Vivienne KOORLAND South African, b. 1957
Gold Africa, 2011
Oil and pigment on burlap and linen
94 x 83 cm
For what it’s worth, I remembered that the initial impetus in the 1990’s for making all the GOLD AFRICAS, a couple of which weren’t gold at all, was actually piece...
For what it’s worth, I remembered that the initial impetus in the 1990’s for making all the GOLD AFRICAS, a couple of which weren’t gold at all,
was actually piece by the Fluxus artist Al Hansen.
I loved his profane and visceral work and back in 1985/6 I’d met him one day in the East Village, where I was to see his show at Gracie Mansion Gallery.
He was, of course, smoking up a storm, which caused me to shorten our chat.
But before I left his company I bought one of his cigarette butt pieces, a Venus of Willendorf, I thought at the time. A violently truncated female body obscenely made with cigarette butts which still smelled rancid, around an armature of discarded paperboard toilet roll cores and “framed” by an obviously found object: a large dark brown ???? square lidless wooden box.
It had my name on it, and I had to have it, feminist nightmare, stench, buyer’s remorse, and all.
Un coup de foudre, as they say, and it cost me my entire Frick Art Reference Library paycheck.
But then around 6-8 years later, I saw another Hansen I thought I’d die if I couldn’t possess: a striking large YELLOW AFRICA flat piece . Not sure what it was made of since it was hanging very high on the wall above the fireplace mantel. Only this time I couldn’t have it as by now the price was around seven times that old paycheck. I saw it only once, fleetingly, in a crowded room where I didn’t stay long.
was actually piece by the Fluxus artist Al Hansen.
I loved his profane and visceral work and back in 1985/6 I’d met him one day in the East Village, where I was to see his show at Gracie Mansion Gallery.
He was, of course, smoking up a storm, which caused me to shorten our chat.
But before I left his company I bought one of his cigarette butt pieces, a Venus of Willendorf, I thought at the time. A violently truncated female body obscenely made with cigarette butts which still smelled rancid, around an armature of discarded paperboard toilet roll cores and “framed” by an obviously found object: a large dark brown ???? square lidless wooden box.
It had my name on it, and I had to have it, feminist nightmare, stench, buyer’s remorse, and all.
Un coup de foudre, as they say, and it cost me my entire Frick Art Reference Library paycheck.
But then around 6-8 years later, I saw another Hansen I thought I’d die if I couldn’t possess: a striking large YELLOW AFRICA flat piece . Not sure what it was made of since it was hanging very high on the wall above the fireplace mantel. Only this time I couldn’t have it as by now the price was around seven times that old paycheck. I saw it only once, fleetingly, in a crowded room where I didn’t stay long.