Diana Arce
visualosmosis

Total Redesign!

I decided over the weekend that I was going to gift myself a redesign of my website. so I hopped along over to my favorite designer and good friend’s site and decided to pilfer a few of his elements and upgrade to HTML5 and CSS3.

I am by no means a designer or a programmer, but the bit of knowledge that I’ve gathered from the wonderful Tobias K. and the internet has allowed me to really implement the kind of layout and elements that I’ve wanted for a while. Plus with 960.gs, I’ve pretty much can layout a webpage much like I do print media in Indesign and Quark.

Most artist websites tend to be replicas of the white box IRL gallery and nightmarish to navigate, with bogus name plate or single image introductory pages, taking many clicks to get to actual information and no place to search and find what you a looking for. Sometimes it’s nice to just see what’s there and not have to dig around too much.

I think that is what Tobias was able to create for me in the original design from 2006; but the blog shape for my projects has been something I’ve not been a fan of. I’ve always wanted a page where you could see most of my work at a glance and sort through them according to media/artform type.

So get ready, because some new things are on the horizon!

Now on VYou!... Ask a question

Notes from the Front

1. Update CV on website. Done!
2. Rewrite and upload Artist Bio Done!
3. Write new Artist Statement
4. Upload Projects from the Last 2 years
5. Finish PhD Application

This is just the tip of the Iceberg. I am hoping to update my Portfolio and more actively apply to Artist Residencies and programs. There are some other great projects on the horizon and hopefully a few collaborations in the near future.

At the moment, I have two shows coming up; one in Prague and another piece (a collaboration) that will be on view as part of the UdK Rundgang in Berlin. Details soon to follow.

Currently in Southern Germany spending a bit of time among friends: it’s always good to have a bit of calm before the onset of too much work!

The Art of the Steal and Work of Art or Why I may possibly reside outside of the US forever

As a part of my long furlough outside of Germany, I have made a point of trying to really educate myself in aspects of American Art and Culture, History, as well as Politics. Mostly, what I have found has not been to my liking and not really sustainable to my lifestyle.

More and more I find the lack of regard for society, culture and space to be very disturbing and sad. The biggest oil spill ever to occur in the world has happened and the irresponsibility of the guilty parties have devastated an already destroyed part of the US. A Republican representative are implying that a move to a more socialist based model of government will lead to unrest as bad as or worse than Greece. Virginia, the state which I refuse to recognize as home, has filed a lawsuit trying to break the Health Care Act. Access to clean water and foods that are not genetically modified or full of hormones will go the way (and have been for a while) of that of Welfare and the economy. And while the whole country is morbidly obese and slowly dying of cancer, the government is feeding this, by pumping people full of the High Fructose Corn Syrup that is definitely killing them. Try to buy some bread or anything for that matter without High fructose corn syrup in it: It is extremely complicated and rather expensive.

And if my animosity could get any worse, Bravo TV has made a show truly commodifying the art-making experience called Work of Art: The Next Great Artist. It truly displays all of the horrible stereotypes of artists and their rich “well educated” appreciators. And in Don Argott’s The Art of the Steal I got to watch the process of stealing a collection of art, that’s legacy was meant to be an educational tool for students and true art appreciators, to a tool for the elite.

Europe is in no way perfect, but when reading and watching about things such as these, I am very happy to call Berlin home.

Six Month American Vacation, Quitting Facebook and other notes from the Front.

1. Blog about feelings of quitting Facebook.
2. Consider joining Twitter.
3. Emailing and keeping in better contact with friends.
4. Continue Yoga practice.
5. Start hiking daily on the island.
6. Take pictures of Fire Mountain Farm’s flock of sheep.
7. Convince Toni to mail me Super 8 Camera.
8. Blog about Artist reality show.
9. Revisions of papers long overdue.

October 22nd 8PM: Artist Talk about Politaoke

Side by Side Studio in Berlin invited me to give a talk about Politaoke for the 4th edition of “Kunst Apotheke Salon”: http://www.sidebysidestudio.net/spip.php?rubrique10

Kunst Apotheke Salon
, 22.10.09, 8-11pm, Wildenbruchstr 4, 12045 Berlin, back house, 2.O.G., Door: Li, I-Wei

We will have the following presentations: (click below for complete program!)

Dead Collective: Nam June Paik and/or Poltergeist Machine @ Neurotitan Gallery

Here is an invitation to the group show where I am showing a portion of my new research from the Dead Collective.

Urban Witches Not Bitches
@ Neurotitan Gallery
im Haus Schwarzenberg
2.Hof, 1.Stock
Rosenthalerstraße 39
10178 Berlin-Mitte

Vernissage Saturday, August 15th, 20:00 with live performances

to be followed by party downstairs at the
Club Eschschloraque Rümschrümp

The Urban Witches are:
Diana Arce
Fake Mistress
Lucy A.Roberts
Legs Akimbo
Rubbish Fairy

The Commercial Art World has deflated so I am going to Barcelona

So, I’ve been realy busy since getting back from the Politaoke Tour, moving back to Berlin. Then there was the Akademie der Kunst and back to school at the UdK Berlin, Berlinale, Transmediale and every other kind of -ale there is.

I have a show coming up in Barcelona that I’ve been preparing for, but in the meantime, the New York Times has announced that the commercial art boom is once again dead and art can live again

Will there be a rise of content over asthetism? Will new mechanisms be made in order for artists to sell their work without the gallery?

Back on Tour

So, I never added updates here but I’m very active on the Politaoke website. Princeton University and Reed College are bringing me back for two more shows and I have another show in NYC as well as a lecture I am giving at Pacific Northwest College of Art. I’ve also transfered to the Master’s program at the University of Art in Berlin and am now a Fellow of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Expect an updated CV in the future as well of more information about Politaoke and other works!

Wow, Bad on the updates

I’ve been over at my political karaoke website, Politaoke. and managed to not really keep this page updated with what is going on. Later this week, I will add some more information regarding the tour and new dates as they come in. I’m also hoping to add some more videos to the YouTube as well as the Myspace page and Facebook group which are both linked on the main site.

As for other Politaoke events, a second Weimar edition will take place and a Tour of Germany is being planned for 2009. I will also making a Canadian Tour on the 5th of September, taking a short break after the Republican Convention to head up to Montreal.