Wednesday's Artist of the World (No. 9).....

Country- Ireland:
Ireland is definitely a tourist destination for many. Travelers are drawn to this country's traditional side as well as for it's stunning scenery. Ireland is thought to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Ireland has a truly lush landscape that is spotted with castles and cathedrals, amazing coastlines and unspoilt country landscapes. You can visit prehistoric sites or perhaps see the Guinness brewery or visit some Irish pubs. The people of Ireland are considered to be quite friendly and welcoming.



images by jule_berlin


Artist- Katie Holten:
Katie Holten was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1975. She uses various mediums in her artwork ranging from drawings, installations, sculptures, photographys and public art project. She creates work that focuses on the individual and the environment. Holten work closes the distinction between natural and artificial by mixing various media as well as recycled materials. I am drawn to how Holten engages others into the environments and little continents/worlds she creates.


The Black Tree (installation view at Schurmann Berlin), 2005 - 2007, cardboard, newspaper, wood, wire, duct tape



28 Globes, 2006 - 2008, ink and acrlyic on molded newspaper

Link to where more images and information about the artist can be found: Katie Holten

Wednesday's Artist of the World (No. 8).....

Country- Guatemala:
Guatemala is a truly beautiful and colorful country, if you travel here once you will definitely want to come back (I know I do). Guatemala is a nation filled with a rich Mayan culture, brimming with stunning archaeological ruins, incredible mountain landscapes, colorful markets, colonial era courtyards and even modern cities. The Tikal ruins are considered to be one of the most important Mayan archaeological sites. Not only are these breathtaking ruins amazing in sheer size, but also the lush jungle setting makes these ruins absolutely magical. While Antigua (one of the world's best preserved colonial cities) is a captivating town that makes you feel like you have stepped back into history at least some 300 or so years ago. Antigua is filled with colonial architecture, cobblestone streets and magnificent surroundings. Here are a few images from my travels to Guatemala:





Artist- Luis González Palma:
Luis González Palma born in 1957 is a modernist Guatemalan photographer who grew up in Guatemala City (currently lives in Argentina). He is of a mixed or "mestizo" background and in his photography he focuses on the plight of the indigenous Mayas and the mestizo people of Guatemala. He wants his viewers to get a sense of understanding and pain of what the minority in Guatemala have gone through since before, during and after the intense genocide of their race. His photographs do just this by focusing on such items as his subject's gaze or mystical costume, all his photographs use sepia tints while some of his other work also has an antiqued collage feel. I am truly amazed by the his all of his subjects' eyes---he makes his subjects' gazes so intense by the lack of tint which causes the eyes to appear very white against the sepia tint in the rest of the photo.

La loteria II (set of 9)
gelatin silver prints with oil paint
19.6 x 19.8 in.
1989


Here is a link to the artist's website---where more images of his work can be found: Luis González Palma

Wednesday's Artist of the World (No. 7).....

Country- Colombia:
Colombia is a country that perhaps sometimes doesn't have the best reputation. Media reports spotlight and speak of all the violence, rebel problems, coca fields and kidnappings, but travelers' expectations are definitely shattered once there. Colombia is a country with vibrant cities such as Bogotá and Medellínas as well as beautiful port towns scattered along some of the most stunning coastlines of clear blue water. It is also filled with unspoilt mountains, jungle as well as stunning archaeological sites. The people and culture of Colombia are truly vibrant and alive.


Photos by Luz A. Villa


Artist- Fernando Botero:
Fernando Botero is a neo-figurative artist from Colombia, born in Medellín, Antioquia on April 19 1932. His work includes still-lives and landscapes, but Botero is best known for his portraits filled with inflated forms and exaggerated human figures. In his work, the artist exaggerates the proportions and the corpulence of the human body as well as animal figures. His Colombian upbringing as well as political and social stance are items that are present in his work. I am drawn, as probably are many, to his inflated forms as well as his use of color---I really like how each painting is so bold and forward.

Contortionist
2007 Oil on canvas 128 x 100 cm


Still Life with Watermelon
1992 Oil on canvas 95 x 116 cm


I really like this last image--great composition, wonderful subject matter and color. It looks like a really great birthday party....wish it were mine.

