Column by Elise Gegauff
AMERICAN ART
Hello everybody, I'm back from Los Angeles!
It was a really exciting city, with great nightlife, sightings, shopping and culture.
But I'm not here to write a travelguide, I'm here to write about art.
And art in Los Angeles was also very interesting.
I went to the J. Paul Getty Museum to look at some photographic art with the Nude Body as topic:
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/focus_nude/
One thing that I got very interested in as I was in America, and especially when I went on a road trip north and out of LA, was art with Native Americans as a topic.
As soon as you get out of the city a littlebit, you can find galleries specialized on Native Americans or Art of the West as a theme.
But what's interesting is that most of this art is quite new. The racism agains native Americans are still there today and that is also something you can discover in art.
Of course another racial issue concerning art is where the African American artists fit in American art history.
Actually, already in the slave communities, there were important African American artists. During the period between the 1600s and the early 1800s art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures and ceramic vessels. In the southern United States these artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa. In contrast, black artisans created art that was conceived in a thoroughly Western European fashion.
There were many skilled artist that arrived as slaves from Africa, and sometimes they learned to develop their skills as apprentices of other artists, both black and white. Some slaves were even allowed by their masters to earn money from their art, so that they could buy themselves and their families free later on. Usually these masters were people who didn't necesseraly agree too much with slavery.
During the 1920's there was a movement called "The Harlem Renaissance". It was the most important movement for African American artists up till then. This was a way for black artists to start celebrating black history in art, instead of copying the white traditions and ways of art. It was a way of challenging racism and take back their identity.
Most artists that are concidered american have studied or just travelled in Europe and met european artist from London and Paris, such as Mary Cassatt and Whistler. When the modernists came from Europe to America, controversy became a way of life for american artists, and they started to break the norm in art.
When the first World War was over, the Santa Fe Railroad was finished. More and more people travelled and settled across the West, and artist colonies started to grow around Santa Fe and Taos. The artists' main subject became native people and landscapes of the Southwest. All of this new art became a great way for the Santa Fe Railroad to advertise and get people to come to the Southwest.
After World War 2, Abstract Expressionism began to take shape. The artists started to move away from the formal view on real objects and composition. What was in focus now was shapes, colour and space.
In the 50's the Modernism moved into Ne Dada, Colour Field Painting, Post painterly Abstraction, Op Art, hard endge painting, minimal art, shaped canvas painting, Lyrical Abstraction and of course Abstract Expressionism continued. Other artstyles that started not long after this are still very popular in American art and the rest of the world today, such as; Conceptual Art, Postmminemalism, Earth Art, Video, Performance Art and Installation Art.
Closer to our time today is for example a lot of abstaction with mixed media. Photographs are more used than before, and you have paintings with objects on the canvas. Of course there are still quite many artists who concentrate on doing paintings the traditional and naturalistic way.
A lot of american art, especially older work, are very naturalistic and has images of everyday life. Most of it however, shows americans in battle for their new country. It was important for the americans to capture as much history as possible since they "had none" yet.
All in all, there's a lot of interesting american art. Some of the artist you should check out are: Albert Bierstadt, John Trumbull, Whistler, Mary Cassatt, Grant Wood, Walter Ufer, Bert Greer Phillips, E. Irving Couse, William Henry Jackson, Georgia O'Keefe, Aaron Douglas, James VanDerZee, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Willem de kooning, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Jules Olitski, Kenneth Noland, Helen Frankenthaler, Thoman Eakins, Frank Stella, Cindy Sherman and James Thurber.
-Elise Gegauff
23 November 2007
03 October 2007
Helsinki International Artists’ Association Logo Competition
Logo Competition
HIAA's logo competition is now officially opened! Don't hesitate to give us your view of how this association should look. You find competition information below.
Criteria
We are looking for a logo and visual image that will reflect both the mission and spirit of the association. A good fit for us would include the following:
- The logo should be able to be understood globally and inoffensive to all cultures.
- The design should be able to be reversible and use both light on dark and dark on light.
- The logo will be used for a myriad of print and online applications; full colour and black and white, gray scale etc.
- The visual image should include the font, colours and style(s) to be used in both print and online applications. You can also submit only a logo.
Submission Criteria
- Logos should be submitted in JPEG format.
- Submit you entry via email attachment to: hiaa.competition@yahoo.com
- All entries have to be emailed no later than midnight of November 15, 2007. You may submit several logos.
- Entries should include:
Your Name
Email Address
Phone number
Physical Address
Two to three sentences on your design inspiration and process. (optional)
Selection process
The winner will be selected through general vote. All the entries will be communicated to all members via email and all members of the HIAA are eligible to vote for the winner in an e-mail vote, which will end midnight of December 15, 2007.
-Submit your vote via email to: hiaa.competition@yahoo com
What do you win?
The winner will receive one year’s free membership of the HIAA and lots of fame! The website of the association will be realised based on the winning design.
Competition Rights
Any teams submitting materials in connection with the competition shall agree, by the act of submitting such materials, that all materials shall become the property of HIAA and the association may delete, destroy or otherwise dispose of such materials without any obligation whatever to any entrant to return such materials following the competition.
In addition, by entering this competition you agree that the rights of the winning logo will be transferred and held by the HIAA. The winning entrant will be recognized on our future website.
Good Luck to all entries!
Susan
25 September 2007
News from the Founding Meeting
Dear Artists,
Last Thursday we held the founding meeting of our association. The board was elected, the association’s rules approved and the membership fee agreed on. We also decided next year’s group exhibition’s theme. In addition we discussed next year’s action plan and decided to hold a designing competition to find a logo and look for the HIAA.
The Competition
HIAA needs a logo and look that will express our nature as an international artists’ association. Now you all have a chance to put your creative brains to work and make a design that will speak for itself!
We’re looking for a logo and a total visual image, including colours, fonts, styles etc. to be used in our website and printed materials. The competition is open to all and the winner will be selected by general vote. More information about the competition will be sent to you soon.
