Chelsea gallery crawl - spring edition

First of all - woof! - its getting hot out there. When its too hot to wear the knee height doc martens, its just plain too hot. Don't know if my little SF wimpy character can survive another NYC summer. Ugh.

Okay, that's too much complaining already. Actually, in the shade it was pleasant, and really the summer weather is nice to walk from gallery to gallery, and even stop and enjoy a coffee in a cafe along the way. Wasn't that long ago that I was complaining about the cold and Chelsea heaters!

So we saw quite a bit, but only a few on which I want to remark.

The impressive show for the day was the Davor Vrankic show at The Proposition Gallery. First let me say that there is no way the images online or in the press or any reproduction whatsoever will do any justice at all to the work*. These were truly strange and disturbing imagery which had they been slick or glossy would have been really hard to take in. The thing that catches and holds the eye is the unbelievable and masterful hand which is evident in the creation of these works. They are finely crafted graphite on paper drawings. The distortion and lighting are fantastic and incredibly alluring. All made with distinct pencil marks on paper. If you haven't already, really you should go see this show. Let me know what you think.

On a lighter note and a pleasant escape was the Olafur Eliasson show at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Always one to play with light and spatial information, this show was a stylish showing by Eliasson. There are four pieces being shown - two worth seeing are the water/light refraction/reflection piece in the lower gallery and the mirror/light refraction/reflection piece in the upstairs gallery. Both pieces create patterns with light and shadow and let the viewer drift away in a kaleidoscope of shapes and shadows. The water piece is nicely affected by people moving about the gallery, causing shudders and waves to be cast along the curving walls of the piece.

We also stopped in to see the wonderful curiosities that are the sculptures of Joe Fig at Plus Ultra. It was a fascinating look inside artist's studios (I particularly liked the Julie Mehretu studio piece) and provided the wonderment of miniature. The concept of owning a Joe Fig reproduction of the studio of an artist I like is an interesting conceptual consideration.

Also took a moment to read over the funny and provocative "joint mission statement" outside Plus Ultra and Schroeder Romero. If you want to know more about it, let Edward_ tell you. (It's by William Powhida).

*Which is why I won't even bother to post an image here because it will pre-influence you. If you really want you can click on the links to the gallery, but don't. Just go see the show.

Thinking about a career change

I've always been enamored of design projects. I am an avid reader of Apartment Therapy, and I love the work of J Prichard and her delicious and intriguing organic installations that are frequently used as interior design. I enjoy well crafted and funky jewelry design like this.

So it was no surprise when at dinner recently, my friend K-Rocket suggested that I create works that were more design focused. "Heck," she said, "you ought to study architecture!" That got a laugh when I pointed out that, um, I did as an undergrad... (She said that explained a lot in my work).



So imagine my surprise (eat your heart out Pierson/Doonan!) when I saw a RUG (yes rug) in the ABC Carpets window that looked suspiciously like a felt project I had been wanting to do! (But hadn't yet of course). It was inspired by the funny little tubes that grow out of the base of a palm tree. I will upload a picture of the sketch when I find my sketch books (yeh, they are still packed). But I gotta say, its a cool rug!

Funny how often similar strains of thought occur during the same time period. I am especially not surprised given our current culture of information sharing and globalization.

Chocolate Heaven

Sorry to have been a little absent lately, last week we lost our kitty (of almost 16 years). For those who have had an animal for that long, you understand how difficult it can be. You find yourself missing their presence in everything you do. A friend said, "losing a pet is the hardest because their love is uncompromised."

Jordan, our chocolate black cat with minty green eyes has lived with me in 6 cities, and at least twice as many apartments. She was with me through good times and bad and brought me love, laughter and peace. She was the softest, silkiest cat I have ever touched. We sometimes called her puppy cat, because there were things she did (like meet us at the door) that were more like a dog. She loved taking walks in the garden, she loved playing with the neighbor dog, she loved sunshine, cuddling in bed, sleeping late and playing games. She was incredibly brave and strong through her illnesses of the past couple of years, always taking everything in her graceful stride.

I have learned more than I realize from her, and she has been by my side as I have grown and changed. She was a constant muse to me and always loved helping to create my artwork. She will always have a place in my heart. Even her passing is something from which I will learn and grow.

My wonderful chocolate kitty - Jordan, 1990-2006

A smattering of a lot of things

Had a number of things I wanted to comment on, some may or may not develop into further, longer posts.

First up 'Artists have all the fun' - I had this idea for a street art piece (I do a number of different projects that are 'street' oriented, usually under a psuedonymn). This piece was to search for open bluetooth lines our on the street or on the subway. In any given crowded car I can usually find one or two open bluetooth connections. I would then send a picture or a poem to these open phones. I tried it out a bit last week and it worked out well, since most people don't understand their bluetooth and are always surprised to get a message on the train. Here's the post-able part. (It's the age old argument of why is art that which an artist claims is art). If I do this project and say, oh its an art project... but a hacker does it and sends messages to people over their open connections, then, well its a hack or an invasion of privacy? I am pretty sure I could find tons of discussions on this out on the internet, but I just thought I would throw out a new twist on the argument. Okay, now that I have written it, it doesn't seem so interesting.

Next, finally Simon Doonan gets his say in the apparent pariah-making to which he has been subjected by Jack Pierson and Cheim & Reid. I saw early postings regarding this and thought it was beyond ridiculous. Not only are the Pierson works in and of themselves not terribly original, it is completely beyond absurd that it was taken to the level of vitriol that it was. Hooray for Simon Doonan for pointing out the silliness of the claims and the obvious publicity boost which the artist and gallery have received.

