Tag: contemporary art

Postcard from London, England: When Gonzo beckons, enter

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A colorful stamp featuring a group of superheroes, including Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, and others, in an action-packed scene, with the word 'TOGETHER!' prominently displayed.

Above: Display at Japan House pulled from elements of “Gonzo’s Underground Mix Vol.7,” Yumura Teruhiko, 2021

Heta-uma literally translates as ‘bad-good,’ though the English ‘bad-nice’ was sometimes preferred in period Japanese publications. ‘Awful but amazing’ may give a better idea of what it’s about. It refers generally to things that look like they were dashed off or slapped together, but actually took sensibility and perhaps even real skill and care to produce.”

“‘So Bad that It’s Good:’ The Japanese Graphic Art of Heta-uma,” Ryan Holmberg, Japan House

Ambling down High Kensington Street, gazing into shop windows, the interior of Japan House appeared strikingly bright and sleek, completely uncluttered. Tasteful displays of contemporary Japanese porcelain, pottery and sensuous teapots arranged with the precise placement of objects according to feng shui principles, promoting harmony and balance in individuals.

Then, Gonzo and friends, almost life-size, disrupting the surrounding calm. A chaotic scene so in contrast with the serene elegance, one felt forced to enter and accept Gonzo’s invitation to go underground, which was where we found the temporary exhibition: “WAVE: Currents in Japanese Graphic Arts.”

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Postcard from Istanbul, Turkey: Women approach art from different directions

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A Turkish postage stamp featuring an illustration of women, the Turkish flag, and a historical building, representing themes of women's rights and society.

Above: “Femen/Kabatas,” Esra Carus, cardboard cutout, 2016

During a trip in Kabataş, a woman claimed that she and her baby were attacked by about ten half-naked men…. She held a demonstration on the balcony of a hotel in Paris…. It was impossible not to relate with the half-naked show of Femen girls….”

Esra Carus (1968-), Instagram (AI translation)

Two women posing together in front of a cardboard cutout artwork, one wearing a hijab and the other with long dark hair, both smiling amidst a gallery setting.
Above: Translator (left) and Esra Carus during “Grief. Law. Prohibition,” Depo Gallery

We wandered around the streets of the Tophane to Depo Istanbul without much of a clue about what art we’d encounter inside the former tobacco warehouse, renovated in 2008. We were met with “Yas. Yasa. Yasak,” or “Grief. Law. Prohibition,” and immediately were struck by strong, strident imagery.

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Postcard from Queretaro, Mexico: MACQ confronts contemporary topics

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Above: “Waiting Has a Price,” Rodney Zelenka, 2021

Visiting this past summer, I found myself awestruck by the contemporary political and social issues tackled by exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Querétaro (MACQ). Although housed within the walls of an ancient convent, the museum’s international art is far from the conservative colonial paintings long associated with the city.

“Incomprehensible Realities,” a show by Panamanian artist Rodney Zelenka (1953-), delivered the universal plight of migrants to the forefront with the powerful precision of a karate chop, to be expected from a painter with a Black Belt. Many of his surrealistic works featured suitcases, shoes, hats – things that get left behind – executed in bright primary colors normally associated with happiness set against a backdrop of gray splotches resembling abstract gravestones.

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