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International galleries and collectors finally returning to Brazil’s ArtRio fair

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

ArtRio opened its 13th edition in Rio de Janeiro this week, with a noticeable uptick in participation from international galleries at its photogenic location on the shore of the city’s Guanabara Bay at Marina da Glória. According to organisers, the fair this year boasts 25% more space for the 80 galleries participating, a significant bump from the 62 that took part in 2022—which was its first full-scale edition since before the pandemic.

“What kept our fair going these last few years was the national market, but now I feel a new interest from international galleries and my expectation is that we can gradually open up this international market again, bringing to Rio de Janeiro these galleries while also showing our artists to international players,” Brenda Valansi, ArtRio’s founder and president, tells The Art Newspaper.

According to the most recent edition of Art Basel and UBS’s annual report The Art Market, sales within South America accounted for the overwhelming majority (81%) of Brazilian dealers’ sales in 2022. The post-Covid-19 rebound in the country’s art market also slowed significantly in 2022, to just 1% growth year-on-year—in 2021, South American dealers’ sales surged 29%.

“We are experiencing a renewal of our international role both in the number of international galleries but also the number of foreign collectors, curators and visitors coming to this year’s ArtRio,” Valansi says.

A 1932 painting by Pedro Figari on view in Sur Galeria’s ArtRio stand Sur Galeria

This year’s fair features a small but significant cohort of six international exhibitors from Uruguay, the United States, Italy and Portugal. One of them is Sur Galeria from Maldonado, Uruguay. Absent from the fair since 2020, Martin Castillo, the gallery’s co-founder, says it was important to return to Rio.

“Brazil has a very strong position in the Latin American art market,” Castillo says. “It is one of the countries that measure the temperature of the region’s art market and ArtRio is unique, because here there is has a very distinct combination of sea and sun.”

Another international gallery participating in ArtRio is Lisbon-based Francisco Fino. The gallery, making its debut at the fair, is showing a solo stand of works by Brazilian painter Priscila Rooxo, a winner of the fair’s Foco Prize last year.

Rooxo has become one of the darlings of Brazilian collectors, for her raw depictions of daily life for people in Rio’s poorer neighbourhoods. “My work talks about gender, territory and class,” she says. “It has a social footprint, with the vision of peripheral women like me.”

The fair is once again divided between Earth and Sea pavilions, the latter gaining a second floor of stands. The exhibitors are divided into five sectors, including Vista—a section in the Sea pavilion devoted to galleries founded in the last ten years—and the Mira programme devoted to works by artists whose work is influenced by cinema. The fair’s sector for solo presentations, located on the lower level of the Sea pavilion and curated for the second consecutive year by curator Ademar Britto, features solo stands from 16 galleries.

“Galleries did an excellent job this edition, bringing very important works of both Brazilian modernism and contemporary art in general,” says Valansi.

ArtRio’s waterfront location in Rio de Janeiro Bruno Ryfer/ArtRio

“ArtRio gave a boost to the Rio art market,” says Sergio Gonçalves, whose namesake gallery is participating for the first time. “Moving the fair to the Marina da Glória was the turning point.” From his stand, Gonçalves can see one of Rio’s most famous postcard views of Sugarloaf Mountain. He adds, “There’s no fair in the world with this view.”

Gonçalves says that many of the artists featured on his stand have never participated in fairs in Rio de Janeiro. “I try not to bring in those artists who are already in the mainstream,” he says. “I really want people to discover new artists. I would like to help form this new generation of future collectors.”

One of the most visited stands during the fair’s preview was that of Belo Horizonte-based Lemos de Sá Gallery, which features a solo presentation of Brazilian artist René Machado’s very sought-after paintings.

Artist Rene Machado in his solo stand at ArtRio with Lemos de Sa Galeria Cristina Granato/ArtRio

“Demand is phenomenal,” Machado says. “The fair is very well structured, and we are receiving visitors from all over.” By the end of the preview day, Machado said one work had sold and there were several reserved by interested buyers.

“ArtRio has the characteristic of being very fresh, very cutting edge,” says Brazilian curator and art critic,.

According to the curator and critic Paulo Herkenhoff—who was the general director of the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes and the first cultural director of the Museu de Arte do Rio—ArtRio brings together all the issues and themes that have defined Brazilian art in the 21st century, including contemporary Indigenous art, art by and about Brazil’s communities of African descent and LGBTQ+ artists.