Finally, the fascination with the 'young' as profiled in the Times piece on the MFA shows, and discussed on Edward Winkleman's blog is gross and damaging. As much as I wanted to receive notice in grad school (and I did quite well thank you despite the mini recession we were experiencing) I was also really afraid of it and hesitant to put myself out to much. I just kept thinking about how it is a known joke that those who were super popular in high school fizzle out quickly thereafter. I do appreaciate the mention that the grad schools don't teach enough about the commercial art world (I think this is an important and sadly lacking feature of MFA programs), but I shudder to think the negative impact of being 'discovered' too young.

Update: Interesting article here

Sorry these aren't better thought out, I am excessively tired this morning...

Updates:

• Apparently in the world of Architecture, cutting edge happens later in life.
• I have to get some pictures of the rugs (yes rugs!) at ABC carpet that look like my work - ala the Doonan/Peirson debacle.
  

Last Call!

JT is posting a last call for artists interested in participating in his Artists Interview Artists project. It's a great project that has uncovered some interesting points of view. If you haven't participated already, then do so!

Note: Um, no I haven't participated yet, although I think about it a lot. Been too lazy (I was going to say busy) to come up with questions, and when I do, I tend to post them here instead. Maybe I could just compile and send...

Covering what?

I heard in an NPR discussion last week on Studio 360*. It was a discussion with Kenji Yoshino, who wrote Covering: The Hidden Assault On Our Civil Rights. The blurb on the website sums it up nicely: how we all distort our identities at some point in our lives—even if it’s just concealing a tattoo or pretending to like sports.

It got me to thinking about my experience in Morgan Lehman gallery. I had a really wonderful open, friendly and interesting conversation with someone** who seemed very much to be in charge there. I did however at the keep thinking "Don't ask my name, don't ask my name" You know why? Because I had sent them a packet a little while back. And as foolish as it seems, I didn't want them thinking that I was just there pandering. I was actually there in my capacity of 'viewer/blogger/collector,' not in the artist role.

Does that seem a bit strange? Should I be afraid to admit that I really like the artwork they show and that's the reason I sent my work in? And I am asking the prices on the works because I would really like to buy one?

It made me think how there are other ways in which I cover within the artist/blogger/curator/collector role. I think it is hard to be successful at all three at once, so I surmise that most who wear different mantles cover to a certain degree. I am often surprised to find out that an arts administrator is an accomplished artist, or the same for a curator, journalist, or critic. I am always well impressed with the accomplishment.

How do other artists handle it? Do y'all cover? Do you take advantage (and I don't mean that in a bad way) of situations?

*It took me a REALLY long time to figure out which program I had heard it on, all I could remember was that I was driving (it was a rental for getting my kitty to the vet) around the Lower East Side trying to get on the FDR, couldn't even remember if it was Friday or Saturday that I heard it!

**I really am not the type of person who knows whos who in the art world, which may be a good thing or a bad thing - I don't know. I am so bad with name/face recognition that when a celebrity walks by (it really does happen a lot here), if I even notice them, than I look at them and think 'Do I know them? Did I go to school with them?" I must look like a dumb puppy staring at them absent mindedly.

By the way, huge thanks to Tyler Green over at Modern Art Notes for giving my stats a bump today! Imagine my surprise, especially since I hadn't yet read through all of my rss feeds (including his) for the day. (And I know all of you bloggers check your stats too).

interconnectedness

I haven't had a good internet connection since the move, so I am posting this from my phone (kinda techweenie). Couple that with the fact that I didn't get much sleep thanks to the highly volatile but at times quite interesting and insightful argument about race that was going on outside my window at 4 am... Let's just say I can't guarantee a fully formed post. I will update with links and more pictures when I get my connection back.

I'm not going to write the whole list of things I saw, just those i liked.

I have found a few galleries that seem to always have a good show. Top of that list is Morgan Lehman. I have raved about previous shows and had once again noted that I wanted to see the show but couldn't remember why. To my very pleasant surprise they were showing works by my favorite San Francisco street muralist, Andrew Schoultz. His work has always had a great deal of energy which he balances with a studied attention to line. His new drawings showed an increased intensity that shone through the work. The drawings still contain many of his archetypal images - birds in flight, wide eyed elephants, birdhouses, and trees and piles of logs. In this series he has introduced the imagery of the armored horse. He has also brought in jolts of color bursting forth in radiant lines from the various objects. The energy and excitement (and fun) that he had in making these is apparent. I am really glad that Morgan Lehman has brought Schoultz's work to new york. I also enjoyed a really pleasant conversation with the gallerist regarding Schoultz's work and that of some of the other artists they represent. He had hoped to bring a larger contingent of San Francisco artists in to show, but Libby Black and Josephine Taylor didn't have any new work. It was a fun conversation which shows the keen interest which they have in finding interesting new work which fits their sensibilities (which seem to be a certain obsessive quality laced with sensuousness (is that even a word?) and playfulness (or experimentation). I also remarked on the wonderful fact that there seemed to be a real interest in drawing in Chelsea right now.

This was borne out by the strong showing of sculptures and drawings by David Opdyke at Roebling Hall (another with a run of good shows). Opdyke's work were executed with a sharp political wit, a keen eye for structure and detail and a magnificent sense of irony. The works took on various political overtones (a fractured map of the U.S., a dollar bill detail made of toy war games). He has the ability to articulate ideas poignantly through both his large "scale model" sculptures and his deft ink on paper work.

