[I’m reluctant to cop to clichés, but the truism that the pace of life in New York is terribly fast seems to have some grains of something-or-other to it. I offer Sights, a series of Tumblr-style impressions I like, and think you might enjoy too.]
Installation by Heather Ramsdale.
R used to joke about the hyper-aggressive language that businessmen would appropriate for talking about business deals. Artists, however, are not innocent of similarly hollow combativeness:
Working for a contemporary art magazine, I get sent a vast amount of press material each day, almost all of which employs a strikingly similar tone of voice. Most common is the one of academic solemnity infused with a barely veiled aggression, as though art were engaged in some cultural ‘war on terror’. Words such as ‘forcing’, ‘interrogating’ or ‘subverting’ occur with incredible frequency. Boundaries are ‘broken down’ and ‘preconceptions challenged’ so often as to make subversion and radicality seem like a mandatory daily chore rather than a blow to the status quo. They perpetuate old-fashioned notions, such as that of the artist visionary liberating the masses from mental enslavement by bourgeois values. Overuse has made these words sound strangely toothless, for what’s at stake in the art is often less important (but not necessarily without value) than the language suggests.
I’m looking forward to two openings for old and new friends this week.
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March 25 – April 30, 2011
Lordy Rodriguez: The Map Is Not the Territory
Reception: Thursday March 24, 4-6pm
Hosfelt Gallery, 531 W 36th Street (b/10 & 11th), New York, NY 10018
A · C · E · 1 · 2 · 3 · 7 · 9
In “The Map Is Not the Territory,” Filipino-American artist Lordy Rodriguez presents three bodies of new work, comprised of more than 400 drawings. This, his fourth exhibition with Hosfelt Gallery and his first one-person show in Hosfelt Gallery’s New York space, is the most ambitious exhibition of his career.
I know Lordy from the San Francisco art scene. He’s hilarious and giving, and his drawings are wonderfully colorful and beautifully executed. His shows are often dense with pattern and sheer production. Have a look.
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March 25 – May 7, 2011
Emily Roysdon: Positions
Ioana Nemes: Times Colliding
Marie Jager: l’heure bleue
STUDIO SM
Opening: March 25, 6-8pm
Art in General, 79 Walker Street (just off Canal @ Broadway), New York, NY 10013
A · C · E · N · R · Q · J · Z · 1 · 6
I’ve been helping out with these shows the past few weeks, and I’m really impressed with Art in General and the artists’ forthcoming exhibitions. First, Art in General is dedicated to exhibiting and commissioning new work, so they’re a non-profit alternative art space that functions much like an ICA. And as I’ve been seeing the galleries come together, the shows look really interesting and clean and thought-provoking. The first-floor project space will house publications and more by a Swedish design team that collaborates with Roysdon and other artists. In the elevator will be a audio-visual project about birdsong and silence. The sixth floor galleries will feature solo exhibitions by Emily Roysdon (who recently exhibited at the Berkeley Art Museum’s MATRIX Program, and was interviewed by Patricia Maloney for Bad at Sports), and Ioanna Nemes, whose works feature diaristic, psychological snapshots that I’m really interested in. I’m completely onboard with the fantastic curatorial work of Andrea Hickey and Courtenay Finn.
Please come by and see for yourself.
NYT does it again with killer infographics:
“Mapping the Nation’s Well-Being”
Three years X 100 American adults X Quality of life indicators ÷ Congressional districts.
Among so many gallery booths, the artwork at art fairs suffers from little context, quietude, and time for reflection–but I still managed to enjoy myself at Armory, VOLTA, Independent, and Pulse (I missed Scope and the others; sorry). I assessed galleries rather than artwork, and looked at art to learn about artists and techniques. In short, I went as an artist, not a critic.
What caught my eye?
Recent Works by Artists I Like:
A painting by Kerry James Marshall at Jack Shainman Gallery, New York (Armory).
I love this stylish signature for this narrative “period” painting.
A lightbox by Kota Ezawa at Murray Guy, New York (Armory). He’s got a solo show at the gallery through April 9th.
