Bringing light to dark

Today i was speaking with my friend Margaret.We were talking about the blog and my statement about sunglasses and how true she found that statement to be.We got onto the topic of performing arts.Not the kind you see at the theatre , although there are sometimes tutu's involved..Performance art has been around for years.From as early as the 80's.

We were specifically talking about Steven Cohen.He is a South African performance artist who, some might say, is mad.His idea's are completely out of the box. and sometimes.... no, almost always very strange.There is one performance that stands out more than any other.In 2001 Cohen very proudly walked into an informal settlement wearing a tutu chandelier.( seen in the picture ).His aim? To bring light ( literally and figuratively ) to the oppressed .More specifically to bring light to their darkened circumstances .I rather liked his performance and i think its quirky and hits the nail on the head.Yes its very out there, but it served its purpose well.

Another similar South African artist who can  be just as strange is Jane Alexander.She wouldn't traditionally fall under performance art but rather Installation art and will also be rather daring with her pieces.She also show cases pieces regarding oppression,aggression  and violence.

On the other side of the world in 2007 another kind of light was " given"  to a German World War 2 Bunker.Ten Artists decided to redecorate the old bunker and give it a second life and in the process they turned it into a modern art exposition space.

This brings me to my point , to me art should be there to bring light to the dark... happiness when you feeling down.It should be there to express yourself openly.People are constantly finding ways to express themselves through art, for me this should be taken one step further... it should be a way to express yourself by giving someone " light" Even if that light is only pointing out the problem so that a solution can be found.

On a much lighter note ( excuse the pun ) ... a drawing from Michelangelo will be  auctioned off on July 5 in London.The small piece of paper is believed to bring in as much as 5 million pounds. The drawing is from a series of drawings he did for a fresco (The Battle of Cascina) to be done on a wall opposite a paintings of leonardo da Vinci.Its one of 24 privately owned preparatory study drawings for this fresco. 


That's it from me again.Go out there and shine your light.

cheers for now
Simone