Another gallery dishing out consistently good shows is Josee Bienvenue. The current show of works of paper by Noriko Ambe was another that pandered to my love of obsessive works. Ambe creates landscapes by stacking thousands of sheets of cut paper. This practice is not so new, but the works in which she placed stacks of the paper in flat file drawers with the bottoms cut out, took the work to a more interesting level. By moving the drawers in and out to varying depths, one could create a huge variety of new landscapes.

And speaking of landscapes, I had to stop by Pace Wildenstein to see the enormous (of course) new installation by Tara Donovan. A massive rolling (and sometimes mountainous and cliffed) landscape created by stacks of paper cups. The translucency of the cups gave the piece undulating shades of light and dark, yellows and blues. Walking into the space I was taken aback by the magnitude of the work. As I walked around one side I enjoyed the shape and light. As I continued to circumambulate (yeh I did) the piece, the interest and appeal started to wear off. By the time I was done. I was done. I didn't walk out with any residual feeling of awe, interest or excitement (unlike walking out of the other shows profiled here), which is kind of a bummer because I do tend to like Donovan's works.

a little love goes a long way

I love Carol Es' artwork and I love her words. But I promise not to hug, unless she wants me too. I just wanted to share her wonderful words with you. I think she's far more brilliant than people who use big words.

moving...

We moved this weekend (check out the new neighborhood at http://www.communitywalk.com/map/2616), and it has been quite a long process. We signed the lease over a month ago, and were completely packed and ready to go a week before our move date. Part of what that means is that my mind has been focused on other things, and part is that the projects i have been working on are packed away until we get things sorted out. I am very much in the habit of working on the large drawings on and off throughout the day - for what works out to a couple of hours a day. I am not surprised then to find that not having them to work on is, well uncomfortable. Like that itch you can't reach. I have plenty of things to keep me busy, including clearing up enough space to work on them, but i am having trouble doing that because i would rather just work on them. It's an odd catch 22, but i suppose not such a bad one to have.
I worked on some submissions prior to the move, including one for creating organic interventions throughout the city and subway (think fungi in those end windows of the L train cars).
I hope to have things in order by this weekend, and will be putting together the large drawings (decided to use soft gel medium instead of latex - at least until i change my mind again) which i will post images of as well.
Given that we also have more wall space in the new apartment, i am planning to hang more of my work (including myth and ambition) and i am excited about doing some wall drawings with the new water solubale graphite pencils.

a little rest from the wicked

(The wicked being the Biennial).

This is from my expedition on Friday...

Went out today for a day in the city. Considered going to see the Biennial, but after seeing the following two shows, which I really enjoyed, I didn't want to ruin my mood. The first show, Ernesto Caivano at Guild & Greyshkul was a wonderful surprise. I knew it was on my list of things to see (thanks ArtCal), but couldn't remember why or what the work might be. The brilliance of the work was refreshing. The press release (I read it after viewing the work) was in itself a work of art, but since G&G doesn't have it on its site, I will pull some text from an earlier review by Douglas Max Utter in Angle Magazine:

In a distant, heavily wooded dimension, lovers are separated for a thousand years. As the centuries pass each slowly realizes different potentials of the mind and spirit: he becomes a knight, intimately in tune with the natural world. She becomes a spaceship—reason and its achievements incarnate. These two halves of a neo-Platonic world soul communicate through birds known as philapores, which Caivano says means “love of pores.” He also remarks they cannot fly but are able to pass through dense matter. Inscribed on their feathers is critical information and coding, which passes between the lovers with much difficulty and effort. The salvation of the natural and spiritual environment is at stake.

The work, all ink on paper, ranged in size from about 4"x4" to about 47"x139". The subject matter was elusive, but not unattainable. The small drawings looked like extracts from a Victorian botany reference book. The larger drawings incorporated references to landscape and technology, organic flora and strange dust clouds. The drawings contained large masses of blackness, topped with light, fine and precise renderings, several of the drawings also included technicolor aspects which aided the link to futurism. (I was most fascinated by the deftly and delicately rendered clouds of minuscle 'dust' - for lack of a better term).

I also visited Sumi, a gallery on West Broadway. Sandwiched in between the high octane shops of Soho, this gallery offers a wonderful respite from the cacophony outside its doors. The show was entitled 'artintme' and was brought to my attention by my friend James Jack, who had work in the show. The curatorial preface of the show was art that is intimate and personal in both its creation and presentation. All of the work succeeded in representing this thesis in a variety of ways - all bringing to bear their own cultural identity and personal history on the work. I also (imho) felt that there was a strong secondary curatorial thesis at play - an idealized sense of serenity within an object or mark.

Most of the works fit within this secondary theme and worked well, but there were a few works which, while they fit within the stated curatorial theme, because of their disonance within the secondary unstated theme presented a distraction from the overall presentation of the show. The works were interesting on their own level, but the curatorial oversight left them out of synch with the rest of the show.

The works which did work together did so on a variety of levels. They included finely crafted works of intensity by Ilan Katin, Jasmine Sian and Regine Polenz. Katin's books of line drawings are intricate marks with seem to reference the passing of time. Polenz' comic book style drawings and her sculptural abstraction of them remove the frame of reference and leave the viewer lost in non-narrative. Sian creates floral drawings (remniscient of wallpaper or upholstery) and filigree cut outs from ultr-thin deli-paper, rendering that which is normally a discarded bit of refuse into a refined object of fragility.

