The multiple interpretations of Hieronymus Bosch's surreal, strangely modern Garden of Earthly Delights make interesting reading. A high resolution image of the piece is available HERE for your own review and the Wiki entry provides a solid starting point for your own exploration of the work. As usual, additional links are listed at the end of this post.
Having seen the headline "Liger cubs nursed by dog in China's Xixiakou Zoo" on the BBC website, I couldn't help but be pulled in by this unexpected turn of events. Pregnant with metaphor, it's like a bit of living mythology.
I really enjoy Malcolm Sutherlands animated shorts.
"Malcolm Sutherland is an animator / illustrator originally from Calgary, Alberta. He studied printmaking at the Alberta College of Art and Design before moving to Montreal in 2002 to direct a short animated film at the National Film Board of Canada. He also studied film at Concordia University. He has produced several comic books, including OOLA DUG in 2007. Malcolm currently lives in Montreal with his wife Anna."
In his films, Lars Von Trier uses difficult and contentious elements as a lightning rod to bring to the surface hidden elements of ourselves. It's no different in his interaction with the press and public. And in this case, the reaction to the comments he made is far scarier than the comments he made.
It should also be noted that since, he has said "If I have hurt someone this morning by the words I said at the press conference, I sincerely apologise. I am not antisemitic or racially prejudiced in any way, nor am I a Nazi." It was an extension of the ethos presented in his film The Idiots challenging the establishment through provocation.
The recent decision by Cannes to expel him and label him a "persona non grata" is extraordinary and marks a downturn in the legitimacy of the festival itself. For some time it has been in decline, feeling more like a tradeshow than any sort of festival with artistic merit and this latest decision to expel one of its contenders doesn't sit right with its heritage as an open and forward thinking forum.
Von Trier's work is provocative and at times uncomfortable revealing truths that some want to deny, but he always serves up something to think about and his latest comments reflect his work in that it has brought to the surface reactions based on indoctrination rather than thought. I'm sure many who have spoken against him are just answering an inner call to prove themselves good people ("I don't like Nazis!") while actually feeding a fascist, mob mentality without even realising it--good intentions paving the road to hell.
People like to think in black-and-white and prefer it if people say what they mean, but there are gradations and using language to provoke either by sarcasm or tongue-in-cheek misdirection is valid. It's just a shame that the organisers of Cannes lost sight of that.
"Ofer Wolberger (b. 1976) is an artist who lives and works in New York City. He is the recipient of The Humble Arts Foundation Spring 2008 Grant for Emerging Photographers. He was a finalist for both the BMW Paris Photo Prize in 2008 as well as the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie in 2009. His photographs have been collected and exhibited internationally. In 2009 his project Life with Maggie, was exhibited at Michael Hoppen Gallery in London and at C/O Berlin. Next year Life with Maggie will be exhibited at VU in Quebec. He is currently working on a series of 12 self-published artists books collectively known as The Photographic Book Project.
"The age of information in physical form is waning. As intangible routes thrive with quicker fluidity, material and history are being lost, slipping and eroding into the ether. Newer media swiftly flips forms, unrestricted by the weight of material and the responsibility of history. In the tangible world we are left with a frozen material but in the intangible world we may be left with nothing. History is lost as formats change from physical stability to digital distress.
The richness and depth of the book is universally respected yet often undiscovered as the monopoly of the form and relevance of the information fades over time. The book’s intended function has decreased and the form remains linear in a non-linear world. By altering physical forms of information and shifting preconceived functions, new and unexpected roles emerge. This is the area I currently operate in. Through meticulous excavation or concise alteration I edit or dissect communicative objects or systems such as books, maps, tapes and other media. The medium’s role transforms. Its content is recontextualized and new meanings or interpretations emerge.Explanation of Process
In this work I begin with an existing book and seal its edges, creating an enclosed vessel full of unearthed potential. I cut into the surface of the book and dissect through it from the front. I work with knives, tweezers and surgical tools to carve one page at a time, exposing each layer while cutting around ideas and images of interest. Nothing inside the books is relocated or implanted, only removed. Images and ideas are revealed to expose alternate histories and memories. My work is a collaboration with the existing material and its past creators and the completed pieces expose new relationships of the book’s internal elements exactly where they have been since their original conception."
SubBlue describes himself as a "laser physicist turned web developer with an interest in generative graphics programming" and his works are fascinating.
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