BBEYOND BBEYOND MAGA ZINE : 2011/2
Tapestry by artist Danful Yang
When Libby met
Kirsty
The performance is beleaguered with misfortune. It’s raining. Hard... The Caribana music festival crowds seem more concerned with wolfing down meat sticks in beer tents than braving the summer showers. Even those hardy enough to venture out from shelter to stage seem subdued. The obligatory festival nut in this case is an elderly lady who dares clap along with the desperately encouraging bass player. “The Swiss people are shy,” mutters my companion. They sure are. Unfazed, Kirsty Bertarelli delivers an accomplished performance of tracks including her recent UK dance chart hits “Set Your Body Free” and “Green”. The consummate professional, she cajoles and corrals the weather wary crowd and is endearingly appreciative when the applause reaches a decimal beyond Swiss reticence. Kirsty Roper was the Staffordshire born Miss UK who in 2000 married entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli, Swiss owner of the biotech giant Serono. The Sunday Times Rich List recently put Kirsty Bertarelli as the UK’s richest woman. Why then is she subjecting herself to the alwaysunpredictable festival scene? Why not just give the odd champagne-fuelled private performance in a Gstaad alpine palace? Or bathe in Beluga? Or bomb about in a Bugatti? Or bounce her baby on her Hastens Vividus mattress ($50,000, not kidding)? But marriage did not turn Kirsty into a peeled-grape demanding chaise-lounger - instead she forged on with her already successful song-writing career and added performer, designer and philanthropist to the success inventory.
photo by Phil Griffins
Her powers lie securely in song writing but Kirsty sings too - from the heart in her disctinct breathily sweet vocals. The crowd slowly loosens from its torpor. At one point she blows a kiss to a ravishing woman in the audience: “This is for you, Miriam,” she
says. The song is sweetly sad and Kirsty’s voice wavers, closed-throated and pitchy with emotion; tuning eschewed in favour of truth. After the performance she is embraced by the entourage, all of whom had been Britishly bopping about backstage. “You were fabulous, darling!” they gush. And she really was. She opened the festival to indifferent crowds and won them over. The ravishing Miriam arrives flinging herself into Kirsty’s arms. “I’m so sorry. I should have warned you I was going to sing it.” “No, no, it was beautiful, you were beautiful,” Miriam replies.
Libby Caudwell talks to
Kirsty Bertarelli at the Caribana Music Festival
Ernesto Bertarelli, looking sporty yet slightly forbidding in his Alinghi team attire, marches up to his wife and congratulates her. “You did a great job. It was a good show.” He is brusque and matter of fact. None of the backstage hysteria. She looks at him with a touching, little girl gratitude. When I finally get my time with her, she is heaven. She is no remote, air kissing, smug socialite but all warmth and kindness. I compliment her on her performance and she hugs me. A real hug. Sitting in her little dressing room trailer, sipping on champagne, her eyes still shine with performance elation. She is a tiny, like a toned Daryl Hannah. She is considerably younger looking than her 40 years, who speaks with a curiously transatlantic twang for a Staffordshire lass who found herself in Switzerland, but it is pretty and melodious and it suits her. I show her a copy of our magazine and she giggles her approval of the edgy design. With that we are ready to begin. You are a fashion designer as well as a musician. Who or what inspires you? I’ve got so many designers that I love. Giorgio Armani because the clothes are strong and structured. And I’ve always loved BBEYOND 2011/2
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Is it true that you wrote “Black Coffee” when you first met your husband? Absolutely. It was when we first met. Again, that’s when the best songs materialise when the words are almost effortless and I have a very strong emotion about something. “Sail away, I miss you more, until you see the shore. There I will be waiting, anticipating.” He was always sailing away and I was trying to bring him back to shore. Was it strange to hear somebody else sing such a personal song? It was a little bit. Obviously I was thrilled with the success. William Orbit did an amazing version for All Saints, but I was so happy that I sang it at my wedding. I wanted people to know that I had written it for my husband. photo by Julie Rheme
the floaty femininity of Valentino. I also love up-and-coming British designers such as Alex Noble. For me fashion is always a mood. It’s fun to play different people by wearing something that can take you to another headspace. Tell me about your collection. I did a collection for Alinghi (the sailing syndicate set up by her husband) because back in 2007, the designs were mainly for men. Knowing that I’m creative they asked me to design some ladies’ wear. So I initially created a more feminine, fitted collection, which was such a success and I ended up doing a line for the team as well. Do you see any future fashion endeavours? Maybe, not at the moment. I am concentrating on the music. I enjoyed designing but I think I would be burning the candle at both ends. I want to concentrate on my family and my music and, you know, you have to get a balance.
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Is there any area of your life in which you do not feel fulfilled? I know what I want to say. (Embarrassed pause.) I’m just really frustrated with my golf! It should be something more important than that shouldn’t it? But it’s the truth. I love my sports. Obviously with the Bertarelli Foundation we are always striving to achieve greater things and help more people but personally, yeah, I would like to improve my golf.
Proudest accomplishment to date? My three children. They are an inspiration to us all. It is the most wonderful love to have children. They fulfil you in so many ways.
What is your major shortcoming? Worrying I think. I’m a big, big worrier. About anything and everything. It drives everybody mad. It’s my mother’s fault, she’s always worrying as well. It’s wonderful to see that your children don’t always inherit your characteristics! I see my daughter and I love how knowing and confident she is.
