US artists, where are you?

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Wezen, 2003-2004, at the Düsseldorf Quadriennale 2006.


International Herald Tribune has a wide coverage of art happenings around the world. One often gets the pleasure of reading them on the international flight... what a refreshing smell.
I shall not criticize the homogeny of contemporary US art because i myself am also one of those who are still trapped in the trading of traditional sculptures and paintings. Great thinkers in the art world are actively performing in the euro market, I want to bash my head against the wall for one, I wish i can be that good; two, our "art costco" has not yet learned to appreciate art with content. The vicious circle of conservative collectors and fearful artists cultivates mold in young artists' hearts.

anyway, IHT offers slide show with major articles on art. What a feast when you can't get real Chinese food in Chinese restaurants any more!!
and talking about Chinese, don't be fooled by the hot tamale Chinese contemporary art market. Most collectors are real estate developers who have too much money laying around. "let's do art today," they say, "until renewable energy or africa becomes the next investment babe."


The large-as-life figures of Manolo Valdés's "Las Meninas" saunter along a traffic island near the Düsseldorf opera house. Manolo Valdés, Las Meninas, Düsseldorf.