The Board
The first board of HIAA includes the following members:
Susan Wilander, chairperson
Canal Jägerroos, deputy chairperson
Sini Anttila-Rodriguez, secretary
Tea Jarma-Vartiainen, treasurer/membership secretary
Hong Liu, webmaster/IT secretary
Elise Gegauff, deputy member of the board
The Membership Fee
The membership fee for the year 2008 is 25 euros. This will be due after we’ll get the association registered and can open a bank account. I’ll inform you all later on about this.
2008 Activities
Next year’s action plan has three main points:
-HIAA website including e.g. member’s gallery
-HIAA group exhibition - theme ”HOME” (working title)
-recruiting new members to make possible even more interesting activities for us all
Naturally the meetings will continue every six weeks or so and other informal activities are also welcome. As it is up to us all to make this association a lively one, don't hesitate to suggest any activity you would like to have or would like to organise yourself.
If, for example, you're arranging workshops in some technique, send an e-mail to the mailing list. If you find an artwise interesting place to visit or have good/bad experiences about exhibiting somewhere, let us know. One thing I'm sure all of us would be interested to know is to find the best value-for-money art supply store in the capital region. And, as usual, let us know about your coming exhibitions!
Then the approved rules of HIAA:
Rules of the Association
Association’s name and domicile
Association’s name is Helsinki International Artists’ Association ry. and its domicile is Helsinki. The languages of the association are English and Finnish.
Association’s purpose and nature of its activities
The purpose of the association is to promote contacts and cooperation between visual artists of different nationalities; to facilitate immigrant artists’ integration into the Finnish society and art world; to promote its members as artists; and to create opportunities for artistic activities and exhibiting members’ work in Finland and abroad.
In order to fulfil its purpose, the association will organise activities based on its members wishes, with the voluntary help of the members. Activities can include meetings, art exhibitions, seminars, training courses, excursions and day trips, and it can publish publications related to its field of activities.
To support its activities the association collects membership fees, and can e.g. accept donations, testaments and financial support, collect participation fees for its activities and apply for grants. In addition the association can organise lotteries, raffles and fund-raising campaigns, and own property and other assets necessary for its activities. The association does not aim to make financial profit.
Members
Anyone who accepts the purpose and rules of the association can join to the association. The board of the association accepts new members by application.
Resignation and dismissal of a member
A member can resign from the association by giving notice to the board or to the chairperson or by informing the association at its general meeting so that the resignation can be noted in the meeting minutes.
The board can dismiss a member if she/he has not paid the membership fee, or if she/he in some other way has not fulfilled her/his obligations to which she/he has committed by joining the association, or if she/he has by her/his actions harmed considerably the association, or does not anymore fulfil the conditions of a membership stated in the law or in the rules of the association.
Entrance and membership fee
The annual general meeting decides on the entrance and membership fees.
The Board
The board manages association’s activities. The board consists of a chairperson and at least two other board members and two deputy board members and at maximum nine board members.
The term of the board is the period between two annual general meetings.
The board will select among its members a deputy chairperson, and will appoint a secretary, a treasurer and other necessary managers, who may or may not be board members.
The board meets when convened by the chairperson, or if she/he is unable to summon the meeting, by the deputy chairperson, whenever they consider a board meeting necessary or when at least half of the board members request a meeting.
The board meeting has a quorum when at least half of its members, including the chairperson or deputy chairperson is present. A simple majority wins when voting is necessary. In case of a tie, the chairperson’s vote will decide, however, in elections lots will be drawn.
Signing the name of the association
The name of the association is signed by the chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary or treasurer, always two of them together.
Accounting period and audit
The association’s accounting period is a calendar year.
The closing of the books with the related documents and the annual report by the board has to be given to the auditors at least three weeks prior to the annual general meeting. Auditors have to give their written report to the board at least two weeks prior to the annual general meeting.
Association’s meetings
The annual general meeting of the association convenes annually between January and May, on a date decided by the board.
An extraordinary annual meeting is convened when association’s annual general meeting so decides, when the board finds it necessary, or when at least 1/10 of the members with a right to vote request it from the board in writing and for a specific reason. The meeting must be held within 30 days of presenting the request to the board.
Every member has one vote at meetings.
When voted, the suggestion supported by over half of the attending members of the meeting will win, unless otherwise stated in the rules of the association. In case of a tie, the chairperson’s vote will be decisive, in elections lots will be drawn.
Convening a meeting
The board must summon the association’s meeting at least seven days prior to the meeting, by e-mail.
The annual general meeting
The following items will be on the agenda of the annual general meeting:
-Opening the meeting
-Electing the chairperson and secretary for the meeting, two members to review the meeting minutes, and when necessary, two members to count votes
-Verifiying of the legality and quorum of the meeting
-Approving the agenda of the meeting
-Presenting the financial statements, the annual report and the auditors’ report
-Approving the financial statements and discharging the board and other managers from liability
-Approving the operating plan the budget and the entrance and membership fees
-Electing the chairperson and other members of the board
-Electing one or two auditors and their deputies
-Other items on the agenda
In case a member requests an item on the agenda, she/he has to inform the board in time to include it in the invitation.
Changing the rules or resolving the association
The decision to change the rules or to resolve the association must have at least ¾ of the votes of the meeting. Invitation to the meeting must mention the intent to change the rules or to resolve the association.
When the association is resolved, its assets will be used to benefit the purpose of the association in a way decided by the meeting that decides to resolve the association. If the association is discontinued, its assets will be used for the same purpose.
So, this was the founding meeting in a nutshell. Have sunny September days and see you soon!
Best regards,
Susan
Last Thursday we held the founding meeting of our association. The board was elected, the association’s rules approved and the membership fee agreed on. We also decided next year’s group exhibition’s theme. In addition we discussed next year’s action plan and decided to hold a designing competition to find a logo and look for the HIAA.
The Competition
HIAA needs a logo and look that will express our nature as an international artists’ association. Now you all have a chance to put your creative brains to work and make a design that will speak for itself!
We’re looking for a logo and a total visual image, including colours, fonts, styles etc. to be used in our website and printed materials. The competition is open to all and the winner will be selected by general vote. More information about the competition will be sent to you soon.