Do you have a dream music venue? Do you know what? I haven’t really thought about it because I take every step as it comes. Without too many expectations you
Tell me a little bit about the Bertarelli Foundation. It’s active in many different areas, from marine conservation to education, to
What have you got planned for your music in 2011? I recently performed at the Sundance festival which is a dance / electro festival with DJs Igor Blaska and David Guetta. I’ve been writing a lot so I’m excited about all the new songs I’ll be releasing. “Set Your Body Free” went to Number 1 in the Dance charts recently, which I think is quite an amazing achievement. I’ve collaborated with Igor on “Green”, an environmental dance anthem with proceeds being donated to WWF to support their ongoing conservation projects around the world. “Miriam”, the song you just heard, is coming out by the end of the year. I just finished a great track with Matthias Rollo called “Twilight”. I’m really happy that my music is filtering into the UK because that’s where my roots are. You mentioned Miriam. Could you tell me the story behind the song? It’s a song dedicated to a very dear friend of mine, whose husband loved her more than anyone imagined.
photo by Julie Rheme
What music do you enjoy listening to? Adele. I love her voice. Also I’m writing a lot of high-energy dance tracks so I’ve been listening to the Black Eyed Peas a lot. They
are inspirational to me. They always seem to originate a fresh sound.
can only be thrilled about the next thing. It’s a privilege to create music and then if you have the opportunity to sing it and share it, all the better!
funding orphanages and schools in underdeveloped countries. I’m really proud of Chagos. It’s the biggest marine reserve in the world encompassing 1% of the world’s ocean and we’re hoping to increase that to 10% in five years’ time. It came about after we watched a video called “The End of the Line” presented by George Duffield. I was so touched and shocked by it because it emphasises the depletion of fish in the world’s oceans. I love diving with my husband and I have seen for myself what’s happened in the last 10 years. I don’t want my children to grow up in a world where there’s no fish in the ocean.
What makes a philanthropist? I think it’s a bit like music. When you feel very strongly about something you give it your all. It’s about considering what really matters to you and, if you are in a position to help, then to go out there and help as much as you can.
photo by Chris Jackson
Do you extend any charitable outreach to the UK? I was involved with “Facing the World”, a charity which brings children from Third World counties over to the UK in order for them to have reconstructive surgery for birth defects or disfigurements caused by war crimes. We don’t have any UK based organisations because the Foundation focuses on a few different areas and then puts the utmost effort into them. I get so many letters asking for help but at the end of the day, if you spread yourself too thin, you’re not really doing any good at all. It’s better to concentrate on a few things and do them well.
How easy or difficult is it to reconcile your music career with your philanthropy? I think it’s important to have a balance and in fact I think I am accomplishing quite well at the moment. I have monthly Foundation meetings and I find time to do music. You set an agenda and you try to fit everything in as best you can.
Do you collect art? Yes. I appreciate art very much and I love drawing in fact; it’s another part of the creative side of me. I think when you are creative it’s multi-faceted: whether it’s writing or designing or drawing. I love Tracey Emin at the moment. My favourite piece, that we own, is a neon piece that says, “I Never Stopped Loving You”. It’s just a little phrase but it’s there for life. No matter what happens, the ups and downs, it stays true. I never stopped loving you, you know? And it’s pink! Does beauty play a part in success? I think it’s important to teach your children at a young age that beauty comes
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from within and to encourage a sense of self-worth. They need to understand the importance of emotion and education, and to live a full life, because in that way, you will be beautiful. To what extent is success dependant on luck and how much of it is hard work? I think it depends on what you want from life. Some people are… more ambitious than others. If you have a passion and you act on it then you can be successful because you are living your life exactly as you want to live it and that’s up to every individual. Success is relative. There is nothing relative about Ernesto’s success and as such he must not be kept waiting any longer, and so I free Kirsty to her husband and hoards of admirers. I cannot resist introducing myself to the big man and, for a second, all of that Swiss sangfroid dissolves; he winks happily and thanks me for being speedy. Oh, Lord. Now that is success - when a simple gesture of approval is enough to send endorphins skyrocketing to the brain of the lucky recipient. I know it, Kirsty knows it and I have no doubt Ernesto does too. n For more information on Kirsty please check out her website: www.kirsty-music.com
So what is it all about ? Simply put, Six Shooters are six of the finest music photographers currently working in the UK all working together, as Stevie Wonder might put it, in perfect harmony.
SIX SHOOTERS
Based on a twenty-year friendship, which has seen them graduate from bumping into each other at gigs to lending their last roll of film to becoming trustworthy shooting partners, it is both revolutionary concept and working co-op. Today this group of photographers is the most sought after in the business, having between them shot every notable band and musician you can think of, toured with the very best and been published in The Sunday Times., Rolling Stone , Mojo, Q magazine, Spin, Dazed and Confused, Kerrang, NME, Time and Vanity Fair to name but a few. Individually they each represent one sixth of a group of the most internationally recognised, leading figures in the photographic industry. What’s more, in a competitive and cutthroat business, these six photographers remain firmly in it together – creating a working co-op that offers a cast-iron guarantee of great photography as well as artistic integrity. The Six Shooters exhibition edit reads like a who’s who of music’s most influential, critically acclaimed and commercially successful individuals: Aerosmith, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Paul Weller, Paul McCartney, Björk, Green Day, Lily Allen, The White Stripes; U2, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Kasabian, Radiohead, Killers, Jarvis Cocker, Ian Brown, Oasis, Morrissey, REM, Eminem, Marilyn Manson, The Strokes, Libertines, The Clash, Blur, Kings of Leon, Metallica and Jay Z to name a mere fraction. This look at the modern music scene will provide a window onto the best that music has to offer, shot by today’s most important photographers. An absolute must see for music and photography fans alike, the unrivalled exhibition is set to be the most important of its kind. These are the nice guys of rock n roll, says Serge Pizzorno from Kasabian of these camera-toting gunslingers. Six shooters: their aim is true.
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Clockwise: DAVE GROHL KANYE WEST - LONDON 2007 Had a wonderful conversation with Kanye once I locked us in the toilet to get him out of reach from his groomer! His bold bravado was most defiantly left outside the door..He asked me if I thought all the publicity was necessary. I said he could ask himself this question looking at his shades! FOO FIGHTERS – STUDENTS KITCEN 2004 Loved doing this shoot. Really didn’t know the shoot was gonna go this way! The brief was unclear and the location was not what I was told...But it all work so well, especially when Dave told the roadies to plug them in for real... We were told the band would muck the shots up! Can you imagine the guys in the room!
