Meier's squares vs Ungers's squares

It's been an architecture day for me in Frankfurt.  I spent most of my day just visiting two signature buildings by two of my favourite architects.  I stayed for three hours in each of these two museums, not quite distracted by their exhibits but totally obsessed by the ubiquitous square in their design language.

Richard Meier's 1985 Museum für Angewandte Kunst:

O.M. Ungers's 1984 Deutsches Architekturmuseum:

Hollein + Koons

I visited the MMK (Museum für Moderne Kunst) and Schirn Kunsthalle again today.  This time I managed to get inside.

The MMK is showing mostly photography currently.  So there is nothing too inspiring (to me, at least) to write about.  However, this 1991 Hans Hollein-designed museum space is like an architectural playground - I'll never get tired of exploring it although not much has changed since my last visit in 2005.

Schirn is showing Jeff Koons's paintings, which sparked little surprise.  Concurrently showing at the historical Liebieghaus, however, are Koons's sculptures.  Set in dialogues with five millennia's span of the historical sculpture collection there, Koons's works are as evocative as they are supposed to be.

Video from liebieghaus's youtube channel

Frankfurt's Kunstmuseum and Kunsthalle

First day of my German trip ...

Arrived at Frankfurt in the afternoon, tired.  Didn't get to see much today.  Just walked around the pedestrianized area near the Dom and the Römer.  There are a couple of art museums around here that I'd like to visit but apparently didn't have enough time to go in today.  The architecture of both museums is not necessarily my type but quite interesting.

Hans Hollein's 1991 postmodernist Museum für Moderne Kunst:

Bangert, Jansen, Scholz & Schultes's 1986 Schirn Kunsthalle:

Neonlicht

As I'm flying toward the neon lights of Frankfurt tonight ... Kraftwerk from their 1978 album Die Mensch-Maschine (The Man-Machine in English):

Video from UserOhneZugang's youtube channel

D + S + T = X, X = I

Charles Goldman's current show D + S + T = X, X = I at Birch Libralato Gallery is the practice of his beliefs "Distance + Space + Time = Experience" and "Experience = the Individual".

Goldman ar Birch Libralato, Toronto 2012:

F + B + D1 + K + D2 = J, J = G (Frankfurt + Berlin + Dessau + Kassel + Düsseldorf = the rest of July in Germany).  I'm flying to Frankfurt tonight.  Hopefully I can find internet/wifi access to continue with my daily blog posts in the next four weeks.  Stay tuned!

Voss's paintings with names

Michael Voss's Paintings With Names at Birch Libralato Gallery, Toronto 2012:

The Shape Of Things

Concurrent with trans/Form, also showing now at MOCCA (Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art) is The Shape Of Things - a small collection of iconic works from the 1960s to the present of pure geometry and colour.

Elizabeth McIntosh at MOCCA, Toronto 2012:

Richard Tuttle at MOCCA, Toronto 2012:

Claude Tousignant at MOCCA, Toronto 2012:

Josef Albers at MOCCA, Toronto 2012:

trans/FORM

The current group exhibition trans/FORM: Matter as Subject > New Perspectives at MOCCA (Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art) is definitely one of the best shows I have seen in Toronto so far this year.  As indicated in the title and subtitle of the exhibition, this show focuses on materials with an open attitude of experimentation.  It's a proud showcase of the latest local artistic endeavours.

Derrick Piens:

Derrick Piens and Georgia Dickie:

Jennifer Rose Sciarrino, Derrick Piens and Jaime Angelopoulos:

Jennifer Rose Sciarrino:

Derrick Piens, Jaime Angelopoulos and Niall McClelland:

Jaime Angelopoulos and Sasha Pierce:

Derrick Piens and Aleksander Hardashnakov:

Jaime Angelopoulos and Hugh Scott-Douglas:

Georgia Dickie and Aleksander Hardashnoakov:

I'll write more about individual artists in my future posts.

Peary, Ahnighito and other shiny objects

Young Gallery of the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) is an exhibition space for contemporary art by Toronto local artists. Very often, I find its shows more interesting and exciting than those happening in the main galleries. Its current show Shiny, Object, Person by Katie Bethune-Leamen was the main reason for my visit to the AGO earlier this week.  Arctic explorer Robert Peary and the Cape York meteorite Ahnighito are recurring themes in Bethune-Leamen's works.  Her latest video A Third And Final Part: Peary & Ahnighito was shown at the exhibition:

... along with other meteorite-like shiny objects: