Needs to get out more

I obviously need to sign on to more enewsletters, or read more blogs, or simply talk to more people, because for once I've found out about something through (shock, horror) advertising!

The front page of the C-Monster website is currently showing an ad with what looks suspiciously an Yvonne Todd photograph ...



Intrigued, for the first time ever I clicked through. Turns out that yes indeed, it's an Yvonne Tood ( Approximation of Tricia Martin (2008) to be exact) and it's there because her work is included in the 3rd Foto-Festival biennale in Germany.

Clicking round the artist list on the site I realised that there are 3 NZers in the biennale: Todd, Ann Shelton and Yuk King Tan. And I guess this is due to Tobias Berger (ex-Artspace, Auckland) being one of the two curators. In other news I was horribly unaware of, Berger has moved on from Para/Site in Hong Kong to the Nam June Paik Art Center in Korea: its terrifically flashy website is here.

Michael Harrison & Yvonne Todd

Some shameless promotion. Michael Harrison & Yvonne Todd's joint exhibition Crater of Phlox at Ivan Anthony Gallery, Auckland, is one I'd like to see.



I've always thought there's a similarity in their work - although it's one I find hard to put a finger on. Maybe it's the strain of wistful romance in their work, or that the yearning in Michael's work is matched somehow by the tragi-glamour of Yvonne's models.



Whatever it is - get along and see the show, because online reproductions don't capture the delicate dimply surface of Michael's paintings, or the lushness of Yvonne's big photos.

Images:
Michael Harrison, Mountain Air, 2007. Acrylic on paper. 19 x 21cm.
Yvonne Todd, Female Study (silver), 2007. Lightjet print 1/3. 150 x 243cm.
Images from the Ivan Anthony Gallery website.

See more of Yvonne's work on her website: ervon.com, and more of Michael's on the Hamish McKay website.

Today's reading

A new essay on Yvonne Todd's work.

Justin Clemens - Uneasy Glamour - IMA website

The essay accompanies Todd's show at the IMA, Blood, In Its Various Forms (incorporating Meat And Liquor) which opens on 10 February. The exhibition includes work from three recent series; 'Vagrants’ Reception Centre', 'Blood, In Its Various Forms', 'Meat And Liquor'.

The essay doesn't say a lot that's new about Todd's work. But it's nice to see it up online (although a PDF as well as the webpage would have been useful).

I'd love to see more galleries in New Zealand making catalogue essays available online - surely the benefit of having this writing out there (for the local and international web public, for teachers and students, for the galleries' and the artists' reputations and search engine hits) far outweighs the possibility you might sell a few less catalogues.

Skylighting

In Monday's Guardian, a lengthy article by Steve Rose about the new MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), part of mayor Ray Mallon's desire to turn the city into a 'designer label town'.

Steve Rose on the new MIMA - Guardian website
MIMA entry - Wikipedia

The article features a lot of commentary by the MIMA architect, Erick van Egeraat, who by the sounds of it has created a good box for looking at art in - and inviting people in. My attention was attracted by this statement though:

"The gallery spaces are artificially lit, which might be a taboo in major international galleries, but is a practical consideration here, says van Egeraat, as artists can control the lighting conditions. Besides, most thefts from art galleries are through the skylights."

Crikey.

There's an interesting discussion on Edward Winkleman's blog at the moment about gallery lighting - the general consensus in the comments seems to be that natural lighting is best, and thus artist-run and dealer spaces often look the best, as galleries and museums are restrained by preservation policies (and use spot lights, which people seem to abhor). I was at the Govett-Brewster in the weekend, looking at the Break: Construct exhibition, and the combination of too-small lighting and expanses of grey carpet lighting absolutely killed Yvonne Todd's work, displayed on the first mezzanine floor - which was a shame, because the photos themselves are extraordinary.

Edward Winkleman's blog
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery


Image from the Middlesbrough Council site.

Dead Starlets Assoc.

It's in the links section on the right sidebar, but I want to pimp Yvonne Todd's website anyway. One of my top five NZ artists, Yvonne is / has recently been at the IMA in Brisbane, working on an artist's book, Dead Starlets Assoc.

ervon - Yvonne Todd's website

Article about Dead Starlets Assoc - IMA website

Anna Miles review 2002- Artforum via Findarticles

Anthony Byrt review 2004 - NZ Listener

William McAloon review 2004 - NZ Listener

Yvonne is represented by Ivan Anthony Gallery, Auckland, and Peter McLeavey Gallery, Wellington. Peter doesn't have a website.

Ivan Anthony Gallery

Image: Yvonne Todd, Amanda, 2006. Diptych, 2 x lightjet prints, each 133 x 106 cm.