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teenage hip-hop fan with a taste for vintage motors, it’s little wonder Andy Cotterill has an eye for detail. “I like old cars and old buildings and the process which went into making them” explains this rogue-ish son of Ilford. “Great photography can be just as timeless. It doesn’t have to be throwaway.” A youthful habituee of East End hip-hop mecca Bentleys (formerly The Bridge House), Andy’s entry into magazines came, suitably enough, with pictures of Public Enemy’s Chuck D for Dazed & Confused. In the years since he has chalked up images of personal heroes ranging from Sly and Robbie to John Peel to Lee Scratch Perry. along the way establishing a reputation for delivering the unique.
“I shot The Strokes on their first visit to London” he explains. “They were all lying on the bed and their legs were intertwined. In a strange way it said everything about how close they were, and how different to everyone else.” With Andy, however, it’s about more than just delivering iconic images. “I love the skill of dealing with the person you’re photographing and trying to get the best out of it” he says. “I’m not after the subject’s soul. I’m looking for a true representation of them at that given moment. It might come out nothing like you planned, but that’s the fun of it- it’ll never be the same twice.” Andy Cotterill: purveyor of bespoke images since 1992.
ANDY COTTERILL
ANDRE 3000 - “OUTCAST” LONDON 2006 Again, when you are fortunately able to photograph somebody this charismatic things just flow...”Three rolls of film” whole shoot! Simple is always best. He was on that table so fast! Great fun and amazing to photograph. He was full on throughout the little time we had. LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY - ISLE OF WHITE 2002 This was shot backstage at bestival...Very excited to meet the man after hearing so much about his random character! It was all true. Came in with a pigtail wig and a neck draped with garlands. STROKES - “LEGS INTERTWINED” LONDON 2000 Didn’t know what to expect with these guys as often you don’t with new bands...Lead singer Julian was detached from the rest of them on the bed and it looked far more interesting to me from this angle. Funny shot! Converse Ad. IAN BROWN - “STUDIO SHOT” LONDON 2004 This shot was a powerful no shit shot from Ian but to be honest, it’s hard to go wrong with a face like! His face with a very easy lighting is a joy to photograph. An amazingly cool bloke to boot! Whole shoot was amazing!
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JARVIS COCKER RCA LONDON 2007 What a great place to take shots..This was the best full set of images I think i`ve taken in an hour ever..All of the shots I was really happy with..Jarvis was so engaging and interested throughout the whole shoot.
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Beth Ditto -2006 I’d always loved the shot of Mama Cass by photographr Jerry Schatzberg. Beth was just breaking onto the UK music scene and I’d caught her amazing live performance. I thought she would be perfect to emulate the 60’s icon.
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veryone has to start somewhere. For Andy Fallon it was as teenage photographer for his local paper in Manchester. “I had a darkroom in my dad’s shed when I was fourteen” he says, surveying a career which has already seen him capture classic rock’n’roll images for everyone from NME to Mojo. “I’ve always been quite a gentle photographer. I often won’t even direct them. I’ll take each situation as it comes and get the feel for what’s right.” Andy’s eye for detail never falters, even when there’s a storm brewing. “I flew into Miami during Hurricane Katrina to shoot The Killers after the VH1 Awards” he says in reference to his iconic shot of Las Vegas’ finest. “It was nine o’clock in the morning and the band hadn’t been to bed.
Palm trees were broken like twigs and the sand was burning my feet but we still got the shot.” A finely tuned cultural antennae which sees him enthuse about everybody from Jerry Schatzberg (whose photograph of Mama Cass inspired Andy’s image of Beth Ditto) to Ray Charles (a favourite soundtrack to shoots) also informs his work. “I took some beautiful shots of Morrissey in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome where Keats and Shelley are buried ” he explains. “Afterwards we were imagining all the people who had made the same pilgrimage. You could tell he was enchanted. The sun was going down, and I shot a few more frames. That’s what it’s all about for me –those special images which come out of nothing.”
Dizzee Rascal -2008 Dizzee had just come back from New York with some prize pieces of clothing. I remember him saying “skinny jeans man, they’re wearing skinny jeans in the hood”
REM - 2009 We had joined REM on tour in Chicago. The backstage area was bleak strip lighting and Michael Stipe was quite subdude. I love his reflection in the mirror.
Noisettes - 2009 I found a roll of 1970’s retro wallpaper in a skip on the way to the shoot which I taped to a wall. I waited for three hours for hair and make up for Shingai, but when she walked into the shoot it was worth the wait.
Spiritualized - 2009 One of my favorite musicians. Taken at the time of Jasons new album A&E. I hired some old operating lights and lit the whole shot with them to create a heavenly back from the dead image.
ANDY FALLON
Clockwise: Carl BarAt - 2007 Shot for a cover story in London then I met up with Carl again in Austin Texas to get a few extra shots for the feature. I dragged an old rusty seat to the railroad tracks. The Killers - 2005 Shot in Miami the day after Hurricane Katrina. The band had just won the VH1 music awards the night before and hadn’t been to bed. The beach had been wrecked by the storm and the atmosphere was one of recovery. Morrissey - 2006 I had the chance to spend a couple of days with Morrissey in Rome. I shot this at the Protestant Cemetery, where the poets Shelley and Keats are buried. We talked about the pilgrims who have walked the same path before.
Lilly Allen - London 2008 I first photographed Lilly when she was just 16 as a favor for her Dad Keith. She was telling stories about being thrown out of school and that she wanted to get a record deal. Six years later she succeeded and I got the chance to shoot her again as a young star. The Coral - 2005 I’d shot the band a few times and had always art directed a stylized shoot idea for them.This was a session for Sony for their Invisible Invasion record and I styled them as the seven Samurai on the coast.
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My Chemical Romance -2008 Shot in Atlanta. My favorite gang in the film ‘Warriers’ was the Baseball Furies and the band willing played the part for me. Brandon Flowers - 2007 Alone away for the crew and mangagement , Brandon began to pull some ballet moves to the piped Mozart from the hotel speakers.
