The Western ‘poverty industry’

For Episode III – ‘Enjoy Poverty’ Renzo Martens travelled with his video camera to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a humanitarian disaster has been taking place for many years now. Among other things, his film shows how development organisations and Western photographers create a biased media report of that situation. Martens confronts the public with the fact that the Africans themselves do not profit from the images that foreign photographers take of them. On the contrary: like gold and luxury goods, even the images of poverty, the most lucrative export product, are out of the Congelese reach; as they are exclusively exploited by the Western ‘poverty industry’. As an answer to this injustice, Martens starts a development project for Congolese photographers; a project that is doomed to failure.

More information here.

Can you spot a masterpiece?

Few days ago (Tuesday 18th November) in Temple Bar Gallery and Studios the work of more than one hundred artists has been presented on a ‘no name’ basis, leaving it to the buyer to rely on their own taste and discernment in spotting a contemporary 21st century masterpiece.

I didn’t spot most of them (it doesn’t matter! I didn’t take part in the auction!) but if you decide to visit the exhibition now and you are a little bit familiar with names of artists both established and emerging, you can benefit of a list of names!

Sorry, I had almost forgotten! The title of the exhibition is Winter Salon (because the artworks have been hung salon-style against a backdrop that evokes the atmosphere of “traditional” salon exhibitions) and it will continue until the 20th of December.

Head the Gallery, tail you!

The National Galleries of Scotland’s online collection worths a visit (there’s more to Da Vinci than codes and more to Warhol than cans…) but if you are in Edinburgh don’t miss the rare opportunity to look closely at (and learn more about) Scottich art.

With no doubts the work I enjoyed most while I was there is Autumn in Glencairn, Moniaive 1887 by James Paterson. The artist, who had a French feeling for tonal values, made a good use of  the Glasgow School square brush stroke which can be seen here in the wooden fence and in the more distant part of the landscape.

Don’t leave the building without a visit to the restaurant!

On Fridays the manager will toss a coin to find out who’s paying for lunch. Head the Gallery, tail you!

Norwegian street artists

This summer the authorities of the Norwegian Lofoten islands invited two well-known Norwegian street artists, who call themselves Dolk and Pøbel, to work on old deserted houses. This is the stunning result.

What happened to the authors?

Wondering how many blogs with no more than one entry are out there? What happened to the authors? How did they get bored so quickly? The idea of collecting them in one blog is simply great!

Feed your kids the Arts

I love this campaign! The advertiser is Americans for the Arts

Nonchalant manner

Choosing photos to upload in an album called Random in my Facebook account, I came across this pic I shot in Paris last October.

I love looking at this image for the surreal caracther of the scene!

People were gathering around the fountain to give a closer look at the van in the water (I’m sorry I don’t know who’s the author of this installation) and this madame (with a dog in the bag) put her chair just in the middle of the scene, took her mobile and in the same nonchalant manner start to talk with someone over the phone.

How could I shut her out?

Graffitis in Temple Bar_2

Today during my lunch break I’ve spotted other two. Actually, it’one equiment shot on both sides!

Anyone who thinks they’re too cool to use Twitter …

Apparently there are people who can’t imagine life without it!!!

Graffitis in Temple Bar

Legalizing graffitis to decorate urban equipments. In Temple Bar, Dublin.