Feliz Cumpleaños
1971 Oil on canvas 44 x 150 cm

Wednesday's Artist of the World (No. 6).....

Today, being Ash Wednesday, I thought it would be appropriate if we traveled to Italy where so many are preparing for Lent. For me, Italy personally holds a special place in my heart. In 1987, my parents had sought refugee for our family in a refugee camp in Rome from what was then Communist Poland. (In a future blog post, I will talk more about my families "journey" to America.)

Here we go......

Country-Italy:
Italy is famous to many for its high fashion, luxury cars, those cute little vespas and of course for it's wonderful cuisine. However, Italy is a country steeped with such a rich, interesting history, beautiful artwork and truly amazing architecture. Italy is a country composed of so many splendid cities; Rome filled with remnants of its Imperial past, Florence for it's Renaissance monuments and architecture, Venice, one of the most stunning cities situated on a lagoon, and the list goes on and on..... from Naples to Sicily to the ruins of Pompeii. Italy has so much to offer to all of it's travelers.



Artist-Olivo Barbieri:
Olivo Barbieri was born in Italy in 1954, he is an Italian artist and photographer of urban environments. It is amazing how in his aerial photographs of cities throughout the world he is able to make buildings look like tiny toys and people like ants. Olivo Barbieri is able to create these tiny worlds by photographing places from a helicopter using a tilt-shift lens photography. He is able to change what is truly there; it is as if though reality and imagination pretty much seem to get blurred. It looks as though you are viewing miniature toy plans that he has created, instead of actual buildings and people from all around the world.

Site specific, LAS VEGAS, 2007


Iguazu, Argentina/Brazil(IG10) 2007

Here is a link to where more information about this artist and his work can be found: Olivo Barbieri

Wednesday's Artist of the World (No. 5).....

Today, I thought we could travel back around the globe to South America where the world's longest and probably largest carnival celebrations are held in Brazil. Rio Carnival 2009 will start in a few days on Friday, February 20th and will last until Fat Tuesday, on February 24th......what a great time to see the work of a Brazilian artist whose work is infused with so much color and rhythm!

Country-Brazil:
Brazil is the largest country in South America, as well as the fifth largest country in the world, occupying basically half of South America. Brazil is full of contrasts from the untouched Amazon rainforest to the array of colorful metropolises ranging from Brasilia, São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. The country is also famous to many for its football (US: soccer) traditions as well as annual Carnaval celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, and Olinda. It is a country with such great diversity; offering travelers an array of scenery, wildlife, and animals. There is definitely plenty of things to see and do in Brazil!


Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.




Carnival.


Artist-Beatriz Milhazes:
Beatriz Milhazes was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1960-- a city which is famous for it's Carnival celebrations, samba and other music as well as for it's amazing natural settings. Her paintings include Brazilian cultural imagery as well as references to western Modernist paintings. Beatriz Milhazes works in the pure aesthetic style of the Pattern and Decoration movement. Her work mixes her Brazilian heritage with the vibrant and bold colors as well as patterns, yet her work is such an universal experience. To me, her work is playful, rhythmical, bold and colorful something that Rio de Janeiro is, as well as the Brazilian culture. I am drawn to how Beatriz work is infused with all this energy and movement; drawing on the pleasures of life rather than on hardships. She is able to drawn inspiration from everything around her city from jewellery, embroidery, folk art, architecture to the traditional Brazilian fabrics known as chitão.



Peace and Love, 2005,
Gloucester Road Station Project
Platform for Art Underground
London, UK




Mariposa, 2004
Acrylic on canvas
98 X 98 inches


Here is a link to some more information about the artist and her work: Beatriz Milhazes

Postponed: Wednesday's Artist of the Week.