Other artists, James Jack, Bodo Korsig, Gyoko Yoshida and Brad Paley explored the visual representation of the mark, Jack's work, while beautiful in its epemerality (they were photos of calligraphic marks made with water on rocks) suffered from a lack of explanatory text, poor display (they deserved to be treated more preciously) and the strange curatorial decision which placed his work on one side next to some of the distracting work (see above) which was brightly colored. On the other side of his work though was work with whom he shared the affinity for delicacy. Yoshida's work consisted of barely there marks on sheer organza (which - since we are offering opinions - suffered itself from the artists decision to place this spare and delicate work on bulky and distracting wooden frames). Kosig explores the mark through stark and reference laden black wall mounted sculptures. Paley's work utilized a fascinating tool called a text arc to analyze 'The Tale of Genji' to create a visual representation of the weight of words and their use within the book.

So you can see how these two escapist (whether through a fantastical world of arcadia and utopia or through acts of meditative intimacy) would leave me unprepared for the whitney. I, too, am tired of the violence - but how to react? Do we hide under a rock, provide a salve or express yourself in simplistic terms? Me I prefer to find a way to create work which will change the world by affecting positive action.

Technorati tags: art, galleries, drawings, sculptures

And the beat goes on

After wading through all the posts about the art fairs this weekend, I headed out to see Pulse today. I decided not to see Scope because of this and this, and this along with the list of galleries helped me decide to go to Pulse. And in the end (maybe it was me) I felt like it was "a nice show" yeh, nothing really jumped out as either great or awful. It was a lot of the things you see in Chelsea (obviously because of the many Chelsea galleries there) and it was nice to see works from other galleries around the world, but few were really that different.

So the interesting thing around the art fairs this year is more about what they represent, and their timing. I think there was a lot of thunder stolen from them by both the recent occurence of Art Basel Miami and all of its side fairs, as well as the recent opening of the Whitney Biennial. It just gets weary with so much hype around everything.

But I do think the continuing expansion of the art fairs is interesting for what it represents. It brings all sorts of galleries into a small space in a short amount of time for collectors to sweep in and pick up what they are most interested in - kind of like a mall for art. It is also interesting in the fact that the galleries have to chose specific artists to highlight - and most keep it to a small roster so as not to create a distracting environment for selling. So this means that the collectors are seeing a select few artists - only galleries allowed in are showing and only the artists chosen to come to the fair are shown. It also means that if there are repeats of the same artist in different booths (Christian Maycheck -above- and Seth Koen), that artist either comes off looking hot, over-hyped, or played out (I'm not a collector so I can't say which, but it made me feel uneasy).

Going to a fair on the last day was a bit odd too, it's like watching a movie that everyone else saw opening weekend, and you're watching it 10 years later. (Or something like that, I was going to try a race horse past its prime allegory). And the most overheard conversation (I really heard it a few times)

gallerist #1: So, did you have a good show?
gallerist #2: We did! We made some sales and some great connections!

I've always suspected that a number of sales would take place after the fair, but I will have to check in with my gallerist friend who participated in a show in the fall to see if that is true.

Fairs all gone now, we can get back to bashing the Whitney.

Technorati tags: Pulse Art Fair, Art, Galleries, Collectors

When ideas collide

So it often happens that there are waves of thoughts which occur in all aspects of culture, including, of course, the art world. Its like when three galleries in Chelsea are all showing works somehow involving maps, or that there are a lot of shows which involve drawn patterns. (I've seen both of these waves, among others over the past few months).

And so too, it has happened recently to me. It is probably more likely to happen when there is a specific curatorial theme to which the works are responding.

After some well founded procrastination (house hunting) we finally made it to Smack Mellon to see the Site 92 show. A promise of both Almondine and Grimaldi's ensured G would be right there with me. Besides he had seen the proposal I had submitted and was equally as intrigued as I (he brought some extra ire to the mix as well). The open call for works requested that works respond to the site of the new Smack Mellon space at 92 Plymouth Street in Dumbo. My proposal came back with the requisite form letter not long after it was sent in. So it was with equal parts shock and curiosity that I read the press release regarding the show:

"Between its operation as the boiler building and its new function as a gallery, living things and organic materials had taken over 92 Plymouth. Funghi and mineral deposits clung to the structure; pigeons nested in the coal trough. Taking into account this past, Danielle Dimston creates shelf mushrooms made out of cardboard that cling to the metal columns. Carey Ascenzo'’s installation also inhabits the brick wall with tiny red hand-knotted wire balls. The small dots are found clustered in various groups around the wall like an infestation of insects or crystal formations."

You see, my proposal included not just something similar to Danielle's works, but, ahem, almost the exact same idea. And as for Carey's works, I had proposed a number of other pieces which were startlingly similar. See more about the proposal here.

It's not entirely surprising that this kind of thing would happen, especially given that if you did some research you would learn that corrugated cardboard was invented in Dumbo, and the infestation theme is a pretty big concept. The thing that strikes me is that the curators would dismiss my proposal without so much as a mention of the fact that they had selected some other works that might appear similar, but that they made the decision to go with the other works because blah, blah, blah. That's all I'm asking for here, a little consideration...

Did they really think that I would not go to see the show? Did they think that maybe I wouldn't notice the similarities? In all fairness they could have selected one of my suggestions to include instead of dismissing the entire thing out of hand. I generally give the benefit of the doubt since I (obviously) have no idea what goes on behind closed doors, but this is just strange.

So we did go see the show, and I had hoped that the shelf mushrooms would at least be really supremely detailed and intricate - but they weren't. I thought they looked pretty good on the rusty columns - just as I had imagined they would.

The little red infestation was really hard to find, but there they were in the brick, looking sort of like an infestation.

I don't want to disparage the artists (I like Danielle and Carey's work), the work was interesting, so enough about that, and on to some other works in the show.

