Friday May 2nd, 2014
Watch: Container art raises eyebrows in New Westminster
The city of New Westminster is embroiled in a debate over the merits of public art.
A sculpture by Brazilian artist Jose Resende called “WOW New Westminster” is at the centre of that debate.
It is made of four rusting shipping containers positioned in two V-formations.
Resende likes to play with everyday reality, mindful of the historic fact that New Westminster was a transportation hub in its early years.
His container art is one of three works of art that are part of Vancouver Biennale exhibition.
Keeping it would cost the city $65,000.
Supporters call it awe-inspiring but critics are less than wowed.
But the dilemma for New Westminster’s city council is whether recycled shipping containers really represent their city.
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Thursday May 1st, 2014
Public art makes the city better
What is art? Give me your answer to that question, and I'll probably be able to tell you which side of the Vancouver Biennale debate you fall on.
For those who didn't see the story in the April 30 Record, debate is a-raging at New Westminster City Hall about whether the city should accept a recommendation from its public art advisory committee and proceed with three installations from the Vancouver Biennale.
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Wednesday April 30th, 2014
Public art plans stir up debate
If public art aims to spark conversation, an installation proposed for New Westminster is doing that before it even arrives.
New Westminster’s public art advisory committee recently recommended that city council proceed with three installations as part of the Vancouver Biennale: WOW New Westminster by Jose Resende would be located at Westminster Pier Park in September; Blue Trees by Konstantin Dimopolous would go on Columbia Street in the spring of 2015; and Public Furniture/Urban Trees by Hugo Franca would be installed at a to-be-determined location this June.
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Wednesday April 30th, 2014
Debating ‘The Wow Factor’
City council has pressed the pause button on a controversial piece of public art described as having 'The Wow Factor.'
But to some councillors it may be a bad 'wow.' And if they decide to dump it they won't get the two art pieces they do like.
They're all part of the Vancouver Biennale's latest initiative for which the city has budgeted $90,000. Biennale officials told council Monday the three installations are a package deal. They also told council they have a track record that will prove them right in the end.
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Tuesday April 29th, 2014
Brazilian Artist Hugo Franca Turns Logs into Furniture Vancouver Biennale
“It’s very much a creative dialogue,” says the man who talks to trees. Hugo Franca is a renowned Brazilian sculptor who fashions furniture out of logs. Revered for their majesty and complexity, his works are displayed in museums and galleries around the world. Franca is one of 45 artists invited this year to participate in the third Vancouver Biennale, a celebration of global interconnectedness through music, dance, sculpture and film. Franca has chosen to refashion five Douglas Fir logs washed up along the BC coast and transported by barge and truck to a beach on the city’s west side.
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Thursday April 24th, 2014
Last days | Vancouver Biennale
The Vancouver Biennale is a non-profit organization that since 1998 transforms public spaces into an open air museum by installing works of art from internationally celebrated contemporary artists, freely accessible to citizens and visitors alike.
Unique among biennales worldwide, the Vancouver Biennale celebrates art in public spaces, where people work, live, play and commute. Accessibility, engagement, diversity, interaction and education are the cornerstones of the Biennale.
The 2014-2015 exhibition, titled OPEN BORDERS/CROSSROADS VANCOUVER, will celebrate multiculturalism and welcome the world.
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Tuesday April 22nd, 2014
‘Rusty container’ Art Questioned
One councillor’s Picasso is another’s eyesore.
New Westminster’s participation in the 2014 Vancouver Biennale public art project almost got derailed last week.
Council decided to table its final decision last Monday a few hours after a vote that could have killed it.
The entire council liked two of the proposals for the bi-annual public art exhibition, but were divided over a third. It is the most expensive, and is the legacy piece the city would keep while the other two would disappear within two years.
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Thursday April 17th, 2014
New Westminster Isn’t Wowed By All of the Proposed Public Art
The Vancouver Biennale is proving that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.
New Westminster’s public art advisory committee has recommended that city council proceed with three installations as part of the event: WOW New Westminster by Jose Resende would be located at Westminster Pier Park; Blue Trees by Konstantin Dimopolous would go on Columbia Street; and Public Furniture/Urban Trees by Hugo Franca would be installed at a to-be-determined location. City council supported the Blue Trees and Public Furniture/Urban Trees installations, but opposed the Resende piece, which was to be a legacy piece that could be a permanent fixture in the city.
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Wednesday April 9th, 2014
Endless Possibilities with Limited Means: Denise Karabinus’ Artistic Collaborations in India
Artist Denise Karabinus, a 2009 graduate of the MFA in Visual Art at Vermont College of Fine Arts, recently returned from a powerful experience at Project Gram in Paradsinga, India, as one of ten artists collaborating the GRAM International Artist Residency in Community Projects.
VCFA recently interviewed Denise Karabinus about her experience in the GRAM residency, what is was like to work cross-culturally, and her experiences in the MFA in Visual Art.
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Wednesday April 9th, 2014
A Tip of the Cap
At the recent reception kicking off Squamish’s involvement in the Vancouver Biennale, Krisztina Egyed read off a list of companies and individuals sponsoring the project, which will bring world-renowned and up-and-coming creative types to our fair community.
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