The Curators in Juno

On Thursday we had this concert in Juno Lounge (Josetti Höfe). This time it was different. We played with Thomas, but this time we couldn't do any painting actions due to the interior - it was all white. So Thomas played the music along. We had video projections in various themes, like catastrophes (my subject!). How was it? Hard to say, a friend of mine said, he was expecting "songs"... Surprise, surprise! Ok, we can "do" songs, but as we improvise, each time they are different songs (read: we can't play the same songs). This time, however, we didn't do "songs". And as for me, I guess I was too quiet, nobody heard my guitar (is it enough that I just stand there, mute, with my gorgeous pink guitar? I guess not). In the last piece I realized that for the whole time, I was just turning the volume button on my guitar in the wrong direction... well, well. No comment on that.

The Curators in Warsaw

I guess I owe you a little report on how was it in Warsaw. Warsaw, foggy capital...

On November the 8th we (the Curators) had this audio-visual performance, SENSOR with Thomas Wagner in Jadlodajnia Filozoficzna.

It was cool, I guess. We played on Tenori-on, which was loaded with Thomas' sounds and was controlling video. Then Thomas was painting with an oil-paint brush with a touch sensor, so his painting was also influencing the video projections, distorting it. All in a loop of music, video and action painting. Here some photos, you can find more on my flickr >>>

Photos: Marzena Turek-Gas

Polish Nails

I am in Warsaw now, on Saturday we had this concert with Thomas Wagner (was great), now I still hung around here, working on VOX Design a bit. And I watched polish news on TV and that is why I am writing. I am so ashamed, seems (as we all know anyway) that some polish politicians are really racists. The comments on (the cool) new US president Obama, are ridiculous. I won't even quote, I am so ashamed. These people are so stupid, so racist that I don't really know how can they be working in a parliament of a country, even a country like Poland. Sometimes I am happy that I don't spend here too much time to watch that circus.

Obama's poster in NYC, May 2008

I know that Polish people always loved Americans, in a sort of an American Dream. Always waiting for the Americans to "save" them, which never happened. Sometimes this love was going really far, maye too far, like when the polish government (the last one) bought some old military airplanes (F15) that were to be thrown away by the Americans anyway, in order to hope for a visa-free entry to the US. That deal, of course, never happened. We have the planes, we still need the visa. Polish government was always licking the ass of Uncle Sam. Till now. As the new (cool) president has a colour of the skin, slightly different than that of the slavic "chosen nation" reigned by the queen Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, called Poland. So what happened to the polish American Dream?

My website – re-launched

Since years, every day (sometimes even twice a day) I make a „to-do” list. I need lists, where I can overview all the things to be done. And since months, no, actually since years, on my daily To-Do lists there has been a mark (usually at the very end of the list) saying: “my website – update (or even) make new!” I always make websites for others, and never had time to take care of my own. So last week I took a day off from all the other things and really made a new website (finally) for myself. Ok, it is not finished, but it will come. There: www.annakrenz.net

Berlin Art Fairs part II.

Part II: Art Forum & Bridge Art Fair

I was really really positively surprised about Art Forum - I liked it. Honestly. There were many cool works, much more than last year. You see, I like to think in structural ways, I put everything in tables, lists, systems. Those of you who don't know me better, may be surprised, but I am actually not chaotic, I am a structured person. In my art, in my texts, there are structures, even when I am cleaning (ok, not my favourite activity) I think of doing everything in optimized systems. And as I visited Art Forum, I tried to put the works in systems, because after 5 booths, I was unable to perceive things (art!) clearly. and again, from the visible trends at the art Forum we have:

A - acrylic, A - architecture, A - abstract, A - akwarela (watercolour), A - a la design
So here some examples:

A - acrylic - plastic fantastic is a popular material, Murakami-like.

Murakami was there... or not?

A - architecture - many projects with architectural models or photos or whatever, with better or worse results.

Cheesy house! Cool, huh?

Come on, you wouldn't pass your project with such a model on architectural studies, believe me!

A - abstract - still alive, and is big and colorful

Ok, that one again, I think I saw that plexi last year...

A - akwarela (watercolour) - more and more popular

Watercolour... makes sense.

A - a la design - many artworks are really almost design products. The difference lies... not in price anymore, but in a label - what is called art and what is called design. Almost the same works could be seen on design exhibitions as on art exhibitions. Interesting.

Design-like art work... I've seen something like that on some design blog... maybe was the same project from the same person?

Design or art?

Almost Qubus... but/and cool.

As for the motifs, well, apart from the "classical" ones one sees every year, there was more nature (like mystic forests - either paintings or photography) and fantasy (fairy-tale themes). Also I have seen a baseball bat... twice. Seems an inspiring object, that old bat.

Seems an inspiring object, that old bat.

I guess I skip Berliner Liste this year.

After Art Forum we went to Bridge Art Fair, which was quite interesting, and the gallerists were much more friendly - you know Americans and their easy-going attitude. Big contrast to the tense and silent European gallerists. Although when I was at the Kunstsalon I got 2 pens from a (German) gallerist - yes, yes, one silver and one golden (well, not real gold, of course).

But it was funny, to get pens with the gallery logo on it. When I looked closer I also found little phrase: Made in China. Whet else!
- I will use the silver pen on the common days... - I said to the gallerist - and the golden one...
- On Sunday! - he replied.
- Exactly, on the washing day. - I answered and left with my treasures in hand.

I must admit Bridge Art Fair was cool, with some good works. They did not get that much press as the other "standard" satellite fairs, but it was a good experience. However at some point I couldn't anymore... I couldn't look at art. I've had enough... so we left to Bang Bang Club.

Mahjongg plays...

It was so refreshing to go to the Bang Bang Club after all these art openings. I needed something different (than art). There were 2 concerts: Program (the band of Alex) and Mahjongg (apparently a cool band). And Mahjongg was cool. They started hard and rough, with beats, and continued hard and rough. Boys, boys, boys! Mahjongg boys, in their washed-away sleeveless T-shirts, are truly a band for the girls. Sweaty, manly and wild, Chippendales with drums, just more punky. And I tell you what's the secret - it is the rhythm. Just like in sex, after the (necessary or not) foreplay, of hormones, pheromones, or whatever chemistry you want, it is the rhythm that makes the world spin. So did I come? No, I just went home.