Philip Zimbardo and Dr. Walter Mischel (whose research was the subject of a great article by Jonah Lehrer recently in the New Yorker Magazine).]

Practicing gratitude is one of the oft-cited methods of increasing happiness.

I’m tremendously grateful for friends helping friends. I know, I know, everyone’s hurting now financially. But a lot of artists are freelancers, and while freelancing is typically like riding a roller coaster, it seems like a lot of my peers are feeling lost in a free fall. These are bright, hardworking people doing everything from graphic design, to interactive art direction, to preparator/installation to cooking.

The financial safety nets are being strained, but it seems like social bonds are staying strong… Artists helping artists. Freelancers helping freelancers. I’m so grateful to be in an art community, in which, even in lean times, can exhibit generosity instead of competition.

If you can support the arts in these times, for goodness’ sake, here’s how (and where and when!):

travis meinholf art
Formerly San Francisco-based, now Berlin-based artist Travis Meinolf is in the unenviable position of raising funds for a matching grant (good luck!) for his kind of hilarious but also strangely innovative practice of action-weaving. Like his healthy ‘stache, Travis’ participatory weaving seems impossibly sincere (his last project resulted in 12 volunteer-made blankets being donated to a women’s shelter). He’s a good guy and a hard worker and I wish him the best of luck in sowing his weaving projects ’round the world… Contact Jennifer McCabe, director of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art at jmccabe@mocfa.org to make a contribution towards Meinolf’s exhibition. (Image source: actionweaver.com)

(In case you missed it, I mentioned Scott Oliver’s totally fund-able project about my beloved Lake Merritt in a previous post.)

This Saturday night is Pop Noir, an auction to benefit Southern Exposure, an alternative art space that’s consistently invested in local artists, community engagement, and excellence in contemporary art. This female-led organization has always pushed the envelope, and I’m very proud to donate a pair of text-based drawings to support their work. Over a hundred and fifty other local artists have donated work too. Countless volunteers are contributing time. But it’s all for naught without buyers. So come on down—with auction prices starting at a fraction of the retail price, the price is right. Look for some really nice pieces by Weston Teruya, The Thing Quarterly by Allora and Callzadia, Michael Hall, Laurie Reid, Jeff Canham, Jamie Vasta, Edgar Arcenaux, Dustin Fosnot, and yours truly (pictured as follows).
weston teruya art michael hall art laurie reid art jeff canham art jamie vasta art edgar arcenaux art dustin fosnot art christine wong yap art
(Image sources: Southern Exposure’s Pop Noir Auction Artists

Pop Noir will be held at the gorgeous galleries at Electric Works at 8th and Mission Streets in San Francisco. Tix, more info, pics of the auction lots, and absentee bidding details here. Hope to see you there.

(Image: Stephani Martinez, Daily Cakes – Extra Fancy, 2009, Variable, Doilies, Plaster, Gold Leaf. Image source: Intersection for the Arts’ 2009 Benefit Art Auction.)
Of course the other amazing alternative art space in San Francisco is Intersection for the Arts, who is well-respected for the rigor of their programming, and renown for making miracles on a shoestring. Like many non-profits, the downturn is hitting their typically lean infrastructure hard. Intersection’s auction comes up next weekend, on the following Saturday, June 13.

(Image: Daniel Tierny, Double Jump, 2009, Tape on lambda print, 23 x 33 in., Courtesy of the Artist and Steven Wolf Fine Arts, San Francisco. Image source: Headlands 2009 Benefit Auction, Artists, Daniel Tierney.)
Wednesday, June 10, the Headlands Center for the Arts holds their auction at the Herbst International Exhibition Hall in the Presidio. I’ve been an Affiliate Artist at the Headlands for a year and a half. The Headlands is an amazing locus for an international and local art community. When I think about relocating, few places compare with the quality of the Bay Area arts scene, partly because of the Headlands’ role in drawing international artists in residence to the area.

So there you go. Support an artist directly, or support the organizations who support the artists. And take home some artwork!

R+D

On Be(com)ing an Artist, Citizen and Arts Community member, by Christine Wong Yap

Tag Archives: Southern Exposure

Here’s to women and risk-taking

Fine Messes

a moment for gratitude

mirrorsblack

so much easier to love…

moments in Bay Area art-time

art art art weekend part two

Things are grim, but I can’t stop thinking about happiness.