Sunday, December 20, 2009

Whitesp ce

I'm so glad I have a friend like Kawadjan in Bangkok who has the same appetite for art and fashion like, moi. I am presuming here actually given he's allergic to any word that reminds him of food so 'appetite' might be a 'no-no'. But then again, I'm presuming he's more inclined to be voracious of some other 'appetite' but that's another story altogether and I suggest you visit his blog if you are so inclined to discover what it is.

Anyway, he brought me to Whitesp ce, an art gallery devoted to edgy, hip and cool artworks by artists pushing the boundaries of art.

The gallery space is modest and a bit tiny compared to some other spaces I've seen. It works in making you more intimate with the artworks displayed.

When I visited they had this artist using his blood as medium for his paintings. I'm sorry I didn't get his name.

From what I understood with his statement, he is commenting about the currency of life and the value of it amidst the global situation we are all experiencing. Funny how the economic crisis is fueling creativity among many artists, non?

A video installation depicts the process of creation.

It's both repulsive and fascinating to watch it. I guess, you really must have strong guts to stomach it. Very 'Young British Artist', those popular conceptual group who rose to prominence during the 1990's who used 'shock tactics' (employing bodily fluids, sex and taboo subject matter as a take-off point) for their art. Leading artists of that group are Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

Very, very fascinating to watch. I'm glad they included the video because it really enhanced my appreciation and value for the artwork and the artist. I was really impressed!

And to enhance the total experience, part of tiled area where you are asked to remove your footwear, the artist painted these floral designs using his blood. Definitely not for the faint hearted.

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