The Board
The first board of HIAA includes the following members:
Susan Wilander, chairperson
Canal Jägerroos, deputy chairperson
Sini Anttila-Rodriguez, secretary
Tea Jarma-Vartiainen, treasurer/membership secretary
Hong Liu, webmaster/IT secretary
Elise Gegauff, deputy member of the board
The Membership Fee
The membership fee for the year 2008 is 25 euros. This will be due after we’ll get the association registered and can open a bank account. I’ll inform you all later on about this.
2008 Activities
Next year’s action plan has three main points:
-HIAA website including e.g. member’s gallery
-HIAA group exhibition - theme ”HOME” (working title)
-recruiting new members to make possible even more interesting activities for us all
Naturally the meetings will continue every six weeks or so and other informal activities are also welcome. As it is up to us all to make this association a lively one, don't hesitate to suggest any activity you would like to have or would like to organise yourself.
If, for example, you're arranging workshops in some technique, send an e-mail to the mailing list. If you find an artwise interesting place to visit or have good/bad experiences about exhibiting somewhere, let us know. One thing I'm sure all of us would be interested to know is to find the best value-for-money art supply store in the capital region. And, as usual, let us know about your coming exhibitions!
Then the approved rules of HIAA:
Rules of the Association
Association’s name and domicile
Association’s name is Helsinki International Artists’ Association ry. and its domicile is Helsinki. The languages of the association are English and Finnish.
Association’s purpose and nature of its activities
The purpose of the association is to promote contacts and cooperation between visual artists of different nationalities; to facilitate immigrant artists’ integration into the Finnish society and art world; to promote its members as artists; and to create opportunities for artistic activities and exhibiting members’ work in Finland and abroad.
In order to fulfil its purpose, the association will organise activities based on its members wishes, with the voluntary help of the members. Activities can include meetings, art exhibitions, seminars, training courses, excursions and day trips, and it can publish publications related to its field of activities.
To support its activities the association collects membership fees, and can e.g. accept donations, testaments and financial support, collect participation fees for its activities and apply for grants. In addition the association can organise lotteries, raffles and fund-raising campaigns, and own property and other assets necessary for its activities. The association does not aim to make financial profit.
Members
Anyone who accepts the purpose and rules of the association can join to the association. The board of the association accepts new members by application.
Resignation and dismissal of a member
A member can resign from the association by giving notice to the board or to the chairperson or by informing the association at its general meeting so that the resignation can be noted in the meeting minutes.
The board can dismiss a member if she/he has not paid the membership fee, or if she/he in some other way has not fulfilled her/his obligations to which she/he has committed by joining the association, or if she/he has by her/his actions harmed considerably the association, or does not anymore fulfil the conditions of a membership stated in the law or in the rules of the association.
Entrance and membership fee
The annual general meeting decides on the entrance and membership fees.
The Board
The board manages association’s activities. The board consists of a chairperson and at least two other board members and two deputy board members and at maximum nine board members.
The term of the board is the period between two annual general meetings.
The board will select among its members a deputy chairperson, and will appoint a secretary, a treasurer and other necessary managers, who may or may not be board members.
The board meets when convened by the chairperson, or if she/he is unable to summon the meeting, by the deputy chairperson, whenever they consider a board meeting necessary or when at least half of the board members request a meeting.
The board meeting has a quorum when at least half of its members, including the chairperson or deputy chairperson is present. A simple majority wins when voting is necessary. In case of a tie, the chairperson’s vote will decide, however, in elections lots will be drawn.
Signing the name of the association
The name of the association is signed by the chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary or treasurer, always two of them together.
Accounting period and audit
The association’s accounting period is a calendar year.
The closing of the books with the related documents and the annual report by the board has to be given to the auditors at least three weeks prior to the annual general meeting. Auditors have to give their written report to the board at least two weeks prior to the annual general meeting.
Association’s meetings
The annual general meeting of the association convenes annually between January and May, on a date decided by the board.
An extraordinary annual meeting is convened when association’s annual general meeting so decides, when the board finds it necessary, or when at least 1/10 of the members with a right to vote request it from the board in writing and for a specific reason. The meeting must be held within 30 days of presenting the request to the board.
Every member has one vote at meetings.
When voted, the suggestion supported by over half of the attending members of the meeting will win, unless otherwise stated in the rules of the association. In case of a tie, the chairperson’s vote will be decisive, in elections lots will be drawn.
Convening a meeting
The board must summon the association’s meeting at least seven days prior to the meeting, by e-mail.
The annual general meeting
The following items will be on the agenda of the annual general meeting:
-Opening the meeting
-Electing the chairperson and secretary for the meeting, two members to review the meeting minutes, and when necessary, two members to count votes
-Verifiying of the legality and quorum of the meeting
-Approving the agenda of the meeting
-Presenting the financial statements, the annual report and the auditors’ report
-Approving the financial statements and discharging the board and other managers from liability
-Approving the operating plan the budget and the entrance and membership fees
-Electing the chairperson and other members of the board
-Electing one or two auditors and their deputies
-Other items on the agenda
In case a member requests an item on the agenda, she/he has to inform the board in time to include it in the invitation.
Changing the rules or resolving the association
The decision to change the rules or to resolve the association must have at least ¾ of the votes of the meeting. Invitation to the meeting must mention the intent to change the rules or to resolve the association.
When the association is resolved, its assets will be used to benefit the purpose of the association in a way decided by the meeting that decides to resolve the association. If the association is discontinued, its assets will be used for the same purpose.
So, this was the founding meeting in a nutshell. Have sunny September days and see you soon!
Best regards,
Susan
20 September 2007
Hot Art
Column by Elise Gegauff
Art Baron
This time I wanted to talk about another gallery.
This is a gallery that always drags me into it everytime I pass it, and it’s called Art Baron. In fact, I got a business card from there and it has three names on it: Art Baron, Art Russian and Art Jack. I guess you can choose your pick.
Like one of these many names suggests, the main art that this gallery sells is russian art.
It’s mostly classical art, a lot of nature paintings with russian history and subjects, but also some more modern style paintings. They also have a whole room dedicated to religious icons. Keep in mind that there is also a whole basement full of paintings, so don’t forget to take a look there as well.
The prices for paintings varies a lot, and the frames around the paintings (most of them are very well framed) are included in the price.
