We have been thinking about starting our own bulletin board where readers of The Art Life may swap stories, reviews, notices about upcoming exhibitions and have spirited “debate” about art world matters – you know, where so and so says whathisface beat up a guy at the gallery opening because the guy hit that girl and although he’s anti-violence, whathisface was well oiled…
We may still get around to it and we are, as they say, in “discussions” with people who can make it happen. It looks like The Art Forum may have already beaten us to it. It’s a BBS about art open to everyone. It has sections where one may discuss ceramics, drawing, painting and “Philosophy and Ideas.”
Our invitation to artists, galleries and other art related blogs to send us their links (on a reciprocal basis) is still open. Stuart Bailey, an artist from Canberra sent us his link and it’s a really good looking site with some good looking art as well. We are really taken with his wall drawings. Another site we found recently is Ben Frost’s site which is a good preview of the kind of work he’ll be showing at Blank Space in late May.
Two OS web sites we’ve just listed are competing for subscribers – one is Art Info and the other is Art Price – sites with commercial aspirations for their content which covers auction, news and links to artist’s sites and other commercial sites. Art Info is part of LTB Holdings, the New York based company that has been on an aggressive takeover campaign which has seen their empire expand to include, Art + Auction, Art Review and, more recently, buy out and relaunch Modern Painters. Financed by the private Louise T Blouin Foundation, the group is also tipped to be on the look out for a flagship American title to round out its stable of prestigious mastheads – possibly the venerable Art Forum. And who is overseeing this rapidly expanding empire? None other than former Australian Art Collector publisher (and part time poet) Ben Crawford. Blimey.
