one of my evergreen favourite searches remain cover versions, as my mother always said: ‘variety is the spice of life’. i like the surprise and interpretive twists that goes with it. one artist performing another artist’s song seems interesting enough and peter gabriel (again) has almost succeeded in re-inventing this type of swinging with his scratch my back album. one of my recent favourites is ane brun’s alphaville cover.
but this is not really what its about…
my aim was to express my delight at the ‘decorum’ exhibition at the musée d’Art moderne de la ville de paris. artist’s carpets and tapestries. although nothing new, it does always merit a visit to see how an artist’s work translates into various mediums. it is a change of texture and form for most and the ritual of their arts transcended to what is traditionally a craft milieu is revealing and invigorating. i applaud the use of artists in design of course, since it is most of my business, but i also admire the artist’s own approach and expression in an unfamiliar way.
most of the modernists and later had that experimental itch and it resulted in such rare objects as calder’s jewellery and raoul dufy’s ceramics; objects that may well be of more collectable interest in the investor-crowded and speculative art world. god knows, picasso’s ceramics are certainly picking up speed. the migration from fine arts to applied arts is a delicate transition and easily dismissed by critics. it has however come to the fore in recent years and has created a stir amongst traditionalists. the fact is that artists have always been drawn to craft. sculpture is a case in point. it seems that the focus of art is shifting and that being an artist is returning to it’s philosophical roots and maintaining a high stance beyond definitions such as medium and genre. i like it better that way.
more to the point, the ‘decorum’ exhibition highlighted artists expressing themselves in tapestry and carpets from modernity to contemporary; an ancient decorative and functional craft that prevails through countless incarnations of trend and fashion. by exemplifying this element, i find the curation of this collection too beautiful and profound. my picks are certainly alighièro boetti’s calculative re-interpretations and pae white’s smoke piece (for obvious reasons).