I must say that I got very dissapointed when I checked out their website though, it is very unprofessional, with blurry photgraphs of the pieces, some of them even has the reflection of a flash. The advertisement is also very badly written and especially in english.
However, don’t let that scare you, you should go to the gallery and get a real impression.
The people there are very friendly and will help you with any question, and the atmosphere of the gallery is warm and welcoming in my opinion.
Go and check it out!
The adress is:
Art Baron
Fredrikinkatu 38
FI-00100 Helsinki
Tel/Fax: + 358 (0)9 685 2201
Art-russian@kolumbus.fi
For the website go to:
www.art-russian.com
-Elise Gegauff
Art Baron
This time I wanted to talk about another gallery.
This is a gallery that always drags me into it everytime I pass it, and it’s called Art Baron. In fact, I got a business card from there and it has three names on it: Art Baron, Art Russian and Art Jack. I guess you can choose your pick.
Like one of these many names suggests, the main art that this gallery sells is russian art.
It’s mostly classical art, a lot of nature paintings with russian history and subjects, but also some more modern style paintings. They also have a whole room dedicated to religious icons. Keep in mind that there is also a whole basement full of paintings, so don’t forget to take a look there as well.
The prices for paintings varies a lot, and the frames around the paintings (most of them are very well framed) are included in the price.
I must say that I got very dissapointed when I checked out their website though, it is very unprofessional, with blurry photgraphs of the pieces, some of them even has the reflection of a flash. The advertisement is also very badly written and especially in english.
However, don’t let that scare you, you should go to the gallery and get a real impression.
The people there are very friendly and will help you with any question, and the atmosphere of the gallery is warm and welcoming in my opinion.
Go and check it out!
The adress is:
Art Baron
Fredrikinkatu 38
FI-00100 Helsinki
Tel/Fax: + 358 (0)9 685 2201
Art-russian@kolumbus.fi
For the website go to:
www.art-russian.com
-Elise Gegauff
10 September 2007
The Founding Meeting Invitation
Dear Artists,
You are warmly welcome to attend the founding meeting of our association, HIAA. At this meeting the association board will be elected and the rules of the association finalised. After the founding meeting the association will be officially registered.
If you are interested in joining the board, please send me an e-mail as soon as possible.
The founding meeting will take place:
on Thursday 20th September 2007
at 18.00
in Kirjasto 10 groupworkshop room
I hope to see as many of you as possible there!
Best regards,
Susan
You are warmly welcome to attend the founding meeting of our association, HIAA. At this meeting the association board will be elected and the rules of the association finalised. After the founding meeting the association will be officially registered.
If you are interested in joining the board, please send me an e-mail as soon as possible.
The founding meeting will take place:
on Thursday 20th September 2007
at 18.00
in Kirjasto 10 groupworkshop room
I hope to see as many of you as possible there!
Best regards,
Susan
27 August 2007
Hot Art
Column by Elise Gegauff
If you haven’t read my column up till now, this is the time to start!
I have always loved Galleria Dix. In fact, it was the gallery that I was visiting when I found a flyer about HIAA hanging on their info board before I became a member.
Anyway, I was taking a walk today and decided to take a look in Galleria Dix because I think they always have interesting exhibitions. I’m very happy I went there today.
I just saw something extreemely colourful when I came in the door, and to my delight it was an exhibition of some of Charles Fazzino’s 3-D Pop Art.
His art is very colourful and can be taken as a bit naïve. His messages are not however, eventhough many of his pictures are also just pure fun. They have a lot of small details and you feel like you discover something new everytime you look at them.
He mainly draws subjects from the U.S.A., and especially New York and Hollywood, but there is even pictures that he have made from Finland there! There was one called ”Helsinki” that was already bought, and a little one called ”Midnight Sun Sauna”.
His art is filled with humour and he is often critizicing the world and especially the U.S.A.
The artworks are for sale of course, and the prices can be anything from 375 Euros up to 4950 Euros.
Just to tell you a littlebit about Charles Fazzino;
He is one of the most popular 3-D aritst in the world today, having sold artwork to celebrities and polititians such as: Michael Jackson, Rosie O’Donnell, Michael Eisner, Hillary Clinton, Paul Mc.Cartney, Morgan Freeman, Tina Turner, Roger Clemens, Julia Roberts and Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush.
There are over 600 galleries in 25 countries who are exhibiting his work and he has gathered a loyal fanbase over the years, especially in U.S.A., Europe and Asia.
Charles Fazzino graduated from the New York School of Visual Arts. He has over 30 one-man exhibitions and shows annually and he finds the time to create twenty to thirty new pieces of art every year.
Fazzino has also created tributes to Alfred Hitchcock, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, The characters of Walt Disney and Looney Toons. Organizations such as The Grammy Awards, National Football League, Japan’s Mt. Fuji Museum and The United States Tennis Association Foundation has also commissioned Fazzino’s work.
If you would like to see this exhibition (and I really recommend it) the adress is:
GALLERIA DIX
Uudenmaankatu 19
00120 Helsinki
Tel.: 09-603661
Info@galleriadix.fi
www.galleriadix.fi
The opening times are:
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 11-17
Wednesday: 11-18
Saturday and Sunday: 12-16
If you want to take a look at Charles Fazzino’s art before you go to Galleria Dix, you can do so at:
www.fazzino.com
Everybody! Please hurry, the exhibition ends on Sunday the 2nd of september and you don’t want to miss it!
-Elise Gegauff
If you haven’t read my column up till now, this is the time to start!
I have always loved Galleria Dix. In fact, it was the gallery that I was visiting when I found a flyer about HIAA hanging on their info board before I became a member.
Anyway, I was taking a walk today and decided to take a look in Galleria Dix because I think they always have interesting exhibitions. I’m very happy I went there today.
I just saw something extreemely colourful when I came in the door, and to my delight it was an exhibition of some of Charles Fazzino’s 3-D Pop Art.
His art is very colourful and can be taken as a bit naïve. His messages are not however, eventhough many of his pictures are also just pure fun. They have a lot of small details and you feel like you discover something new everytime you look at them.
