#Phoebe Boswell

[mcgiggers]

Miami - December 2023

Just back from an action packed two and half days in Miami which featured stops at half a dozen art fairs and visits to a few private collections and a museum. With worrisome headlines front and center and a squishy economic outlook, one might have expected a more subdued reception to this year’s art week festivities in Magic City, but by all accounts, it was full steam ahead for art fans and aficionados. The fairs seemed to get super-sized, the crowds appeared to be bigger, and the city was grid locked for the better part of full days and evenings as people tried to make the most of all that was being offered. Once you eventually got to wherever you were going, it was all great. The art rose above all the noise, and a marvelous viewing experience was served up and fully appreciated.   

The itinerary for the trip included: INK, Untitled and Scope fairs on arrival in South Beach; the de la Cruz and Margulies private collections, the Rubell Museum, and NADA and Art Miami fairsthe next day in and around the Miami Design District; and then Art Basel Miami Beach back on the other side of Biscayne Bay on departure day. While not all fairs are created equal, part of the thrill is the journey and finding those special works that resonate wherever they may show up. And, in that regard, there were many exciting discoveries and some magnificent reacquaintances.

The mainstay and anchor of the art festivities was Art Basel Miami Beach which celebrated its 21st edition with 277 exhibitors from 33 countries. While that was the official gallery count, multiple booths by some gallerists together with the proliferation of focus sections spread throughout the Miami Convention Center catapulted the number of exhibits to well over 300. With a view to making it more manageable for fairgoers (albeit questionably so), the fair was organized into curated groupings featuring top-of-the-line modern and contemporary galleries in the main section and then, in other dedicated spaces, diverse curatorial initiatives such as emerging artists, thematic exhibitions and large-scale projects, among others. Perhaps at the expense of a shrinking modern master presence and notwithstanding the diversity in presentation concepts, the focus of the fair was clearly tilted towards the new as established and emerging contemporary art was at the forefront. There was also noticeable excitement around Untitled in what seemed to be an invigorating revamping of that fair’s physical presence and gallery lineup. Under its fortified bright white tent situated right on the beach, Untitled lived up to its billing as the quintessential Miami art fair and delivered a strong roster of 166 North American and international exhibitors focused intensely on contemporary art. Among the other visits, the incredible collections at the de la Cruz, the Margulies and the Rubell did not disappoint, and the opportunity to enjoy beautiful paintings, sculptures and on-site installations housed in marvelous settings without the chaos of crowded fair corridors was surreal.

Across all fairs, there were many memorable pieces. At Art Basel, the showstoppers included: Rebecca Morris’ “Untitled (#14-15)”, 2015, oil and spray paint on canvas (111 x 113.5 in.); Antonio Ballester Moreno’s “Azul”, 2023, acrylic on jute (78.75 x 57 in.); Gareth Nyandoro’s “Street Canteen”, 2023, ink on cut paper mounted to canvas (57.5 x 94 in.); and Phoebe Boswell’s “A Knowledge Becoming”, 2023, pastel on paper (60.25 x 48.5 in.). At Untitled, the highlights included: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s “Thermal Drift Density Map”, 2022, custom software, computer, thermal camera, screen (dimensions variable), edition of 6, 1AP; and Concetto Pozzati’s “Inventario”, 1963, oil on canvas (60.63 x 75.25 in.). Other special sightings included: a pair of Esteban Vincente works, “The West”, 1980, oil on canvas (68 x 56 in.) and “Inside Red”, 1986, oil on canvas (56 x 68 in.) at Art Miami; Vanessa Gully Santiago’s “Self Portrait in a Red Dress”, 2022, acrylic on canvas (30 x 24 in) at NADA; and Peter Grippe’s “Figure”, 1950, watercolour on paper (8 x 5 in.) at INK. Special kudos to Sudanese-Canadian artist Azza El Siddique’s critically acclaimed installation, “Final Fantasy”, involving metal work scaffolding, dripping water, eroding clay-fired pots with a central four-sided monitor scrolling the English translation of Egyptian and Nubian funerary texts. Emitting a mystical transcendental vibe, the temple-like installation captivated fairgoers and was an Art Basel fan favorite.

