The Dark Monarch: Magic and Modernity in British Art

This group exhibition takes its title from the infamous 1962 book by St Ives artist Sven Berlin. It explores the influence of folklore, mysticism, mythology and the occult on the development of art in Britain. Focusing on works from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day it considers, in particular, the relationship they have to the landscape and legends of the British Isles.

Featuring major loans and works from the Tate Collection, it will examine the development of early Modernism, Surrealism and Neo-Romanticism in the UK, as well as the reappearance of esoteric and arcane references in a significant strand of contemporary art practice.

The exhibition includes a key work by Damien Hirst ­ the first time he has been shown at Tate St Ives ­ as well as works by important modernists and surrealists including Graham Sutherland, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Ithell Colquhoun; Neo-Romantics such as Cecil Collins, John Piper, Leslie Hurry and John Craxton; as well as emerging and established contemporary artists including Cerith Wyn Evans, Mark Titchner, Eva Rothschild, Simon Periton, Clare Woods, Steven Claydon, John Stezeker and Derek Jarman.

Exploring the tension between progressive modernity and romantic knowledge, the show focuses on the way the British landscape is encoded with various histories - geological, mythical and magical. It examines magic as a counterpoint to modernity’s transparency and rational progress, but also draws out the links modernity has with notions such as fetishism, mana, totem, and the taboo. Often viewed as counter to Modernism, the careful juxtaposition and selection of works on display suggests that these products of illusion and delusion in fact belong to modernity.

Curated by Martin Clark, Artistic Director, Tate St Ives; Michael Bracewell, writer and critic and Alun Rowlands, artist, writer and Head of Fine Art, University of Reading, the show is arranged thematically rather than chronologically, representing artists and influences across generations.


The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue containing contributions from over fifteen writers including Brian Dillon, Philip Hoare, Jon Savage, Jennifer Higgie, Marina Warner, Michael Bracewell, Alun Rowlands and Martin Clark.

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Pic of the Week 12/01/09

Turner Prize Retrospective

Roger Hiorns - Turner Prize 2009

Pic of the Week 11/23/09

Julia Stoschek Collection. Number Two: Fragile / Interview with Julia Stoschek

Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Avant-garde Pathways / Museo Picasso Málaga, Spain

Nine New Destinations at Instituto Cultural Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil

Steve Kim "A+ Excellent" - MFA show at Claremont Graduate School

3D PTG show, curated by David Pagel, at Claremont Graduate School

Sculpture by Jason Atkins



painting by Steven Hampton


painting by Steven Hampton


painting by Michelle Walker


painting by Michelle Walker


sculpture by Jason Atkins and installation view in the background.


Irina Alimanestianu with her painting in the background.


painting by Irina Alimanestianu


painting by Irina Alimanestianu

Jeff Koons in his Studio

The Unilever Series: Miroslaw Balka at the Tate Modern

Sueños / Yume: Fifty Years of the Art of Dora De Larios at the Craft and Folk Art Museum

September 27, 2009 – January 10, 2010
Internationally acclaimed, Los Angeles-born ceramist Dora De Larios is the subject of a breathtaking retrospective that opens this fall at CAFAM. Inspired by the interplay of diverse cultures and study of world religions, De Larios’s art speaks a universal language that reflects her unique pan-cultural vision. Whether in intimate ceramic pieces or large mixed-media public murals, De Larios strives to harmonize the animal and the spiritual, the earthly with the divine. Curated by preeminent American ceramics scholar Elaine Levin, Sueños / Yume (“dreams” in Spanish and Japanese)chronicles the life and dreams of Dora De Larios.

De Larios’s ability to translate universal human experiences into mystical works of art accounts for her international appeal. Recognized as one of America’s most important clay artists in Who’s Who in American Art, De Larios grew up in a downtown Los Angeles neighborhood in which Japanese nisei and Mexican-Americans lived side-by-side. She spent her childhood summers visiting family in Mexico and studied world religions and ancient art at the University of Southern California. After graduation, De Larios embarked on an around-the-world adventure to explore the diversity of cultures, religions, and art. “I began to see the patterns and similarities between myths in various cultures,” De Larios recalls. “There were different names for the deities, but they served the same purpose. They were positive or destructive forces.” This revelation, and her status as a Latina in an art world dominated by white males, concentrated De Larios’s subject matter on the exaltation of divine feminine forms.

De Larios’s body of work ranges from international commissions and large-scale sculptures to intimate figurines and functional pottery. Each piece is infused with a deep reverence of the spiritual and dream-like aspects of life: The face of a goddess emerges from a six-foot totem or wall sculpture; Hieroglyph-like shapes are incised on plaques and platters; Deep mineral colors and rich earthy glazes recall ancient traditions. Her artistic world is populated by mythological creatures and goddesses that are at once whimsical and fierce.

De Larios has been recognized nationally and internationally numerous times in the course of her fifty-year career. In 1977, De Larios was one of 14 potters selected to make a dinnerware set for the White House; In 1979, she created a 26-foot mural gift to sister-city Nagoya, Japan; Numerous site-specific sculptures are found in Southern California hotels, public spaces, and collections; and her work has been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in New York, the Renwick Gallery in Washington D.C., and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Don’t miss this long-awaited retrospective this fall at CAFAM.

5814 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tel. 323.937.4230 / Fax. 323.937.5576
www.cafam.org

Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk 11/12/2009