Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Matthew Barney Makes Jerry Saltz's "New York Canon"


Matthew Barney's 1991 debut solo exhibition at Barbara Gladstone Gallery has been named one of the New York art world's most important events of the past 40 years by critic Jerry Saltz. Noting that Barney's show opened after he appeared on the cover of Artforum, Saltz writes, "The exhibition, which was continually packed with visitors, consisted of videos of Barney in drag dancing with a blocking sled, him dressed as a football player and crawling across Gladstone’s ceiling, naked, suspended from ice screws. In the downstairs gallery we saw videos of Barney inserting an ice screw into his anus in an attempt to crawl into his own body and turn himself inside out. Barney combined Nauman, Beuys, Serra, Joan Jonas, strange materials and something so physical, dense and unknowable that he created his own mystic one-man movement."

Pictured above: Matthew Barney's "Program: Houdini, O'Williams, Otto (HO2)", 1991, collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Matthew Barney at the National Arts Club



We at Cremaster Fanatic weren't feeling well last Friday, so we missed Matthew Barney's appearance at the National Arts Club. Barney's partner Bjork was also apparently unable to attend, but their daughter Isadora was there, drawing pictures and dancing. Other celebrity sightings include paralympic athlete Aimee Mullins (the "Cheetah Woman" from Cremaster 2), gallerists Barbara Gladstone and Mary Boone, fashion designers Lizzie Fortunato and Timo, film director Michael Gondry, and artist Will Cotton. Music for the event was provided by the Beatrice Inn’s D.J. Rian Fossett and the group Fluxconcert.

Barney, pictured above with National Arts Club president Aldon James, was awarded the Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement in Art. Apparently, Barney's acceptance speech was limited to a brief "Thank you."

You can see more pictures from the evening at http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/R8d5a-EDBfI/National+Arts+Club+Honors+Matthew+Barney/0jcpqL1daIg
Additional coverage:
Oly's Musings
Vanity Fair
New York Sun

Thursday, April 10, 2008

lolBarney




Thanks to Cremaster Fanatic Barry for pointing us towards the lolvant garde blog which brings, "you the inevitable convergence of contemporary art and internet slang." We are totally ROTFL!!!!

For more "lolBarney", visit:
lolvantgarde.blogspot.com/2007/11/matthew-barney-cremaster-cycle-1995.html
lolvantgarde.blogspot.com/2007/11/more-lolbarney-drawing-restraint-9-2006.html
lolvantgarde.blogspot.com/2007/12/more-fun-with-lolbarney.html

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Matthew Barney to be Honored by The National Arts Club


Matthew Barney will be presented with the Citation of Merit for Achievement in the Visual Arts by the National Arts Club in New York City on Friday, April 11 at 8 pm. Tickets for the reception are $50 for members and $75 for non-members, light refreshments will be served. RSVP to (212) 475-3424 by April 4 if you wish to attend. www.nationalartsclub.org