to raise the water level in a fish bowl

i will admit absolute unfamiliarity with zhang huan's work, but i found these two images next to the yan pei ming in that same sotheby's catalogue and have been divulging the internet for more evidence of his work since. his photographs have incredibly strong compositions and images, some even feeling inappropriate or even crude, but therein lies their poignant attraction. says zhang huan, "the body is the proof of identity. the body is language."

yan pei-ming

such life in these brush strokes!! i found an image of yan pei-ming's entitled "un portrait d'un africain" (he's been living in france since the eighties) in a sotheby's catalogue i purchased a bit ago and was incredibly mesmerized. unfortunately, i couldn't find the painting on the internet, but this self-portrait is equally evocative. seriously, that paint dripping down onto his left shoulder - perfect.

a marriage

so it's two in the morning and i should really be getting to sleep, but i just came across a pile of postcards i'd gathered from various art galleries this summer, and these were among them - how could i have forgotten? the images from this series, entitled "my bride and me" by qui zhen, haunted me for weeks. the self-portraits feel like they could be a twist on the Kierkegaardian knight of faith, with a princess who can never realize the love of the man she's bound to.
and the titles are brilliant - truly. if you have a moment you simply must watch this slide show.
i also found about ten billion other artists in the pile of postcards that i'm dying to talk about! but i will opt for saving them for a wiser hour and a later date.

the information superhighway

so i feel like i can't get much farther in this blog without mentioning nam june paik, the man in korean contemporary art. he's widely regarded as the world's first video artist and initiated a number of fascinating/racy/scandalous exhibits in new york in the sixties with the advent of the portable audio/video recorder.

to be perfectly honest, i can't say that i'm in love with most of his works, but being korean i can't help but be seized with a bit of nationalistic pride at his innovative works and recognition. it was nice to see his name mentioned again in a recent new york times article praising the rise of korean art.

either way, this enormous television sculpture (from yet another photo at the korean moca) is pretty breathtaking.