Christie’s Asia Week auction preview opened for viewing this past Wednesday, and I have spent much of the week assisting clients in the busy galleries.
Yet even with the excitement surrounding the upcoming auction of one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, I am still reeling from the wonderful and sometimes wild contemporary artworks I viewed last Friday at Scope’s VIP preview.
Featuring over 60 galleries from around the world, Scope brought together an impressive array of international art. The fair proved to be my favorite of the long weekend, and I discovered a number of new and intriguing artists (like Peter Gronquist whose skull / gun / lit mirror piece is pictured above).
Beyond finding new and inspiring artists at Scope, I recognized some recurring themes throughout – the most obvious being the incorporation of guns in art pieces.
Peter Gronquist combined guns, skulls, and mirrors to create a sculpture that forces viewers to look at themselves in the face of death.Nathan Vincent crocheted lifesize armed soldiers ready to fire (see above). Even Mickey Mouse was given a gun. Artist Og Slick poses the formerly loveable Disney mouse with arm raised, maliciously wielding a loaded firearm. All seem to poke fun at the various ways humans use weapons to intimidate and threaten. Do these weapons really protect us? Do violence and intimidation do more harm than good?
Whatever the answer may be, no one shuns the fact that guns have the power to kill.
Ravi Zupa built submachine gun sculptures from office supplies (staple and typewriter components specifically) and scrap steel (see below). Guns certainly can cause harm, but a job you hate can also kill you…
Good thing I am pursuing a career in the arts.