“All of this coexists in a charming way,” Herkenhoff says. “It’s a tsunami from contemporary Brazil. This is the uniqueness of ArtRio.”

ArtRio, until 17 September, Marina da Glória, Rio de Janeiro

A Major Exhibition Materializes Surrealist Artist Remedios Varo’s Alchemical Visions

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

“Creación de las aves (Creation of the Birds)” (1957), Museo de Arte Moderno, INBAL/Secretaría de Cultura. Photo by Rodrigo Chapa. All images © 2023 Remedios Varo, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VEGAP, Madrid, courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, shared with permission

Alchemy and the depths of the occult manifest within Remedios Varo’s practice. The Spanish surrealist (1908-1963), whose works are on view at the Art Institute of Chicago, was a researcher at heart with a vast, insatiable curiosity for discovering the unseen and underrecognized. Interested in scientific disciplines like astronomy and ecology along with psychology, tarot, and feminism, Varo was intent on expanding the limits of human perception. “I deliberately set out to make a mystical work, in the sense of revealing a mystery, or better, of expressing it through ways that do not always correspond to the logical order, but to an intuitive, divinatory, and irrational order,” she’s quoted as saying.

Born María de los Remedios Alicia y Rodriga Varo y Uranga in Catalonia, the artist was a natural polymath, having taken a childhood interest in her father’s work as a hydraulic engineer while reading the sci-fi novels of French author Jules Verne. Her early experiences and desire to learn informed what became her artistic practice and ushered her entrance into Surrealism. After a few years of living and working in Paris, Varo, like many of her contemporaries, fled Europe before World War II and relocated to Mexico City, where she lived until she had a heart attack and died at age 54.

two figures appear to emerge from the walls in a room where another sitter puts objects on a musical staff

“Armonía (Harmony)” (1956)

In Science Fictions, more than 60 of Varo’s paintings, sketches, and sculptures are on view at a U.S. museum for the first time in 23 years. The enchanting works evidence the artist’s esoteric affinities and are rife with unexpected magic. “Creation of the Birds,” for example, centers on a hybrid, owl-like character who appears to paint winged creatures that are brought to life by a stellar beam. Similarly, “Useless Science, or The Alchemist,” depicts a cloaked figure turning a crank that powers a towering apparatus of gears and pulleys, producing a pale green liquid at the base.

While Varo’s subject matter is often rooted in experimentation and discovery, so was her physical making process. She tended to produce cartoons, or full-scale preparatory drawings, that she would transfer to a panel or canvas. These renderings offered structural support to her more capricious techniques like blotting, scraping, and decalcomania, which involves pressing a painted material against another surface so that both are temporarily joined by a layer of wet paint. This creates organic, biomorphic planes when pulled apart. The vast quantity of textures adds to the cosmic, enchanting qualities of Varo’s works, which she produced layer by layer, sometimes embedding natural materials like mother-of-pearl within the compositions.

a woman sits at a table with her cat, both of their hair is orange and spiked. a constellation hovers overhead

“Simpatía (La rabia del gato) (Sympathia)” (1955)

Although lesser known in the U.S., the artist is well-established in Latin America. Varo is part of a trio of artists dubbed “the three witches,” along with Leonora Carrington and photographer Kati Horna, and was active in Surrealist circles in Mexico. “Varo has been revered as a cult figure since the 1950s, her allure stemming from the enigmatic nature of her work, both in terms of its subject matter and technique,” said curator and art historian Tere Arcq, who helped organize the exhibition with Art Institute curator Caitlin Haskell. Presented in partnership with Museo de Arte Moderno, Science Fictions is widely lauded for recognizing and expanding access to Varo’s contributions to art history, both of which are long overdue.

Given her enduring search for transcendence and transformation, would Varo have considered the artworks themselves an act of alchemy? “That’s a fascinating question,” Haskell says. “She was certainly reading about alchemy, as we know from her library, and she was not alone among the artists in her circle to be thinking about analogies between art making and alchemy. In a metaphorical sense, yes.”