Among the private collections, it was great to again see longstanding much admired works, including:Noah Davis’ “Painting for my Dad”, 2011, oil on canvas (76 x 91 in.) at the Rubell; an installation of familiar works at the de la Cruz by Félix González-Torres which included “Untitled” (America #3), 1992, 42 light bulbs, extension cords and porcelain light sockets (variable size), “Untitled” (Portrait of Dad), 1991, white mint candies, endless supply (ideal weight 175 lbs), and “Untitled”, 1989/1990, offset print on paper, endless copies, two stacks (56 x 23 in. each, ideal height 26 in.); and Leondro Erlich’s “Elevator Pitch” at the Margulies, 2011, automatic door operator, sliding doors, stainless steel, button panel, rear screen video projection, Mac mini-computer, 5 minutes, looped.

While things were frenzied in Miami, it was probably equally so in Hogtown as Torontonian sports fans relished the very real possibility of landing Shohei Ohtani. The Dodo Birds were among the few shortlisted in the hunt for the truly generational talent, but regrettably, after all was said and done, the Dodgers signed him with the lure of perpetual sunshine and a whopping $700 million 10-year contract. Quite incredible.  For a short while, the hype served as the perfect smokescreen for the plight of the woeful Dinos who continued to plod along below the 500 mark in the win/loss column. It has been reported that Coach Darko has offered to pick up the team dinner tab when the boys string together three victories. With the team on a three-game losing streak, the more relevant matter at hand is what Coach Darko is doing to stop the bleeding. Fasting, KETO, Paleo? Hunger, or lack thereof, does seem to be part of the issue as lackluster performances add up. One can only assume that Sensei Masai is gearing up for a splash at the trade deadline in February 2024. Meanwhile, Coach Darko has his hands full.

For more information on any of the artists, works or venues mentioned, or the fate of the Dinos, “Just Google It”.

There you have it sportsfans,

MC Giggers

(https://mcgiggers.tumblr.com)

Reporter’s Certification

I, MC Giggers, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views and that no part of my compensation was or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific views expressed herein.

I also certify that I may or may not own, directly or indirectly, works of artists mentioned in this report and that I may or may not have a strong bias for such artists and, more generally, for “Pictures of Nothing”.

[burntsoft]

For Our Souls Soar There (2018), Phoebe Boswell

[asg-stuff]

Multimedia visual artist Phoebe Boswell has written an original piece, ‘Dear Mister Shakespeare', in which she questions Shakespeare on the inherent racial tensions within his writing of Othello in the 1600s, and how these tensions continue to resonate today. (via 'Dear Mister Shakespeare' - Othello (ft. Ashley Thomas) | Shakespeare Lives)

[thelonecalzone]

Official Playlist for A Scone and a Book 🤡

1. Hot Tea - half alive 2. Coffee - Jack Stauber's Micropop 3. How Glad I Am - Nancy Wilson 4. Intolewd - Matt Maltese 5. Nothing - Bruno Major 6. Feels So Easy - Ber 7. Oh Honey! (I Love You) - Peach Tree Rascals 8. love is a black hole ! - Martin Luke Brown 9. My Neighbor Is a Drug Dealer - Beagles 10. coffee - Miguel 11. Bookstore Girl - Charlie Burg 12. kissing girls - Grady 13. The End of the World - Skeeter Davis 14. Book Club - Arkells 15. My Brilliant Friend - Saint Sister 16. Washing Machine Heart - Mitski 17. cannibal - Daphne Eckman 18. She Lit a Fire - Lord Huron 19. Anything - Griff 20. Me & You - Field Guide, OurVinyl 21. Book Club - Orchadia 22. Tell Me How You Like Your Coffee - Peach Face 23. Honey + Tea - Mōzi 24. Witches - Alice Phoebe Lou 25. After Midnight - Chappell Roan 26. Coffee In The Morning - The Boswell Sisters 27. Book Club - Ashgroove 28. Ladyfingers - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass 29. body horror - eilonwy 30. Circles - Joshua Bassett 31. Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter 32. Partners in Crime - FINNEAS 33. Sands of Time - Penny Taylor 34. Blue Couch - Kentrello 35. Pulling Teeth - Lucius 36. Witchcraft - Graveyard Club

[4me4you]

Artist: Phoebe Boswell

4me4you recently had the pleasure of visiting Hope 93 Art Gallery, which featured the artist Phoebe Boswell.

Boswell is a versatile, multi-disciplinary artist whose work is rooted in drawing but extends across animation, sound, video, writing, interactivity, and performance. 

Her artistic practice frequently inhabits imaginative realms, where black feminism serves as a tool for envisioning radical new worlds. Boswell's work challenges the objectifying gaze, confronting viewers with a direct, empowered stare. 

She received the Special Prize at the 2017 Future Generation Art Prize, which led to her participation in the Collateral Events programme at the 57th Venice Biennale. 

