the possibility of life

Egypt. The Pigeons House, 1954 // Trésor de l'Egypte par Samivel. Editions Arthaud

In these photographs, which document a performance in New York’s Cooper Square, American artist David Hammons (b. 1943) is seen amongst other traders selling snowballs in different sizes to passers by. Like many of Hammons’ works, the performance employs an everyday object to convey a political message. The absurdity of trying to sell snow on the street is a comment on the art market and the often arbitrary valuation of art in contrast to the very real and difficult financial conditions of many working-class Americans.

“One Minute is an animation created out of sixty still photographs of straws and lids found on the street. These leftovers from a variety of takeaway drinks resemble the hands and face of a clock. They are animated to spin mechanically at one second intervals, endlessly looping. Instead of recording time it records a small detail of everyday life in the urban landscape.”

“This video by British artist Ceal Floyer (b. Pakistan 1968) is a demonstration of artistic discipline. The artist performs what seems to be a very straightforward action: she places the felt tip of a marker pen onto the centre of a piece of blotting paper and leaves it there until all the ink is drained from it. The disc of wet ink expands almost imperceptibly. The process appears to be rather simple, but the effort and concentration needed to realise such a work is enormous. The artist has said: “Art is just a manifestation for ideas”. This work is the precise execution - the manifestation - of a very beautiful idea: instead of using a marker to leave gestural traces, the pen and the paper are used together to produce a form that generates itself.” (JP)

Mona Hatoum, + and -

In a galaxy far far away, Obi-Wan Kenobi gets blazed and shows off his stick, while an angry Anakin wants to go home and rethink his life. Music: Snoop Dogg - Smoke Weed Everyday

Sister Arrow, A New Collection A5 / 4 colour Risograph illustration as part of a group book For Landfill Editions

At the botanical garden, Munich