Wade Kavanaugh & Stephen Nguyen created a beautiful craft paper work thatmimickedd the beams in the space, but it also had overtones of wood. There was a strange strength and fragility in the mass of craft paper.

Karen Dolmanisth's work was a tactile investigation of architectural mass. She used sticks which had been deftly carved to build a small sheltering structure which swirled around one of the columns. Enmeshed in the piece - trapped or finding refuge? - were cultural detritus.

Luisa Caldwell's candy wrapper piece was so festive, decorative and delicate in such a massive industrial space. It swayed gently with the drafts coming through the building, and reflected fragments of light. The piece took detritus and celebrated it and created a beautiful sculptural piece which defined space in an interesting way.

Claire Watkins created a fascinating investigation of suspended energy, by utilizing a magnet to attract a number of needles tied to the columns by long threads of red. (There's a good picture of it in the link).

So the curatorial thesis of 'site specificity' seemed quite broad. Some of the pieces responded to the location of the space, some of the works responded to the shape and size of the space, and some of the works responded to the concept of site specific in itself.

Technorati Tags: Smack Mellon, Sculpture, Installation Art, Site Specific Art

On being an artist...

J.T. got me thinking with his post, and the ensuing commentary regarding Motivation vs. Inspiration, and of course my class keeps re-enforcing thoughts which I already hold to be true. But given all of this - what does it mean to be an artist?

I feel somewhat blessed to have come to my art when I did, although there are many who identify their path earlier than I, there are many who don't commit or devote to it until later in life. Basically I realized my own need and desire to create at the level of I guess 'professional' about a year out of undergrad (studied architecture, so there was creativity, but I had not fully embraced the visual arts). I decided at that time that I would devote myself to it fully. That meant going to grad school (at great expense) and a continuing commitment by devoting evenings and weekends to working away in my various studio set ups. (Whether it was a live work, or a closet sized separate studio, or sometimes just a patio or rooftop). Besides the financial and time commitments there is also the question of emotional and mental commitment.

As an artist (unless you are extremely talented AND lucky) you get an awful lot of rejections, and even when you get an opportunity to show there will be vocalized criticisms, although frequently mixed with heartfelt praise. Putting lots of effort thought and pure sweat into something, and sacrificing other things in life and then putting it out to the public, only to receive repeated rejections can be a Sisyphean existence. So there has to be an awful lot of ego, and belief in one's self to keep going.

There are a lot of people that I went to grad school with who don't do their artwork any more. But there are just as many who are still working and showing. Like me they have all had their ups and downs. But, speaking for myself (and I would imagine others) there is something within me that truly believes that the work I am creating is interesting and will speak to people (probably not everyone, but to those whom it does...). I also believe that when I get rejected, its not my work or me being rejected, but just not a harmony between my work and the curator, jury or theme.

I have certainly had some pretty down moments - getting three rejections in one day - but there are ups as well. I just keep making work - because I can't honestly imagine a day without it - its kind of like breathing, it is who I am. And I keep on believing that it is truly worth showing and that there is an audience for the work.

So this is a little off my rants of late (don't worry there's one in the pipeline), but I thought I would put some thoughts out there, and would love to hear from other artists what keeps you going and how do you picture yourself?

Technorati tags: Art, Motivation, Inspiration, Ego, Artist

I won't write about the Whitney, I won't write about the Whitney...

That's what I keep saying in my head, over and over again, and yet I am bombarded by comments on the biennial (Thinking About Art, From the Floor, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, NY Times, Bloomberg, Blake Gopnik)--

aw, hell...

Of course I have thoughts on it, and I keep thinking about what is good and bad about the 'curatorial thesis' prior to even seeing the show! So here's what I am going to do, I am going to write a serial response to all the Whitney Biennial input that is so pervasive in NYC. (Its funny that it passed virtually un-noticed in SF except the year that celebrated the -ugh - Mission School).

So, here are some initial thoughts on the curatorial thesis (given that my responses are based MERELY on the media saturation, and not on having actually read the catalog or thesis - yet).

Internationalism - I support this viewpoint, I think it made sense in the early years for the Biennial (and at times Annual) to focus on American artists, but with globalism as a reality of our time, it would be shortsighted and contrived to only have 'American' artists in the show. And what does it mean to be an American artists anyway?

This years Whitney takes the leap and explores what the 'American Experience' is - whether that is by an American living abroad, or a foreign born artist living in America. I think it is an important issue to review, and applaud the curators for taking it on (successfully or not).


Political art - I have talked about this before, so has Donald Kuspit, and more recently J.T., in Thinking About Art There was actually a good quote from Philippe on this, taking from Godard, 'Don't make political films (art), film (make art) politically.' That to me doesn't mean holding up a mirror or regurgitating the same things that we see over and over again in the media. Instead make it your own, use your own style and voice to either comment on it, provide refuge, or look to the future. Of course escapism isn't always applauded either.

Controversy - Doesn't seem to have much controversy this year (yet), in fact critically it is being well received.

The title - 'Day for Night,'Truffauts' 'La Nuit Americaine.' This refers to the old style of filming night scenes for movies in the middle of the day by using a filter and under-exposing the film. G didn't realize this was done (probably because it is a mostly American phenomena) and since I pointed it out, has driven him crazy ever since. It really breaks the suspension of disbelief. So what is this show attempting to do - is it trying to make us believe in the trick? Or is it exposing the faults in society and breaking our suspension of disbelief in modern day culture?

Exploration of the Alter Ego - I have a street artist alter ego - does anyone else have alter egos that they want to come forward with? Grayson Perry has an alter ego, Man Ray had an alter ego. It is an interesting artistic tradition to explore, but to have a fake or alter ego adding to the catalog - cute and clever, yes, important to the investigation, no.