We are traveling today to: England

Country-England:
England is another country that is considered to be one of the world's most popular visitor destinations. Perhaps the reason for this is, England is so diverse: from city life and scenic landscapes, to old-fashioned customs and the avant-garde culture. One moment you may be viewing the ancient megaliths of Stonehenge and in no time at all you are in one of the largest and busiest cities in the world, London. It is a nation that is full of diversities from it's landscape, history, culture and people. Here are two images from my travels:







Artist-Banksy (Robin Banks or...):
Banksy is the British graffiti artist's pseudo-anonymous believed to have been born in 1974 in Bristol, England...however, there is this great uncertainty about his identity and biographical details. The artist known as Banksy has been able to keep his identity a guarded security that only a few trusted friends known. His work is primarily done with stencils and spray paint on public walls. Despite keeping his identity very secretive, his graffiti work on the other hand has appeared in cities throughout the world. His art work is often seen as being satirical--drawing on topics such as cultural, politics and ethics. I am drawn to how the Banksy has the ability to grab people's attention with his work and create a such a bold statement.



Artwork done in Palestine: Wall of Seperation



Artwork done in London



......please do take a look at some more of this artist's unique work on his website: http://www.banksy.co.uk/

Wednesday's Artist of the World (No. 2)...

Today we will be traveling to France (a country that I have also had the opportunity to travel to).

Country-France:
France is the most visited country in the world, located in Western Europe. The country is full of contrasts with an array of regions and varied landscapes. France draws millions of tourists each year with such attractions as the city of Paris, to the French Riviera, the Alps and amazing châteaux.....and the list goes on and on. France to many is known for it's history, culture, fashion and of course great food/wine. Upon my travels to France I was drawn to the architecture and especially the Art Nouveau style.....also crêpes!!!

Here are some images from my travels:



Paris, France (at night)




Nantes, France


Artist-Christian Boltanski:
Christian Boltanski was born in occupied Paris, France on September 6, 1944 to a Jewish father of Ukrainian heritage and Corsican mother. He is known as a French photographer, sculptor, self-taught painter and as well as an installation artist. I am drawn foremost to his installation pieces in which he evokes to the viewer a sense of past/history and remembrance of forgotten people. He captures the idea of memory/past by arranging such simple items as photographs of people and actual found objects such as: clothing, paper clippings, candles, light bulbs. Through his installations Boltanski draws on such issues as death, memory and loss. I am personally also interested in his work because the idea of memory and past is a reoccurring theme in my work. For example, my thesis work for undergrad was based on my family's journey to America----this is a series of work that I would like to have a post in the near future on. And also, a lot of the jewelry that I sell now draws on memories of places and people.




Untitled Reserve, 1989
clothes, black and white photographs, and lights, 111 x 64 x 7 inches





Le reliquaire, 1988
gelatin silver prints, steel frames, steel boxes, steel mesh, fabric, electric lamps and cables, 94.7 x 105.1 x 28 inches

Wednesday's Artist of the World (No. 1)...

Every Wednesday, I will travel ("so to say") to a different part of the world. I will pick a different country each week and artist whose work I find interesting. So that will roughly be around 192 countries to travel to.

Country-Bolivia:
I have had the pleasure to personally travel to and experience Bolivia. The people of landlocked Bolivia continually struggle with poverty. Despite being the poorest country in South America, this country continues to amaze me with its unparalleled beauty. Bolivia is rich in some of the most amazing scenery, as well as vibrant people and culture. My work has been and continues to be influenced by my travels there.

Here are some images from my personal travels:
La Paz, Bolivia



Coroico, Bolivia

Artist-Roberto Mamani Mamani:
Mamani Mamani is an Aymaran artist born in Cochabamba, Bolivia in 1962. Mamani Mamani's contemporary paintings draw influence from his Aymaran culture, the people and land of Bolivia. I am drawn to the artist's use of vibrant colors and traditional Aymaran symbols which allow his paintings to tell a story of his people and land. His use of these vivid colors and symbols carry a specific meaning, for example: the use of yellow suns in his work are male while blue moons are female, and horses represent the colonization and enslavement of his people by the Spaniards.


"Nostalgia de los Andes"
oil pastels on paper, 2006




"Madre del Arco Iris"
oil pastel on paper, 2006

....and here I am with one of Mamani Mamani's works in the Museum of Contemporary Art (Museo de Arte Contemporaneoin) in La Paz, Bolivia.