Karla Black Archives

Spin-Off Trip to the Venice Biennale 2011

20-24 October 2011

We are organising another trip to the Venice Biennale for Spin members following on from our successful visits in 2005, 2007 and 2009. The Venice Biennale is the oldest and most prestigious contemporary art festivals in the world and was established in 1895. Held every two years, the Biennale is an excellent opportunity to see works by leading, international and up-and-coming artists. Over 70 countries are taking part including first-time participations from Saudia Arabia, Bangladesh, Republic of Rwanda, as well as Congo and India which last participated respectively in 1968 and 1980.

There are two main strands to the Venice Biennale: the Giardini which houses 30 permanent national pavilions and a curated exhibition by the Biennales appointed director. Bice Curiger has been appointed this year, only the second time that a woman has been at the directorial helm. Curiger is an art historian, critic and curator and has been curator at the Zurich Kunsthaus since 1993. The title for her curated exhibition is ILLUMinations (ILLUMinazioni) and will be presented in the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (formerly known as the Italian Pavilion) in the Giardini and the Arsenale – the buildings of the adjacent formal naval dockyard.

Artist Mike Nelson has been chosen to represent Great Britain in the Giardini. Nelson is best known for his atmospheric, installations. He has been shortlisted twice for the Turner Prize and in 2008, the Tate acquired one of his largest pieces, The Coral Reef. France will showing the work of Christian Boltanski known for his haunting, dimly-lit installations; Egypt-born sculptor Hany Amanious represents Australia and Tabaimo known for his vast projects shows work in the Japanese Pavilion.

Collateral exhibitions take place in venues spreading across the city of Venice. Scotland will be presenting the work of Karla Black in the Palazzo Pisani Santa Marina. Glasgow-based artist Black creates sculpural installations using materials like sugar, paper, chalk, powder, paint and make up. We are currently showing one of her works at the Gallery of Modern Art. Ireland are showing work by sculptor Corban Walker who creates large-scale sculptures and installations often involving sheets of glass and flying the flag for Wales is Tim Davies, a multimedia artist whose work addresses political subjects.

We will be devising an itinerary which will select and showcase the very best of this years Biennale. The dates of the tour are 20-24 October 2011 and places are limited.

Our group discussed the following artists: Mike Nelson, Christian Boltanski, Christoph Schlingensief, Tabaimo, Thomas Hirschhorn, Karla Black, TRA, Francisco Tropa, Liina Siib, Anish Kapoor, Roman Ondak, Rebecca Warren, James Turrell, Urs Fischer, Rosemarie Trockel, Christian Marclay and Haroon Mirza among others.

 

 

Karla Black

21 January 2009 at 6.30pm

A discussion of Karla Black’s solo exhibition at Mary Mary with Spin host Alhena Katsof and gallerist Hannah Robinson.

Karla Black describes her works as, almost painting, performance or installation while actually, and quite definitely, being sculpture. Her fragile, yet authoritative, sculptures are caught between thoughtless gesture and an obsessive attempt at beauty. They are both compromises and protests at the same time. Black’s works seem to have been made by themselves and then hover unsupported in the ether: pure raw material, colour and sensation. For her first solo exhibition at Mary Mary since 2006, Black will spend six days working on-site to produce a group of sculptures made from materials such as body moisturising creams, chalk dust, cotton wool, sellotape, vaseline, paint and egg shells.

Karla Black was born in Alexandria, Scotland in 1972. She currently lives and works in Glasgow where she completed an MFA in 2004, a Master of Philosophy in 2000 and a BA (Hons) Fine Art in 1999, all at the Glasgow School of Art. Karla has exhibited extensively throughout Scotland, the UK and internationally. Recent exhibitions include solos at West London Projects, London; Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne and group exhibitions Wollust-the presence of absence, Columbus Art Foundation, Leipzig; Strange Solution, Art Now, Tate Britain, London (all 2008). Forthcoming projects include solo exhibitions at Migros Museum, Zurich; Modern Art Oxford and Inverleith House, Edinburgh and group shows at Kunstverein Freiburg and Kunsthalle Andratz (all 2009).