Her work is held in numerous museum collections globally, and she has exhibited at prestigious international galleries, including Gagosian, Kristin Hjellegjerde, Carroll / Fletcher, and Tiwani Contemporary.

[markdear]

Phoebe Boswell - Like Hydrogen Like Oxygen

[afrotumble]

Phoebe Boswell, Kenyan-British artist. Born 1982, Kenya.

[ceevee5]

“The sculptures were decorated by African diaspora artists from across the U.K., as well as a number from the Caribbean. Among those who contributed designs include Julianknxx, who has an exhibition at the Barbican Curve in 2023, Godfried Donkor, Phoebe Boswell, and Alison Turner. All of them have drawn on their personal experience with Britain’s history with slavery, and how it has impacted people of all backgrounds and races living in the U.K. today.”

[pastedpast]

Another (fantastic) re-telling of the political and religious sixteenth century feud between cousins Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, Protestants and Catholics, focusing on such cultural mediums as printed and illustrated books; paintings and portraits; fashion, embroidery and jewellery-making; language; and music, song and theatre.

Further reading and research:

'Foxe's Book of Martyrs'

The Bacton Altar Cloth

William Byrd (one of Elizabeth's own court musicians at the Chapel Royal who was also secretly composing music to be sung at forbidden, i.e. illegal Catholic masses e.g. 'Agnus Dei, Mass for Four Voices')

The Penicuik Jewels which originally belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots

The Marian Hangings - needlework by Mary and her ladies-in-waiting made between 1569 and 1584 kept at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk

The execution of the Duke of Norfolk for his involvement in a plot to marry Mary and overthrow Elizabeth

The poetry of Elizabeth I

Clergyman William Morgan, translator of The Bible into the Welsh language (the translation took 10 years and was completed in 1588)

The poem 'Dear Mr. Shakespeare' by artist Phoebe Boswell which addresses Shakespeare's complex attitude to race

[maitemarra]

2023 * Sur le fil, exposition collective à URDLA jusqu’au 2 avril 2023 avec Laura Ben Haïba, Rémi De Chiara, Phoebe Boswell, Mario Merz, Anne-Lise Broyer, Laurence Cathala, Lucie Chaumont, Valérie du Chéné, Guillaume Constantin, Anne-Lise Coste, Mark Geffriaud, Marcia Hafif, Christian Lhopital, Jérémy Liron, Sandra Lorenzi, Maïté Marra, Jean Messagier, Tony Morgan, Olivier Notellet, Pierre Pinoncelli, Caroline Sagot-Duvauroux, Sylvie Selig, Karen Serra, Sarah Tritz, Lucy Watts, Faezeh Zandieh photos : Cécile Cayon

[eucanthos]

Phoebe Boswell   (KEN-UK, 1982)

Still from Rapture (detail), 2018. Single-channel video. Courtesy the artist and Sapar Contemporary, New York

Notes on a Lockdown: World View II, 2021. Pastel on paper 44 1/8 x 32 1/8 in (112 x 81.5 cm). Still Life: A Taxonomy of Being

Notes on a Lockdown: The Bewilderf*ck, 2021. Pencil on paper9 5/8 x 12 1/4 in 24.5 x 31.1 cm. Still Life: A Taxonomy of Being

THE SPACE BETWEEN THINGS 14 Dec 2018 - 30 Mar 2019. Curated by Renée Mussai

[subharghyadas]

Multiple black female artists embody the struggles of black womanhood through their art. One such artist I discovered through my Introductory Drawing class was Phoebe Boswell. One of her pieces titled “For Every Real Word Spoken,” portrays the persistent stereotypical understanding of the female body, especially the black female body, as one that is frail, naive, primitive, vulnerable, victimized, and something to be dominated. The pieces consist of a series of nude portraits of various life-size nude pencil portraits of the artist’s friends, fellow artists, curators, and acquaintances holding hand-drawn QR codes,

Check out the artwork here https://www.phoebeboswell.com/#/for-every-real-word-spoken/’

Week 5 Post #5 ART 2103

[nowisthewinter]

“Dear Mister Shakespeare” - A short film inspired by Othello.

Directed by Shola Amoo. Written by Phoebe Boswell.

[directedbywomen]

Prologue: The Lizard of Unmarriedness (It’s All About How You Tell It) by Phoebe Boswell on Vimeo - tonight - Day 48 of my #90minDirectedbyWomen yearlong film viewing practice.

Have you explored Phoebe Boswell’s work?

[his5084]

Also includes Another Round’s interview with Kimberly Drew (aka @museummammy).