MIERCOLES, EL NUEVE DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Still from the Zucker Brothers' 'Top Secret!'.
MARTES, EL OCHO DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Another ceramic piece in its second stage - white underglaze (two coats) ready for the colour. It's kind of like a jewelry box, with a high gloss prussian blue inside the box. I haven't quite decided how to glaze this new set of ceramics. Many of them have flames (animas - as below, phoenixes and scenes of hell) but I really don't want to use red and I'd rather glaze them monochromatically so that I don't lose any of the form, as that's the main reason why I'm making these ceramics. Although I've just finished a few retablos that are monochromatic. That's the problem with art, It doesn't matter how much you plan out something,(especially painting) it ends up being the muse calling the shots, not you.
LUNES, EL SIETE DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE If I had a spare couple of grand, I'd be heading over to London to see 'The Sacred Made Real' at the National Gallery in London. I've had a look through the catalogue and although having had seen some of the works already in the Prado and Nat Gall, it would be educational to see all the works together in the space - the paintings playing of the polychrome carvings and vice versa. I emailed a friend in London the other day and he mentioned he'd been to see it a couple of weeks ago, "...was fascinated, not just by the technical skill but the morbidity (the Spanish still have it in shovelfuls) which I loved..." I'd also been keen to see how the curator organises the work in the show, whether it recreates how the art relates to the each other as it would in a church, or pairing them up by their saintly identity, or by pure aesthetic similarities.
DOMINGO, EL SEIS DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE A drawing of mine on a friend's wall (you have to scroll down a couple of images)
SABATO, EL CINCO DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Andrea du-Chatenier at Mary Newton Gallery, Wellington. There's better quality images on MNG site, but this is my favourite work from her Earthseed exhibition. The 'primitive' African-type sculpture (made out of polystyrene, covered in flocking) is wearing a pair of Jimmy Choos. This is the type of exhibition and work that I love - work that pinpoints a specific culture, asssesses contemporary art/fashion and combines the two in a new context to create a new reading from the pattern-recognitions brought by the viewer. It reminds me of the scene in Cannibal Holocaust when the film crew discover the Yanomamo tribe using the film reels of the previously cannibalised film crew around the necks of the tribesmen and hanging on poles as signifiers of prevailing evil. This is an excellent show, probably the most excited I've been in an art gallery all year. Get in to see it before it closes (24th of Dec).
VIERNES, EL CUATRO DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Robert McLeod has an exhibition opening this Friday at PAULNACHE in Gisborne.
JUEVES, EL TRES DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Jo's in this two exhibitions, the first one (This Is Not A Rock Shop) opening 6pm Thursday at DAF106, then Women Of The Whang at ReStore, 137 Riddiford St, Newtown, Wellington - 12 pm.
MIERCOLES, EL DOS DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE
MARTES, EL UNO DE DICIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Hello All,
Just to keep you up to speed with some group exhibitions that feature my work. Opening this coming Wednesday is: Secondary Practice at Mark Hutchins Gallery, 216a Upper Willis St, Wellington, 2 - 24 December, 2009
Below are photos of each work exhibited. You can view larger versions of each artwork on my website (link to the right) or by clicking on the links to each gallery website on my homepage.
Hasta pronto, Matthew Couper
LUNES, EL TRIENTE DE NOVIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE I took this photo last Thursday of a carved wooden bust while waiting for a friend in the wrong pub, at the wrong meeting time.
DOMINGO, EL VIENTINUEVE, DOS MIL NUEVE Painted-over graffiti blobs on Furness Lane, the past site of Janne Land Gallery, where I used to show my artwork.
SABATO, EL VIENTIOCHO, DOS MIL NUEVE Four of my artworks on my cousin's wall, three yellow paintings from 1998 (Masonic Taniwha series) and a Gordon Walters-based vinyl record. As you can see, my cousin collects crucifixes too.
VIERNES, EL VIENTISIETE DE NOVIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Meta-Sweetman at about 3 in the morning.
JUEVES, EL VIENISEIS DE NOIVEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Lightning Bolt at San Francisco Bathhouse, during and the aftermath
MIERCOLES, EL VIENTICINCO DE NOVIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Here's a studio shot, taken yesterday. Heading out of town today, Mark Braunias exhibition opening tonght and Lightening Bolt at San Francisco Bath House.
MARTES, EL VIENTICUATRO DE NOVIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Beer Baby 2009 ceramic courtesy of Rayner Bros, Wanganui.
LUNES, EL VIENTITRES DE NOVIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE A write-up of Seen This Century at Judith Anderson Gallery, Hawkes Bay, by Roy Dunningham.
SABATO, DE VIENTIUNO DE NOVIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Quali-oke
VIERNES, EL VIENTE DE NOVIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE For the past two days, I've been filmed by 'The Gravy' for TV6. The new season starts in a couple of weeks, but the episode I'm in is the last one of the series (number 12, I think) also featuring Ben Cauchi and Carmen Simmons. Here's an ex-voto I did of the crew - the presenter, Ross; director and cameraman, Phil; sound and boom, Joel and assistant, Tosh. Ross Liew wrote the text for this one...great to collaborate.
JUEVES, EL DIECENUEVE DE NOVIEMBRE, DOS MIL NUEVE Another ceramic piece for next year's show at the Rayner Brothers Gallery. A scrimshaw salt and pepper shaker set with crucifix handle (which I'm hoping won't break off) I'm thinking about decorating the stand and crucifix in blue again, with the scrimshaw as life like as I can get them. I've still to smooth off the teeth so they're not so lumpy.