reviews
Twister; Moving Through Color, 1965 -1977
Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin
On view through December 23, 2004
Why might people who had a stake in 1970's art have wanted to forget works that appear so optically exciting today? One might suppose that the vivid pigments and undulating picture planes made these images too shocking to include in the modern cannon. But, given that the canvases were painted in an era when shock and controversy were a la mode, that explanation loses viability. Others might suggest, as Linda Henderson briefly did at the gallery talk, that the negative critical reception surrounding the Responsive Eye exhibition (MoMA, 1965) might be to blame. In their efforts to distance themselves from paintings that could be construed as Op Art, some of the artists in Twister stopped painting altogether. The art historical corollary to such a visceral response would be to deliberately forget such paintings. From a viewing distance of nearly 30 years, contemporary viewers can see that Twister's paintings engage with many issues germane to 1970's art: motion, technology, temporality, media ambiguity, and viewer participation, to name a few. Yet, in the context of their making, the chromatic frequencies resonating on the picture plane buzzed too loudly for viewers to perceive the conceptual component of what appears, at first, to be an optical device.
events
Cintematexas 9
Robert Friedman Presents Terry Riley & Jem Cohen
First United Methodist Church
Friday, September 24, 8pm
From the Cinematexas website: With the explosive debut performance of the revolutionary In C in San Francisco 1964, Terry Riley launched the Minimalist movement and thrust himself amongst the eminent composers of the late 20th century. While many of his contemporaries were mired in either Arnold Schoenberg inspired serialism or John Cage's "chance music", Riley began experimenting with tape loops and repetitive patterns... His collaboration with Jem Cohen marks a special moment In Riley's work. Riley's music depends upon its performance. New works such as Baghdad Highway and A Rainbow in Curved Air (revisited), like In C, A Rainbow in Curved Air and Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band, give the performer ample leeway for improvisation. The piece may be fifteen minutes long one night and on another it could go on for over an hour. In this collaborative improvisation of sight and sound all we know for certain is that sparks will fly. —Issac Lyies
Cinematexas at Arthouse
September 22-26, 2004
Arthouse is a venue for Cinematexas this year! Here is a selected schedule of events:
Wednesday 9/22: Face|Off:India (7:15pm) & La Mesa del Capitan (9:30pm)
Thursday 9/23: Sud (7:45pm), Face|Off:Belgium (9:45pm) and Odd Nosdam & Dosh (Midnight)
Friday 9/24: The Will of Dean Snyder (10:15pm)
Saturday 9/25: The Birdpeople (2:30pm), Satyajit Ray 3 (4:00pm)
Sunday 9/26: 2004 Award Winners (6pm & 7:30pm)
For a complete listing of shows and venues for Cinematexas 19, please visit: www.cinematexas.org
Critical Art Ensemble
Warehouse at American Youthworks
Saturday, September 25, 2pm - 4pm
Not to be missed! Critical Art Ensemble will be in Austin this weekend as a part of Cinematexas 9. Critical Art Ensemble is a collective of five artists of various specializations dedicated to exploring the intersections between art, technology, radical politics, and critical theory. Click here for specific details!
Kristin Lucas: LO-FI GREEN SIGH
The Hideout
Wednesday, 9/22, Upstairs, 9pm; Thursday, 9/23, Downstairs, 6pm
Check out Kristin Lucas' video, LO-FI GREEN SIGH, part of the International Competition Program 5 on either Wednesday or Thursday at The Hideout! Kristin Lucas was recently a visiting professor in the Art and Art History Department, University of Texas at Austin. To view images of her most recent Austin project, Wi-Sci, a collaboration with Fluent-Collaborative and the Fresh Up Club, click here!