Remedios Varo: Science Fictions is on view through November 27.

a black and white patterned floor envelops a figure sitting at a wheel with a castle like construction in the background

“Ciencia inútil, o El alquimista (Useless Science, or The Alchemist)” (1955), Museo de Arte Moderno, INBAL / Secretaría de Cultura.

a hybrid figure with an owl like face and a moonlit window on the right

Detail of “Creación de las aves (Creation of the Birds)” (1957)

Two people rest on a furry ship that appears to ride a yellow cloud up toward a cliff peak

“La huida (The Escape)” (1961), Museo de Arte Moderno, INBAL/Secretaría de Cultura. Photo by Rodrigo Chapa

a woman emerges from the wall to put objects on a staff with a figure on the lower left

Detail of “Armonía (Harmony)” (1956)

a constellation underlies a red bull like creature with horns and a face

“Tauro (Taurus)” (1962), Museo de Arte Moderno, INBAL/Secretaría de Cultura. Photo by Rodrigo Chapa

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article A Major Exhibition Materializes Surrealist Artist Remedios Varo’s Alchemical Visions appeared first on Colossal.

OBIT BOTERO 5

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Sculpture

FILE — Visitors walk among the bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero on display at the Plaza Botero in his home city of Medellin, Colombia, on Jan. 7, 2013. Botero, whose

A Photographer’s Guide to Protecting Your Business and Client

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Running a photography business is not as easy as you would like to think it is. A very common misconception starting in this industry would be thinking that you will be successful if you are good at taking photographs. While it was probably true decades ago, the steep competition and the change of industry landscape these days pushes the difficulty to the next level. In this article, we will be discussing an ongoing issue about client ghosting that has become increasingly common and continues to bug the industry as a whole.

Understanding Client Ghosting

Client ghosting as the name suggests refers to the situation where a potential client or existing client suddenly stops responding to communication attempts from a business or service provider, effectively disappearing without providing any explanation or feedback. In the context of photography, client ghosting typically occurs after initial interaction with a potential client, after which they stop responding. It can happen at any stage, such as after receiving a quote, discussing project details, asking for proposals and ideas, or worse case, after the photoshoot. This seemingly small issue can have a detrimental effect on the photographer or any form of business when the stakes are high.

Ghosting can also happen in various forms, including not replying to emails, not returning phone calls, or suddenly stopping communicating altogether. As a business owner, it is extremely important to know the reason behind client ghosting so that we can handle them professionally and also prevent potential damages that might affect our business. Reasons for ghosting can vary from budget constraints, where clients might look for a more affordable option, to a simple change of plans. Some clients might also lose interest midway through the discussions. It’s important to remember that sometimes, the fault might also come from our side for not truly understanding the client’s needs.

Impact of Client Ghosting

Client ghosting can have significant effects on a photographer’s business. Understanding these effects and addressing them early is important to prevent serious harm to the business. One major impact is the loss of potential bookings. Depending on the situation, this loss could affect business growth and revenue generation due to the loss of opportunity to build a loyal client base.

Time and resource wastage is another consequence of client ghosting. Contrary to popular belief, communicating with potential clients takes time and effort. The time spent on quotes, meetings, and planning projects that eventually lead to ghosting could have been used more productively to work on creative projects that have an added value to the business.

The photographer’s reputation could also be at risk, as negative word of mouth and false claims might stop future potential clients from even considering our service. This tarnishes our reputation as a professional photographer.

How to Mitigate Client Ghosting

Now that we’ve identified the impact of client ghosting, let’s discuss some strategies that photographers can use to handle this issue and build better client relationships:

Firstly, photographers can try to reduce client ghosting by adopting a proactive and personalized approach of communication. Responding promptly to inquiries can make clients feel valued and heard throughout the engaging process will greatly reduce the chances of potential ghosting. It is also important to proactively reach out to clients to follow up within an agreed timeframe to constantly keep clients engaged in the conversation and address their concerns.

Photographers could also request deposit payments to indicate client’s commitment before engaging in any meetings or offering any project proposal. This strategy will not only filter out disinterested clients, but it also shows our professionalism by valuing our own time and expertise. Lastly, if all else fails, photographers might also consider blacklisting clients based on their past actions. If ghosting is a repeated behavior coming from them, do consider avoiding any future communications coming from them to protect your own resources. But this should only be taken as a last resort after weighing all the possible pros and cons, as you do not want to burn bridges and make enemies along the way in your business.