He mainly draws subjects from the U.S.A., and especially New York and Hollywood, but there is even pictures that he have made from Finland there! There was one called ”Helsinki” that was already bought, and a little one called ”Midnight Sun Sauna”.
His art is filled with humour and he is often critizicing the world and especially the U.S.A.
The artworks are for sale of course, and the prices can be anything from 375 Euros up to 4950 Euros.
Just to tell you a littlebit about Charles Fazzino;
He is one of the most popular 3-D aritst in the world today, having sold artwork to celebrities and polititians such as: Michael Jackson, Rosie O’Donnell, Michael Eisner, Hillary Clinton, Paul Mc.Cartney, Morgan Freeman, Tina Turner, Roger Clemens, Julia Roberts and Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush.
There are over 600 galleries in 25 countries who are exhibiting his work and he has gathered a loyal fanbase over the years, especially in U.S.A., Europe and Asia.
Charles Fazzino graduated from the New York School of Visual Arts. He has over 30 one-man exhibitions and shows annually and he finds the time to create twenty to thirty new pieces of art every year.
Fazzino has also created tributes to Alfred Hitchcock, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, The characters of Walt Disney and Looney Toons. Organizations such as The Grammy Awards, National Football League, Japan’s Mt. Fuji Museum and The United States Tennis Association Foundation has also commissioned Fazzino’s work.
If you would like to see this exhibition (and I really recommend it) the adress is:
GALLERIA DIX
Uudenmaankatu 19
00120 Helsinki
Tel.: 09-603661
Info@galleriadix.fi
www.galleriadix.fi
The opening times are:
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 11-17
Wednesday: 11-18
Saturday and Sunday: 12-16
If you want to take a look at Charles Fazzino’s art before you go to Galleria Dix, you can do so at:
www.fazzino.com
Everybody! Please hurry, the exhibition ends on Sunday the 2nd of september and you don’t want to miss it!
-Elise Gegauff
08 August 2007
The Fourth Meeting
Dear Artists,
Our fourth meeting was pestered by the sudden heat wave, but none the less, some good ideas came up among the few of us who enjoyed the airconditioned library room.
The founding meeting
It was agreed that the founding meeting should take place in the middle of September. The board members will be elected at that meeting and everybody present can also sign up as a founding member. Before the meeting I will e-mail you a suggestion for the rules of the association to gather everybody's comments. This meeting will agree on the rules. I will send you all an invitation to the founding meeting closer to the date, but all those who are interested in beeing in the board and who have not yet told me so, please let me know beforehand.
The website
Our fourth meeting was pestered by the sudden heat wave, but none the less, some good ideas came up among the few of us who enjoyed the airconditioned library room.
The founding meeting
It was agreed that the founding meeting should take place in the middle of September. The board members will be elected at that meeting and everybody present can also sign up as a founding member. Before the meeting I will e-mail you a suggestion for the rules of the association to gather everybody's comments. This meeting will agree on the rules. I will send you all an invitation to the founding meeting closer to the date, but all those who are interested in beeing in the board and who have not yet told me so, please let me know beforehand.
The website
One issue that rose at meeting was HIAA's website. When the association is registered and we'll decide on the membership fee, we can also build up a real website. To this I would welcome everybody's suggestions of what it should include - members' gallery, discussion forum, exhibition information, the column, other things?
The logo
Another thing we need is a logo for the association. I suggest this will be an open election - send in your suggestions for a logo and we'll organise an election where everybody can vote!
The group exhibition
In order to have our first real group exhibition next year - we should move pretty soon. Some places suggested are:
Galleria Rantakasarmi (Suomenlinna): space 342 sq meters, exhibition period 4/5 weeks, cost 3200 euros.
Cultural center Caisa Galleria, space ?, exhibition period 4 weeks, cost 700 euros.
Kanneltalo Galleria, space 144 sq meters, exhibition period open, cost 21,50 euros/day
Stoa Galleria, space 104 + 50,5 sq meters, exhibition period open, cost 21,50 euros/day
Of these, more expensive ones do the sales, others don't. Many places want to have applications about six months ahead of the exhibition time (at least).
What is an acceptable cost for the exhibition? Are you ready to pay 10, 50 or maybe 100 euros to participate in a group exhibition? Does the place have to do sales?
What other exhibition places do you know that would suit a group exhibition of about 10 people? I think this number could be realistic and also preferable for a HIAA exhibition.
Could there be a possibility to join a larger event, like "Maailma kylässä", and be a part of that? Do you know any event organisers? What kind of festivals or happenings could be suitable to an exhibition by HIAA artists?
The theme
What about the theme? There's been some suggestions like: "Home", "What is Normal ?"(definition changing over time and place), "Festival" or "Party" etc.
Here the latest from the meeting and now, enjoy the sunny days of August!
Susan
06 August 2007
Hot Art
Column by Elise Gegauff
Albert Edelfelt
This time I decided to talk a bit about my favourite finnish painter; Albert Edelfelt.
Most of you probably already know who he is, but for those of you who don’t, he is truly an artist worth your time.
He was a realist painter who captured life in such a detailed way, and in my opinion he is one of the best painters who has ever lived.
Albert Edelfelt was born in Porvoo, Finland, and his father Carl Albert Edelfelt was an architect.
He was interested in drawing and painting from he was very young, and in 1873 when he was 19 years old he went to Antwerpen to study history painting.
After that, he went to Paris to continue his art studies, and it was there that he became the first finnish painted to achieve international fame.
In 1877 in Paris he painted one of his most famous works ”Blanche de Namur, reine de Suede et le prince Haquin” (”Queen Bianca”) and in 1880 he got a medal for the painting ”Conveying the Child’s Coffin”.
He married Ellan de la Chapelle in 1888 and they got their only child; Erik the same year.
They moved back to Helsinki in 1891 and four years later he became the mayor of the Finnish Art Association.
He died 18. august 1905.
If you want to see his art you should visit Ateneum, they have a huge collection of his work. You can also find lots of books about him in their shop, or also, you can just go to Stockmann. There are great books in english as well.
www.ateneum.fi
-Elise Gegauff
31 July 2007
HIAA Meeting 6 August
Dear Artists,
Our next meeting will take place on the 6 August in Kirjasto 10 from 17.00 to 19.00. You are all most welcome to participate!
