Margate: a new Bilbao?

Margate is a seaside town on southeast England. For two centuries the town was considered to be a hotspot by English people looking for a beach side holiday place. However, with the increasingly number of cheap flights, the town lost its tourists for European destinations able to offer white sands and warmer waters.

Subsequently, after the 60s Margate changed from a fashionable place to a not so desirable location. Nevertheless, names like JMV Turner and Tracey Emin continued to grab headlines to the town over the years and might prove to be the rescue the place needs.

Thanks to both artists the town might see its chic side again. Margate has been through a massive cultural regeneration and last month opening of Turner Contemporary Gallery, a new shinny seafront space is already attracting attention. The gallery enjoys the views that once inspired Turner famous paintings.

John Kampfner, Chair, Turner Contemporary said: “The opening of Turner Contemporary marks the start of an extraordinary opportunity for Margate to become one of the UK’s most compelling culture and tourism destination.” Yet can the names Turner and Emin transform this shabby town in a new Bilbao? Lets wait and see.

Does art have a legitimate place in the digital world?

Frieze Art Fair created a partnership with Le Meridien Hotel to generate talks involving art and common matters which can somehow affect the Art world. The latest talked took place last March in London, to discuss the co-relation between social media and art. And how both sectors can combine.

My involved with the Frieze until then was totally online. I follow then on Twitter and so was selected to participate in this particular talk. The discussion panel was formed by two artists, John Gerrad and Marcus Kreiss, the art collector Sylvain Levy, the cultural editor from the Guardian, Georgina Henry and Marc Sands, Director of Audiences and Media at Tate, which lead the discussion as a chairman.

Initially it seems that most of the people involved in the art sector do not know what social media is or how important it can be to the business. The majority have never been on Twitter and use Facebook only as personal tool. However after the talk the audience seemed to be very interested about the subject and open to discuss the matter, and maybe experiment these new technological tools available.

But does art have a legitimate place in the digital world? To me, yes it does. As all the sectors, art should also move to the digital sphere. While continuing to use only the old media channels, the art market is in risk of lose interest from the population. In order to grab attention it is necessary to be online. And even being a traditional area, the art sector should enjoy what is available as a promotional and communication tools.

According to the talk, many establishments and artist have being using social media in order to communicate or promote themselves. However, there is still no real form of art online. And when this happen it will mean that the art world is totally integrated with the digital world.

Magritte Museum

Rene Magritte was the first painter I came cross as a child. When I was nine years old I had to read a book for school which was illustrated with his painting and completed changed my world. Since then my admiration and interest to his world only grew and today he is not only my favourite artist but also responsible for my career choice. Rene Magritte was born in 1898 in Lessines, Belgium. Throughout the years he developed his painting styles in impressionism, cubism, futurism until finding his space in surrealism. His work was considered to have influenced the pop, minimalist and conceptual art during the 60s when his pieces became important on the art scene.

Nevertheless, more than 40 years after his death, a Magritte Museum was opened in Brussels, Belgium. The museum houses more than 170 works and is considered to be the greatest Magritte collection in the world. The museum is situated at the famous Altenloh Hotel on Place Royale. The museum launch gathered attention from the international media when Altenloh Hotel was totally covered by a canvas imitation one of Magritte’s famous pieces.The government of Belgium took a while to explorer it most famous painter and son of the surrealism movement, nevertheless when it did, did in style.

The museum creation was possible due a partnership between the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Magritte Foundation, the Belgian Regie

des Batiments, the Belgian Federal Science Policy Administration and the GDF SUEZ Group. The Magritte Museum was designed to be multi-disciplinary, educational and interactive. It involved state-of-the-art technologies which are offered to the audience to explore Magritte’s work and life in accordance to environment-friendly practices. Like the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Magritte Museum intent to become a “leading international skill center for research, transmission and presentation of the life, thought and work of René Magritte.”

The use of Celebrity names in the Art Market

It is well know that celebrity endorsement sells. However does it sell art? For the past five years we have seen an increasingly use of celebrities from all areas, creating pieces of art or supporting new artists.

