Heads and Holgas

Something really bizarre is happening this week:  I'm starting to develop this thing that most people call "a life."  Between the outing with our blog buddies, the book reading Monday and the art show I'm attending this evening, one may be fooled into thinking that I do more than work and watch America's Next Top Model.  (I'm a master at smiling with my eyes BTW) Are you in Austin?  Perhaps you would like to play my new favorite game, have a life, as well.  Here's how:  Head south to Austin Art Garage tonight to check out the latest work from two of my favorite ladies, Cory Ryan and Hope Perkins at their show, Heads and Holgas.

Austin Art Garage is located at 2200 S. Lamar Blvd.  Not in Texas?  Here's a peek at what you'll be missing.  Sorry, I don't have any photographs of free booze.

A few of Hope's older pieces.  The bobcat on the bottom right started it all.  Her name is Tanya, she wears a tierra.  I happen to know from my many trips to Round Top with Hope that Tanya has since gained a sister, Zatarans McGillicutty, who's just as cute as a stuffed button.

The piece on the left is "So you DO know Betty Blackwell?" If you live in Austin and have ever found yourself watching tv past 11:00 at night, you will know that this is the funniest title for a neon pink taxidermied deer with a telephone ever in the history of the planet.  I'm not sure what the one on the right is called, but, knowing Hope, I'm sure it's hilarious. 

It should be noted that I tried to find a video clip of the Betty Blackwell commercial to share with you all, but it doesn't exist online.

Cory will be displaying photographs from her extensive Holga portfolio.  She's spent the last year obsessively shooting Austin from angles I've never seen (normally I can name almost any street corner in an Austin shot, but most of these leave me guessing).  

I'm not sure if I should be beaming with pride over having such talented friends or spending my energy commanding that you hit the show this evening... perhaps a bit of both.

Do-Ho Suh

Korean artist Do-Ho Suh's work looks like eye candy, but reads like a masterpiece. Every sculpture is intricately crafted to raise questions about individuality and anonymity. In our contemporary, overpopulated world, is it even possible to stand out, or are we all part of a collective machine? In many of his deceptively simple sculptures, thousands of singular pieces are linked together to form one overarching statement.

Following two years of mandatory military service in Korea, thousands of dog tags were fashioned together to form the shape of an Emperor's Robe for Suh's piece, Some/One.

Suh's experience in the military led to a slew of works questioning the indentity of the individual in the face of a regiment that essentially seeks to efface identity.

Screen

Paratrooper

Who Am We?

Cause and Effect

Another piece from his Paratrooper series features embroidered signatures on a parachute.

Floor

Suh's mastery of space and the interaction of objects with their environments led him to create a series of pieces that question the nature of identity in a different way. His architectural works crafted from silk or nylon and steel tubing center on the idea of home as a structure and a concept.

Seoul Home/LA Home/New York Home/Baltimore Home/London Home/Seattle Home, reflects Suh's status as a transient being. After growing up in Korea, he moved to New York, and now frequently travels to promote his work.

Perfect Home II

Reflection

Staircase

I appreciate the tactile quality of Suh's work as much as I appreciate the clarity and complexity of his vision. And it doesn't hurt that he likes to read Cabinet, Dwell, and the sadly defunct Blueprint, either. Who says you can't be pretty and smart?

(Photos courtesy of Lehmann Maupin Gallery and Designboom.)