Quaytman's book spine

Just arrived at Duesseldorf today.  But let me just finish off my Basel chapter.

Although my days in Basel have mostly been filled with sights of architecture, I did manage to see some impressive art there.  Francis Alÿs' Fabiola at Schaulager's offsite location Haus zum Kirschgarten, Henrik Olesen's solo at Museum für Gegenwartskunst and R.H. Quaytman's Spine, Chapter 20 at Kunsthalle Basel were all very powerful shows.  I like Quaytman's show the most.

Quaytman's exhibition is a reinterpreted retrospective of her paintings since 2001. With her paintings hung in long lines, viewers read the coherently displayed paintings like words on a page of a book.  I love the way she manipulated and reinvented images in an abstract way.  The modified architectural space intensified the effect of the visual display.  It's a pity that I did not have enough time to meditate on the depth of her thoughts.

Quaytman at Kunsthalle Basel, 2011:

The (un)official architects of Basel

This is my last day in Basel.  How can I leave Basel without mentioning anything about the unofficial architects of the city - Herzog & de Meuron?  This world-renowned Basel-based team has more than a dozen projects built here.  Although their architectural styles might have developed over the years, their articulation through materiality has been consistent.

Rossetti Institut für Spitalpharmazie completed in 1998:

Zentralstellwerk completed in 1999:

Schaulager completed in 2003:

Elsässertor completed in 2005:

VitraHaus completed in 2010:

Südpark Dienstleistungs und Bürofläche to be completed in 2012:

Vitra

Another architecture day...

The campus of Vitra Design just outside Basel in Weil am Rhein Germany has probably the highest concentration of contemporary star architecture in the world.  There is so much here to see.  I joined a tour of the campus in order to see all the buildings in close range.  I was there for six hours and still reluctant to leave ...

Getting the most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least. - Charles Eames

Frank Gehry's 1989 Vitra Design Museum:

Zaha Hadid's 1993 Fire Station:

Tadao Ando's 1993 Conference Pavilion:

Richard Buckminster Fuller patented, Thomas C. Howard designed Dome, 2000:

Herzog & de Meuron's 2010 VitraHaus:

There are also buildings by Alvaro Siza, Nicholas Grimshaw and SANAA (construction in progress) but they are not open to the public.

Ronchamp pilgrimage

For fans of modern architecture, Ronchamp in eastern France is the mecca.  It is THE place to visit at least once in a lifetime.  So my second pilgrimage to the mecca should qualify me as a superfan.  In terms of its distance from Basel, it is not really that far.  But because there are only a handful of trains stopping at the village of Ronchamp every day, my trip took me a whole day.  Just like my last visit, the weather today has been grey and drizzly.  The day might not have been great for pictures but the sight of Le Corbusier's La Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut (1954) in the mist makes it look perfectly ethereal.

J'ai voulu créer un lieu de silence, de priére, de paix, de joie intérieure. - Le Corbusier 1955

The interior of the chapel is equally stunning.  But since photography is not allowed inside, I have to keep the amazing sights in my head and in my sketch book.

Meier's neo-Corbusian white structures

I saw another Richard Meier's building today.  Its white sculptural structure with enameled and glass panels is unmistakable even from a distance.  His Euregio-Geschäftshaus, completed in 1998 and locally known as the White Plaza, is another architectural jewel Basel proudly wears:

Meier's works always reflect a strong influence of the great master of modern architecture Le Corbusier.  I am ready for some Corbusian structures tomorrow ...

Botta in architecture wonderland

I remember visiting Basel Switzerland four years ago.  I remember telling myself that I must visit this architecture wonderland again as soon as I left last time.  So here I am.  Just like four years ago, I was greeted today by Mario Botta's postmodern architectural icon, the 1995 Bank für Internationalen Zahlungsausgleich, right in downtown Basel when I was on my way to the hostel.

More from Botta in Basel - the 1996 Museum Tinguely:

I expect seeing more architectural wonders in the next few days.

Trans-Europe Express

I was in Switzerland's Schaffhausen this past weekend - no wi-fi was available anywhere. Hallen für Neue Kunst was what brought me there. Being the mecca for lovers of contemporary art (minimal art), the Hallen was expected to be THE highlight of my entire trip, and I was not disappointed. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed.  Too bad I cannot share the great works of my favourite artists here.

Leaving Schaffhausen this morning, I continued my journey on a Trans-Europe-Express ...

Kraftwerk 1977:

Video from curtainpole's youtube channel

More steelwork

More steel sculptures of car parts today ...