Last year Liberty, one of the most famous and oldest department stores, announced a partnership with Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones group. The partnership involved having the Wood’s painting as prints for dresses and scarves. The musician said that he "wanted to work with Liberty of London because of the great tradition that Liberty has of artistic collaborations going back to the very early days when Liberty first opened."

Another artist using celebrity name as an endorsement is Paul Freud, son of Lucian Freud. Lucian created a name for himself as a painter. His surname can have opened a few doors but still today he is considered one of the greatest painters still alive. Nevertheless, when it comes to Paul, the only thing people generally known about him is his surname. Yet that did not make any difference when tagging princes to his work, which for a newcomer it is a bit over priced.

The latest new is the singer Robbie Williams. Apparently Williams has been painting for a few years and declared in his blog that he really like painting and had turn his garage into an ‘art club’. Good or not, a small gallery in London is seeking to have his pieces and may be sell a few pieces with Robbie Williams’ tag attached.

And as says Jonathan Jones from the Guardian, "why not?".

Photojournalism

It is said that an image can tell more than a thousand words. The use of photographs as a way of spreading news started by the end of the 19th century and saw an immense growth at the beginning of the 20th century with the invention of a new type of lenses and the two great wars. Later, the use of photographs also extended to the marketing arena. However, when it comes to this type of communication photojournalist are not involved but artists instead.

Although some adverts use history and news the majority are not interested in what is happening in the world but to increase brand interest and sale number. Thus what is the difference of a photojournalist to a photographer? A photojournalist as the name says is also a journalist and has to carry its equipments under any kind of circumstances. Differently from a photographer, a photojournalist sells images (stories) not the art, or artist name. A photojournalist does not choose where to take pictures he/she is taken to the places that need to be shown to the public.

Nevertheless, photojournalism in the 21st century involves not only photos but also videos and broadcasting. One of the greatest areas of growth when it comes to news is the use of videos. This change is happening due to the development of the internet and the easy accessibility to computers. The inclusion of videos became extremely important. And in the same way news releases without pictures wasn’t considered interesting in the past it can be assume to videos today.

The interest and use of photojournalism has involved because it proved to have the qualities of narratives without bias as to be objective with an accurate representation of the event. Yet the question if news can be presented only by a visual work and no texts involved is still alive and generating different opinions.

The Royal Wedding a PR bless?

Maybe art or not there Royal wedding has been the major subject on the street. There is nothing else more expected and talked about in the world than the event in question. The strategy used to promote the wedding has never been so big and inclusive. The Clarence house has been using all channels of communication available. It is a real social media wedding. The strategy has the aim to promote the Royal family and keep the interest on it. The couple’s picture and wedding details can be seen anywhere by anyone. Still, has it worked?

It seems that inside the UK people are really concerned with the bank holiday but not the couple. Yet, abroad the event seems to be as special as the Royals desire. On the hand, companies inside the United Kingdom have been using the strategy to promote products and services. According to journalists there were never so many press releases with the same subject. The lines are same ‘fit for a king’, ‘calling all Kates and Williams’, and ‘following the footsteps of...’. PR agencies have been using event to promote beds to places to visit, boots to engagement rings. The magical world of being a future king and future princess still exist inside us and nothing appeals more than our own feelings.

Barcelona F C & UNICEF

Yesterday I was dragged along to watch the ‘clasico’ Real Madrid vs. Barcelona. Even being Brazilian, as most of the girls I am not a football fan and little I understand about such a sport. However, something grabbed my attention during the game, the name UNICEF on the club’s shirt. And if my friends say that football is also art, I believe I have the right to write about it.

Barcelona is considered the second richest football club in the world and pays the highest average salary to players nevertheless the club has never worn adverts on their shirt. Nevertheless the rule changed 2006 when the club agreed a 5 years partnership with UNICEF which includes the use of UNICEF logo on their shirt for free and a 1.5 million of Euros donation per year.

