Art Thou Aware
By Joanne Hinkel
Watts Up!
One of the world's largest folk-art environments, Watts Towers, has re-opened for the public this month after undergoing a major restoration. The cluster of 17 mosaic-covered spires and sculptures was neglected for many years due to a controversy over its ownership; at one point Los Angeles city officials were planning to demolish it. Over the course of 34 years (from 1922 to 1951) Sabato Rodio, a construction worker-turned-artist, single-handedly built the 100 foot tall structure from such found materials as steel, concrete, and broken pottery. Perhaps as heads go up to behold this funky display of outsider art, interest will go up for this neglected and often forgotten area of South Central L.A.
 Bring Home the Bacon
The British Arts Council has hung up over 2,000 "Wanted" posters showing a picture of Francis Bacon all over Berlin, Germany. The BAC isn't actually looking for Francis Bacon, they are hoping to recover the painting featured in the posters: a portrait done by the painter's friend Lucien Freud in 1951. The painting, which was stolen from the Berlin Neue Nationalgalerie in 1988, would make a perfect addition to the Lucian Freud retrospective being planned for the Tate Britain next year.
Public Impressionism
Don't be surprised if you step on what looks like a Van Gogh or Gauguin picture in the Loop this fall. Over the summer apprentice artists from Gallery 37, a city-run arts education program, painted replicas of "The Starry Night," "Sunflowers," "Tahitian Women with Mango Blossoms," and a number of the artists' self-portraits on manhole covers in the downtown area. These 35 manhole covers are on display in celebration of the Art Institute's special exhibit,Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South, and will remain a part of the city through the winter until the exhibition closes in January.
A New Series
While American critics have lauded The Sopranos and the new series Six Feet Under as television so good that it can compete with film, there is now another television series available in the States that may keep us from heading to the cinema. The Polish television series Weekend Stories is now available through Facets and other video distributors. From the director Krzysztof Zanussi's, a filmmaker who has been compared to the great Krzysztof Kiezlowski (The Decalogue), comes these series of tales in which characters grapple intellectually and emotionally with real world moral dilemmas.
The 'Hidden Half' Is Out
Iranian filmmaker Tahineh Milani was released last month after being detained by the Iranian government for feminist positions taken in her new film The Hidden Half. The Reformist President of Iran personally supported Ms. Milani's release and said that it was unfair for the filmmaker to be arrested when her film had already gone through intense censorship processes. The Hidden Half has since been approved by the Ministry of Culture and has been released in Iranian theaters.
Art on the Go
While in the 1960s nature was explored as a site for curating art, the millennial approach may be to quite literally take art to the streets, on the streets, and around the streets. Though black on the outside as are all "official" London cabs, the interior of Jason Brown's taxi is decorated with artworks on the ceiling, decorating windows and doors, in between seats, propped up on the back dash and on the seats. Passengers have almost sat on a stuffed robin, depicted via photograph on one of the vinyl seats, and even flipped through postcards sent by Christo. This month, those who luckily and randomly get in the taxi will get a chance to see (and touch and feel) a retrospective of the Cab Gallery's collection of contemporary art. This might be one instance in which not to throw, but to gently place one's bags in the trunk!
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