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Last posts

Alex Diamond, the Ghost Artist

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian

To see an exhibition by an author who is more an ‘anonymous being’ than somebody with face and name of his own is a little bit risky, but also attractive. This is, in fact, Alex Diamond’s case, a character created in 2004 who hides himself behind hundreds of bodies and hairy masks. Alex Diamond has been around for a while, staging incredible shows that also always celebrate the incarnation of the artist in various characters, shapes or even gender. Diamond appears at these shows in different roles, and underlining this artistic approach he does not reveal his background or vita, which would be an invention anyway. Impossible to label as a person and difficult to categorize as an artist, Alex Diamond is more fantasy than reality. His main issue always centres around his work and its presentation, but never around the personality of an individual. This anonymous status does not seem to bother anybody. On the contrary, this is contributing to increase his or her fame. We only know that Diamond was born in Hamburg, although has declared – always by e-mail interviews- that is originally from Lost Vegas, ‘which is a tiny place within the right cerebral hemisphere’. Weird, isn’t it? This mysterious artist has even said that doesn’t do vacation. Alex Diamond is a sleepless worker, doesn’t know pain or suffering (or, if you want, the “burn-out-syndrome”), and exists only through his art. No holidays needed then. Uau, you can’t say he is a kind of crazy artist! The exhibition, so-called ‘Don’t worry ‘bout a thing 2. Demon Circus’ takes place at Iguapop Gallery until March 6.... read more

Rodney Graham, The Beauty of Conceptual Art

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian

Rodney Graham (1949, Abbotsford, Canada), one of the most influential conceptual artists at this moment, presents in The Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (Macba), ‘Through the Forest’, an exhibition that explores the evolution of this fundamental artist’s work through 250 pieces. One of the aims of this important exhibition is to finish with the preconceived idea that conceptual art doesn’t have to do with beauty and sensibility. Regarding this, the curator of the exhibition declared that he invites spectators to view Graham’s work as a peaceful walk through the forest, ‘to discover a beauty that it is not 100% clear but 100% art’. During this forest walk, visitor can see Rodney Graham’s complex artistic career over and over again through 250 works, which include light-boxes, books, videos, sculptures, paintings, photographs, installations, printed material and music. There are two spectacular sections in ‘Through the forest’: in the first one, Graham is a sleepwalking amateur painter who attempts to reproduce a large-format abstract painting that had obviously interested him when he was studying art. The scene in the light-box piece makes it look like a film still. The other one, Rheinmetall/Victoria 8 is an installation of a surrealistic image. Graham acquired an almost unused 1930s typewriter. First, he documented the object photographically, in the style of New Objectivity; he then covered it with flour to create a poignant image for words falling silent. The artist’s work always shows source material deriving from his most important influences: Sigmund Freud, Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, the Grimm brothers, Richard Wagner, Stéphane Mallarmé and, above all, Picasso. Precisely, the retrospective exhibition at Macba is... read more

How to overcome the complexes

Mónica Boixeda Lisboeta

Today´s society enslaves us with unattainable canons of aesthetic and cultural perfection. The media and advertising broadcast a message highly toxic to the mortals’ morale, so full of “defects”: spare tyres, crooked teeth, low salary, lack of culture… This way, it’s quite normal that people have many complexes. The problem is almost always the image that one has of himself is very different from what others see, and almost always it is much more negative. A complex is the focus of a real or imagined defect, physical or psychological. The person who has many complexes has a distorted image of himself. There are different kinds of complexes, but the most common are the physical ones, particularly among women. Although there are also the psychological complexes which are increasing more and more, due to a lack of culture or intelligence; and the social complexes, having to do with the scope of money, profession or origins. The low self-esteem is the main factor triggering a complex. Learning how to live with them is vital. How? Resort to positive psychology. According to the experts, the need of approval from others should be replaced by self esteem. We should accept ourselves! It is better to boast of the virtues, than to humble focusing only on the defects. We all have complexes because it is part of the human condition. Nobody´s perfect. Without a doubt, the best solution is the acceptance of our imperfections. One must be realistic and see how far one can go. Certain physical complexes taken to the extreme can lead to serious diseases. Some people dare not to expose his/her... read more