Welcome to December 20th. Today in history, Britain declares war on Holland (1780); The first successful U.S. cotton mill begins spinning yarn in Pawtucket, Rhode Island (1790); Missouri imposes a $1 bachelor tax on unmarried men aged between 21 & 50 (1820); 14 republics come together to form the USSR / Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (1922); The Christmas classic film It’s a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra premieres in New York (1946); and, the world’s first website and server go live at CERN, European Council for Nuclear Research (1990).
In more current affairs, the impeachment of U.S. President Trump dominated the news this past week. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives conducted a landmark vote on two Articles of Impeachment which included abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Both articles were adopted by vote (230/197 and 229/198) and pronounced by the gavel: Trump is impeached. We will have to wait and see how the subsequent trial in the Senate with his 53 lawyers will play out in the New Year.
Welcome to the 107th edition of Prescriptions. Here is our review of the week in the arts.
Eugenio Dittborn
Art, Language, & Power
Proceeding from a belief in the power of language as the basis for our outlook and actions, the exhibition considers ways artists rearrange and reconfigure communication structures as starting points. Including artists Mel Bochner, Jenny Holzer, and Eugenio Dittborn, On view through January 26, 2020 at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Daniel Pitín
Daniel Pitín / A Paper Tower
“A Paper Tower somehow shows my relationship with the world of the media and the world of information in which we are constantly present, and which creates a certain relative space” –Daniel Pitín. Curator Petr Nedoma. On view through December 29, 2019 at Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague.
Mark Power
Civilization: The Way We Live Now
An international photography exhibition of monumental scale, featuring over 200 original photographs by over 100 contemporary photographers from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe. Among the artists include Mark Power, Amalia Ulman, and Alec Soth. Through February 2, 2020 at National Gallery Victoria, Melbourn.
The Sartists
Adorned: The Fashionable Show
The exhibition presents fashion related photography projects created by a new generation of visual artists for whom fashion and style are primarily tools to construct or question identities. Among the many photographers represented include Arielle Bobb-Willis, Julia Falkner & Lorena Hydeman, Alexandra Leese, Tyler Mitchell, The Sartists. On view at Foam through March 11, 2020.
Helene Schmitz
Helene Schmitz: Thinking Like a Mountain
“I wanted to portray the violent transformation of nature in the European periphery. I have experienced that the concept of wilderness, and virgin land untouched by humans, has disintegrated.” –Helene Schmitz. Through March 15, 2020 at Fotografiska, New York.
Fritz Hoffmann
Best Photos 2019 / National Geographic
There are many such moments here, from military exercises in a warming Arctic and Rwandan schoolgirls flexing their muscles to Alex Honnold climbing El Capitan’s sheer face without ropes. Featuring photographers Moises Saman and Jennifer Emerling, among many others. Curated by Whitney Johnson. Article by Eve Conant, National Geographic.
Moises Saman
PROFILES
Daniel Pitín presenting his paintings and video works in A Paper Tower at Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague; Helene Schmitz’s monumental photographic works Thinking Like a Mountain at Fotografiska new space in New York; Tyler Mitchell, among those represented in Adorned: The Fashionable Show at Foam Amsterdam; Mark Power and Alec Soth, among others in Civilization: The Way We Live Now at National Gallery Victoria in Melbourne; Mel Bochner, Jenny Holzer, and Eugenio Dittborn, presenting works Art, Language, & Power at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Magnum Photographer Moises Saman and Jennifer Emerling, (30 Under 30 Women Photographers / 2015) among those selected in National Geographic’s Best Photos 2019.
