Vancouver

Photographer Robert Adams and the truth about the new West

Robert Adams is widely regarded as one of the most important photographers of the American West. Last weekend, Robert Adams: The Place We Live opened at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The retrospective, organized by the Yale University Art Gallery, features nearly 300 works spanning his 45-year career. Globe & Mail, September 29, 2010

Blanket Uncovers Its New Space

Blanket Gallery’s new space is at Five Sixty, the nightclub complex operated by Vince Alvaro at 560 Seymour (the old A & B store for those who still remember records). Blanket opens with a group show of the works of Jeremy Hof, Sylvain Sailly, Mark Soo and Campbell and Kleyn. Instant Coffee will also be installing its Light Bar, a full spectrum light bar that was a hit during the Bright Light city-funded exhibition series during the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Vancouver Sun, September 29, 2010

Ottawa

Andrew Wright gets inspired by 24's closed-captions

“Inspiration comes when it wants to, perhaps even in the middle of the night, while you’re barely awake and feeding your infant, first-born child, while watching the TV series 24 with the sound off and subtitles on. That’s when Andrew Wright conceived his next big art project...” Ottawa Citizen, September 28, 2010

Los Angeles

LA Downtown ArtWalk - Victim Of Its Success?

"The mixed messages point to a bitter leadership struggle over the direction the nonprofit art walk should take. Board members said in interviews that the 6-year-old event has become a victim of its own success and that the cash-strapped organization doesn't have the resources to deal with growing costs associated with security, trash collection and other services." Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2010

Florence

Bronzino's 'Naked Dwarf' Painting Uncovered

"The naked image of a dwarf who starred at the Medici court in the Florentine Renaissance, has been revealed after nearly three centuries of oblivion, Italian art experts announced last week at a press conference in Florence." Discovery News, September 28, 2010

Doha, Qatar

ArtsBeat: Qatar Plans Museum For Modern Arab Art

Qatar will open a new museum on Dec. 30 devoted to modern Arab art in its capital, Doha. Called Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, it will house a collection of more than 6,000 works, spanning the 1840s to the present and representing major artistic trends.  New York Times, September 29, 2010

International

The Six Ways Artists Hack Our Brains
"Here we take you on a grand tour of the burgeoning field of neuroaesthetics. You'll find out how Claude Monet bypasses your consciousness and plugs straight into your emotions, how Salvador Dali triggers neural conflicts and how Renaissance art and trompe l'oeil fool us into believing the impossible." New Scientist, September 24, 2010