Conclusion

For photographers grappling with the challenge of client ghosting, remember that you’re not alone, as this phenomenon has unfortunately become more common these days. However, there are ways to navigate this with professionalism while still continuing to grow your business. Strong client relationships are built on trust and respect. By implementing the strategies mentioned above, you can hopefully reduce ghosting, enhance your reputation, and create a healthier business environment that nurtures long-lasting partnerships with clients. Lastly, feel free to also share the strategy that you have implemented to tackle this issue, so we can all learn together.

Fernando Botero, Artist of Whimsical Rotundity, Is Dead at 91

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Sculpture

His voluptuous figures, in both paintings and sculpture, portrayed the high and mighty as well as everyday people through a magical-realist prism.

Forensic Photographer Documents Remains of the Missing

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Coburg local wins 2022 Navy Photographer of the Year

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Photography

by Billy Spotz and KVAL.com Staff

Fri, September 15th 2023, 10:15 PM UTC

220714-N-TP544-1122 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 14, 2022) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Ronald Saunders prepares to direct an AH-1Z Viper helicopter, attached to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, on the flight deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) during night flight operations July 14, 2022. The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, under the command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Taylor Parker)

Hard Truths About Photography in 2023

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Photography is a very popular business to get into, but a very difficult one in which to make a stable, successful living. Why is that? What does it take to be a successful professional? This insightful video essay features a seasoned pro discussing what it takes to find success in 2023.

Coming to you from Scott Choucino of Tin House Studio, this important video essay discusses the difficulties that come with trying to be a modern professional photographer. Of all the great points, I think one of the most important and easily overlooked is that finding success in the field often takes personal sacrifices, some of which might be significant. The beauty of many traditional jobs is that you have a set and predictable structure, and outside the temporal boundaries of the job, you are free to do what you want. That is not the case with running your own business, though. You will find the hours often far less predictable and far more demanding. This means that you have to really ask yourself if you have enough passion to maintain the drive needed to find success. The truth is that if you can see yourself doing anything else, you should probably do that other thing instead. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Choucino.

The Vibrant Paints + Statement Wallpapers We’re Swooning Over

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Design

When a designer known for having a specific panache with color and pattern collaborates with a design house known for creating mass-loved paint colors and wallpapers, you know the results are going to be exceptional. Such is the case with Carte Blanche, a new collection by designer Christopher John Rogers in collaboration with Farrow & Ball. The collaboration consists of four foundational neutrals, eight vibrant shades, and three statement-making wallpaper prints, each of them beautiful in their own way.

Even if you’ve seen hundreds of paint swatches before, we have a hunch these new hues will excite your eyes. Rogers, who is inspired by a wide range of creative sources, from artist Ellsworth Kelly to airport decor, turned to his childhood memories of food and family to create the 12 shades.

Every designer, creative, and design enthusiast knows that finding just the right color for a space can be painstakingly hard. With Carte Blanche, the search is now much easier. Below, the shades are described by the designer and design house themselves:

Hog Plum: A muddy yellow reminiscent of the sweet and sour fruit found across Central America and the Southern States.

Roasted Macadamia: favorite among The Squirrels, this soft neutral is named after the nut of a similar shade.

Shallot: A cheerful pink that takes its name from a sweeter member of the allium family widely used in Cajun cuisine.

Romesco: A rich, brilliant red evocative of the classic Spanish sauce, which also doubles as a favorite makeup shade.

Cardamom: A rich brown inspired by the warming, versatile spice used in dishes around the world.

Raw Tomatillo: This joyful and verdant green is inspired by the fried green tomatoes made by a beloved grandmother.

Lobster: A vibrant, lively blue that takes its name from the popular Louisiana catch.

Sardine: This silver blue takes its name from a favorite afternoon snack of a much loved grandfather.

Au Lait: This soft white is inspired by the chicory coffee popular in New Orleans, often served with steamed milk.

Licorice: This deep black is that of the classic sweet created using the root of the plant from which it takes its name.

Blue Maize: This deep blue is inspired by the unique hue of corn popular in Mexico and the Southern States.

Pea Flower Tea: A vivid blue, this shade is named after the brightly colored drink created by infusing petals from butterfly pea flowers.

For the graphic wallpapers, he was inspired by shapes from his own work, Bauhaus textiles, and one of Farrow & Ball’s timeless stripe designs. Each of the three wallpaper designs come in four different colorways using the colors from the Carte Blanche palette, creating a seamless collection that will translate effortlessly on blank walls.