I would like to suggest a few points for the meeting agenda:
-HIAA's founding meeting in September
-Association's first official group exhibition in 2008
-Diego Bruno offered last time to present his very interesting works in this meeting
-Anything else that comes up
Everybody is welcome to present his/her art work at the meeting! There are good facilities with a beamer and more old fashioned methods work too.
See you all on Monday!
Susan
Our next meeting will take place on the 6 August in Kirjasto 10 from 17.00 to 19.00. You are all most welcome to participate!
I would like to suggest a few points for the meeting agenda:
-HIAA's founding meeting in September
-Association's first official group exhibition in 2008
-Diego Bruno offered last time to present his very interesting works in this meeting
-Anything else that comes up
Everybody is welcome to present his/her art work at the meeting! There are good facilities with a beamer and more old fashioned methods work too.
See you all on Monday!
Susan
20 June 2007
Hot Art
Column by Elise Gegauff
Tempera, Tuubi and other art stores
When I moved to Helsinki, one of the first things I was doing was to look for art stores. Not where I could buy paintings, but all the material I needed to make them. I soon discovered that there weren’t many of them, or maybe they were hidden? The first place I went to was Stockmann, sure enough, but they have very little to choose from and it’s also quite expensive.
I learned about a store called Tempera, and I went to check it out.
It is quite big and it have most that you would need. They have a lot of choice, especially in drawing material and different types of paper. What I think they lack is a good selection of canvases. They have many different types; board, Deep Edge 3D, linen and cotton, but they do not have big sizes. I know that many people make their own canvases, especially when they are very big, but I still think they should have finished ones as well.
They also have little of Winsor and Newton. However, a little shop called Tuubi has a bigger selection of that brand. The shop is just by Tempera, and has a cosier and friendlier atmosphere (eventhough they have even SMALLER canvases than Tempera!). Always with good service, it is a very nice place to shop.
If you want to visit Temera and Tuubi, these are the adresses:
Tempera Oy,
Uudenmaankatu 16
00120 Helsinki
tel.nr. +358-0-6129290
www.tempera.fi
Tuubi Finland Oy,
Uudenmaankatu 24
00120 Helsinki
tel.nr. +358-0-41822200
fax.nr. +358-0-41822202
e-mail: tuubi@tuubi.com
www.tuubi.com
I would very much like to know about other art stores in Helsinki. Please post a comment for this if you know about any!
-Elise Gegauff
Tempera, Tuubi and other art stores
When I moved to Helsinki, one of the first things I was doing was to look for art stores. Not where I could buy paintings, but all the material I needed to make them. I soon discovered that there weren’t many of them, or maybe they were hidden? The first place I went to was Stockmann, sure enough, but they have very little to choose from and it’s also quite expensive.
I learned about a store called Tempera, and I went to check it out.
It is quite big and it have most that you would need. They have a lot of choice, especially in drawing material and different types of paper. What I think they lack is a good selection of canvases. They have many different types; board, Deep Edge 3D, linen and cotton, but they do not have big sizes. I know that many people make their own canvases, especially when they are very big, but I still think they should have finished ones as well.
They also have little of Winsor and Newton. However, a little shop called Tuubi has a bigger selection of that brand. The shop is just by Tempera, and has a cosier and friendlier atmosphere (eventhough they have even SMALLER canvases than Tempera!). Always with good service, it is a very nice place to shop.
If you want to visit Temera and Tuubi, these are the adresses:
Tempera Oy,
Uudenmaankatu 16
00120 Helsinki
tel.nr. +358-0-6129290
www.tempera.fi
Tuubi Finland Oy,
Uudenmaankatu 24
00120 Helsinki
tel.nr. +358-0-41822200
fax.nr. +358-0-41822202
e-mail: tuubi@tuubi.com
www.tuubi.com
I would very much like to know about other art stores in Helsinki. Please post a comment for this if you know about any!
-Elise Gegauff
18 June 2007
Exhibiting together?
Dear Artists,
HIAA’s third meeting was about group exhibitions and several good points were made at the meeting. I’ll try to give you a summary here.
Exhibition space
We all agreed that the exhibition space should reflect the extraordinary nature of this association and thus be something else than an ordinary gallery. The cost issue is also always valid as traditional galleries tend to be expensive. There are some communal spaces which are near free or free to use, but have no sales opportunity.
Tiina told us about a coming exhibition which will take place in an old cotton factory and the space had been given them for free. Similar possibilities can very well exist in Helsinki too – do you know any?
An empty shop space in some mall or similar could also be an interesting place with a possibility to attract crowds that don’t usually go to art exhibitions and get visibility thanks to a busy location. This kind of exhibition would require all participants to be ready to exhibit when a place is available – so all should be planned ahead and works ready.
Exhibition organisation
Doing art exhibition without a gallery means all the work has to be done by the artists themselves – us. What are your preferences – pay a bit (or even a lot) more and let a gallerist do the job or pay little (or almost nothing) and work like a horse? ;-)
Exhibition theme
This subject raised interesting ideas. It was said the theme should reflect our internationality and different origins. Changes in the definition of "normal", both conserning the time perspective and the cultural perspective was suggested as a theme. It was also noted that the theme should be decided only after the exhibition space has been found, because the space will limit or at least give its own aspect to the nature of the exhibition.
In my personal opinion the theme should be strict enough to keep the show together, but vague enough to embrase different styles of expression present in our members’ works. Easier said than done!
Have a sunny and relaxing summer! I hope to see you all again in the autumn –
Our next meeting will take place on 6th August, at 17.00 at Kirjasto 10.
Best regards,
Susan
HIAA’s third meeting was about group exhibitions and several good points were made at the meeting. I’ll try to give you a summary here.
Exhibition space
We all agreed that the exhibition space should reflect the extraordinary nature of this association and thus be something else than an ordinary gallery. The cost issue is also always valid as traditional galleries tend to be expensive. There are some communal spaces which are near free or free to use, but have no sales opportunity.
Tiina told us about a coming exhibition which will take place in an old cotton factory and the space had been given them for free. Similar possibilities can very well exist in Helsinki too – do you know any?
