Current Issue

9 / Birds Flying By

February 25, 2010. We seem to be in a particularly introspective moment, if this issue is any indication. The confluence of SF anniversary exhibitions—the Arts Commission Gallery, MOMA, and Camerawork—are certainly one impetus, and multiple perspectives on the last two are offered here.  Another catalyst was Renny Pritikin's recent Open Space blog entry, from which this issue's title derives. It generated a barrage of comments about the concerns artists face living and working here, as well as their motivations and survival strategies. Those are front and center in both Christian L Frock's and Michelle Blade's observations about why they do what they do. It is an ongoing conversation; we are proud to be part of it. Enjoy! – PM  Next AP Issue: March 11, 2010

8 / The Painting Issue

February 11, 2010. This is Art Practical’s first thematic issue. Corresponding with the opening of the Luc Tuymans mid-career retrospective at SFMOMA, The Painting Issue offers multiple perspectives on this influential artist’s practice. Our writers go well beyond the questions of history and photographic representation that Tuymans’ work usually provoke, however. Looking across a diverse range of painters, both local and international, they reflect on personal iconography, abstraction, painting’s physical qualities, and the importance and pleasure of seeing.  Enjoy! – PM  Next AP Issue: February 25, 2010

Image: Luc Tuymans, Schwarzheide, 1986; oil on canvas; 23 5/8 x 27 5/8 in. (60 x 69.9 cm). Private collection; © Luc Tuymans. Photo: courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

7 / History Lessons

January 28, 2010. In Issue 7, we debut our partnership with the national, weekly contemporary art podcast, Bad At Sports. Founded in 2005, the series focuses on presenting the practices of artists and other cultural producers through an online audio format. Collaborative episodes will appear monthly on both sites. For this issue, Scott Oliver sits down with J. Morgan Puett to discuss Mildred's Lane and the revolutionary politics of garments. An abridged version of their conversation appears here; the audio can be heard starting Sunday, January 31 at http://badatsports.com/. Enjoy! – PM  Next AP Issue: February 11, 2010

6 / Common Ground

Happy New Year! In our first issue for 2010, Allison Smith discusses her projects for the anniversary celebration at SFMOMA and her storefront studio SMITHS, while Matthew Rana explores artistic practices that expand notions of political agency. Collectively, they offer nuanced perspectives on what Smith describes as “tactile entry points” for encounter. Rachel Adams takes us back to New York for a look at the Orozco show at MoMA, while Jessica Brier, Brady Welch, Carol Anne McChrystal, and Keturah Cummings share their views on what is happening here.  Enjoy! - PM

5 / Work(er)

Issue 5  features Terri Cohn’s 2002 interview with David Ireland, whose works and collaborative initiatives did much to shape the Bay Area visual arts community. And while Aimee Le Duc notes  that the question of how to sustain that community seems more urgent then ever, she also points to the currency that collective endeavors continue to possess. In addition to the Reviews, this issue includes an expanded section of Shotguns, and we go further afield, as Renny Pritikin reports from New York. Enjoy! – PM 

Larry Sultan. Mom Posing By Green Wall and Dad Watching TV (1984).

4 / Situations

What are the places for art? In Issue 4, Christian L. Frock considers alternatives to institutional endeavors in contemporary art while the founding and current Directors of the UC BAM/PFA reflect on the history and future of the museum and its building.  Stephanie Baker reviews Jordan Essoe’s “Living Room,” while Zachary Royer Scholz looks at the collaborative venture between Hallway Projects and 667 Shotwell.  Additional reviews by Brian Andrews, Leigh Marcopoulos, Randall Miller, and Genevieve Quick, as well as responses to Anthony Marcellini’s Feature from Issue 3. Enjoy! - PM

3 / Binaries

Issue 3 ventures outside of the Bay Area to take a look at the Eleventh International Istanbul Biennial. Anthony Marcellini, currently on fellowship in Gothenburg, Sweden, critiques its curatorial strategy while Patricia Maloney recounts her recent conversation with the curators. Several of the reviews take into consideration how value is attributed, whether in the use of appropriated images and recycled material, or in the juxtaposition of anonymously crafted and artist-designed multiples. Additional pieces examine intertwined narratives—personal and historical, cultural and folkloric—Martha Colburn’s recent performances, and technological utopias. Enjoy!

2 / Nomads and Residents

Home, balance, and noise figure prominently in Issue 2. In their Features, the vulnerability of tenancy underlies Adrienne Skye Roberts and Megan Wilson’s reflections on transforming their private residences into exhibition spaces. Renny Pritikin looks at the end of SoEx's nomadic ways with the opening of its new home. Bruno Fazzolari, Carol Anne McChrystal, and Zachary Royer Scholz discuss radically different material strategies for creating balance and flux. And Brady Welch and Jess Brier examine two of the more dissonant avant-garde endeavors of the 20th century: Futurism and punk rock.  Enjoy! - PM

1 / More Signal, Less Noise

Welcome to the debut of Art Practical! We are thrilled to introduce this online art journal to you, and with it, expanded possibilities for critical dialogue in the Bay Area. Alongside reviews and an essay from Talking Cure, you’ll find a selection of events (both those coming up and those you shouldn’t miss) shared from Happenstand.  This launch reflects the result of months of conversation with and efforts from a fantastic team of contributors, and I applaud their intelligence, dedication, and enthusiasm. Enjoy! - Patricia Maloney, Managing Editor