Agnes Martin - Tate Modern

Agnes Martin, Untitled #10, 1990

Agnes Martin is at Tate Modern until 11 October 2015.
This is a terrific exhibition. Agnes Martin's subtle grids and pale striped paintings - so subtle in some cases that they seem almost not there - occupy a unique space between Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. They exude a calm and ordered beauty.  However, it seems that they were not borne of cool calculation but from a sometimes troubled mind. Martin was a schizophrenic and her story is fascinating. From a poor, prairie farming family in Canada, Martin arrived in New York in the late 1950s where she worked alongside artists including Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly and Robert Indiana. In 1961 she was found wandering the streets uncertain about who and where she was. She was hospitalised several times and on at least one occasion subjected to shock therapy. In 1967 she renounced art, bought a pick up truck and an Airstream caravan and ended up in New Mexico on a remote patch of land - no electricity, no telephone, no neighbours - and built herself a house. Around 1972 she returned to painting and continued to do so until her death at 92 in 2004.
Read a feature article by Olivia Laing. Read reviews by Adrian Searle, Rachel Cooke, Alastair Sooke, Janet McKenzie, Kelly Grovier, Zoe Pilger and Charley Peters.

Agnes Martin, Untitled, 1959

Agnes Martin, Friendship, 1963

Agnes Martin, On A Clear Day, 1973

Agnes Martin, Untitled #3, 1974

Agnes Martin, Untitled, 1977

Agnes Martin, Untitled 5, 1998 (detail)

Agnes Martin, Happy Holiday, 1999

Chris Burden, 1946 - 2015

Chris Burden, Trans-Fixed, 1974

Chris Burden died 10 May 2015.

Joe the lion, went to the bar
A couple of drinks on the house
An' he said, "Tell you who you are
If you nail me to my car"

David Bowie, Joe the Lion, 1977

Bowie's song alludes to Chris Burden's 1974 Body Art event, Trans-Fixed:

TRANS-FIXED, Venice, California, April 23, 1974. Inside a small garage on Speedway Avenue, I stood on the rear bumper of a Volkswagen. I lay on my back over the rear section of the car, stretching my arms onto the roof. Nails were driven through the palms into the roof of my car. The garage door was opened and the car was pushed halfway out into Speedway. Screaming for me, the engine was run at full speed for two minutes. After two minutes the engine was turned off, and the car pushed back into the garage. The door was closed.

Other performances included: 

Shoot (1971) in which he was shot in the arm by a friend with a .22 rifle. Watch a video of the event.

Chris Burden, Shoot, 1971

Through the Night Softly (1973) in which he crawled through a 50-foot-long pile of broken glass in his underwear, with his hands tied behind his back: watch the video. (This was featured as one of Burden's TV Commercials.)

Chris Burden, Through the Night Softly, 1973

By the end of the 1970s, after 54 performance events, Burden abandoned performance art and turned to sculpture. Works include:
All the Submarines of the United States of America (1987)

Chris Burden, All the Submarines of the United States of America, 1987

 The Other Vietnam Memorial (1991) which lists the names of 3 million Vietnamese killed during the Vietnam War.

Chris Burden, The Other Vietnam Memorial, 1991

Urban Light (2008) comprising 202 vintage streetlights installed in the plaza at the LA County Museum of  Art.

Chris Burden, Urban Light, 2008

See more examples of Burden's work at Everything You Need to Know About Chris Burden's Art Through His Greatest Works; watch a video tour of Burden's retrospective Extreme Measures at The New Museum in 2013. Read obituaries by Jon Bewley and Jonty Tarbuck in The Guardian and by Christopher Knight in Los Angeles Times. Read a 1975 feature by Roger Ebert: Chris Burden: "My God, are they going toleave me here to die?"

Theaster Gates - White Cube

Theaster Gates, Diagonal Bitumen, 2014 (Wood, rubber and tar.)