John Chamberlain is currently showing his renowned steel sculptures of old car parts concurrently at Pinakothek der Moderne and Museum Brandhorst.  I found myself merrily lost for hours in a maze of oversized steelwork.

Chamberlain at Pinakothek der Moderne, München:

Chamberlain at Museum Brandhorst, München:

Chamberlain's steelwork is perfectly echoed by Sigmar Polke and Willem de Kooning's expressionist paintings.

Polke at Pinakothek der Moderne, München:

De Kooning at Pinakothek der Moderne, München:

Under the cloud roof

I visited Kunstbau and Haus der Kunst today.  Since they both did not allow photography at their exhibitions, I have no new images to post.  There is one place I went to that did welcome photography: I didn't exactly plan to but I visited the BMW Welt this afternoon.  I was surprised to see some art installations there including these steel sculptures made of BMW car parts:

Of course, the building itself, with its floating cloud roof,  is equally sculptural:

More images are available on my recently published post BMW Welt.

Hamm's Molded Mirrors

Day 1 in Munich, I already saw something nice.  Although I was not totally awake, I found Richard Meier's Siemens Forum by accident.  Too bad it is not open for public visit.

I visited a few art galleries close by.  Galerie Jordanow was showing photographer Hubertus Hamm's photographic and non-photographic works.  I was more interested in his non-photographic Molded Mirrors.  These deformed, highly reflective stainless steel plates displayed abstract reflections of the exhibition space, which were changing constantly with the viewer's movement and the changing light condition.  It would have been great if I had got the chance to see Hamm's exhibition All the World's a Stage in the Königssaal of the Bayerischen Staatsballetts two months ago.  Seeing how his molded mirrors interacted with the neoclassical architectural space there would have been interesting.

Hamm at Galerie Jordanow:

Augsburg

Waiting for my flight, I'll be in München in nine hours.  Augsburg is only about 40 minutes by train from München but I don't think I'll have time to go there this time.  Art venues in Augsburg I like visiting include Staatsgalerie Moderne Kunst and H2 Zentrum für Gegenwartskunst.  Both are inside the Glaspalast.

Near Rathausplatz, 2010:

youarelackluster

Esa Ruoho aka Lackluster is an electonic musician from Helsinki, Finland.  I discovered Lackluster's music on last.fm a few years ago and he immediately became my favourite, and he still is!  Unfortunately I cannot upload most of his videos here.  Check out his youtube channel youarelackluster for more brilliant videos.  I must say it again - they are brilliant!

Hope Had Brought Us This Far, 2010:

Video from youarelackluster's youtube channel

Oxygène IV

Jean-Michel Jarre 1976:

Video from OldMusicOnVinyl1s youtube channel

Musique Non-stop

From 1986, not the best Kraftwerk song but loving the animation.

Video from uhupattex's youtube channel

BMW Welt

My 4-week trip to Europe is beginning today.  I am flying to Munich this evening, and will travel to Schaffhausen, Basel, Duesseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg and London.  Probably won't visit BMW Welt.

BMW Welt, Muenchen 2009:

Since I won't necessarily have access to the internet regularly, I will not be able to update my blog as often as I would love to in the next month:(  I'll publish a few more posts today.

Black's aesthetics of fragility

I first saw Karla Black's works two years ago at Hamburg's Kunstverein.  Her installations often employ such ephemeral material as chalk, toothpaste, lipstick, hairspray and other cosmetics products on cellophane and sugar paper.  The tension between the resultant fragile pieces and the robust architectural backdrop creates a strange sense of excitement.

Black at Kunstverein, Hamburg 2009:

Black at Saatchi Gallery, London 2010:

FitzGerald's fractal sun

Dorian FitzGerald's paintings were created through a painstakingly slow process, which may take years to complete.  In his own words, he is most interested in "symmetrically organized, complex masses of objects that assume fractal-like forms".  I saw his "fractal" sun at Toronto's Clint Roenisch Gallery yesterday.

Another faceless portrait

I found Chris Cran's another portrait painting at Clint Roenisch Gallery today:

Stuttgart sketches

Not on my itinerary this year, Stuttgart is a beautiful hilly city.  Besides the architectural mecca Weissenhofsiedlung, Kunstmuseum and Württembergischer Kunstverein are major art galleries I love visiting.  Both are near Schlossplatz.

Around Schlossplatz, 2009:

The last drawing shows the glass facade of Kunstmuseum.