Dot

Check

Stripe

For more information on the Carte Blanche collection, visit farrow-balk.com.

As the Senior Contributing Editor, Vy Yang is obsessed with discovering ways to live well + with intention through design. She’s probably sharing what she finds over on Instagram stories. You can also find her at vytranyang.com.

Photography + Review: The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, and Lauren Mayberry

Sep 15, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Posted: 15th September, 2023 by The Editor

Inside of my first car, I kept two CD’s – Hum’s You’d Prefer an Astronaut and Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism. The cigarette lighter stereo adapter never worked as intended, so I needed two options when it failed. Transatlanticism was an album that no change in job, school, partners, or other force of nature could take from me – 45 minutes that resonated deeply in mine and many others’ core.

Admittedly, The Postal Service has become a favorite of mine over the last decade, and wasn’t as fundamental to my youth as Transatlanticism was. When “Such Great Heights” was on the radio, everyone I was involved with was “too cool for pop and electronic music”. However, as an adult, that style of music became one of my favorites and by the time I had grown to appreciate the album, the band ceased to exist.

Luckily, that is no longer the case. Jumping forward to 2023, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service are celebrating their two magnum opus’ by playing both records in full. Tickets for this tour sold out instantly and additional nights announced in the same city followed suit as well. For two nights, we got to celebrate 20 years of both records in Boston at MGM Music Hall connected to Fenway Park. On top of this, both nights coincided with the Red Sox playing a home game versus the Yankees – there was a lot of commotion on Lansdowne Street.

Everyone piled into MGM, lining the staircase for merch and packing into the crowd to see Lauren Mayberry (of CHVRCHES) open the night. Lauren has previously collaborated with Death Cab for Cutie in live settings by frequently coming out to play “Brothers on a Hotel Bed” together, so it felt right for her to make her solo debut on this tour. With limited solo music out currently, Lauren joked with the crowd that “no one besides her and her mom knows these songs” but assured us they will be released soon. She will also be making rounds across the country on her own headliner this fall when it officially releases!

Right as Death Cab for Cutie took the stage and let the opening chords to “The New Year” ring, fans rushed out of the merch line and into the stadium, finally giving us a sense of how big the sold out crowd really was. The benefit of Transatlanticism being played before Give Up is that we all got to stand calmly and fully take in the slower parts of the album as they bled into one another. Not that anyone should be in the pit for Death Cab for Cutie, but 5,000 of us standing shoulder to shoulder and quietly singing along to “Lightness”, “Passenger Seat”, and “A Lack of Color” brought everyone together. That’s not to say there wasn’t excitement during “The Sound of Settling”, “Expo 86”, and “We Looked Like Giants”! As the album wrapped up, Ben announced they’d be back in 15 minutes to play Give Up.

After changing attire from all black to all white, The Postal Service took the stage right at 10pm and immediately jumped into the opening synth lead of “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”. A roaring cheer immersed from the crowd as the lights came up on Jenny Lewis when she began singing her backing vocals. During “Such Great Heights”, Ben Gibbard was seen smiling ear to ear and it’s clear that these songs still still bring him joy 20 years later. Before jumping into “Recycled Air”, Ben pointed out an audience member’s Taylor Swift shirt before joking that this was the “budget eras tour… the era tour, just one era”. While his main skill set is vocals and lead guitar, Ben did showcase his old talent for drumming by playing the outro to “Clark Gable”, “This Place is a Prison”, and “Brand New Colony”. Everyone got to dance along to Jimmy Tamborello’s electronic backing tracks throughout the playthrough of Give Up before we all came back into focus to hear the album’s closer “Natural Anthem”. While we did not see the bonus tracks “Turn Around” and “A Tattered Line of String” played for an encore, we did hear an acoustic rendition of Such Great Heights before the remaining members of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service returned to the stage to cover “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode.

This tour is one of those “if you don’t go and see this, you never will” – at least for another ten years. Death Cab for Cutie extensively tours the world and while they regularly pull out songs from Transatlanticism, it will not be played in full. On top of that, The Postal Service only returns to the stage on decade anniversaries of Give Up and a 30 year reunion isn’t guaranteed. Both albums truly transcend the time period they were released in while simultaneously pulling you back to the simpler times of 2003 and hearing both live is a reminder that we have all made it this far and will continue to be ok.