London Art Week 2023 Part I

Affen Segun, Face your Fears, 2022, Nigerian 

Andrew McIntosh Mackie, Barber Isle, 2023, Scottish

Ashley January, Amber and Sam Study, 2020

Bansky, Nola AP, 2008, British

Chris Orr, Ship, 2022, British

Damien Hirst, Goodness, 2019, British

Daniel Preece, Deptford Drift, 2018, British

David Edmond, April, 2020, 2020

Dexter Dalwood, Kurt Cobains Greenhouse, English

Emily Allchurch, Towers of Babel, 2022

Emma Haworth The Adventure II, 2022, British, 

Felix Chesher, Morning Tea, 2020

Francesca Currie, Walking in the Rain, 2022, English

Harry Bilson, Blauhorse, 2021

Hayam Elsayed, Silent Heart, 2022, Egyptian

Jean Michel Basquiat, Panel of Experts 1982 to 1987, 2022, African American

Jerome Lagarrigue, Him, 2014, French American

John Monks, Silence, 2022, British

Jonathan Huxley, Mandala, 2022, British

Jules Disso, Bebe Divine, 2022, Cameroonian

Lottie Cole, Moonlit Windowsill with Red Chair, 2022

A Recap of West Bund Art and Design Fair 2022

1 Annie Morris, Stack 8, Studio Purple, 2022, British

2 Alice Browne, Sync, 2021, British

3 Elmgreen and Dragset, On target fig.9, 2022, Danish and Norwegian

5 Babajide Olatunji, Tribal Marks Series III No.69, 2022, Nigerian

6 Osamu Yokoyama, dawn, 2022, Japanese

 

7 Daniel Crews Chubb, Pose 1, 2022, British

8 Homer Shew, Jeffrey Morabito, 2022, American

9 Liu Xiaodong, Mountains and River, 2019, Chinese

10 Guanshuai Mao, Cloud, 2021, Chinese

11 Babajide Olatunji, Tribal Marks Series III No. 70, 2022, Nigerian

12 Noh Sangho, The great chapbook II, 2018, Korean

13 Caroline Walker, Study for Married at First Sight, 2022, Scottish

14 Ugo Schildge, Apple Tree, 2022, French

15 Yan Pei Ming, Summer Flowers, 2022, Chinese

16 Chen Qiang, Perceptual Temperature 21 11 2021, Chinese

17 Genesis Tramaine, Thank god for breath, 2022, American

18 Zheng Zhou, Return 2, 2021, Chinese

19 Thierry Feuz, Silver Atlas Majestic, 2021, Austrian Swiss

20 Zhu Jinshi, The tide rises and falls tide 3, 2021, Chinese

21 John Copeland, If you only knew, 2022, American

22 Lee Bul, Perdu CXLVIII, 2022, Korean

23 Osgemeos, The man who fished his own heart, 2022, Brazilian

24 Mr. Doodle, Pencil Stress, 2021, British

25 Josh Smith, The Whole Story, 2022, American

26 Armen Eloyan, Untitled, 2022, Armenian

27 Kiyo Hasegawa, devotion III, 2022, Japanese

28 Miriam Cahn, o.t. 7.5.1989, Swiss

Paris Photo Week 2022 Continued

Here are some more photography from Paris Photo Week 2022. I hope you enjoy these as well as I did. From Saul Leiter rainy street scenes to Hollywood icons there is something for everyone here. I liked Ron Galella's Windblown Jackie who walks through the streets of New York City as nonchalant as she can. Then there is Bruce Webber's Kate Moss photograph, wearing only athleisure she is easily recognizable. Then there is the less glamorous pic of a woman in India with a rat around her neck eating a popsicle. Irving Penn's Woman in Moroccan Palace just makes me want to travel to Marrakech. Ruven Afandor's Say, Colobmbia shows a Native Colombian in traditional wear. With an owl on his head and painted features he jumps out at you and makes you want to explore the country further.

