Category: Installation

Jimmy Kuenhle – Inflatable Wonderland Labyrinth of Joy

Jimmy Kuenhle – Inflatable Wonderland Labyrinth of Joy

I recently was able to check out Jimmy Kuehnle’s piece, Inflatable Wonderland Labyrinth of Joy at the Sculpture Center in Cleveland, OH.  Jimmy is an artist known for making inflatable wearable forms that he wears in public spaces, and I was interested to see what inflatable setup he had created for the Sculpture Center show.

When you find the space, which is in the Euclid Avenue Gallery, you are greeted by a sign that has both a warnings and welcome tone.  “Beware of claustrophia.  Watch your step.  No horseplay.  This product was made in a factory containing nylon.  Have a great time.”  I read this as “Have fun but not too much.  This might be a tight and difficult space to get through.  If you have a problem with nylon, do not enter.  But maybe you should try it.”

Past the sign, the space is completely filled with an inflatable brightly colored “bouncy house” style structure that is made of what looks like puffy marshmallow cube shapes.  You hear the loud noise of a blower, and if you dare – you can enter into a single crack between two of the cubes, to enter the work.

I pushed my way in, and found myself surrounded by color, the sound of a blower, and fabric that was quite some work to move to get through. As I continued to push my way through yellow, blue, and pink structures I became focused on finding the walls, and getting to the other side.  The space was a bit tight at times, and the structure is not polite to let you by – you have to push.

I got through the piece, and reached the front of the gallery. I took a break, and pushed my way through again, this time going on the outer edge near the walls, which was harder to get through.

The piece is an interesting investigation of interaction, space, and perception.   The scale, color, and labyrinth of shapes provide an interesting experience that when I think back – I mostly remember the bright color of the fabric, since at times that was all that I could see.

You can read more about his work, and also what he is up to this Winter at Spaces Gallery in the Spaces World Artist Program on his blog and website.

 

Links:

http://www.sculpturecenter.org/

http://www.jimmykuehnle.com/

 

A 10-Story Building Covered With 1,000 Recycled Doors – The art of Choi Jeong-Hwa

A 10-Story Building Covered With 1,000 Recycled Doors – The art of Choi Jeong-Hwa

Artist Choi Jeong-Hwa often works with recycled and found materials.  When asked about art he says, “I believe that everything is art. Every material found in the kitchen, your room, the streets — everything in everyday life can be art.”

Recently he worked with 1,000 recycled doors to transform a plain 10 story building into a bright patterned building in Seoul, Korea.  These plain medium sized, multi-story buildings are called huh ga bang,  and are everywhere in the city next to the old wooden, shingled houses.

The artist, who calls himself an “intruder,” works with ordinary objects in his installations and public projects.

Choi has worked with other found and recycled materials including trash.  He did a piece called Happy Happy Plastic Stadium, where he collected trash from the Olympic games and made a  large installation made of 1.7 million pieces of discarded plastic which covered a stadium in Seoul.

Image Source:
Choi Jeong-Hwa

 

Links:

http://choijeonghwa.com/

http://thecreatorsproject.com/creators/choi-jeong-hwa

1000 Bicycles – as Never Seen Before

1000 Bicycles – as Never Seen Before

The Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has a new exhibition at Taipei’s Fine Arts Museum that opened yesterday which features  a giant installation made of 1,000 bicycles piled in layers.  The work is meant to reflect Ai’s perception about the rapid pace of Chinese social change.

The artist is currently confined to Beijing so the Taipei Fine Arts Museum had daily email exchanges with the artist to get instructions on how to mount and setup the show.  The Chinese government says his previous two-month detainment was for tax evasion charges though many believe it was for his openly critical stance against their policies.

The show, entitled “Ai Weiwei, Absent, “  also features  will feature 21 works includes photographs, 12 outsize bronze heads representing the Chinese zodiac, and the bicycle installation.

Through his work Ai addresses issues pertinent to contemporary China; including the loss of historic material culture due to rapid modernization and the effects of the global economy on traditional modes of production. His work also investigates broader themes, including perceptions of value, mass production and brand globalization, such as Coca Cola.

The exhibition runs from October 29, 2011 to January 29, 2012.

Links:

Ai Weiwei artist site

Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Free Ai Weiwei site