Ainsi de suite
Sophie Calle part 2
On the cover, a triumphant little girl poses, bare-chested, cross-legged, sunglasses on her nose and mantilla on her head. Daughter of a ‘divorced father and of a mother who travels’, she spends the summer with her grandparents. On the last page of th..
Quatemary
The British artist Tacita Dean (b. 1965) doesn’t need any introduction. Active since the 1990s Dean is best known for her work in 16mm film (think Disappearance at Sea from 1996, Fernsehturm from 2001 or Palast from 2004), although she uses a variety of media including dr..
No man is an island
‘No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main’, as the 1624 prose by English poet John Donne sounded centuries ago. Though these lines are written in a different era, the words ‘no man is an island’ were the inspiration f..
Splash
On David Hockney’s Californian swimming pools
Spring is almost around the corner and with this hopeful outlook of pleasant temperatures and sunny days, Little artnecdotes looks at the Californian swimming pool paintings of British artist David Hockney (b. 1937). Hockney ..
American Gothic
Grant Wood’s (1892-1942) American Gothic of 1930 is considered as one of the most famous twentieth-century American paintings. Instantly recognisable – a couple standing sentry before a white wooden house in apron and overalls, and with a pitchfork in hand- the painting ..
Behind the photograph
The art of Taryn Simon
The American artist Taryn Simon (b. 1975) never photographs for the purpose of presenting the possibilities of the medium nor shooting the perfect image. Her practice involves extensive research and is guided by a great interest in systems of categ..
The Visitor
Humour and sorrow in the art of Ragnar Kjartansson
A polyphone score performed by minstrels strumming guitars around the gallery for eight hours a day. Surrounded by empty bottles of beer, mattresses, fauteuils, chairs, these men sing parts of a dialogue from Iceland’s f..
Skulls, flowers and desert landscapes
The art of Georgia O’Keeffe
Fifteen years ago I made a road trip with my parents and two sisters across the southwestern part of the US. A memorable, exciting journey through different states, landscapes, cities, atmospheres, and cultures. Although I cannot recall every ..