The partnership has the aim to help children in the developing world and keep up with the club’s motto “More than a Club”. When Barcelona was created their intention was to be a sporting but also a philanthropic club committed to social, cultural, educational and humanitarian activities in Catalonia. Yet, with this decision the club has created a huge PR opportunity to expand its name abroad as an organisation that is not worried just with games and player but also with global issues.

Joan Laporta, then president of Barcelona said "It will not be the brand name of a corporation. It will not be a commercial to promote some kind of business. It will be the logo of 'UNICEF'. Through UNICEF, we, the people of FC Barcelona, the people of 'Barça', are very proud to donate our shirt to the children of the world who are our present, but especially are our future."

Even considering the relevance of such a partnership, the Spanish club was criticised by its attitude, which possibly being just another promotional strategy in other to get the place as ‘everybody’s second favourite team’. One or the other, as long as there is help given to those in need it will be worth to do it. Well done Barça for a PR and humanitarian work!

Do artists ever retire?

Last month the movie director Steven Soderbergh announced his retirement, but only after his last two movies are completed. His decision created an indusdry discussion on whether retirement is an existing option to artists. And if he is only trying to grab attention to his next two works, a PR strategy.

It is complicate to think that your mind can retire and stop thinking when you decide to. As long as we are alive our brain is working. Therefore how can an artist stop thinking about and producing art? Artists are driven by passion, or should be. Their work evolves with time. And apart from Shakespeare there were never a artist who made enough money and retire. To become a master is necessary to work the whole life, and likes Picasso, Michelangelo and Gaudi have proven that best works comes with experience.

Brussels - Art Nouveau

Recently I have had the opportunity to spend a few days in Brussels, capital of Belgium and the administrative centre of the European Union. The European capital is mostly famous for its importance to the EU, its chocolates and see sights like the huge Atomium or Manneken Pis yet has not fully used its importance and reference for Art Nouveau in order to promote itself.

The Art Nouveau movement represents a period when the bourgeoisie decided to created a new philosophy and art which could be showed as part of their way of thinking and as exclusive and expensive as any other form of art consumed by those who had power and money. The idea was to create buildings, furniture, jewellery and silver objects to their own class which today is perceived as a transition from neoclassicism to modernism. And Brussels offer an incredible opportunity to experience this period for free. During a short walk around the city you can be surprised by buildings, windows and decoration from the end of the 19th century beginning of the 20th everywhere. The city offer the best of Art Nouveau taking you back to the begging of the past century.

In 2000 the Unesco recognized in Belgium 4 houses by Victor Horta, one of the biggest names in Art Nouveau, as a World Heritage which were described as “works of human creative genius” that are “outstanding examples of Art Nouveau architecture brilliantly illustrating the transition from the 19th to the 20th century in art, thought, and society.

Images, should we trust?

The opening of any exhibition is generally linked to glamour. Most of those invited are there to appreciate the artist or the gallery director as to build contacts, and only a few to judge if the work it is of any importance. However, on the opening of a photography exhibition on Hoxton Square, East London the expected behaviour of the audience towards the pieces of work changed from appreciation to hostility as soon as the gallery director had a few drinks.

The exhibition, on the artist’s words were said to be a show of his time in America. He decided to show the public what he had been through while visiting the northern country and as its meaning. Nevertheless, the gallery director and curator, by the end of the show, said that the pictures were not “real” but created in a scenario with paid actors, one even being British. Which has nothing wrong, once the photographer is a fashion photographer and used to work like that but the fact that he had decided to published and sell its work as his own experience changed the perception of the its guest.

As in described in a prior entry to this blog, the manipulation of image is vivid everywhere yet people seem to be graving for realistic works, in which they can believed the image is authentic and proves to have meaning. And in this particular exhibition this desire became clear when the interest dramatically dropped as soon as the news of a fake trip was spread around the public. We, as public, are graving for reality, for things that can move us yet can we believe on images completely?

Pictures: are they still effective?