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Arctic Monkeys live shot - "shot on the first of 2 sold-out headline shows at Old Trafford Cricket Ground" Damon Albarn from Blur Bobby Gillespie - “shot in Chalk Farm studio for a feature in Uncut Magazine” Pete Doherty - “shot for the cover of NME while living in Exmouth Market in Farringdon shortly after leaving The Libertines” Paul Weller
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nyone who believes photographers aren’t passionate about rock’n’roll hasn’t met Andy Willsher. Inspired by ‘80’s noiseniks like Chiefs Of Reliefs and The Hollow Men to pick up a camera, his (Spear Of) Destiny became obvious during a 5.30 gig at The University Of London. “The moment I saw them I knew I wanted to quit my job at the bank and be a music photographer.” he recalls. Oxford’s finest imploded soon after, but having joined the NME in 1993 (first job-The Family Cat in Crewe) Andy has been up close and personal with rock’s cogniscenti ever since. Whether it’s capturing Thom Yorke smearing his face with ice cream at Milton Keynes Bowl, seeing Liam Gallagher point (not so) cryptically at the pitch markings prior to Oasis’ Wembley Stadium gigs or The Arctic Monkeys larking about in a snooker hall in Sheffield, Andy’s been there and clicked the shutter. “A great rock photo is about being in the right place at the right time” he explains modestly, in refernce to iconic shots of Arthur Lee and ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ era Damon Albarn “Pennie Smith’s classic shot of The Clash which became the sleeve for ‘London Calling’ is the perfect example of that.” As for highs- well, it’s got to be his annual shot of Glastonbury Festival for the NME, taken while leaning, sans seat-belt, out of of a helicopter. “I can think of worse things to do” he smiles. Andy Willsher: he was there while you were getting high.
ANDY WILLSHER
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Liam Gallagher - “shot at Wembley Stadium while they announced what would be their last ever shows together” Biffy Clyro at T-In-The-Park, Kinross, Scotland 11th July 2010 Marina & The Diamonds “shot whilst on a break from filming the video to Hollywood in Ealing, London” Courteney Love
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rock’n’roll bon viveur who’s counted royalty as schoolmates, earned a crust on the oil rigs and once cheated death totalling one of Ozzy’s Quadbikes? You could make Mick Hutson up, but he wouldn’t be half as much fun. A free spirit from the age of eight –when a clifftop epiphany told him to follow his dreams - Mick’s genes overflow with artistic antecedents (his grandmother was a WW2 photographer; a great uncle a mainstay in Ronnie Scott’s jazz band). His rock’n’roll apprenticeship, however, came courtesy of legendary photographers Fin Costello, David Redfern and Ian Dickson. “I moved from Aberdeenshire to Kilburn and fell in with them when I started going to gigs” he says wit ha mischievous grin. “They taught me that it’s way more important to be you than worry about who you’re photographing.”
Convinced of his calling following a first job where he trawled Hamburg in search of booze with The Spiders from Mars guitarist Mick Ronson, Mick has been in constant demand since, shooting countless iconic shots of everyone from Paul McCartney to U2. Whether it’s been hanging out of a helicopter shooting Oasis at Knebworth (for the now classic ariel Glastonbury shot), swimming in the Bahamas with Mike Oldfield, stopping the New York rush hour traffic with Metallica or writing in pink lipstick on Marilyn Mansons’s chest, it’s safe to say he’s done the lot. And all in his own inimitable style. “I once locked myself in the toilet with L’il Kim” he laughs. “There were three huge bouncers banging on the door while she sat happily on the loo and read a copy of Jackie Collins ‘Rock Star’. Great photography is all about making something amazing happen.”
Aerosmith May Birmingham , May 31st 1997 shot onn The Nine Lives Tour
Lilly Allen- Glastonbury 28th June 2009 Onstage with a very nervous Lilly Allen, she stole the show.
MICK HUTSON
Kasabian, 4th May 2009 Shot on a promotional tour of japan and australia in the midst of the swine flu epidemic. They only wore masks for this shot… Tom returned with swine flu! Jaz Coleman 8th February 2006, Hyde Park London, shot on really windy & cold day walking through hyde park, I remember him saying, “Is this crazy enough for ya!” Kings of Leon, Madrid 16th November 2004 Shot in disused children’s playpark littered with used hyperdermic needles, touring their second album Aha Shake Heartbreak.
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Dakis Joannou with wife Lietta. Artwork in background: Jakub Julian Ziółkowski History of the Eye 2010 Gouache on paper 69 drawings of various dimensions The Dakis Joannou Collection
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the question of how linguistic innovation can entail a political dimension of art-making that precedes the content-related aspects of the artwork. In their analysis of Kafka’s work, the French philosophers Deleuze and Guattari have come up with the notion of “minor” literature to describe this link between writing and politics, namely, the possibility for artistic creation to carry revolutionary messages, starting precisely from the subversive use of language. “Minor” here refers to something that is not official, not in power, but that nonetheless moves within the domain of the power to find escape lines and create spaces of freedom. In this context, minor implies the formation of a link between individual events and a larger context, finding the political relevance of individual stories. It is the collective nature of an utterance, the transition from individual to collective voice. The artists who participate in the exhibition share a practice of art that can be read in the light of this category of minor. They have initiated an “eccentric” art discourse which cannot be associated with any of the acquired aesthetic categories and which subverts the conventional use of the expressive means it adopts. This formal research however, is not an end in itself, but rather looks at the outside world and connects with the political situation of this time; it is therefore socially active. In this perspective, appropriating objects and signs from extra-artistic fields and attributing new meanings and functions to them is a key strategy, employed by many of the artists in the show, to reflect upon central themes in our contemporary society, such as postcolonial identity, gender, race and religious conflicts, violence and collective paranoia, economic disparities and the excesses of