Curators as artists - Todd's spot on about this. I am working on curating a few shows, but those are completely outside my practice as an artist. Yes it takes, skill and talent and effort to create a successful and cohesive show, but it is not at all the same as making art. With the inclusion of 'The Wrong Gallery' while an interesting 'action' and fitting within the theme is ultimately a bit of a slap in the face to the artists who are included.

(I swear this is the last for today, I have drawings to work on and jobs to apply to... Just wanted to say that I appreciate the irony in my large amount of comments regarding a show I haven't seen, when I hesitate to read press releases for shows I have seen. Or maybe that isn't ironic at all.)


Technorati tags: Whitney Biennial, Art, Donald Kuspit, The Wrong Gallery, Phillipe Vergne, Chrissie Iles, alter ego, political art

Drawings and decorations

I finally made it out to Chelsea (blame the travel, apartment hunting, sickness), which meant that unfortunately I missed a LOT of the shows I had wanted to see. Still, there was enough on my list still to render me completely knackered.

I saw a lot of really lavish work - some richly detailed, some glamorous and gaudy - but all of it finely, and obsessively created. I also am seeing a LOT of drawing lately. Is this because I am doing more drawing and am therefore more tuned in to it? Or are there a lot more people doing more drawing? I wonder if there is an immediacy and intimacy about drawing which appeals to us in this day and age? On to the works--

PH Gallery presents an installation by Andrea Loefke. She is a talented installation artist, creating worlds of events having just happened. This work is playful and pop in its brightly colored objects. The viewer has the distinct feeling of having just walked in on something exciting (good or bad?) that had just happened. This work adeptly plays with our urge in this media saturated world to get more facts, more information, more pictures... She doesn't let us have that, instead letting us feel a bit anxious and very curious.

Another artist playing with a missing storyline is Caitlin Atkinson, who is showing self-portraits at Foley Gallery. These works were all staged (which is really important to know) moments of anxiety - she stands in a misty field calling for a missing dog, or holds laden grocery bags in an empty parking lot. The work is successful in conveying a feeling of discomfort and loss.

Another photo show worth noting were the photos by Thomas Wrede at James Nicholson. Wrede produces large scale lushly printed photographs of expansive spaces. In the photographs he (appears to) distort the field of view to remove any realistic sense of scale. Beaches look enormous and desolate, a huge container ship looks like a tiny toy in bath water.

In the magpie category, Marianne Boesky featured Angelo Filomeno an stunningly crafted show of 2d and 3d works utilizing iconography of death rendered in shiny fabrics, semi-precious gems, glitter and feathers. This work, though I found it oddly attractive/repulsive has stuck in my mind. A different style of decoration was employed by Shimon Okshteyn in his show at Stux. These works were strangely unsettling and humorous, black and white traditional paintings surrounded by self referential gaudy, colorful decorative frames, also some very nice glass pieces.

As for the drawings, Sebastiaan Bremer presents drawings on photographs at Roebling Hall. Mostly the photographs are barely there but they are clearly idea catalysts for the drawings. The drawings themselves are intricate and delicate layers of intense personal reference. Andre Schlechtriem Temporary presented the work of Ralf Ziervogel, who creates obsessive monstrosity stunningly rendered as ink on paper. In addition he creates interesting sculptures out of rolls of tape.

I also visited Gregory Coates' show at Magnan Projects. It was an interesting show of reductivist forms. The wall pieces were wooden structures wrapped with plastic wrapping, not original but of some interest. Best piece of the show was the floor to ceiling installation of bicycle innertubes strung taught. This pieces reminds me of a modern day forest, the knots tied like stunted branches or thorns.

I also really really wanted to like the work of Lucky DeBellevue at Feature Inc., and part of me did, I was atracted to the forms and the wonderful use of such a tactile material as the pipe cleaner, but there was something missing in the work. I will have to think about this more because in a wierd way it bothered me that I didn't like it more. Maybe its because I had seen some pretty stunning things done with pipe cleaners by Annie Varnot. Nonetheless the photos still look really good.

Overall the work was not uninteresting but there was nothing out there that I was really struck by. Maybe everyone is saving it all up for the upcoming fairs.

UPDATE: Okay, it did bother me about not liking Lucky Debellevue's work at Feature, Inc. and only this morning (c'mon, remember I was knackered!) that it wasn't the work it was the venue. I looked at a lot of other pictures of Lucky's works and liked them all. And when I looked at the images of the work (without the context of the gallery) I liked those too. The space is interestingly divided into many smaller spaces with a lot of different work being shown. I think all that detracted from work that really needed more space, solitude and silence. Of course I also like these pieces, more for conceptual content than form.

Site, Cults and Curators?

The lobs have already started against the not yet opened Whitney Biennial and the cult of the curator. I (and From the Floor) am more interested in the recent announcement of the artist's for the Sixth Site Santa Fe.

I have always found this biennial to be compelling for its focus primarily on installation and site specific work. Curated by Klaus Ottmann, and titled "Still Points of the Turning World" this years show promises to focus on the artworks instead of forcing them into a curatorial theme. He has chosen (I can't find the full list) to include Patty Chang, Peter Doig, Wolfgang Laib, Jonathan Meese, Wangechi Mutu and Catherine Opie. There are only 13 artists to be included in this show, and of those listed each is quite different in their style and approach from the others.

