MORE EXCELLENT PRESS AND ATTENTION THIS WEEK FOR BRENDAN TANG

Another week, another great press notice on ceramic artist Brendan Tang, this time from the Toronto Star in conjunction with his exhibition at the Gardiner Museum of Art:
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/889756--breaking-boundaries-not-your-grandmother-s-gardiner-museum 


The Gardiner Museum also posted an excellent video of the exhibition along with interviews from the artists on youtube, which you can catch at:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91j_EceNG3c


And if you haven't already noticed, Brendan is currently taking off like a rocket.  Tomorrow is the announcement of the Sobey Prize, of which Brendan is a finalist (one of five) and which carries a $50,000 first prize award.  We can't wait to find out the results, but regardless of the outcome Tang has truly solidified an important position in the international dialogue of contemporary art through his work in the last year.  Two of his Plus Gallery vessels will be reappearing next year in the Denver Art Museum's exhibition "Extreme Dirt," one of which landed in a prestigious private collection this week.  Anyone with a taste for investing in art may want to consider the other before his prices skyrocket well beyond their current level.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE SOBEY ANNOUNCEMENT, BRENDAN TANG WINS ANOTHER PRESTIGIOUS ART AWARD

The reason why our newsletter maintains a weekly presence is mostly due to the fact that the artists we work with are resoundingly making strides across the board with their art careers.  None moreso than Canadian artist Brendan Tang, who we had the pleasure of introducing last summer in our highly lauded Biennial of the Americas exhibition "You Are Here."  Anyone who has followed the gallery since summer knows that Brendan's stature has been on the rise all year, first with his nomination for the prestigious Sobey Art Prize, which he is now a finalist for (with winner to be announced next week), followed by scads of press from a variety of sources, and this week once again with his receipt of another prestigious award, the 10th annual Winifred Shantz award for ceramics which carries a $10,000 dollar purse.  What does all this mean for Brendan's career? Well, we have confirmed that two of his works from our exhibition will go not only to the 67th Scripps Ceramic Annual in California this winter, but will also return back to Denver for inclusion in next year's focus on clay exhibition at the Denver Art Museum.  Anyone looking for a solid acquisition should consider these works now while you still can, Tang's inventory has been largely depleted recently by collectors from his major exhibitions in Montreal and Toronto......and that's all before next week's exciting announcement of the Sobey winner.

BRENDAN TANG WORKS NOW ON VIEW IN MONTREAL FOR SOBEY ART PRIZE

Plus Gallery artist Brendan Tang, who came to the gallery by way of this summer's "Biennial of the Americas" now has his work on view in Montreal at the Musee d'art Contemporain as a finalist for the 2010 Sobey Art Prize.  The winner of this year's prestigious award will be announced November 18th, stay tuned.  Here are some views of Brendan's excellent work at the exhibition.

Brendan's work's installed with exceptional mood lighting

And here's Tang's full page report in the current Canadian edition of Elle, which sums his status up very nicely.

LINKS TO THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE PLUS GALLERY RELATED PRESS

BRENDAN TANG: Clay and Glass Gallery announces annual ceramic and glass award finalists
http://news.therecord.com/arts/arts/article/785849 


JENNY MORGAN PORTRAIT IN NY MAGAZINE
http://nymag.com/news/features/establishments/68494/ 


MIKE WHITING RHINO TO SOON ADD DIMENSION TO THE RINO DISTRICT
http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/2010/10/the_river_north_art_district_gains_a_new_mascot_a_rhino_grows_in_rino.php 

CANADIAN ARTIST BRENDAN TANG GETS SET FOR "SOBEY ART AWARDS" EXHIBITION

Tang is one of five artists from Canada under the age of 40 up for the award, with the exhibition starting soon in Montreal.  We just received the invite and wish this talented artist the best of luck in scooping up the award.  Come see his work now at Plus Gallerybefore they leave for the 67th Scripps Ceramic Annual ceramic show later this year.

THANKS TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED OUR BIENNIAL OPENING LAST FRIDAY

The energy was tremendous and Denver proved that a commercial contemporary art gallery can holds its own against the rest of the high-profile events that collectively make up a solid portion of this inaugural biennial.  Word from many who attended is that this is one dazzling exhibition, all of the artists on view receiving solid response with extra special wow's for Douglas Walker's exquisite painting.

As with any exhibition we host, having a strong opening is one thing, but the real impact of the art comes from a personal encounter during the run of the show.  We encourage everyone to come see one of our best efforts to date, and another solid reason why Plus Gallery is considered one of the top spots for contemporary art in Denver.

Visiting artist Brendan Tang was with us for the opening and wowed everyone who met him, proving once again that artists can be personable, fun and extremely bright.  Tang gave a deep and engaging discussion of his work on Saturday, anyone interested in seeing what they missed can view all five segments on youtube by linking to:


Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i8xiOlG4j0


Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J92J2gRhJ8g
Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rW4sF6emi4


Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui2YDNsVjfw


Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsvUGq7b2gw 

Brendan Tang speaks before appreciative crowd at Plus Gallery

Extra special thanks to the team behind the Biennial of the Americas, including the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, for their encouragement and for providing us the opportunity to host such a spectacular and important exhibition.  And finally a big salute to Canada's Consulate General and their team, along with Suncor Energy, for supporting our efforts and also making Friday's night's opening such a success.