consumer society, the sense of community and the condition of marginality, the relationship between memory and the present time. Like the dog-protagonist in Kafka’s short story, the artists in the exhibition ask themselves questions about the meaning of art making, spurred by a passionate emotional involvement in the society of humans. On the occasion of the exhibition, the DESTE foundation will publish the first Greek translation of Kafka’s story Investigations of a Dog and, during the show, will also present parallel events focusing on Kafka’s oeuvre and its contemporary relevance. The exhibition becomes the subject of a new curatorial reading and interpretation in each country and each site where it is presented. In Athens, its last stop after Turin, Cascais, Paris and Stockholm, the exhibition presents both some different works of art and also places particular emphasis on Kafka’s work in general and the meaning it may bear at the present moment. For this reason DESTE proceeded in issuing the Greek translation of
this story (Investigations of a Dog, translated by Vasilis Tomaras) and is organizing parallel events, among them a special tribute in conjunction with the 17th Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights Conn-x and Cinema magazine. The curatorial approach of Nadja Argyropoulou takes into consideration the reading of Deleuze and Guattari, in particular its introductory statement (How to enter the world of Kafka; it is a rhizome, a burrow, translated by Kostis Papagiorgis, Kastaniotis 1998) but also the story of Aristides Antonas (The Two Rooms), written especially for the exhibition catalogue. Unexpected encounters and close cohabitations shape attitudes for the viewer of the exhibition and reveal possible connections, the “major will become minor”, wherever it is created. *FACE (Foundation of Arts for a Contemporary Europe) was formed in 2008 by five private, non-profit foundations based in Europe, which were established for the production and promotion of Contemporary
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS Vasco Araujo, Virginie Barré, Philippe Bazin, Mircea Cantor, Maurizio Cattellan, Roberto Cuoghi, Mark Dion, Gardar Eide Einarsson, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Urs Fischer, Fischli & Weiss, David Hammons, Annika von Hausswolff, Thomas Hirschhorn, William Kentridge, Kimsooja, Jeff Koons, Sigalit Landau, Sherrie Levine, DeAnna Maganias, Mark Manders, Esko Männikkö, Marcos Reis Peixoto Marepe, Paul McCarthy, Boris Mikhailov, Segal Miri, Bruce Nauman, Cady Noland, Martin Parr, Aurel Schmidt, Gregor Schneider, Lara Schnitger, Santiago Sierra, Lorna Simpson, Stéphane Thidet, Kara Walker and Artur Zmijewski’
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akis Joannou and his wife Lietta entertained artists, collectors, friends and media to a two day art extravaganza late June.We arrived in a sweltering Athens, to the centrally located, 5 star hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens’ finest. The garden square in front was a veritable revolutionary city of tents, housing protesters against Greece’s second round of austerity measures. We were told not take pictures from the balcony but had, nevertheless a full view of the month long sit-in, complete with makeshift hotdog stands, sunglasses sellers and the requisite loudspeakers belting out jolly Greek music. In fact, had it not been for the ominous ‘No pasaran’ poster, strategically placed above the square, one might have been forgiven for mistaking the gathering as a summer festival. One of several minibuses whisked us off to the Deste Foundation which hosted the first portion of the art fest, INVESTIGATIONS OF A DOG, Works from the FACE* Collections (curated by Nadja Argyropoulou). FACE partner institutions between October, 2009 and May, 2011), Investigations of a Dog takes its title from the short story by Franz Kafka (1922), whose main character, a dog, questions the limits of his canine existence, or rather, the sense of the community to which he belongs. This constant questioning distances the dog from the others and forces him into the position of the outsider. Nonetheless, in his solitude the dog expresses his most intense form of interest for the community and his compatriots. This story, and more generally the themes and expressive strategies that recur in Kafka’s stories, have inspired the selection of the works on display. All works center around
Thomas Hirschhorn Spin Off, 1998 Mixed media installation Dimensions variable Collection Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin
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1. Lara Schnitger Gridlock, 2005 Cotton, ribbon Collection Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall
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2. Fischli & Weiss Animal, 1986 Polyurethane, cloth, paint 55,8 x 96,5 x 98,4 cm The Dakis Joannou Collection 3. Jeff Koons Moon, 1994 – 2000 Stainless steel 330, 2 x 330,2 x 101,6 cm The Dakis Joannou Collection 4. Lorna Simpson Waterbearer, 1986 Silver gelatin print with vinyl lettering, 114 x 195 cm Collection Ellipse Foundation – Contemporary Art Collection, Cascais
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5. Aurel Schmidt (b. 1982) So Damn Pure, 2008 Mixed media on paper 267 x 421 x 5 cm Collection Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin
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6. Paul Mccarthy (b. 1945) Pig, 2003 Silicone rubber, 142 x 91 cm The Dakis Joannou Collection 7. Kerstin Brätsch This Is Not It, 2011 279,4 x 182,8 cm, Oil on paper, wooden frame, magnets The Dakis Joannou Collection
Art. These institutions are the Ellipse Foundation, Cascais (Portugal), the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin (Italy), La Maison Rouge – Fondation Antoine de Galbert, Paris (France), Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall, Stockholm (Sweden) and the DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art, Athens (Greece). This new alliance is a unique collaboration dedicated to the promotion of contemporary art and international artists both in Europe and the rest of the world and to bringing an evergrowing public closer to contemporary art and culture. In addition, though the collaborations that will develop between the partner foundations and through the production and exhibition of new works, FACE will aim to organize a series of international exhibitions and to promote the activities and the art collections of each partner foundation. The viewing was followed by drinks on the terrace and dinner at the Joannou’s home, which houses many of works from his private collection – rotated, his wife tells me, at 6 months’ interval. The entrance hall and walkway to the main gallery had different works to those I saw during my first visit there. Featured artists on the night included Pawel Althamer, Jeff Koons, Christopher Wool, Jakub Julian Ziolkowski, Chris Ofili and George Condo. Maurizio Cattellan’s works may not have been prominent that evening but the artist himself was present (Dakis Joannou is a big collector of his). A CNBC reporter provided the most talked about anecdote of the evening. As we sat down to a phenomenal buffet dinner with Antoine de Galbert (Maison Rouge gallery founder and a member of the Face collective that was behind the exhibition) and gallery owner Aline Vidal, Cattellan’s name was mentioned. At that point, the American journalist blurted out, ‘I don’t want to appear ignorant, but is this a country or a person?’ I suspect this is the last time she’ll get an invitation. There were 147 guests that night, including Maurizio Cattellan, Kerstin Braetsch, Adele Roeder, Jakub Julian Ziolkowski, Lisa Phillips, Massimiliano Gioni & Cecilia Alemani, Paul
