the art life

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Labels: robotics, x-post

Lisa Kelly wrote to let us know that the Situation show at the MCA is accompanied by its own blog. At the moment the bloggers at Situation are coming to terms with a negative review from Sydney Morning Herald art critic John McDonald. Perhaps we’ve become complacent but it was hardly probable that McDonald would have liked the show and a negative review comes as no surprise. The esteemed critic’s disdain for the MCA is well known and it is said that his office is decorated with the stuffed heads of certain former directors mounted moose-like on the wall as a coat rack. McDonald’s standard gambit these days is to compare something ‘trendy’ with something ‘worthwhile’. He recently claimed that William Robinson wouldn’t represent Australia at the Venice Biennale because he’s a) too good and b) not trendy, and therefore he is c) very good indeed. The esteemed critic’s ‘review’ of Situation used much the same gambit and should only be read as another in a long line of dismissive put downs of not just the artists, but of the institution as well. The mistake would be to rise to the bait. The Sydney Morning Herald management believes McDonald is ‘controversial’ instead of just boring so the best tactic the art world can assume is one of total indifference, a strategy that works just great for us. The Situation site is well worth a visit, if not for the angst then definitely for the links to artist sites that includes Alex Gawronski, Anne Kay, Kylie Wilkinson and a host of other artists, orgs and media whose links we plan to absorb Borg-like very soon.

Tom Carment’s wrote to us recently and asked us to add his web site to our list site and it is a lovely item featuring his watercolours and paintings along with some very enjoyable stories he has written. Carment mentioned that he likes reading The Art Life although but disagrees with our opinion of Euan McLeod. Oh well.

We’d also like to point readers in the direction of a non-art related site [although it may be considered an art work as it is called a 'portrait'] because it blew our minds.

Labels: blogging, old media, robotics, site news