Today we live surrounded by pictures. They are everywhere from magazines to flyers, on the tube, on streets and every corner shop. The way they evolved is unbelievable. From its use as a family record, an instrument to capture historic moments and as a work of art to now capture every human feeling and expression.

Nevertheless the indiscriminate of pictures and the constant changes made on it has created a sceptical feeling towards it. The use of Photoshop softwares, mainly for advertising and promotion purposes is said to be the responsible the big villain. The emotional power of a single and not manipulated image has been lost with the number of images we encounter every day.

There is little trust on pictures. The exaggerated used of manipulation has changed the way we look at it and the uncertainty of its veracity has changed our feeling towards it. We no longer fall in love with it or cry over it. The effect it use to have over us is long gone. They have simply become a meaningless mirror of the world we live. And although pictures are as better as they could be, they may have lost the power to move us.

When art stop being art?

While reading an article by Jonathan Jones I came across the suggestion that modern art is immensely popular but its owners are more exclusive than ever. Mr. Jones suggests that people visiting exhibitions and art galleries are very much indeed part of the population but not the ones which can afford to have a piece at home, these are actually the super rich of today.

The writer makes comparison with others artistic sectors, like the theater where every ticket is as good as anyone’s else. However, he says that inside the art world, the general public, apart from being merely eyewitness; don’t have the opportunity to participate. People do know and recognize names like Tracey Emin or Damien Hirsts yet it would be unimaginable to think the normal men on the streets would ever be able to set any trends.

The definition of what is art is set by a selected group of people, targeting a specific type of buyers, nevertheless what is it that makes a person able to do this work, principally when anyone can visit a gallery or speak with a dealer free of charge? Contacts? Name? Or even further, does that means that art are not made to the public? Therefore it doesn’t have any meaning.

When an artist creates a new piece he probably doesn’t have in mind who is going to like/dislike or even who is going to own it, still the one who select the pieces knows very well its publics. Another suggestion could be that artists of today are becoming ever so worried about its public and how to satisfy them in the most appropriated way that are loosing the ability to create the famous pop art.

Google Art Project - The dissemination of Art

Google Art Project is a collaboration between 17 of the biggest museums around the world to digitalise art works and introduce street view indoors, providing Google users with the opportunity to visualise 17 major masterpieces with extreme resolution and visit some of the major art institutions, as the Met in New York, the National Gallery in London, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Each of the 17 pictures can be accessed and viewed in details that are impossible by naked eyes, going beyond what the normal eye sight would ever show.

With this new technology the general public will have access to 1061 pieces in 400 different rooms and over 486 artists from any computer anywhere in the world, creating an invaluable tool for research. The project offer the possibility to create your own collection, allowing people to put pieces together that would rarely be seem in the same room, or even gallery or museum, consenting the common public to make comments and critics about the paintings.

The good thing is that Google Art Project is making art a bit less exclusive, showing treasure pieces to a universal audience and also giving the opportunity to institutions to work together for the first time, reaching millions of people every day. However, just a small number of artworks are available online, leaving on the hands of a few individuals to decide which pieces to pick or which pieces are worth. In response to this, Google said to be preparing to grow the number of paintings available in high resolution and dreams of a day when all the paintings will be available through the Art Project.

Saying that, Google created another problem, which is the worry that in future the public will no longer visit museums and art galleries. In my opinion, everything that is new generate critics and in the same way people were against gadgets like E-book, afraid that hard copies would lose their space on the 21st Century market, they are afraid of Google Art Project. I believe that art should be democratic and available to all citizens and by creating such a tool, Google is making that possible, even if it is just a few numbers of artworks. Google Art Project is changing the way we perceive the art world, making share real.

Introduction

This blog was created by the junction of different ideas. First, as part of an assessment for my undergraduate course at University of Greenwich, where I'm coursing the second year towards a B.A. (Hons.) in Public Relations. Secondly, as a way to criticize the art sector and the exhibitions and events which I can attend to, as to express my own views in both Arts and PR. And last, to learn from my own views, and sometimes mistakes, and from other people comments on these particularly sectors.