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art top ten 2004 happy new year link to top ten 2003 |
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Schwarz' 2004 top ten
1 - wfmu top ten list
2 - andrea fraser from walter robinson's top ten list
3 - red states come out
4 - sherry levine continues to do mediocre work
5 - richard prince continues to do mediocre work (spot trend?)
6 - mediocre shipping container houses hit the nyc art scene and get a mediocre review in architects news paper
7 - frank lives in a drat hole on dave's page
8 - selma actually knows about art and architecture
9 - terminal five show from tom moody's top ten list
10 - my show of a ten year old piece (my first 1000 wrenches) in lori bortz's garage, a studio visit by bob nickas and palemale starts rebuilding his nest
Xandra Eden’s 10 for 2004 (in no particular order)
1. Mike Kelley, The Uncanny, MUMOK, Vienna and Tate Liverpool
http://www.tate.org.uk/international/kelley.htm
2. Scott Lyall, The Canon Copiers, Susan Hobbs Gallery, Toronto
3. Gelatin, Meyer Kainer Gallery, Vienna
4. Jane Jacobs, Dark Age Ahead
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?1400062322
5. Reverend Billy, XSPACE, 7a-11d Performance Art Festival
http://www.revbilly.com/
6. Maura Doyle, There's a New Boulder in Town + Toronto's Erratic Boulders - Downtown Map, Toronto Sculpture Garden
http://www.torontosculpturegarden.com/currentexhibit.htm
7. Darren O’Donnell, A Suicide-Site Guide to the City, Toronto/Vancouver/Edinburgh
http://www.buddiesinbadtimestheatre.com/events/show.cfm?i_key=27
8. Olafur Eliasson, The Weather Project, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/eliasson/
9. Tone Nielsen & Morten Goll, Niagara Falls Artist Host Program, Mercer Union, Toronto
http://www.mercerunion.org
10. Rodney Graham, Rheinmetall/Victoria 8, 303 Gallery, New York
http://www.303gallery.com/artists/graham/index.html
Kristin Lucas's top ten art picks for 2004
(listed in the order that she witnessed them)
1. Tom Moody online
http://www.digitalmediatree.com/tommoody/
2. Joe McKay's "Accidental MPegs". VertexList, Brooklyn, NY. January.
3. Paper Rad at Foxy Production, NY. April - May.
http://www.foxyproduction.com/ExhibitionPaperRad.html
4. Lisa Choinacky's "My Bodyguard". A drawing of a person about to take off on a motorcycle. Riding double is blue bear. Also her encaustic paintings of album covers. I bought "The Pretenders." Both works on presented by Fresh Up Club in Austin, TX. February and April.
5. Wangeshi Mutu, collage work
The Altoids Collection tour at ArtHouse Texas in Austin, TX. April. http://www.africana.com/articles/qa/ar20030305mutu.asp
6. Jude Tallichet's "It's All Good" from "Treble" exhibtion at Sculpture Center, NY. Curated by Regine Basha. May.
A pink and white pearl drum set hung upside down from the ceiling like a chandelier.
http://www.sculpture-center.org/pe_treble_img1.html
(roll over the images to 'no. 15' though not a great pic)
7. 2nd Grade Toy Inventions at Creative Research Laboratory in Austin, TX. "Now and Tomorrow" exhibition. June.
The Education Program of CRL in Austin worked with school teachers who then conducted art projects with students pre-kindergarden to 12th grade. My favorite was the 2nd grade project. They invented thier own toys, and exhibited them as if they were pitching them: a drawing, clay model, and a marketing profile outlining materials, noise, how to use it, age req., special effects, cost). My favorite toy was titled "Monkey". According to the available information, you throw it and it screams.
From the Austin Chronicle: "Alfred Galvan's Discoman, a blue and gold doll bursting with disco magic, is designed to be made of "plastic and solid gold" and sold for $4,000 under the slogan "Little Children Out of Site.""
8. The Infinite Fill Show at Foxy Production, NY.
My favorite works were Michael Bell-Smith's animation and Ryan Compton's hand-drawn sneakers on a brick wall pattern. July - Aug.
http://www.foxyproduction.com/Infinite.htm
9. Scott Hewicker's napkin drawings of cats with laser eyes. I keep finding them lying around abandonned. San Francisco, CA. Beginning in October.
10. Jovi Schnell at The Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco, CA. November.
LM's top ten (in no particular order)
1. Cafka.04 or any year! Everything you want to see in a group show in a Civic centre, excited artists and an excited public.
http://www.contemporaryartforum.ca/main/main.html
2. Wade - Another terrific group project, and I agree with Sally that the misanthropic Gene Threndyle did a marvellous piece.
http://www.digitalmediatree.com/sallymckay/?28096
3. Daniel Barrow "The face of Everything" closing night at Images Festival.
His own web site is: http://www.danielbarrow.com
4. Kate Wilson's "Cool Lustre" at Katharine Mulherin (I like the greasy paintings the best!)
http://168.144.171.147/kmart/exhibitions/a_artist.asp?id=167
Her listing on the CCCA site is: http://www.ccca.ca/artists/artist_info.html?languagePref=en&link_id=5492&artist=Kate+Wilson
5. David Shrigley's transit posters up around Toronto during the Contact festival.
His own web site is: http://www.davidshrigley.com/
6. John Dickson's "Cold War" at Cambridge galleries http://www.cambridgegalleries.ca/cambridge.taf?section=2
(probably because I saw "Das Boot" seven times and cried when the Kursk sunk.)