An empty shop space in some mall or similar could also be an interesting place with a possibility to attract crowds that don’t usually go to art exhibitions and get visibility thanks to a busy location. This kind of exhibition would require all participants to be ready to exhibit when a place is available – so all should be planned ahead and works ready.
Exhibition organisation
Doing art exhibition without a gallery means all the work has to be done by the artists themselves – us. What are your preferences – pay a bit (or even a lot) more and let a gallerist do the job or pay little (or almost nothing) and work like a horse? ;-)
Exhibition theme
This subject raised interesting ideas. It was said the theme should reflect our internationality and different origins. Changes in the definition of "normal", both conserning the time perspective and the cultural perspective was suggested as a theme. It was also noted that the theme should be decided only after the exhibition space has been found, because the space will limit or at least give its own aspect to the nature of the exhibition.
In my personal opinion the theme should be strict enough to keep the show together, but vague enough to embrase different styles of expression present in our members’ works. Easier said than done!
Have a sunny and relaxing summer! I hope to see you all again in the autumn –
Our next meeting will take place on 6th August, at 17.00 at Kirjasto 10.
Best regards,
Susan
05 June 2007
Hot Art
Column by Elise Gegauff
The Akseli Gallen-Kallela Museum
I was taking a walk around my new neighbourhood one day, when I came to a familiar place. I was delighted to discover that the beautiful Akseli Gallen-Kallela Museum was just around the corner.
The interesting thing about this museum is that it was built by Akseli Gallen-Kallela himself as a home and atelier in 1911-1913. The place is called Tarvaspää, just by the border of Espoo and Helsinki. It was opened to the public as the Akseli Gallen-Kallela Museum in 1961.
It’s set in a beautiful location on a bluff by the sea, truly an inspirational place for an artist. In the big granden there’s a café with a summer terasse where you can enjoy something to drink and eat after a nice visit in the museum. Nearby there is also a sauna that is still operational.
From the 15th of May to the 31st of August the museum is open from 10AM to 18PM every day. The price is 8 Euros for adults, 4 Euros for students and groups of more than 20 people pay only 6 Euros.
Akseli Gallen-Kallela
For those who don’t know who Gallen-Kallela was, I would like to tell you very shortly about him.
Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931) started as a realist painter and is best known to the world as the Finnish painter with the illustrations of Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. Therefore he is considered very important to the Finnish national identity.
He was born Axél Waldemar Gallén in Pori, Finland. When he was 11 he was sent to Grammar School because his father didn’t want him to become a painter. However when his father died, he started attending drawing classes at the Finnish Art Society. In 1884 he moved to Paris to study at Academie Julian. He made many of his most beautiful and known pieces there and also got to know other scandinavian artists such as the Norwegian Adam Dørnberger and the Swedish writer August Strindberg. He also became close friends with Albert Edelfeldt, another Finnish painter (that I personally think everyone should take a look at!).
In 1890 he married Mary Sloor and the couple had three children; Impi Marjatta, Kirsti and Jorma. When his daughter Impi Marjatta died from Diphtheria in march 1895, Gallen-Kallela’s art would change. He had painted romantic works earlier, but would now make more aggressive art like for example ”the Defence of the Sampo”.
Axel Waldemar Gallén officially changed his name to the more Finnish sounding Akseli Gallen-Kallela in 1907. In 1909 he moved with his family to Nairobi, Kenya, but discovered after just a couple of years that his main inspiration was Finland and returned home. There between 1911 and 1913 he designed and built a studio and house at Tarvaspää about 10 km north of the centre of Helsinki.
In 1917, Gallen-Kallela and his son Jorma took part in the fighting at the front of the Finnish Civil War. When the regent, General Mannerheim heard about this in 1918, he invited Gallen-Kallela to design the flags, official decorations and uniforms of the newly independent Finland.
In 1925 he began the illustrations for his “Great Kalevala”. This was still unfinished when he died in Stockholm in 1931 when returning from a lecture in Copenhagen, Denmark.
(You can see more of his art in the Ateneum Museum.)
In the museum
In the museum, you can find the rich and varied art of Gallen-Kallela, such as; paintings, drawings, graphics, sculpture, posters, photographs and works of applied art as well as his personal belongings and documents. You can also find a lot of information about his interesting life, family and friends.
Right now
As well as the art of Gallen-Kallela, there are other masterpieces on display.
From the 26th of May until the 2nd of September 2007 there is an exhibition called “Married to Art – Nordic Artist Couples” in the museum. It focuses on the interaction of Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Finnish artist couples from the turn of the century of the 1900’s and how the fact that both the woman and the man was an artist affected the family life.
Coming up
From the 8th of September 2007 until the 13th of January 2008 there will be an exhibition called ” The Erkki Tanttu Centenary Exhibition”. The exhibition will focus on Erkki Tanttu’s (1907-1985) works in book art. He was an expert printmaker and he followed Gallen-Kallela’s way of portraying the common people in his art.
The website of the museum is:
http://www.gallen-kallela.fi/english.html
and the address and telephone number are:
The Gallen-Kallela MuseumGallen-Kallelan tie 27, 02600 Espoo, FinlandTel. : +358 9 849 2340, Fax : +358 9 541 6426
I urge you all to go there and take a look! With romantic art and charming atmosphere, it’s well worth the trip!
-Elise Gegauff.
06 May 2007
News of the last meeting
Dear Artists,
HIAA's second meeting was smaller, but quite productive and we had some fun too. :-) Thanks for everybody who showed up!
First of all we decided on the next meeting, which will be on 14 June at 17.00 in Kirjasto 10. At this point it seems that 6 weeks' schedule is the most appropriate.
The next meeting is a "portfolio" meeting, which means that if you are interested in participating in smaller or larger group shows with HIAA members, please bring your portfolio or any pictures / whatever describes your works with you. The idea is to get to know what kind of styles we each have and what kind of common themes there could be found.
Sini suggested that we consider renting an empty shop or similar space for an exhibition space. This could be much more inexpensive than real gallery spaces, but it also means more work for participants and that the exhibition group should be ready to act when a suitable space is available.