Theaster Gates: Freedom of Assembly is at White Cube (Bermondsey) until 5 July 2015.
This is inspiring. Theaster Gates' achievements in the rejuvenation and cultural renewal of derelict areas of Chicago through creative projects are extraordinary. (Watch a TED video of Gates talking about the projects.)
These projects are funded by the sale of artworks principally made from materials salvaged from the derelict properties he has acquired. (He is fully alive to the paradox of the gallery objects functioning as high end commodities for the moneyed classes and funding the developement of deprived urban communities.)
In an interview with Tim Adams, Gates insists, "Biography and geography matter...". So, here is the potted biography: Gates was born in 1973 in the West Side of Chicago to a schoolteacher mother and a father who worked as a roofer - his father bequeathed him his 'tar kettle' and collaborated on the tar 'paintings'; he was the youngest of 9 children and the only boy. He has degrees in Urban Planning and Ceramics (his creative practice is rooted in pottery) and began a career in 'city hall': “I realised it was actually developers who changed cities. It bugged me that the people with the most agency, the most entrepreneurial spirit, were also the people with the least consciousness about the needs of a place. I went after having more agency…”. And so, following the banking crash in 2008 he bought a bungalow in Chicago's South Side turned it into an 'archive'  and 'soul food kitchen' and opened it up to the neighbourhood. So began the Dorchester Projects and the acquisition of many more buildings, including a derelict bank and the contents of closed down bookshops, record stores and hardware stores.
On 23 January 2015 Gates was awarded the £40,000 Artes Mundi prize in Cardiff  - and elected to share the money with the other nominees: "Let's split this motherfucker!"
On 29th June 2015 details will be announced of his first UK public project to take place in Bristol.
Read the interview with Tim Adams; read an interview with Ben Eastham: Theaster Gates on How to Be “The Most Badass Artist in the World”; read a review of the White Cube show by Adrian Searle; watch a TED video of Gates talking about his work.

Theaster Gates, Ground Rules (Free Throw Possibility), 2014 (Wood flooring.)

Theaster Gates, Tiki Teak, 2014 (Wood and roofing paper.)

Theaster Gates, Clearing, 2014 (Wood, rubber and tar.)

Theaster Gates, Gees Removed, 2014 (Wood, roofing substrate and tar.)

Theaster Gates, installation view, White Cube (left: Atlas, 2015; right: Shrug, 2015)

Theaster Gates, installation view, White Cube (Tarred Vessel in foreground).

Contents of hardware store bought by Theaster Gates

Derelict bank bought by Theaster Gates and transformed into 'Stony Island Arts Bank'

Christopher Williams - Whitechapel Gallery

Christopher Williams, Model: 1964 Renault Dauphine-Four, R-1095, 2000 (See full caption, below)

Christopher Williams: The Production Line of Happiness is at Whitechapel Gallery until 21 June 2015.
Christopher Williams achieves something remarkable: technically immaculate photographs that are simultaneously seductive and witty critiques of the role of photography in consumer culture. The playful conceptualism and critical acuity of this ‘capitalist realism*’ reflects the fact that he studied at CalArts (The California Institute of Arts) where he was taught by the pioneering Conceptual artists John Baldessari and Douglas Huebler.
In addition to his creative examination of the nature and uses of commercial photography, Williams also takes a wry approach to gallery display. The installation is carefully and precisely organised and integrates walls removed from previous exhibitions; no explanatory texts are provided in the gallery but the captions from the previous exhibition (of abstract art) have been allowed to remain! Pedantically exhaustive captions are provided in the (almost) unillustrated catalogue. (See examples, below.)
(*Williams was shortlisted for the 2012 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize (see below) for his exhibition Kapitalistischer Realismus at Důmumění České Budějovice, Budweis, Czech Republic.)
Read reviews by Sean O'Hagan and Laura Cumming; read reviews of New York MoMA and Art Institute of Chicago showings by Peter Schjeldahl, Roberta Smith and Lori Waxman.
Watch short videos of Williams talking about The Production Line of Happiness and Kapitalistischer Realismus?
(Click on images to enlarge.) 