Brion Nuda Rosch‘s collages, which I have seen around San Francisco, looked nice at DCKT Contemporary (Armory). They remind me of Ed Ruscha‘s work, while remaining their own discrete investigation.
Photo by Anne Collier from Marc Foxx Gallery, Los Angeles (Armory). I saw another photo from this series of handouts at another booth at Independent. The list of questions are fitting for art fairs—the second question here is, “Where have I seen this before?”
High-relief, impasto monoprints by Mel Bochner from Two Palms, New York (Armory).
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Artists who piqued my curiosity:
Mirrored installation and colored pencil drawings on black paper by Claudia Weiser from Sies and Höke, Düsseldorf (Armory). I think a lot of my neo-hippie/Romanticist/mystic artist friends in California would love this work.
A nice colored pencil drawing by Claudia Weiser.
Cheeky illustration-inspired watercolor by David Kramer from Galerie Laurent Godin, Paris (Armory). The text reads, “I always like it better… when things are shiny and new.”
More Kramer.
A second look: Lots of pictures, including some glorious Mad Men meets Flintstones installations. Colorful, ironic, likable pathetic-aesthetic. I can see why this work would be popular, in a Judd Apatow sort of way. Tongue-in-cheek tropes of male identity means you can have your bar cart and wink-wink humor too.
A milk crate carved of black marble by Fabio Viale from The Pool, NYC (VOLTA).
A second look: Rendering everyday objects in luxe materials is not very original, but the inanity still struck me. Craft suggests time and labor—human energy—thus imbuing objects with meaning (or the idea of meaning). Yet does meaning always equate to significance…?
You would think that only a few days after seeing the biggest cockroach in my life that I wouldn’t enjoy these pest-infested paintings by Jorge Perianes from Galeria Adhoc, Vigo (Volta). But fake bugs that don’t move are much more fun and funny than real NYC bugs. [The gallery’s site uses frames, so links to the artist’s page are not available.]
Installation by Julião Sarmento from Pilar Corrias Gallery, London (Armory).
A second look: A quick glance at the gallery site suggests that this type of surrealist installation is atypical for the artist. Perhaps more is forthcoming.
Paintings of bandaged and decorated military officers by Willem Andersson from Gallery Niklas Belenius, Stockholm (VOLTA). Of course these are of grave implications, but there’s something comical about the proliferation of the medals. The complete bandaging is also reminiscent of Georgio de Chirico‘s canvas-covered manequins, and The Invisible Man TV series.
A project by Peter Liversidge from Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh (Armory). Yes, that is a neon ampersand and a two-way mirror. And 10 proposals for projects.
Not more than three days had passed since I told RR how no one actually types out their conceptual projects on a typewriter anymore. Above, Liversidge proves me wrong. To boot, the gallery’s site states that Liversidge types these at his kitchen table.
Per the typewritten instructions above, I stood before and read the proposal, presented a dollar bill to the gallery staff, who embossed my bill with the text. I love the site-specific, limited-duration aspect of the project. And I’m eager to learn more about Liversidge, to gain insight on the possible explanations for the text.
Will history be kind to me? Will I write history? And since the project is limited to the Armory Fair, and only US dollar bills were proscribed, What are the consequences of how I spend my money on writing history?
A second look: As it turns out, Liversidge makes text installations that completely appeal to my tastes. We’ve even used similar, ambivalent/psychological texts; the same maxim inspired his project, The Darkest Hour is Just Before the Dawn and my installation, Binary Pair. He also uses flowers to spell out advice that positive psychologists would agree with. Fantastic!
[Also, Ingleby Gallery also represents Ian Hamilton Finlay’s estate and Iran do Espírito Santo (check out this lovely photogram).]
A flame-worked tube glass conversation chair by Valeska Soares from Eleven Rivington, NYC (Armory).
A collage of book dedications also by Valeska Soares from Eleven Rivington, NYC (Armory).