Virpi proposed shows abroad in the future and I suggested Belgium, where I have some contacts. Anyone else with ideas on this subject is welcome to come forward! And if you have practical experience of taking your works abroad it would be very interesting to hear about it.
The registration process is still a bit hanging in the air. What needs to be done is basically to have a founding meeting with enough people to elect board members etc. and then send the papers to authorities. I'd like to see this happen before we do any shows together or anything else involving money, because I think having an official organisation to handle the responsibilities would be beneficial to all participants. Let's get back to this at the next meeting.
Feel free to comment and have a productive week!
Susan
Practical note: If you use public pc to view this blog you may have problems in using the comment function. Normally it should work without the need to register or logg in.
HIAA's second meeting was smaller, but quite productive and we had some fun too. :-) Thanks for everybody who showed up!
First of all we decided on the next meeting, which will be on 14 June at 17.00 in Kirjasto 10. At this point it seems that 6 weeks' schedule is the most appropriate.
The next meeting is a "portfolio" meeting, which means that if you are interested in participating in smaller or larger group shows with HIAA members, please bring your portfolio or any pictures / whatever describes your works with you. The idea is to get to know what kind of styles we each have and what kind of common themes there could be found.
Sini suggested that we consider renting an empty shop or similar space for an exhibition space. This could be much more inexpensive than real gallery spaces, but it also means more work for participants and that the exhibition group should be ready to act when a suitable space is available.
Virpi proposed shows abroad in the future and I suggested Belgium, where I have some contacts. Anyone else with ideas on this subject is welcome to come forward! And if you have practical experience of taking your works abroad it would be very interesting to hear about it.
The registration process is still a bit hanging in the air. What needs to be done is basically to have a founding meeting with enough people to elect board members etc. and then send the papers to authorities. I'd like to see this happen before we do any shows together or anything else involving money, because I think having an official organisation to handle the responsibilities would be beneficial to all participants. Let's get back to this at the next meeting.
Feel free to comment and have a productive week!
Susan
Practical note: If you use public pc to view this blog you may have problems in using the comment function. Normally it should work without the need to register or logg in.
26 April 2007
Meeting on 2 May
Dear Artists,
Our next meeting will be at Vltava on 2 May at around 17.00. Everybody's welcome!
Our next meeting will be at Vltava on 2 May at around 17.00. Everybody's welcome!
17 April 2007
Next meeting in May
Dear Artists,
Let's have our next meeting on the first week of May. So far the 2 May has received most success and 6 weeks' meeting schedule. Say your say about these, so that we can decide where to meet. If there are lots of people coming, we should probably start in some meeting room (Kirjasto 10, for example), otherwise we could go straight to some cafe or similar place.
Unfortunately I've been too busy to get the registration process started, but at the next meeting we could at least decide when to have the founding meeting and maybe some of you would like to take over formal positions in this association.
The most important thing is though to talk art and to have fun!
So, without more blabbing, productive and artistic week to everybody!
Susan
Let's have our next meeting on the first week of May. So far the 2 May has received most success and 6 weeks' meeting schedule. Say your say about these, so that we can decide where to meet. If there are lots of people coming, we should probably start in some meeting room (Kirjasto 10, for example), otherwise we could go straight to some cafe or similar place.
Unfortunately I've been too busy to get the registration process started, but at the next meeting we could at least decide when to have the founding meeting and maybe some of you would like to take over formal positions in this association.
The most important thing is though to talk art and to have fun!
So, without more blabbing, productive and artistic week to everybody!
Susan
01 April 2007
HIAA starting
Dear Artists!
This is now our new discussion medium and I hope it will be popular.
Since our first meeting I've dig up information on the association registration and it's now somewhat clear to me. We need rules, to fill in a blanket and to have a founding meeting where the board and other important "officials" are elected. There are standard templates for rules, but what is not standard is the purpose and goals of this association. This requires a bit of a thought, as the formulation on this point can have effects on how the association is able to function in the future, e.g. collect funds.
This leads me to the next issue - our second meeting. Michael has informed me that Kirjasto 10 at the main post office has a meeting room which can be used for free. This seems to me a good proposition. What do you think?
We should also figure out how often we're going to meet, every 4 weeks, every 6 weeks, every 8 weeks? My opinion is that less than that is pretty much a funeral to any association...
It has also been suggested that the meeting should be on rotating weekday, i.e. next time Tuesday, after then Wednesday, after then Thursday a.s.o. This way there would be a good day for everybody at least sometimes.
Last, and nearly least ;-) , if you're pondering what to do on Easter holidays go to Korkeasaari Zoo. There are interactive street theater shows four times a day between 11.30 and 15.30 on every day during Easter. The two shows have important environmental messages, but offer also fun and excitement for all ages. The one is about Easter Islands and the other on Amurian (spell.??) tiger and its protection from poachers. (Why I'm promoting this? I'm in the staging team...)
Looking forward to your input!
Susan
This is now our new discussion medium and I hope it will be popular.
Since our first meeting I've dig up information on the association registration and it's now somewhat clear to me. We need rules, to fill in a blanket and to have a founding meeting where the board and other important "officials" are elected. There are standard templates for rules, but what is not standard is the purpose and goals of this association. This requires a bit of a thought, as the formulation on this point can have effects on how the association is able to function in the future, e.g. collect funds.
This leads me to the next issue - our second meeting. Michael has informed me that Kirjasto 10 at the main post office has a meeting room which can be used for free. This seems to me a good proposition. What do you think?
We should also figure out how often we're going to meet, every 4 weeks, every 6 weeks, every 8 weeks? My opinion is that less than that is pretty much a funeral to any association...
It has also been suggested that the meeting should be on rotating weekday, i.e. next time Tuesday, after then Wednesday, after then Thursday a.s.o. This way there would be a good day for everybody at least sometimes.
Last, and nearly least ;-) , if you're pondering what to do on Easter holidays go to Korkeasaari Zoo. There are interactive street theater shows four times a day between 11.30 and 15.30 on every day during Easter. The two shows have important environmental messages, but offer also fun and excitement for all ages. The one is about Easter Islands and the other on Amurian (spell.??) tiger and its protection from poachers. (Why I'm promoting this? I'm in the staging team...)
Looking forward to your input!
Susan
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