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Joy Curtis, Displaced, distributed, forced, displayed, 2011 (Hydrocal, fiberglass, steel and sumi ink, 90 x 16 x 16 inches). From the group exhibition Tensile Strength at ZieherSmith Gallery in New York through June 11th.

Closed Form

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Toshiko Takaezu (1922–2011) with some of her "closed form" works.

Via nytimes.com:

Early in her career [Takaezu] made traditional vessels but in the late 1950s, strongly influenced by the Finnish ceramist Maija Grotell, she embraced the notion of ceramic pieces as artworks meant to be seen rather than used. She closed off the top of her vessels, leaving a vestigial nipple-like opening and creating, in effect, a clay canvas for glazing of all kinds: brushing, dripping, pouring and dipping.

She became known for the squat balls she called moon pots; the vertical “closed forms,” which grew sharply in height in the 1990s; and thin ceramic trunks inspired by the scorched trees she had seen along the Devastation Trail in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park. At times Ms. Takaezu exhibited the moon pots in hammocks, an allusion to her method of drying the pots in nets. She also cast bronze bells and wove rugs.

Strongly influenced by her study of Zen Buddhism, she regarded her ceramic work as an outgrowth of nature and seamlessly interconnected with the rest of her life. “I see no difference between making pots, cooking and growing vegetables,” she was fond of saying. Indeed, she often used her kilns to bake chicken in clay, and dry mushrooms, apples and zucchinis.

(More here.) Here's a 2010 interview with Takaezu in her home/studio:

An Interview with Toshiko Takaezu from D.B.Long on Vimeo.

Image of the Day

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Robert Sperry: Spirit of '76 (Ceramic, 1975) from the Henry's long-running show Vortexhibition Polyphonica, which (believe it or not) closes in one week (it seemed so far in the future when the show opened). Definitely check it out if you haven't seen this installment – info at henryart.org.

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A last-minute gift idea for you, courtesy of the personal shopper that is Pacific Standard:

Backdated Confidence Trophies from Partners & Spade.

Customize a trophy to instill confidence from a past shortcoming. Place it within your view until you believe it is true. You are a winner.

Image of the Day

Tony Smith: Asteriskos, 1968 (Cast bronze, black patina, 16.5" x 16.5" x 16.5"). Tony Smith: Bronze is on view at Matthew Marks Gallery in New York through December 23. More images and info here.

Fabric Works

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Louise Bourgeois: The Fabric Works, at Hauser & Wirth Gallery in London, features four large-scale sculptures and over seventy of Bourgeois's "fabric drawings," made between 2002 and 2008 from clothing and other scraps accrued throughout her long and fruitful life.

Louise Bourgeois Untitled, 2007 (Fabric, 27 1/2 x 22")

Louise Bourgeois Untitled, 2006 (Fabric, 15 1/4 x 19 1/8")

Louise Bourgeois Untitled, 2006 (Fabric, 12 x 9")

Louise Bourgeois Untitled, 2005 (Fabric, 18 x 14")

Louise Bourgeois: The Fabric Works is up through December 18 – more images and info at Hauser & Wirth.

Installation view photos by Christopher Burke

Image of the Day

. Chair by Roy McMakin from five chairs & ten tables, a great exhibition of McMakin's recent work at Ambach & Rice through December 5th.

As the Crow Flies

Last Friday I had the chance to check out the amazing Dennis McNett installations in the windows at Barneys Seattle. (Click to enlarge.)

The photos don't fully do them justice but if you have the chance, head downtown and take a closer look.

McNett, who is based in Brooklyn, also did installations in the windows of the New York store this past summer. See more of his work here and check out the Barneys windows through the end of October at 6th and Pine, Seattle.

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Vincent Kohler Billon, 2007
(Polystyrene, Resin; 110 x 100 x 300 cm)

Click here for more of Vincent Kohler's work.

Via Design Observer / Photos by Geoffrey Cottenceau

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A ceramic sculpture by Kelly Breslin, from South Willard. I like this for a lot of reason, one of which is that it reminds me of the free-form mussel beds on the beach at Penn Cove.

Pay What You Wish

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Emily and I finally made it up to the Whitney last night, so at long last, I am happy to announce the winners of the coveted Strath's Choice Awards for Best Artists of the 2008 Whitney Biennial. To keep things pure there will be no prizes and no award dinner this year and criteria for judging will be known only to the judge. Without further fanfare, here are the winners.

1. Mika Tajima/New Humans for their sculpture and video piece with Vito Acconci and C. Spencer Yeh (who has a new record out as Burning Star Core). I don't really know what to say about it other than that it's an all-encompassing audio/visual/environmental experience that is kind of aggressive-feeling and beautiful all at once. Get more info at newhumansnyc.com.

2. Matthew Brannon (who is originally from Idaho...represent represent), for his letterpressed and screen-printed works that to me recall an early-sixties graphic language mixed with a feeling of isolation or weirdness between individuals? I don't know. It reminded me of Holden Caulfield-era New York.

3. Mika Rottenburg for her video/sculpture piece Cheese.


4. Charles Long for Poem of the River (2005), a collection of detritus collected from the LA river, covered in plaster and shaped into sculptures that emulate the giant great blue heron and white egret droppings he photographed there. Watch this video.

5. Carol Bove for her sculpture The Night Sky over New York, October 21, 2007, 9PM. The hanging bronze rods aligned with the stars over New York at the exact time in the title of the piece.

Congratulations to all the winners.
Sorry, losers, but there's always next time.

The 2008 Whitney Biennial is up through June 1st so high-tail it over there pretty soon if you haven't seen it yet. Check out this video by the curators for an overview: