I just got back from Art Basel Miami Beach and my mind's a blur with all the amazing work I saw there.
The highlight for me I'd have to say was the chance to meet a big influence of mine, Shepard Fairey (of Obey Giant fame).
For anyone unfamiliar with the show it's the art world's premier US international art fair. The new sister show to the famous Art Basel Switzerland. It's the one US event that serious art collectors don't want to miss or as the always sarcastic NY Times calls it... Costco for billionaires. Droll.
Anyway... for me it's just a chance to see current work by the most famous artists alive today. You wanna see the dead guys, go to a museum but what about the people painting right now?
What about the work they did 6 months ago?
Most of that will be sold off to private collectors and you'll be lucky if you can even google a decent image.
For me this is the best way to see what the best of the best are doing right now. The downside is that for days now I feel like the top of my head's been blown off.
This piece was one of the most talked about pieces at the show. Kehinde Wiley's "Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II" in in the Deitch Projects booth.
The less than thrilled look on my face has not as much to do with my reaction to Wiley's painting as it does to my mother's inability to take a picture in less than ten minutes :)
I wanted someone to be in the picture so you could have an accurate idea of the size of this piece. It's really breathtaking in person, to say the least.
Wiley's sense of humor, irony and his talent never need further comment.
Some, no most, I want to say almost all of my favorite artists working today are represented by Deitch Projects, NY so I spent a lot of time in their booth.
If you've read any of my long, rambling rants of how street art has influenced my work you've heard me go on in detail about Barry McGee (Twist) and Shepard Fairey and you're probably familiar with Keith Haring so I'll spare you...
Here's some of Barry McGee's latest work.
Barry McGee "Untitled Bottle Installation" 99 glass bottles various dimensions
Type Richard Prince or Ai Wei Wei into Google Images and you'll get a load of what most collectors came to the show for this year.
These artists have done undeniably amazing work but most of it was done in the 70's. I can love it but it's largely irrelevant to what I'm painting now. Today.
I came to see what the best emerging artists are doing right now. And for me, these guys are it.
I also loved seeing Lisa Yuskavage's new work, too. Again... Deitch... seeing a theme here?
Lisa Yuskavage "Studio" 2009 70" x 74.5"
But the highlight for me was undoubtedly the Artist's Talk with Shepard Fairey. As I've said before I'm not usually all that interested in what artists have to say. I just like to look at their work. Although verbose, we're not necessarily an articulate bunch.
We can go on forever about our work (or someone else's) but it's usually best to just let the work do the talking. I think Shepard Fairey might be the one exception that I know of to this rule.
If you don't yet really see the importance of street art and it's impact on our culture, this is the man to listen to.
I won't bore you with his bio info, Uncle Wikipedia has all you could ever want to know but you might recognize this image.
Shepard Fairey - Obey Giant Sticker Street Art Image
or maybe this one.
Shepard Fairey - Obama Campaign Vote Poster
His art has been a major influence in our modern culture and it hasn't even shaken out yet how much of an influence he'll be on modern art. I can say honestly he's been an influence on my style for sure. Here's some of his latest work. He's with Deitch NY also.
His talk at Art Basel was as articulate and intelligent as always. He's talking here about how at a recent show in Boston a couple 40 something women graffitied over one of the legally appropriated walls he had painted as part of his exhibit.
If you can't read the type it's basically telling him to go home but in not so nice words. I won't even comment. It's just too easy :)
Here he's fielding questions and talking about some of his latest work.
Here's my personal favorite of his latest work.
He made a very interesting point about street art at one point.
"Street Art is very democratic. Art in a gallery is up on a pedestal and we're afraid to say we don't 'get it'. We think 'I'd better like it cuz I don't want to be the dumb guy'. But with Street Art everybody's free to have their own opinion. People walk right up and tag it - 'this sucks' or 'go home' - there's no Emperor's New Clothes with Street Art."
I for one think he's right. We've never been allowed direct interaction with artists. Gallerists are always there telling us what we must like.
He likes the feedback. I do too even if I rarely follow it. I need to hear it.
People email me every day telling me they love or hate something. It's difficult at times but helpful in a way too. You just have to be careful what you listen to or the next thing you know you'll be watching HGTV for current popular color schemes... shoot me.
I had a lady tell me once that I needed to paint more like some woman named Joan "who paints happy things and pretty bright flowers" that she'd seen at a craft show.
I told her maybe her time would be better spent telling poor Joan that she liked her work before she goes back to teaching 3rd grade because no one ever encourages her painting. I love those people.
She was upset over a cow skull painting. Just "god awful" she called it.
I'm sure once someone she trusts tells her she's supposed to like Georgia O'Keefe's cow skulls then she'll love it. That painting is now hanging in a restaurant in Paris. Good thing I didn't listen to her :)
That kind of interaction is important and it's been lacking in the art world. Maybe it's helpful. Maybe it'll choke us to death. Who knows?
So obviously the highlight of the show for me was having the opportunity for a brief conversation with an artist that's really influenced my work a lot. He's a very humble person though and didn't want any props. He focused more on ways that Barry McGee and others have influenced both of us. He's a very talented, kind and rare person.
Here are some of the other stand outs in the show for me:
Albert Ohlen "Jeans"
Pizzi Cannella "Salon de Musique"
Zeng Fanzhi "Portrait"
Shepard Fairey "Aung San Suu Kyi"