7. Julie Voyce at AGYU
http://www.yorku.ca/agyu/exhibitions/wiflfag.html
8. 640 480 video embroidery machine at Zsa Zsa
http://www.640480.com
9. Fastwurms with Michael Barker at Zsa Zsa, loved the wood grained mac-tac pirate ship wall and loved Andrew Harwood's moving role in the video as man-dressed-as-a-pirate-waving-a-phoney-sword-and-yelling-aaaaarrrrrrgggggggg
10. Going to the local video store, just looking to rent some fluffy movie with costumes, and picking up Alexander Sokurov's "Russian Ark", watched it three times that evening, once with the commentary, then watched the "making of...", then brought it over to a friend's house and watched it again, (but probably spoiled the whole experience for her, since I wouldn't shut up about it.)
Tino's Top Ten art picks for 2004:
1. Rev Billy at XSpace, International Festival of Performance Art
http://www.7a-11d.ca/2004/2004.html
Riveting performance in front of a packed house. Followed by an anti-corporate intervention after the show. Inspiring.
http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2004-11-04/news_story8.php
http://www.revbilly.com
2. Kurt Swinghammer: Augusta CD
Sweet, nostalgic and best written album bout Toronto since Scott B's "Neil Yonge Street".
http://www.swinghammer.com/
3. Olia Mischenko Mercer Union
Olias' other-worldly miniature drawings were literally being rubbed off the walls by peoples' noses that night.
http://www.mercerunion.org/show.asp?show_id=102
4. Kraftwerk, Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto
Visually stunning music.
http://www.tecnopolis.ca/gallery/Toronto-2004?page=11
http://www.kraftwerk.com
5. Poster Korea, FearonRevell Projects
Two Canadians teaching in Korea bring along a suitcase of posters from Canada and liven up the Seoul.
http://www.fearonrevellprojects.org/poster/index.htm
6. Toronto Graffiti Art Scene - Style in Progress Festival, July 2-4
It just gets better and better. Empty walls say nothing.
http://www.styleinprogress.ca/
7. Cloaca Wim Delvoyle, Power Plant Gallery
Surprise. We are the art. Wim said: 'In New York, they were all worried about the hygienic aspects of the machine. In Europe, people just wanted to know what it all meant. In Toronto, they just ask: "How does it work?"
http://www.cloaca.be/
8. Graeme Perry: Laneing (Web Project)
Most inspiring online project. Documenting the underbelly of Toronto.
http://www.graemeparry.com/laneways/maps/center/center.html
9. Toronto Subway Station Buttons, Public Space Committee
Simple, brilliant and fun.
http://www.spacing.ca/buttons.htm
10. Chester Brown - Louis Riel
Best graphic novel of 2004. Hands down, we're taking over HBC.
http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~raha/392AF04_web/04-Lam/louis.html
(Note: This link features an online version of the book!)
Timothy Comeau's Top Ten art picks for 2004:
1. David Hoffos at TPW in September
2. The Fuck New York video and it's followup
3. Hive party in June at Studio 99
4. Niagara Falls Artist Program at Mercer Union in December
5. Allyson Mitchell's show at Paul Petro in March
6. Fastwurms with Michael Barker at Zsa Zsa at the end of August (the canon blew smoke!)
7. French bookstores in Montreal
8. Diane Landry at YYZ
9. Instant Coffee's make out party in March
10. Realizing that the new OCAD building was great when I wanted to show it off to a visiting friend from out of town.
Kineko Ivic's top 10 picks in no particular order:
1. Brad Phillips: Silver Springs at Greener Pastures
2. Frieze Art Fair London
3. Tal R at CFA Berlin
4. Erik Parker at Leo Koenig NY
5. Daniel Richter at Power Plant Toronto
6. Hernan Bas in Miami (Design District)
7. New bar for the art crowd, Sweaty Betty's (previously Luft Gallery)
8. Strange and quirky shows at Mind Control Toronto
9. Dana Schutz at Zach Feuer Gallery NY
10. the new MOMA, NY
MK's Top 10 of 2004:
1. Nicolas Fleming's "L'histoire d'un vieux sac" (Story of an old bag) at CDEx, Montreal. A beautiful and honest piece, wherein a painter asks questions about his medium by exploring it in a performative context. My top wish for 2005 is to see more artists extending themselves in this way: experimenting without being sloppy; making radical choices but not being careless; and though being somewhat deliberate, still imparting a warm and human sensibility in the work. (http://michelle.kasprzak.ca/blog/entries/archives/00000058.htm)
2. Being one of the ringleaders of Geostash. A high-tech treasure hunt where artists execute actions developed by other artists for specific urban places. It was an experience full of surprises. (http://www.year01.com/geostash)
3. Two things at the Whitney Biennial: Slater Bradley's single channel video installation "Theory and Observation", and Aïda Ruilova's wonderful roomful of short videos. They were two extremes to the show: Bradley's piece was subtle and meditative; Ruilova's were overtly quirky and slapstick. (http://www.whitney.org/biennial/)
4. "Listening Post" at Ars Electronica. This piece won the "Golden Nica" for Interactive Art at Ars Electronica. Except it wasn't interactive at all. The piece did an excellent job highlighting the awkward categorization of new media work at festivals, and it was also a mesmerizing, well-crafted data-choreography piece. (http://earstudio.com/projects/listeningpost.html)
5. John Kormeling's ferris wheel for cars at the Power Plant. Wheee! (http://michelle.kasprzak.ca/blog/entries/archives/00000038.htm)
6. Istvan Kantor winning the Governor General's award. Proof that the awards have not lost their edge. (http://www.cbc.ca/arts/stories/govgenart030304)
7. The Guggenheim's "Seeing Double: Emulation in Theory and Practice" show. This show, that concerned itself with ephemerality and particularly the problem of preserving digital art, was interesting but most of it didn't work. It was somehow comforting that not even the Guggenheim could just wave its magic wand and bring all these wayward pieces into line. Many questions without answers, which is nice to see in a big museum. (http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/emulation/index.html)
8. Caroline Martel's "Le Fantôme de l'Opératrice" (The Phantom of the Operator) at the Toronto International Film Festival. A beautifully wrought film chronicling the fate of the telephone operator. (http://www.artifactproductions.ca/)
9. [murmur]'s new installation in the Annex. More psychogeography by phone from the indefatigable [murmur] collective. (http://www.murmur.info)
10. "Pain Couture" at Fondation Cartier, Paris. A whimsical selection of bread meets fashion by Jean-Paul Gaulthier. It was one of those summer "lite" shows, but hey, I'm at number 10 and I'm allowed to start venturing into questionable shows. At least this show titillated the nose as well as the eye: the smell of freshly baked bread was intoxicating. (http://parisvoice.com/04/summer04/html/art/style.cfm)
Sally McKay's Top Ten Art Picks for 2004
(culled from posts on this blog)
1. Judy Radul's installation, Empathy With Victor at the Power Plant was, in my opininion, a brilliant bit of philosophy that deftly folded fiction, fact, and consciousness into a tight narrative package. But what do I know? Anyhow, I was out-voted in the subsequent poll.
2. Copenhagen, the play by Michael Frayne about phsyicists Werner Heisenberg and Neils Bohr, was an intense study of quantum physics in it's romantic, mind-bending power and it's very real power to produce gigantic war-winning, life-destroying bombs. The narrative took a great shift, swinging the onus of evil off of Nazi-employed Heisenberg and onto A-bomb deployer, Bohr, who left Denmark for USA and worked for the Allies.
3. Rat King Mini Rock Opera was Maggie MacDonald's contribution to February's Tin Tin Tin event organised by Carl Wilson. A chorus of chanters in rat-masks. A soulful leading lady with a voice to melt your heart. A scary dad and jittery rat king boyfriend. Who want's more? What more is there?
4. OCAD's Art Criticism Panel spawned a massive slunge of comments on this blog. The question "is art criticism dead?" really hit a nerve. The topic has been popping up all over the place, and while many find that the murky abstractions of this discussion set their teeth on edge, I totally dig it.
5. Kraftwerk ...damn that was good!
6. Triplets of Belleville was screened in the park by CBN. Nothing beats sitting around on the damp grass with a bunch of other chilly, drunken cyclists. Really!
7. Gene Threndyle's piece for Wade took place in the same park as the screening listed above. Trinity Bellwoods Park is smallish by some standards, but well-used. Sports, culture, dogs, kids, and just plain sitting around all seem to find enough space. I spent most of my time off at TBP this summer, but this particular afternoon, with scads of killer whales spinning and drifting in a sunny, watery underworld, ranks as one of my top days in the park.
8. Janet Cardiff's 40 piece motet really blew me away. I keep thinking back on it, particularly the impression I had of a kind of cyborg experience, an electronic delivery of throat and breath and resonance that seemed slighty unnerving in its perfection. Is this mimesis?
9. James Hartle's kooky drawings really break down the boundaries between art and science. It sucks when the scientists can do their own art too! Sigh ... I guess feeling redundant is just part of life on the cultural fringe. Anyhow, Hartle's proficient use of the overhead projector was inspiring for future performance-type projects, and his broken-up cat drawing sparked a fun discussion about Cubism.
10. Lorna Mills' art show spurred a lot of speculative rambling and babbling on my part, and I won't go on about it again now. But I loved that show.