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8. Martin Parr (b. 1952) Common Sense, 1999 250 laser prints, 21 x 29,7 cms Collection Antoine de Galbert, La maison rouge, Paris
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9. Kimsooja (b. 1952) Bottari Truck, 2005 Truck, clothes, Korean bedcovers, elastic cord, 200 x 185 x 430cm Collection Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall 10. Installation view main gallery, Dakis Joannou residency
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Morris, Francesco Bonami, Mark Fletcher, Jean-Pierre and Rachel Lehmann, and art collectors Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Antoine de Galbert and Joao Oliveira-Rendeiro The following day, we were driven to the Athens Museum of Modern Art and shown the works entering the Deste Foundation prize 2011. We spoke to Theodoros Stamatogiannis whose installation of old oil paintings by forgotten artists was a powerful reminder of the transience of trends. Other artists competing for the prestigious prize are Anastasia Douka, Alexandra Bachzetsis, Irini Miga, Eftihis Patsourakis and Jannis Varelas. At hand was the Deste curator to walk us around the museum and introduce each artist’s work. We were also treated to a sometime gymnastic, sometime erotic pole dance act formulated by Bachzetsis, named Handwerk, that
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provoked mixed reactions among the audience. Off to Piraeus for the ferry to Hydra where we stayed at the charming Bratsera hotel for the night. The Bratsera is an old stone house built around a tree-shaded courtyard and a swimming pool. The interior is typical of the island architecture and local materials are used throughout. Authentic and perfectly well equipped with all mod cons, it is the perfect spot from which you can explore Hydra. It is said that the island is a favourite with wealthy Athenians and we certainly did quite a bit of yacht spotting while there. The Dakis Joannou yacht, Guilty, dominated the landscape, with its Jeff Koontz design and multi-coloured ‘tiles’. It was, however, a different vessel that hosted a party of some 300 art lovers for an unforgettable performance. Joannou had hired a
massive ship, the centre deck of which was transformed into a stage, overlooked by massive screens. Dough Aitkin’s Black Mirror is a disturbing and powerful take on how manic our lives have become. Caught up in a vortex of moving for its own sake, the central character, played by Chloe Sevigny, seems to ‘lose track of information’ between countless anonymous hotel rooms, airports, cities, staccato electronic messages... She would frequently watch herself ‘moving’ on the giant screens as if disconnected from reality. ‘Exchange, connect, move on’ is the recurrent theme and as both music and beat accelerate into a breathless, deafening crescendo, hotel keys and pills raining down on the giant screens. ‘Slow down to breathe the air’, says Doug Aitken who was at the event.The actress is supported by a mini rock band, singers, pole dancers and a tap dancer whose feverish tapping comes to a sudden and broken end. The message? ‘Slow down to breather the air’, says Doug Aitken who was at the event. The audience was spell bound, yet none of the revellers we sat next to at dinner would share their impressions. Being confronted with the uncomfortable reality of our frenetic lives seemed at odds with our surroundings and guests clearly preferred to drown the disquiet in Greek wine and food, served on a very long communal table on the road itself, just above the Slaughterhouse. The Slaughterhouse is, of course, the Deste Foundation Hydra ‘art space’, hosting different shows every summer. On this night, groups of 10-15 people were able to watch a condensed version of the performance on screen, inside the Slaughterhouse. Dakis and Laetia Joannou moved around the table, trying to have a chat with every guest on the night. As art tours go, this was a tour de force. n
1. Das Institut “We Nail It For You” 2011 Digital print on archival paper 152 x 92 cm The Dakis Joannou Collection 2. Josh Smith BOOKSHELF / SCULPTURE, 2010 Wooden bookshelf with 84 mixed media books 139,7 x 125,7 x 40,6 cm The Dakis Joannou Collection
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3. Althamer Pawel Sylwia, 2010 Aluminium cast 320 x 117 x 83 cm The Dakis Joannou Collection 4. Craig Morrison (b. Glasgow, Scotland, 1964) MTV Sofa, 1990 Rubber, 98 x 181 x 80 cm The Dakis Joannou Collection
For more information on FACE please visit: www.art-face.eu For more information on the FACE partners please visit: Ellipse Foundation: www.ellipsefoundation.com; Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo: www.fondsrr.org; La Maison Rouge: www.lamaisonrouge.org ; Magasin 3: www.magasin3. com; DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art: www.deste.gr
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Hong Kong Art Fair I
t is Wednesday the 25th of May and the opening of the Hong Kong Art Fair. In four short years this has risen to become one of the most important annual art fests in the world, quickly challenging Frieze in London, Art Basel and Art Basel Miami. Most of the major international galleries have taken stands in the newly and greatly enlarged Fair which now occupies two whole floors of the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre. This year the Fair attracted 260 exhibitors (more than double the number in 2008) from all over the world and many of them were keen to impress not only with their fabulously expensive art works but also competing as to who could put on the best party and attract the most international collectors. One lady aficionado described it as the “Hong Kong Sevens of the art world� a reference to the number of out-of-town visitors and the enthusiasm which both the locals and out-of-towners bring to the drinking and partying surrounding the Fair. Pre-Fair events included White Cube and LVMH inviting the great and the good to the house of William Zhao for one of the most stylish parties of the week with many leaving early to rush to the Gagosian event hosted at a local night club to celebrate the opening of their Richard Prince exhibition.
