In the current state of Reality TV and backstage blogs, we as a world have lost our sense of wonder. And it’s because of one brave artist, Jon Bernad, that we will get it back. He was part of the Venice Art Walk AUCTION, not just as himself, but as an offer for an experiential possibility that attendees could bid on for a good cause, since the money would go directly to The Venice Family Clinic. What that means was that he fearlessly walked up to strangers with a bid sheet around his neck, as opposed to on a table or wall like the other artworks in the auction, and pitched to each new person a different adventure he felt they would want to go on. Everything from skydiving to dinner came up and during his time there he was offered to join unfamiliar faces on white water rafting trips and treks in the Amazonian Rain Forest. I like to say that Jon takes people on Art Adventures, but it’s really so much more than that. He is the only artist that embodies the ultimate truth. For he is only but himself, but his self is great.

I first met Jon at the end of last year via a mutual friend. She told me to put his number in my phone without telling me what Jon did exactly. Was he an artist, a curator, or what? And as soon as I was about to ask him, they both walked off and away into the distance. Months went by and I would see Jon at various art openings, where I’d say ‘Hey Jon! So great to see you, but I’m curious as to what you do?’ And as soon as I would ask him this, he would simply turn and walk away. But it wasn’t in a rude manner. It was rather one of mystery. So, eventually I had a friend text him from their own phone and say ‘I am more mysterious than you’. To which he responded with a confident poem about winning staring contests.

After 4 months of having similar occurrences with Jon, he took out two white business cards from his pocket and said ‘Daniel, pick one’. I did. And when I flipped it over it said on the other side “A Life Without Mystery Is Not Worth Living.” I realized at that point I had been part of an artwork. And then of course Jon looked at me and said “I bet you want to know what’s on the other card” and then yes, walked away.

Since then, Jon and I have become friends, and I’ve still only heard a sliver of his wealth of projects that include going on a cross-country road trip with a stranger he flew out from South Africa, putting positive parking tickets on people’s windshields that have lotto scratchers and scarves instead of fines, and his stories of the Wonder Wars.

Global Rainbow is a large scale, spectacular outdoor laser projection created by the artist, Yvette Mattern. It consists of seven parallel beams of high specification laser light, representing the spectrum of the traditional seven colors of the rainbow, and is designed to be projected across large open sites, particularly densely populated areas. With the projection, the artist intends to encompass geographical and social diversity in its reach and symbolize hope. (via)

FASTWÜRMS is a Canadian artist collective started in 1979 by Kim Kozzi and Dai Skuse, who are associate professors of studio art at the University of Guelph in Ontario. Their artwork seemingly encompass all disciplines – installation, video, manifesto, performance, drawing, etc – and concerns witch positivity, working class aesthetics, queer politics, and public collaborations. Many of the images after the jump are taken from the FASTWÜRMS: DONKEY@NINJA@WITCH catalogue that accompanied a 2007 retrospective at the Art Gallery of York University.

Daniele Papuli’s incredible installations and sculptures at first glance seem like a pool of foaming and rippling water but upon closer examination reveal that they are simply bent and cut sheets of delicate paper. Thousands of sheets of paper bend, fold, and move together in unison creating a dialogue between the spaces and places that they are exhibited in. (via my modern met)

BeMySatellite is a new public initiative founded by LA-based designer, Bora Shin, that will be officially launching it’s first “mission” at 09:32–9:38AM on Monday, 02/26/2011. Starting with Los Angeles County, the initiative aspires to help every individual on planet earth (roughly 9.83 million people – no big deal, right??) collaboratively leave their mark on commercial satellite imagery (think Google, Yahoo, Bing…). Put simply: the project reinterprets a satellite to be one that facilitates creative opportunities for self-expression, public art, and performance as opposed to one that solely documents and monitors the land. More after the jump.

Using social network systems like Twitter and Facebook, the initiative will assign instructions for participants to leave their mark in specific locations around Los Angeles County that the satellite is predicted to be passing. There will be a new mission every day, which will increase the chances of documentation for the participant. Here is a sample of a completed “mission.”

As an artist with a background in visual communication, Shin is also framing this initiative as an attempt to build “geospatial literacy,” making the complicated world of satellite imaging systems accessible as a medium for artists and designers to co-create.

Imagine a satellite view entirely full of public art that is designed specifically to be seen from the scale of a satellite. What if Google Maps really could be a new venue alternative to the every day gallery or museum? There already has been some public artwork built specifically for this “godly” scale, but now the ability to participate in this new kind of performance is at all of our finger tips.

Satellites, in recent years, have become more and more relevant in our everyday lives, whether we have realized it or not. Go participate in the BeMySatellite missions and contribute to a new movement… who knows, maybe the satellite really can belong to the people, and go beyond the standard, commercial, intentions.

No that isn’t the latest alien crop circles. This is the work of  new media artist Sonja Hinrichsen who created this massive installation one step at a time by simply walking in circular patterns. The result is a semi-abstract pattern that mimics leaves on branches of the local snow covered trees. See more images of this simple yet extremely clever installation along with a process video after the jump.

(via inspire me now)

NYC via Philly-based artist, Jayson Musson, (previously), has periodically posted videos to Youtube for about a year now under the header “Art Thoughtz.” In the videos, Musson assumes the identity of satirical figure Hennessy Youngman, a hilarious HipHop head-cum-fine art critic.  Youngman’s brand of satire is the best there is: “make fun of everyone and everything.” So far, Musson’s taken on art world figures as varied as Damien Hirst, Kehinde Wiley, and Marina Abromović, and applied his unique logic in lampooning concepts like institutional critique, surrealism, beauty, and socio/political art. Watch the latest “Art Thoughtz” after the jump.

Peruvian artist Cecilia Paredes gives new meaning to the term “wallflower.” In her recent collection of photographs, entitled “Landscapes,” Paredes seamlessly disappears into a dizzying array of patterned wallpapers, using only paint and, in some cases, simple costumes to complete the transformation. Paredes’ self-painting is so precise that, oftentimes, the only hint of her presence is a flash of sleek brown hair or a pair of gleaming white eyes peering out from the background. Through this disappearing act, Paredes explores themes of displacement and migration, illustrating the difficulties of blending in to new surroundings without completely casting off one’s roots.