Soares detail: “For KATHERINA v. F. who taught me / that love is more / than the longing / to be together.” A brilliant project that compiles uses a few words to convey unknowable authors’ love and gratitude.
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Artworks relating to themes in my current work—happiness, exuberance, decoration, cheap plastic, mythologized interiors:
Photo by Alex McLeod from Angell Gallery, Toronto (Pulse: Impulse). This is like a still-life equivalent of Owl City—super cute verging on twee, appealing to many and possibly grotesque to cynics. I think it’s adorable, and also interesting in how it balances extraordinary cuteness and good taste.
A mirror and text by Birgit Verwer from Livingstone Gallery, The Hague (Pulse).
Rainbow balloon prints by Cassandra C. Jones from Baer/Ridgeway, San Francisco (Pulse).
Drawing of an embroidery by Eric Beltz from Morgan Lehman, NYC (Pulse).
Garage-inspired installation by Joseph Burwell from Miyako Yoshinaga Art Prospects, Tokyo (Pulse: Impulse). Though there is a high proportion of 2-D art in the installation, it appeals to my interest in the domestic and decoration—what is art and not art, why, and how each functions to provide pleasure or happiness.
Color-shifting LED signage by Kira Kim from Kukje Gallery/Tina Kim Gallery, Seoul/NYC (Armory). Cursive scripts were never meant to be set in all capitals like this. The typographic awkwardness is part of the ridiculousness of such a sign.
A second look: Oddly, Kim’s work is completely different on the site. No textual works or signs and no discernable ties to love.
Hand-drawn plastic bag installation reflecting Paris’ diversity, by Katrin Ströbel from Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt (VOLTA).
A map made with stickers by Nelson Lierner from Galerie Gabrielle Maubre, Paris (Armory). [I’d link to the artist’s page, but there isn’t one.] That’s Micky and Minnie Mouse on North America, kangaroos on Australia, and—yes—gorillas on Africa.
A second look: I’m all for experimentation, but when the results go horribly wrong, as it did with the gallery’s ugly Google-based website, conventional HTML seems not so bad.
Detail.
Keltie Ferris seems like primarily a painter, but I liked these framed hot pink spaces from Horton Gallery, NYC (Armory).
Beads, sequins and styrofoam by Sarah Pucci from Air de Paris, Paris (Armory). [Frame-based site—no link to artist’s page available. From the home page, click on news to access main navigation.]
Another Pucci. I like how it looks so ornate and rich with such common materials. In viewing her other work, she seems to reference the Baroque, but there’s something crafty that speak to heavily beaded garments from many cultures too.
I like these funny “gift” collages by Fiona Rae from the Buchmann Gallery, Berlin (Armory). They both feature bows of ribbon.
No labels identified these holographic sticker sheets from Seventeen Gallery, London (Armory). It was adjacent to Abigail Reynold’s collages, however.
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Conceptual and textual works:
Antoni Muntadas’ Project involved framed texts with the 5W’s and other basic questions. Gabrielle Maubrie, Paris (Armory).
Text panels by Fia Backström, Murray Guy, NYC (Armory).
Paintings (not vinyl) describing toxic properties of the pigments by Gustavo Artigasi from Caja Blanca, Mexico City (Armory).
Assorted toxins. Gustavo Artigasi.
Textual by association: bookcase of wood planks by Ulrik Weck from Galleri Christina Wilson, Copenhagen (Armory). [This idea of planks standing in for books will be echoed in Re-Covering, a group exhibition curated by Mike Chavez-Dawson at Untitled Gallery in Manchester this summer.]
Thick felt letters by an unidentified artist, Sutton Lane, London/Paris/Brussels (Independent).
Oversized prints/posters on a tiled penny floor. Artist(s) unidentified, Untitled Gallery, NY (Armory).
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Nice materials:
Projector with a loop that shows only light, on a silver metallic canvas. Artist unknown, from Sprueth Magers, Berlin/London (Independent).
Screenprint on brushed metal by Alberto Borea from Isabel Hurley, Málaga (VOLTA).