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Howard Bilton, CEO of the Sovereign Art Foundation, comments on the
Pearl Lam was ever present with her large and glamorous dinner parties and the week continued with many collectors spoilt for choice as to which social events to attend. Talk of the town was the purchase of 60% of the Art Fair by Art Basel and the incarceration of Ai Wei Wei. The sale of the fair is due to complete in July this year and seems to be the final piece in the jigsaw giving Art Basel global reach. It also throws up some interesting questions about sponsorship. UBS are deeply entrenched as sponsors of Art Basel and Art Basel Miami but Deutsche Bank are in the second year of a four year sponsorship deal with Art HK and already have a long term deal with Frieze. Which way will the new Art Basel HK go? Rumours abound about whether Deutsche will try to take over Art Basel and Miami or whether UBS will take over Art Basel HK. Or whether all will just
Left: Porcelain sculpture by Kimiyo Mishima Right: Marble Arm by Ai Wei Wei
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showing mainly mid-career but sought after mainland artists. Cat Street Gallery showed an eclectic mix of work from Australia, Europe and elsewhere but, importantly, new and Hong Kong themed work by the “Godfather of Pop Art”, Sir Peter Blake. 10 Chancery Lane were doing brisk business with an interesting new work by Wang Keping. Famous for his polished wood figurative based sculptures, they were showing a piece made up of what looked like large rusty metal tissue boxes. The idea was collectors could buy as many of these as they wished and arrange them how they wished. ‘Do it yourself’ art? Amelia Johnson was showing gallery artist Konstantin Besmerty, an established but still rising star from Macau. Of particular interest was a novel sculpture/installation showing a golden hand with a finger pointing upwards and attracting lightening. There was much interest at Gallery Urs Meiler in a marble sculpture by Ai Wei Wei of an arm extended with a single finger pointing upwards in an up yours type gesture. It’s not hard to imagine who is getting the finger. Interest in his work has long been strong but has increased dramatically since his incarceration for “economic crimes”. The art world is not unsurprisingly sympathetic to his plight, convinced that his arrest was politically motivated, and there were numerous messages of support spoken and written around the fair. I am sure he would agree that it would be preferable if his career could have a boost without the need for free board and lodging from the Chinese authorities. The third floor created a totally different vibe. This housed galleries participating as either part of the Asia One project or the Lane Crawford sponsored Art Futures prize. In Asia One, participating galleries were asked to show work by only one Asian artist. The rather confusing Art Futures prize was for galleries less than five years old, showing younger and emerging artists. Most galleries in this category did not seem to know much about the Prize or the criteria for entry, or judging. The winner was Chinese artist Gao Weigang with her work entitled “Intuition”. This comprised a number of different pieces, the most striking of which was a traditional looking ink drawing of a tiger on a paper scroll. Confusingly though, the award appeared to go to the presenting gallery – Magician Space, Beijing - but the prize money went to
Left: The Sovereign Art Foundation graffiti wall directed by Vincent Fantauzzo and created by everyone. The central image is of Vincent’s son.
Above: Interactive LED work by Island 6. Call the number and the model wakes up and texts back
camera photographs. A typical work apparently takes up to three months and emerges in a size of around 4cm x 4cm. 18 Gallery were having great success with their interesting take on traditional Chinese ink drawings created by Yang Yong Liang. What at first glance seemed like traditional mountain scenes in ink and pen, on closer inspection revealed tower blocks, cranes and other building paraphernalia. This artist was also represented by Gallery Paris Beijing, whose stand was occupied by the popular Liu Bolin who photographs himself painted to merge into the background. Gallery director Romain Degoul told me that Liu Bolin was the most searched artist on Artnet last year. Attracting huge interest, particularly amongst the younger visitors, was my own Sovereign Art Foundation stand where Australian artist Vincent Fantauzzo – recent winner of both the Packer and Moran prizes in Australia- directed the creation by the public of his graffiti wall, designed to highlight the involvement of the Foundation with projects helping disadvantaged children through the arts as therapy and rehabilitation. Many artists visiting the show came up to the booth and helped out with the drawing. This project partnered with a similar event downstairs created by website Yummy Mummy who produced a “tree of life” upon which children made their handprints and famous artists, including Morakami, made annotations. The artwork created will be donated to the Sovereign Art Foundation for auction at one of their events later in the year. Next door, the Asian Cultural Council had an interactive stand which also attracted much interest. The ACC exists to encourage and sponsor promising artists and to support cultural exchange in the visual and performing arts between the United States and Asia. So what did every think of the Fair? Gallerists largely seemed pleased with the event and the number of buyers passing through. Most recorded good sales and made great new contacts in this burgeoning and increasingly important market. Opinion about the takeover by Art Basel was mixed. Many feared that the Fair would lose its character and purpose, and that local and regional galleries may be squeezed out by big international names, making the Fair like every other international fair. Others thought Art Basel would take the fair to a new level and were sure that the organisers would recognise the need for local and regional participation to differentiate the fair. Initially Art Basel announced that the fair would move to an early February date to put distance between it and Art Basel. This immediately added to local worries as the dates were just after Chinese New Year, when most local and mainland buyers would be holidaying with family and so, unavailable. Perhaps a little more research might have been a good idea. They have since announced, in response to these concerns, that the fair will continue as is in late May - for now - but will eventually move to early spring. The public visited in record numbers. The official press release reports 63,511 visitors - a 37% increase on last year. They seemed to be almost unanimously in approval. All participants appeared to agree that the organisation was excellent, so credit to Fair directors Magnus Renfrew and Charles Ross. They were, and have asked me to point this out, very ably assisted by their team. n
