Guardian Angel, my pick for AP13
Mixed bag at ArtPrize this year. Very few pieces grabbed me by the throat and demanded I love them. On the downside, there was an excess of cut paper, piles of recycled discards reshaped into something, and butterflies. Still, I found a few precious things to love. In the past, I was able to come up with a top 10; I'm not even sure I can come up with that many this year.
Fashion Has Heart: the designers teamed up with veterans and asked, "what was the worst day of your life?" and created designs based on those stories. What was remarkable was even the darkest story had rays of hope and resilience. The resulting work has just as much impact, a unique blend of tough and tender. Janet Champion is a true American hero.
Guardian Angel: Beautifully crafted and upon viewing it, created a sense of serenity and joy. Black wings on canvas painted in acrylic, a mosaic tiled body, a graphite pencil face and a stained glass halo. Pictures simply do NOT do it justice.
EggPrize: Ok, I got angry at first. It appears the EP guys took our From the Book of Geno concept, shrank it down, put art in Easter eggs and charged people for the privilege. But it worked. I got a tiny 3/4" x 1" painting, and it was a thrill of chance missing from our installation. I still defend that it was ours to begin with.
The Shell: Manipulated photography that took me a day or three to realize it was a woman wearing only paint. It was so abstract yet so sensual. The colors were alive, impressive.
Word by the Diatribe: Spoken word poetry transcribed into braille books and performed daily. In an effort to create an artprize piece accessible to the blind, the artists forced the issue of what is art for everyone. They themselves were able to add emotion to their spoken word, and adding an additional layer to their concept. Passionate, I'm glad to have met two of them.
The Transmaid: The only piece of art made out of recycled materials that worked for me. It also crushed my heart. The sculpture depicts a beautiful mermaid cutting her tail in half. How I saw it, the mermaid was destroying her uniqueness to be like everyone else. How often do we do this to ourselves, hide or alter the real us to fit in? And her efforts were grotesquely beautiful, you knew it would end for her badly, no matter what Disney tale she was being told, she was still going to be half woman, half fish. And the use of the recycled elements was beautifully crafted. Loved the hair made out of champagne cork wire cages.
Monsters: Whimsical children's illustrations that were a refreshing departure from the earnest, political entries at the BOB. Sometimes you just need to see a 4-eyed monster with an overbite. Adorable.
Will You Still Need Me: 64 Guan Yin figurines cast in all 64 Crayola crayon colors. For me, it was a mix of old, new and youth. My grandmother had one of these figures, so it made me remember her. The Crayola smell is one of youth, and the figures, arranged so neatly, made me think of the years as the added up.
UPlifting: the only Top 10 piece in my top 9, it is a bronze water fountain sculpture that is simply a celebration of the human form. In figure skating, it is also a level 2 pairs lift since it originates at the waist. It is where my vote went, God I hope the panda made out of tires doesn't win.
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