Patty Chang creates works that are performance based and self-referential (in the mode of Chris Burden and Carolee Schneeman). Peter Doig, a painter, works with contemporary landscape imagery to create works that are dreamlike. Wolfgang Laib (the only artist whose name I recognized in the list) is known for his meditative and spiritual installations. Jonathon Meese creates installations and performances which examine cultural references and identity. I will let James Wagner speak for the brilliant and surprising collages and works on paper of Wangechi Mutu, who was moved into the realm of video and sculptural installations as she explores the female form in international modern culture. Catherine Opie has covered a wide variety of cross sections of humanity with her startling and honest photographic eye.

So it will be interesting to see how these diverse and independent artists come together in a single. I will also be on the lookout for the full list (if you know where it is, let me know).

As for the 'cult of the curator' I have referenced this topic in a couple of other posts, with Olu Oguibe urging artists to regain the power in the art community hierarchy, and an examination of the 'cult of the artist' which exists in the UK. So it is interesting to turn the looking glass on ourselves (the artists) to try to figure out why the US celebrates the curators, collectors and dealers more than the artists. I don't have an answer to why this exists - will need to get rid of the headache and maybe read some more recent art history to try to understand it better, but here are some initial thoughts. There was a time when artists were self reliant (for financial reasons) and created works not for the mass public or collectors, but for themselves and each other. As soon as money starts to flow into the art world, the shift changes and the power slides over to those who have the money. The success of the YBA, was largely due to their own self determination. They hosted their own shows and promoted themselves outside of the structure of the art world (until they were of course subsumed by it). So, I call again to all artists to take back the power - curate your own shows, create alternative venues, promote yourself in new and different ways.

In light of that. I am currently creating two curatorial proposals, the first is going to be a show of artists from various regions of the world who deal with identity, the second the show of synthetic naturalists that I have long wanted to do. I will post the thematic statements when I get through them. If you know of any great artists which might fit in either of these themes let me know. Also still hoping to bring the wonderful Budget Gallery to NYC (which reminds me I need to get back in touch with Steve Lambert - one of the cleverest people I know).

Anyone else working on something to promote their work or their friends? Would love to hear about it. Oh - one project like that is the Bushwick Art Project (or BAP as we prefer).

distractions and Distractions...

I haven't been really good about writing blog posts, and even when I do lately, I tend to forget to include the stuff I want to say. This is in large part due to the fact that I am looking for A) a new place to live (anyone know of a nice brownstone for rent?) and B) a part time job (something in the arts?) Hopefully one or the other of those will be sorted soon and I can devote more energy to blogging and, more importantly, making art!

I forgot to mention in my 'discussion' of art v. activism the work of Simon Starling, see the comments to get my thoughts on his work. I also totally forgot to mention my support of the recent discussions by Modern Art Notes and From the Floor regarding the use of the MoMA lobby for a program similar to the Unilever program for the Tate Modern Turbine Hall. I meant to put that at the end of the recent post.

Despite my lack of attention though, some people out there are keeping me on my toes, both with my artwork - is this a backhanded compliment? And then there are the comments that occassionally come in on the blog that activate 'the little grey cells' in my brain. Glad to get feedback though, whatever the flavor. I am certainly not above criticism, and give fair and due consideration to all that comes my way.

Lots of interesting shows up right now, and I hope to get out really soon (right now we have sold our freetime souls to the househunt devil), because I could just kick myself for not seeing the Amy Rathbone show at Priska C. Juschka! Here's a shortlist of some of the interesting looking stuff out there (thanks as always to the diligence of the guys at ArtCal.net):

• Jessica Bronson's LED text works at Lombard Freid Projects
  
• Andrea Zittel at the New Museum (we saw this at CAM in Houston first, its worth going to see again)
• Eric Drury's skeletal sculptures at Boreas
• Caitlin Atkinson's photographs at Foley
• Sally Smart's The Exquisite Pirate large scale collages at Postmasters
• Ebb and Flow at Hogar Collection ( top image by Young Wha-Lee)
  
• Robert Gutierrez's intense abstractions at Sixtyseven (bottom image by Gutierrez)
  
• Karen Heagle's awkward, ambiguous and beautiful paintings at I-20

There are quite a lot of others, including a lot of really great drawing shows out there which I can't wait to see. If there is anything anyone out there could recommend that I add to my list please do! I will have to get out soon too since many of these shows end this week!

On the other side of the pond

Besides chocolates, oatcakes, marmite, and a cold, I brought back a bunch of pictures of Rachael Whiteread's installation, 'Embankment' at the Tate Modern. The latest in the hugely successful Unilever series in the Turbine hall . I wanted to see the work since I usually enjoy Whiteread's work, but I wasn't expecting much because of the pictures I had seen of the work, but like most installation works, the pictures can never do it justice.

I was quite pleasantly wowed with the work. As I say, pictures cannot do it justice (but I am including a lot in here anyway). It is the act of walking through the work that is powerful. With all of these white boxes and their detail (you can see the corrugating) stacked and piled, I had a sense of incredible emptiness...

Also got a kick out of the sign at the entrance to the installation, instead of 'do not touch" we go with the threat of bodily harm...

I will also try to post more when the cold in my head lets me think a little more clearly.

You wanna piece of me? ...bring it on... in the Garden

Most people who know me, know I like a challenge. Whether its a killer physical workout with mental challenges, a good debate on a political topic, or an impossible artistic task. I enjoy learning about different sides of a story, I enjoy having my preconceptions challenged.

Thats why I recently applied for an 'assistant curatorship' at Exit Art. . The hours were perfect (part time, with additional time for specific projects), and the requirements seemed like a good fit for me: works well under pressure, dynamic fast paced environment and a need for multi-tasking capabilities of the highest order. Believe me, that all describes my work style to a T.