 1 Saul Leiter, Untitled, n.d. American

A look back at Paris Photo Week 2022

Paris Photo Week brings together some of the best photographers in the world under one roof. It's a celebration of photography at its best. Take, for example, fashion photographer Bruce Webber's photograph of singer Tina Turner. Webber captures a rare intimacy of the singer while she's relaxing with a plate of fresh figs. She's at her leisure and we are in awe of the invitation to share a private moment with her. Edouard Boubat's Kyoto shows us the peacefulness of a Zen garden in Japan. It's harmony and nature as one. Louise Dahl Wolfe's photo of fashion designer Christian Dior playing cards at his home shows him at his domestic bliss. Far removed from the glamour of Paris and fashion in general we see him at his best self. Marina Abramovic's Portrait of a Lamb shows her cradling a lamb like one would an infant. The contrast of black and white makes us question the nature of her actions. Why is she doing this and why? Meanwhile, Seydou Keita's portrait of young boy wearing a beret captures the atmosphere of Mali where French culture still remains. Its youthful spirit reflecting the coming changes in country. Once you view these works you'll see why they were selected for Paris Photo Week. They are some of the best works money can buy. Please enjoy the remainder.

 1 Bruce Webber, Tina Turner Adirondacks, New York, 1990, American

Celebrating Diversity at Art Basel Miami 2022

From Poland to Peru it was an outstanding show at Art Basel Miami 2022. Polish painter Wilhelm Sasnal's tenebrous painting left many questions unanswered. All we see are shoes and legs, maybe platform sandals suggesting it might be summertime but even that Sasnal leaves us to question. Who are these people and why are they meeting. It could be anywhere, a get together of sorts, the shadows overwhelming what little we can decipher. Meanwhile Marius Bercea's Fruitful monologues is an idyllic vision of the Romanian landscape juxtaposed against a young couple relaxing by the side of the lake. They are detached from the land and dressed up and far from a conversation. Oblivious to each other, they are there to be looked at, a contrast one could say between the country and the youthful ambition of the subjects themselves. Israeli artist Doron Langberg's Ilan's Garden is a luscious take on nature unhinged and in full bloom. It is a restful place despite its wild roots. The colours are vibrant and alive and show a sensuality of sorts underneath it all. African American artist Kerry James Marshall's Supermodel is a magnificent rendering of a young black woman in her undergarments. Marshall who paints in three shades of black wanted to give light to the conspicuous being we see before us. She's stripped of a background and instead asks us to see her for what she is. She's not a supermodel and the opposite of that stereotype. She's rendered deeply and her details deliver slowly to the viewer. We don't know who she is but wonder why she's dressed they way she is. We want to see more of her but Marshall keeps us guessing. It's easy to see why Sean Combs paid $21.1 million for one of Marshall's paintings. He paints black subjects with dignity and an aura of mystery always questioning their place in art history. That is why his legacy is well cemented and storied in our time. Danish artist Alexander Tovborg's Madonna of Solitude is a great abstract work full of bold colours and biomorphic shapes. We can see a face but that is all, the body is cut apart and we wonder we are looking at. The question is religion, but whose? There are no clear answers, the work remains mystical to the viewer. Peruvian artist, William Cordova, paints like Caio Fonseca and his Untitled, 2022 painting shows similar genius. His triangular shapes seem arbitrary at first but then blend well and we see they are intentional. Cordova paints between different cities always questioning the identity of each one. What we see is his interpretation of those locations. I wish I could write about all of these works as they all have something to offer but I'll let the viewer ask their own questions. Please enjoy these works and wait for more.