Christopher Williams (American, born 1956). Bergische Bauernscheune, Junkersholz / Leichlingen, September 29th, 2009. 2010. Pigmented inkjet print. Paper: 20 x 24″ (50.8 x 61 cm); framed: 32 7/8 x 37 1/16″ (83.5 x 94.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Photography Fund. Courtesy of the artist; David Zwirner, New York/London; and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne © Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams (American, born 1956). Bouquet for Bas Jan Ader & Christopher D’Arcangelo, 1991. Lorrin and Deane Wong Family Trust, Los Angeles. © Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams (American, born 1956). Standardpose [Standard Pose] 1,0 Zwerg-Brabanter, silber, Düsseldorf, 2013 (Vera Spix, Elsdorf). Ring number: EE-D13 13-901, green Studio Rhein Verlag, Düsseldorf November 21, 2013, 2014. Inkjet print on cotton rag paper 26 x 33 inches (66 x 83.8 cm). Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. © Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams (American, born 1956). Untitled (Study in Yellow and Red/Berlin). Dirk Schaper Studio, Berlin, June 21st, 2007 (No. 2), 2008. C-Print, 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm). WILCH0252. © Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams (American, born 1956). Kodak Three Point Reflection Guide / © 1968, Eastman Kodak Company, 1968 / (Meiko laughing) / Vancouver, B.C. / April 6, 2005. 2005. Chromogenic color print. Paper: 20 x 24″ (50.8 x 61 cm); framed: 34 x 37 3/4″ (86.4 x 95.9 cm). Glenstone. Courtesy of the artist; David Zwirner, New York/London; and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne © Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams (American, born 1956). Untitled (Study in Gray); 1967 Citroen DS. Serial number: DS851360a. Color code: AC 138. Color name: gris dandy. Color year: 1966. Studio Rhein Verlag, Düsseldorf, November 7, 2013, 2014. Inkjet print on cotton rag paper, 20 x 25 inches (50.8 x 63.5 cm). Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. © Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams (American, born 1956). Untitled (Study in Gray) 1967 Citroen DS Serial number: DS851360a. Color code: AC 118. Color name: gris etna. Color year: 1966. Studio Rhein Verlag, Düsseldorf, November 11, 2013, 2014. Inkjet print on cotton rag paper 20 x 25 inches (50.8 x 63.5 cm). Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. © Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams (American, born 1956). Model: 1964 Renault Dauphine-Four, R-1095 / Body Type & Seating: 4-dr-sedan–4 to 5 persons / Engine Type: 14/52 Weight: 1397 lbs. Price: $1,495.00 USD (original) / ENGINE DATA: / Base Four: inline, overhead-valve four-cylinder / Cast iron block and aluminum head. W/removable cylinder sleeves. / Displacement : 51.5 cu. in. (845 oc.) / Bore and Stroke: 2.23 × 3.14 in. (58 × 80 mm) / Compression ratio: 7.25:1 Brake Horsepower: 32 (SAE) at 4200 rpm / Torque: 50 lbs. at 2000 rpm. Three main bearings. Solid valve lifters. / Single downdraft carburetor / CHASSIS DATA: / Wheelbase 89 in. Overall length, 155 in. Height: 57 in. / Width: 60 in. Front thread: 49 in. Rear thread: 48 in. / Standard Tires: 5.50 × 15 TECHNICAL: / Layout: rear engine, rear drive. Transmission: four speed manual / Steering: rack and pinion. Suspension (front): independent coil springs. / Suspension (back): independent with swing axles and coil springs. Brakes: / front/rear disc. Body construction: steel unibody. / PRODUCTION DATA: / Sales 18,432 sold in U.S. in 1964 (all types) / Manufacturer: Régie Nationale des Usines Renault; Billancourt, France / Distributor: Renault Inc., New York, NY., U.S.A. / Serial number: R-10950059799 / Engine Number: Type 670-05 # 191563 / California License Plate number: UOU 087 / Vehicle ID number: 0059799 (For R.R.V.) / Los Angeles, California / January 15, 2000 (No. 6). 2000. Gelatin silver print. Paper: 11 x 14″ (28 x 35.6 cm); framed: 26 × 30″ (66 × 76.2 cm).  © Christopher Williams