Here's where the challenge comes in. A lot of the programming is not something I would have chosen to do. Don't get me wrong, they have also hosted some of my absolute favorite shows ever (see below), but a lot of the shows are, well, challenging. And I like that. I don't want to go out to galleries and just see stuff I already know I like - what fun is that?

I go to lots of galleries and see lots of shows to be able to give my brain a little excercise. Thats why I thought this would be a great job. It would allow me to see more of the process involved behind the scenes in putting together a show like that and I could be an integral part of staking its claim. I think it is really important to present a varied palette of works (Exit Art does that probably better than any other NYC institution), and to also present well thought out reasons for presenting said works. Well, so thats why I wanted the job. If anyone knows anyone who knows anyone...

So the shows I liked:
The Garden of Sculptural Delights: This show in 1994 happened during my grad school time (first time around, and, um, yeh, that dates me). One of my professors, Gillian Jagger was participating, but there was also work by Ming Fay, Petah Coyne, Judy Pfaff and Roxy Paine among others. It was really fascinating. I think it had a great and lasting affect on me, even though I may not have realised it directly at the time. I remember having gone back a couple of times and wandering through the fascinating (and huge) installations of gorged, morphed and multi-colored organic mutations. These artists are still favorites, and the show was incredibly unique for its time.

Sweat!: This was a fascinating show because a lot of people I was in school with were in this show: Lynda Abraham, Jeff (Jeph) Gurecka, Heather Stephens and Jeff Wyckoff. It was a disgustingly hot summer and the show explored the idea of escape. This manifested itself in a variety of ways, including fantastical, ritualistic, and tribalistic. There were always lots of people just hanging out too, it was like an urban sweaty Caliguan party...

The Studio Visit: This just ran for the month of January. The show explored the artistic environment through the medium of video and onsite studio spaces. I thought this was a fascinating idea and interestingly presented. I have always enjoyed open studios because it lets you get a look at the inner mind of the artist. You can get a glimpse of the things that the artist collects as interesting visual objects, it is like seeing inside the womb from which the baby was born (but not gross). It makes me think of the seminal photographs of artists in their studios. I find that having some non-text background to the work is really important to understanding the work.

So maybe they are just slow in getting back to me, and I will be working for Exit Art before too long. Let's hope, because everyone needs a good challenge.

Random notes on a lot of things and some pretty pictures too

So mostly this posting is about catching up on things I have been wanting to comment on. (And I am waiting for the Friday craigslist to populate itself with the apartment listings for the weekend).

First up, Activism v. Art v. Stunts. I have for some time now been curious about the blurry lines between art that is political in nature and politics that are artistic in nature. This may seem a curious statement, but here's what I mean. Many artists want to address political issues in their work, creating 'artwork' that come off more as 'stunts,' the work is more interesting in its political content than in its artistic content.

Let me say right now that this is an issue that I contemplate quite a lot. I do think it is important to make some kind of impact with your artwork (otherwise why bother to put it in public view). This impact could be purely emotional or have a more cognitive impact.

So here are some of the artists I am thinking about (pulled from this article on Green Futures): Mark McGowan turned on a tap at a gallery to demonstrate water waste, and pushed a peanut around with his nose to protest student loan debt; Michael Landy's destruction of all of his belongings: WEEE man in London, the giant sculpture made of technological refuse; and Banksy, who's clever street art is stunningly well executed.

I like all of these works and artists, but I have some questions and comments regarding the works. I am struck by Landy and Banksy's work on an artistic level. McGowan and WEEE man strike me as terribly clever stunts that bring awareness to issues, but not necessarily art. Of course as soon as I say that I start to waiver. So here are the questions:
What makes political art successful as Art (yeh with a capital a)?
What makes political art successful as activist project? (Do any of these works *really* make people rethink their habits?)

So here are some answers I have formulated. I definitely believe that for political art to be successful it has to have more than the "moment effect." I am making up this new term to describe the kind of artwork that you look at and immediately 'get it' and then there is no more to the work. It is work that is really easy to understand what it is addressing. Its the kind of thing that Kuspit in 'The End of Art' describes as a lack of translation. Artists taking information readily available in the news and recontextualizing it as art without translating it using their own creative voice.

In response to the second question, I don't think these works have any long term affect. Yeh people got mad about McGowan running water in the gallery, and the Water company threatened to shut off water to the gallery. But I doubt the people involved in getting it shut down really than changed their habits (taking less and/or shorter showers, conserving water while washing dishes).

So how then can artwork achieve both of these issues? I think it is important to do one of two things, either create artwork that involves the public in its process, thereby teaching them something *in the process* of creating the work. Or (and this is far more difficult) create works that are so powerful emotionally that they affect the viewers on a very very deep level.

So now you want to know, okay who has done this? Well I don't have a lot of contemporary artists, but as the Green Future Article points out, there's Joseph Beuys' 7000 Oaks project. Much of Beuys' work was political or social commentary that was presented in an emotionally powerful way, the Oaks project was a very direct hands on project which involved the community. Another work which I constantly rely on (I should try to find some others) is Picasso's Guernica. It is an extremely powerful work which emotionally affects the viewers. (And that's reinforced by the need of the US Govt to request the painting be covered).

Bottom line, I don't have it all figured out yet, but that's part of the process of art making right? I am still angry, so I am working on environmental action projects, some which involve the public, and some which I hope will have an emotional impact, so we will just have to see what comes of it all.
(Okay this post was longer than I had hoped, so the posts on remembering Exit Art's Garden of Sculptural Delights, and what is environmental art, will just have to wait)