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stay as it is. The latest news is that Deutsche have an option to remain lead sponsor for another 3 years and will be doing just that. At the Art Fair itself most galleries were reporting excellent sales when the Fair opened to VIP collectors only on Tuesday afternoon. Trade seemed brisk with many international galleries reporting that for the first time they were seeing buying interest in emerging Western Art from mainland Chinese visitors. Mainland buyers have long been collecting the big name mainland artists, and dramatically driving their prices upwards, but until recently appeared to have little appetite for anything other than the big household “brand names” from Europe and further West. This may now be changing with collectors diversifying their interests into quality up and coming Western artists. White Cube reported two buyers vying to purchase the apocalyptic Chapman brothers work which reprised the “Hell” piece destroyed in the Momart fire in London and the later “Fucking Hell”. This one was quaintly entitled “Das Capital is Kaput, Ja Nien Dumckompf” which director Tim Marlow described as “a kind of Hollywoodesque Sven Hassle Germanic style title” that “is a re-working of the last judgment where the undead return to take revenge on the Nazis who were potentially causing the apocalypse we are looking at now”. The piece later sold to a Korean collector for a reported £525,000. White Cube are possibly one of the last major galleries not to have set up an operation in Hong Kong but are said to be actively looking to do something in the region. Cheim and Read were reported to have sold 3 Louise Bourgeois works to a Chinese collector and David Zwirner seemed to have had great success with the sale of a number of different pricey works. The engaging Henry Au-Yeung, director and owner of Grotto Gallery, reported an almost sell out of his stock on the first day. The gallery represents only local Hong Kong artists, an increasing number of which are producing excellent quality work that is still reasonably priced – indeed cheap. International collectors might want to take note – or maybe have already done so. Other local galleries on the main floor included the long standing Schoeni
the artist. Some work needs doing on this Prize so that participating galleries actually know that they are entering, how the prize works and so that the public understand what it is all about. Also on this floor were various not-for-profit organisations and some art publications. Quite a number of the galleries on the third floor had displayed at Art HK since it started and initially felt somewhat slighted, thinking they had been pushed up to the second tier. They would have preferred to be amongst the major international galleries downstairs. Indeed some of the international galleries downstairs suggested they would have preferred to have more local galleries round them to give the fair a more local flavour. However, it soon became apparent that the upstairs galleries were creating a real buzz with the audience and attracting the largest numbers of the public, so many ended up with a big smile on their face and full of praise for the initiative they had initially derided. The organisers were also quite clever with the traffic flow. All ticket buyers were channelled upstairs first although the extensive VIP list could go wherever they liked. Highlights on this floor included Red Gate Gallery’s LED works from the Chinese collective Island 6. Two of these works were interactive displaying a telephone number which, when called caused the main character to react and then text the caller back. Great fun! Their show sold out completely. MEM Gallery from Tokyo were showing a ceramic sculpture work by the 79 year old Japanese artist Kimiyo Mishima who was ever present on the stand and showed impressive enthusiasm and stamina. Her show comprised various pieces which appeared to be cardboard boxes filled with scrunched up newspaper or shopping baskets full of twisted metal cans – all painstakingly made out of porcelain and all one-offs. Her work has hitherto seemed to be better appreciated by museums than the public but her show was a sell out here and Mishima delighted everybody who visited the stand. Gallery Madder 139 were showing work by Paul Chiappe who produces miniscule but highly detailed pencil drawings that reference old-fashioned box
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B Beyond Girl of the Season!: Libby Caudwell
Libby Caudwell is a 23-year-old journalism student. She lives in Bloomsbury with her interior designer sister Rebekah, Rebekah’s photographer boyfriend Nico Dupart and their kitten Gatsby. She also helps with Caudwell Children, the charity established by her father which provides sick and dying children with life saving operations and specialised medical equipment. She travelled to Switzerland to interview Kirsty Bertarelli for B Beyond magazine, where she was awed by Lake Geneva and ate too many macaroons. Libby enjoys skiing, Paul Newman films and Stevie Nicks’s comeback album “In Your Dreams”. Libby Caudwell stayed at Le Richemond hotel, Geneva.
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Libby is modelling selected sunglasses
from the innovative brand Activist Eyewear collection.
With most sunglasses, you feel the weight of the frame on top of your ears, not to mention pressure from the temple tips on the temporal bone behind them. With Split-Fit™ Activist Eyewear have designed an unorthodox system that distributes the forces over a much greater area of the head, so the pressure is never concentrated at any one point. With a core of either stainless steel or Beta-titanium and an exterior sheath of rubber, Split-Fit™ is sculpted to perfectly balance strength, flexibility and weight, guaranteeing your Activist sunglasses will always be incredibly comfortable and secure. www.ActivistEyewear.com
Jewellery by Pebble London Clothes: model’s own. Photography by Philip Volkers
Libby Caudwell wears
BAUME & MERCIER watches: Classima M0A08791 and M0A08731 and Linea M0A10017 www.baume-et-mercier.com
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Sunday Girl Jade DJ's
Ithai Goldbery, M ischa Barton, Ashe ly Madekwe & Iddo Goldberg
The
party party party!!!
Margo Stilley
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Amber Rocks Sketch!
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AMBER ATHERTON
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Henry Co nway, Zara Mar tin Amber Ath and erton
Alexander Davis & Amber Atherton
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ur resident style editor Amber Atherton hosted a star-studded event to launch her jewellery collection ‘Typhoon Palace’ at Sketch earlier this year. Guests including Mischa Barton, Margo Stilley, Edie Campbell, Tallulah Harlech ( the face of the collection) and Libby Caudwell sipped on Ciroc cocktails as DJ of the moment Sunday Girl Jade took to the decks. Taking home goodie bags filled with OPI nail polish, votivo room spray we heard the Jing Flower Tea's proved the ultimate hangover cure the next day. The collection is available online now on www.myflashtrash.com
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PLASTICS custom black plastic bustier with built in corset $2400+, collarbone plastic necklace with sterling silver chain $320, and black plastic cuff $285.
Anh Volcek
PLASTICS L’une Collection by Anh Volcek PLASTICS Photographer: Scott Jordan Held MUA: Margaux Lancaster for Senna Cosmestics Hair: Beth Whitfield Model: Naduah Rugely
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Anh Volcek first fell in love with working with plastic when she was working at Koji Tatsuno in Paris back in 1997. At that time, the plastic was shredded into airy and feathery bits to be sewn onto a giant obi for the runway’s grand finale. It wasn’t until 2011 that she adapted the technique of working with plastic in a style all of her own. Melting and molding the plastic into body shapes or fantasy forms for accessories, Anh created a new initiative named PLASTICS under her line named L’une Collection. She first introduced a few pieces at Los Angeles Fashion Week in March with some skirts with oversized 4 to 8”plastic sequins. Now, she has her eyes set on a full line of hats and accessories along with the custom made pieces. “I had one bustier fly out of my car window on highway 5 in LA. My heart stopped and I pulled over to run and grab it. It took me 3 weeks to work on it and I just couldn’t let it be run over,” says the designer. “Each piece is very labor intensive and comes with a lot of love and patience. PLASTICS is new age couture for the modern woman. Who knows what else will come?” Jewelry pieces start at $85-650 and some armbands are available immediately at Stanton James in downtown LA. Hats start at $650 and custom body pieces are available upon request starting at $1800. www.lunecollection.com
L’une Collection Stretch satin military trench coat dress $1600 with a silver colored plastic armband $550
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