ARTIST TALK WITH BRENDAN TANG THIS SATURDAY, JULY 10TH AT 4pm

Come join us in meeting Canadian artist Brendan Tang and listen to him discuss his artwork, his thoughts on being a finalist for the 2010 Sobey Art Award, and what he thinks of Denver's Biennial of the Americas.  Informal, informative and fun for all who attend, we promise!

SAVE THE DATES FOR UPCOMING PLUS GALLERY EVENTS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

Friday, July 2nd
An evening with prominent National Performance artist Gary Setzer, who is touring with his latest "Supralingual/Sublingual: The Tongue is the Terrain."  The performance coincides with First Friday, and will also serve as a closing night celebration for "Invincible Cohort."  Performance starts at 8pm.

Friday, July 9th

Opening reception for Plus Gallery Biennial exhibition "You Are Here,"  hosted in conjunction with the Canadian Consulate General and Suncor Energy, 7-9pm

Saturday, July 10th
Get to know Canadian artist Brendan Tang @ 4pm!  Brendan is a finalist for the Sobey Art Award, which is a major deal (see below).  Please join us in welcoming Brendan and meeting one of the future international art superstars.

Friday, July 24th

An evening with Jenny Morgan and Tim Pourbaix.  Morgan comes to Denver to unveil a new painting, and her boyfriend Tim will perform an exclusive musical set at the gallery that night starting at 7pm.  RSVP only, and not to be missed!

BIENNIAL ARTIST BRENDAN TANG NAMED FINALIST THIS WEEK FOR SOBEY ART AWARD!

The biggest news at Plus Gallery this week is that Brendan Tang, one of our five artists that  will be on view (and in attendance) for our upcoming Biennial of the Americas exhibition "You Are Here" was chosen as a finalist for Canada's prestigious "Sobey Art Award."  The status secures Tang's minimum cash prize of $5k, with the chance for tremendously larger bounty if he is the final winner.  In our opinion, this makes him one of the most honored current artists of the Biennial, we do hope you will come see what all the buzz is about regarding his work.  Read about the Sobey Award at:

http://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/en/sobeyartaward/news/shortlist2 

Brendan Tang's "Manga Ormolu 5.0.b, coming to Denver for the Biennial

BIENNIAL OF THE AMERICAS: PLUS GALLERY ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ON BRENDAN TANG

Plus Gallery is  bringing some serious talent from up north to Denver for our upcoming Biennial of the Americas exhibition "You are Here" in July.  In leading up to the kickoff, Plus Gallery will offer notes and images on the five artists we have selected for our exhibition, recently recommended by the Denver Post in their summer preview last weekend:
http://www.milehighmamas.com/2010/05/31/big-exhibits-bloom-all-over-town-tut-the-biennial-and-an-outdoor-henry-moore/

First up is Brendan Tang, one of the lead artists we selected in moving our concept forward.  We became aware of Brendan's artwork through our friend Rob at Object + Thought, and were thoroughly captivated by his unique combination of contemporary Manga motifs with Ming-dynasty era porcelain.  Further investigation into the artist revealed not only one of the highlights of the Canadian market, but an international caliber artists whose career is on the rise. It is clear that no stereotype or border has the capacity to contain Brendan Tang, his ceramic works have made their way across borders and into museums and numerous prestigious galleries throughout Canada and the United States.

Brendan Tang in studio

Manga Ormolu Version 5.0-b

Work in progress

And finished

Tang began his artistic endeavors at the Malaspina University Collage in British Columbia, followed by a Bachelor of the Visual Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.  His education was not all-canadian however, having finished his studies with a Masters of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University.  Tang's work has been shown at The Vancouver Art Gallery, Ottawa Art Gallery, The Power Plant in Toronto, Montreal Arts Intercultural, Gardner Museum in Toronto and The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. In addition, Tang and his artwork have been published in various print sources, including Hi-Fructose, Fuse, and Clay Times, the prominent blog Boing Boing as well as countless other print and online sources. Most significantly, Tang was selected just two months ago for consideration of the Sobey Art Award, Canada's most prestigious prize for contemporary art confirming his importance and fueling the progression of his popularity across borders.

We are also pleased to announce that Brendan will be joining us for the opening of our exhibition on July 9th, as well as an artist talk that weekend.   We highly recommend advance collector consideration of his works prior to the show.

Recent press references can be found at:

http://www.canadianart.ca/online/reviews/2010/05/20/brendan-tang/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=EWeeklyCampaign&utm_content=1060580298&utm_campaign=CanadianArtMay202010&utm_term=BrendanTang 

 

http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/movies/story.html?id=2700550&p=1 

Information on the artists nominated for the Sobey Art Award can be found at:

http://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/en/sobeyartaward/2010sobeyartaward/2010longlist/default.aspx 

To see more on Brendan and his work, visit his website at

http://www.brendantang.com