IAAA delay / artist annoys Al-Qaida / no experience required (Friday 21 September 2007)
What's up with the IAAA?
We passed on in July the shortlist for the Irish American Arts Awards (click here), which are in fact visual-arts awards. There is supposed to be $30,000 up for grabs, and the shortlisted artists are
Noel Brennan (Dublin),
Mark Garry (Dublin),
Lee Welch (Dublin),
Cecily Brennan (Dublin),
Conor McFeeley (Derry), and
Corban Walker (New York). The winners were to be announced this month. Now we have received this notice:
The Irish American Arts Awards is pleased to confirm that the awards will be announced after the holiday season in early 2008 to coincide with the announcement of an exciting new development.
We thank you for your enthusiastic support and look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
The Irish American Arts Awards
Not a whole lot of use, it may be imagined, to those shortlisted...
Swedish Artist Under Death Threat From Al-Qaida
compiled by Emma O’Toole
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Swedish artist Lars Vilks, left and publicist Arne Ruth speak during a seminar on the freedom of speech in Stockholm, Sweden, Tuesday September 18, 2007; image held here |
Almost a year and a half after twelve Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad sparked worldwide protest, Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks has provoked similar controversy. On Saturday, 15 September, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, put a bounty on Vilk’s head and that of his newspaper editor, Ulf Johansson, for depicting Muhammad’s head on a dog’s body. “We are calling for the assasination of cartoonist Lars Vilks who dared insult our prophet, peace be upon him, and we announce a reward during this generous month of Ramadan of $100,000 for the one who kills this animal,” he said.
The award will be increased to $150,000 if Vilk is slaughtered like a lamb...
The image, published on 19 August in the Swedish English newspaper The Local, drew outrage from the Islamic world. For conservative Muslims, dogs are considered unclean and Islamic Law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favourable, for fear it could lead to adolatry.
Despite being forced into hiding by Swedish police, Vilks remains unapologetic, and when asked if the drawings were worth all the trouble, Vilks stated “ Yes I still think so. I think the artwork has developed well so far and is on its way towards being superb.” Vilks made the series of drawings of Muhammad to test the boundaries of artistic freedom, saying “a work of art is successful when it meets resistance.”
Vilks described the events and the debate surrounding his drawings as a repeat of the Danish caricature row, except on a smaller scale and so far without bloodshed.
The next generation of collectors
compiled by Marthe Leach
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| Dakota King with Andy Warhol panda; image held here |
While most children of elementary school age are learning to color within the lines, a new legion of kids is learning to appreciate more than just their own fingerpaintings. According to the Wallstreet Journal, it is now common for the children of wealthy art afficionados to become high-end collectors themselves. Children have emerged as another niche market within the art world, using their birthday, allowance, and bar mitzvah money to finance a collecting habit that seems well beyond their years. Some parents even give their children ‘art allowances’ so that they may expand their collections according to their own interests. And these kids aren’t just buying inexpensive, unknown works. Many have collections that include works by Andy Warhol, Rembrandt, and Jeff Koons.
Some worry that these children should not be entrusted with art of this level. Many dealers refuse to work with kids, stating that children might destroy the art through carelessness, but others are simply concerned that the art will not be appreciated by its young owner. However, one must wonder if the same worries should apply to adults - Steve Wynn, the casino developer, stuck his elbow through a $139 million Picasso that he had planned to sell.
The art sections of some newspapers’ websites supply links to sections geared towards children—whether they have printable coloring pages or showcases of art done by young people. And one gallery in particular, the Saatchi Gallery in London, has developed a Myspace-type of place on their website where under-seventeens can display their artwork for the world to see. It’s hard to say which mode for getting children involved in art is more benificial for their apprecation—having them buy it or having them create it—but it is certain which is more financially productive. Families can set up art trusts for their children, thereby getting around many federal and state taxes that come with inheritence after the parents’ deaths. Some parents also feel that by entrusting their children with art at such a young age, they will not sell off their parents’ collection once they inherit them, thereby preserving their parents’ legacies.
Although a child’s appreciation for a Rembrant may not be on the same level as someone with a trained eye, one has to wonder whether it really makes a difference. Art dealers may refuse to work with children, but have no qualms about working with celebrities who may have the same amount, or less, knowlege of art as a nine-year-old. Just as it is popular for socialites to build art collections, it is popular for Hollywood-type celebrities as well. Some, such as David Bowie, are going so far as to open their own galleries. Dakota King, one young girl who is building a collection, does not know how much a piece costs before she decides to purchase it. The monetary value is of no consequence—she simply chooses what she likes, mainly works that have animals and “happy colors.” If the brand-name of the artist and the cost of the piece play no part in a child’s decision, perhaps he or she is able to appreciate the art at a simple level—one that an adult with collecting experience cannot.
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| Michael Vasquez: Smurf from Andrew Reed's collection. Image held here |
Two years ago, a twelve-year-old boy named Andrew Reed had his parents buy him a painting of his choosing—a piece by Michael Vasquez of a gangster named Smurf. Just after Reed’s purchase, the art world voiced its approval. The Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami requested the loan of the piece to exhibit. Perhaps these young collectors are the future eyes and voice of the art world.
Most recent news items:
• Dublin in-Spire-ing? / Rogers makes Newsweek / new way to help Kurtz / oligarch adds to his Arsenal (Wednesday 19 September 2007)
• Hillen wins Omagh competition / Carlow Local Authorities announce plans for VISUAL (Monday 17 September 2007)
• Questioning the role of the war artist (Friday 7 September 2007)
• Gormley good? (Wednesday 29 August 2007)
For a full list of news items, click here.
Latest reader
feedback:
News item 617
It'd be interesting to see how many visitors attended the gallery...
News item 603
re. Comment 2 - most people who get turned down for grants have t...
News item 603
'sour grapes aside, what are culture ireland up to?' i think we n...
News item 606
hang on a minute... surely the feller who won the prize at art st...
News item 603
As someone who received a grant from Culture Ireland this year, f...
News item 602
try and make work that doesn't topple over in future!...
News item 595
My objection is to the way the words 'young' and 'emerging' are s...
News item 595
A new press release by way of clarification would be nice; nicer ...
Do
you have an opinion on this article? If so, please click here for our comments form.
| Responses so far |
| Comment 1 |
The painting by Campbell Sharp was wonderful! Very
authentic and well done. The rest of the artwork was
frankly simple and rather wierd. Why didn't you show the
cartoon by Lars Vilks that offended so many thin skinned,
no humor muslims?
The real GOD, not allah, bless America!
Christina
[Notes: (1) the reference is probably to the painting
of Campbell Sharp by Catherine Kingcome, reproduced
here. Not sure what the other
artwork was, perhaps the postcard competition somehow?
(2) To say the least, we are not in favour of
generalisations about any groups, particularly ethnic or
religious ones; the feedback reprinted above here is,
however, just about worth displaying as an indicator of a
certain mindset.
(3) Needless to say, perhaps: no-one should be put under a
death threat.
Ed.]
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