 1 Wilhelm Sasnal, TBD, 2022, Polish

Revisiting Art Basel Miami 2022

Art Basel Miami is one of the more important art fairs around and this year it proved itself to be one to remember. It was full of diversity with artist displayed all the way from Cameroon to Cuba. It was difficult to choose a select few but somehow I managed. It featured emerging as well as developed artists with household names such as Julian Schnabel and Susan Rothenberg. An artist that I interviewed years ago, Jeffrey Gibson was on display and you can view our interview here. I'm glad to see him doing well and selling well too. Alas, Raelis Vasquez's Amidst is a beautiful portrayal of a youth standing in the water almost waiting for his portrait to be made. It is rich in colour and shows an innocence captured with every brushstroke. Patrick Martinez, LA Tile and Stone's is a bold painting showing a rich colour field reminiscent of Mark Rothko. It would look good in any home. The show also included one of my favourite artists Elliott Puckette whose Untitled work is full of sinuous lines, the type she is well known for. Davide Balliano is another artist I am quite fond of with his tubular shapes he reminds one why abstract art is so highly prized. Kehinde Wiley's Morpheus 2022, is a wonderfully rendered work of a young black woman set reclining against a backdrop of flowers. We wonder what she is thinking about and the answer remains a mystery. Another great work is Ruth Ige's At the gathering, 2022, whose display of a faceless woman piques our interest. With her delightful dress we can't help but wonder who it is. Dread Scott's B Ball Youth on Rim, 1994 is hopeful take on a group of youth enjoying their daily game in dire surroundings. It's a reminder of social stratification in America which can be curtailed with the right energy and belief in oneself. Please enjoy these and the rest as they all share a high degree of skill and talent. Not all of them can be written about but you get the idea of why they're here. 

1. Raelis Vasquez, Amidst, 2022, Dominican

Part IV: Toronto Art at its finest

This is the last installment of the Art Toronto art fair.  I hope you like these selections as much as I do. There is much to choose from. I hope next year is as good as this year's. Tim Okamura Reiko's Dream celebrates the artist's Japanese roots. The contrast between black and light is ever present and we wonder what exactly the artist is trying to tell us. Does he miss his distant land or we just living through him? Time will tell. Isabel Okoro's Spirit Traveller shows a masked man with seashells waving through his face hiding the man's identity. Is the headpiece a part of a ritual of sorts or is it sartorial? We don't know. Kristy Templeton Davidge's, Working Hands II is a wonderful painting which cuts off the face of subject. We'll never tell who we are looking at. All we see are the hands and shirt she is wearing, forever steeped in mystery. The A. Y. Jackson is in keeping with Canadian tradition weaving together Canadian identity with the landscape. It is snowy and so reminiscent of Canadian winters. We go to it to find solace and something to call home.

 

1 Tim Okamura Reiko's Dream, 2022, Canadian

Part Three: Art Toronto Remembered

This is the third edition of Art Toronto 2022, the art fair that celebrates Canadian artists like no other. It is international as well, and brings together art from all over the world making Toronto an art center to reckon with. Here we have Steve Driscoll's beautiful rendering of a Canadian landscape. The colours so sharp and bold you wonder whether it has been photoshopped. Ayla Dmyterko's Anthropichka is a luminous landscape full of rebirth and femininity. Drawing on her Ukrainian heritage she shows us a new landscape filled with emotion and layers of identity. Danny Gretscher,'s Amost Trendy No.1 is a playful abstract work that displays circles encased in a structure. Playing with colour he celebrates the harmonious rhythm that sets before us. Richard Thomas Davis's Jill, shows a woman relaxing on a Muskoka chair; she's at peace with her surroundings and celebrates the good weather with drink. Skawennati's Etow Oh Koam (King of the River) celebrates her Mohawk heritage and shows a figure dressed in traditional gear. Meanwhile, Erin Armstrong's Time Moves Slow pivots the real and the dreamlike scenario that appears before us. What is the woman doing and why?  Robert Strickland's Subway shows an everyday scene this time of a subway in Toronto. It gives a peek at urban life of a woman enjoying her day with a coffee. She's waiting by herself with few people around her for the subway that will take her away.

1 Steve Driscoll, One thing that never changes, 2022, Canadian

Part Two: Art Toronto 2022 Continued

Art Toronto may be over but the art remains. Here is the second edition of Art Toronto, the art fair that is putting Canadian art on the map. There are of course other artists from different countries peppered throughout this post but the majority are Canadian. Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber's artwork is quirky and witty and well established in Canada. Hans Wendt and Gathie Falk are two of my favourites. Each one unique in its way, the first a collage of cutout pieces of paper makes for an interesting composition. While Gathie Falk's Cherry Basket brings memories of summer time together. Both are available from Michael Gibson Gallery. Meanwhile Regine Schumann's Colour mirror rainbow orange white Knokke is a fascinating light sculpture. Part installation part sculpture it brings to mind the colour fields of various paintings. Joyce Weiland's Squid on the other hand is a playful spin of kisses that celebrates femininity. I hope you enjoy these and look forward for more to come.

1 Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber, What you've always known, 2022, Canadian