In commercial printing, foil printing has been around a long time, but only recently has it been developed for fine art printmaking workshops. If you’re Damien Hirst or Other Criteria, however, you can employ commercial printing techniques for fine art editions.
Gold brick crayons by Andrew Lewicki from Charles James Gallery, Los Angeles (Pulse).
Installation view of assorted works by Ken Matsubara from MA2 Gallery, Tokyo (VOLTA).
Detail of a Matsubara sculpture. Video displayed beneath a cup of water.
Source: MA2 Gallery website.
Black and white video of a ring of fire. What you can’t see from the photo is that the video is behind a piece of two-way mirror. In a white gallery, it’s only when dark reflections—such as the viewer’s face—appear in the mirror that the video becomes visible. Matsubara’s work is impressively slick—few pieces had visible electrical leads, and it’s evident that many of his pieces use the latest, thinnest and smallest screen technologies. There was a Gothic/cabinet of curiosity/black mirror feel to the works that would appeal to many people.
By Michael Wilkinson from The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Limited, Glasgow (Armory).
I’m thoroughly perplexed by this piece. The wall label ascribes the material as “etched mirror,” but etching is done with acid, which would leave a frosted surface, which the glass does not have on either side. The pattern suggests that the hot, liquid silvering was dripped or thrown at the glass. Typically, glass is not meant to withstand sudden changes in temperature, so that it might survive partial silvering is really interesting…
[A look at the gallery site brought me to this installation…
…by Jim Lambie. Those papery things are aluminum sheets with fluorescent paint. Love it!]
Hand-drawn posters by Charles Avery from Pilar Corrias Gallery, London (Armory).
A sculpture with Plexiglas Radiant, whose colors change upon reflection and transparency, sort of like Golden Paint’s Interference Colors. By Patrick Aarnivaara from Galleri Charlotte Lund, Stockholm (Armory).
More Plexiglas Radiant. Artist unidentified, Casa Triângulo, Saõ Paulo (Armory).
Another unidentified artist, I believe, from Casa Triângulo, Saõ Paulo (Armory).
The installation featured a flash of projected light onto kinetic crystal sculptures.
This made me want to paint on photos. I’ve done it in the past, but adding only a layer of colorful dots is really sweet and playful. Photo with paint and ink by Sebastiaan Bremmer from Hales Gallery, London (Pulse). Hales’ site features other photos with dots by Bremmer.
Realist interiors rendered only in subtly-folded paper by Simon Schubert from Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London (Pulse). Looks like Heide doesn’t represent Schubert. For more pics, visit the artist’s site.
Paper sculptures of paper crafts. Artist unknown, Galeria Casas Riegner, Bogotá (Armory).
The binder clip is made of paper. Artist unknown, Galeria Casas Riegner, Bogotá (Armory).
The triangle and stool is made of wood. But the tapes, razor and eraser are made of paper. Artist unknown, Galeria Casas Riegner, Bogotá (Armory).
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Interesting display strategies:
Illuminated signage, “The Thrill of it All,” tucked behind two partial walls. By Peter Liversidge from Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh (Armory).
Using frames-as-unordered-vitrines is super smart. By Étienne Chambaud from Bugada & Cargnel, Paris (Armory).
Glass: slimmer and cheaper than a vitrine; the object is not encased, but its surface is protected. There’s something nice, too, about how it’s flattened into an image. Étienne Chambaud from Bugada & Cargnel, Paris (Armory).
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Apologies to artists and their galleries for the quality of my snapshots. I know many artists dislike poor documentation of their work (myself included), but bear in mind that the purpose of my posts is to share my enthusiasm. Linking to galleries’ websites is a time-consuming task I could do without, but I do it so that readers can learn more about the artists, and hopefully, see more photos of the works, or perhaps even see the work in person one day.
I collected information from wall labels, which were not always available. Booth signage was sometimes confusing. Sorry for any incomplete or incorrect information. Corrections welcome.
Via ET and FlowingData.com:
Moritz Resl, Life is simple, digital art print, 16x16 inches / 42x42 cm, Open edition.
I like these infographics, even if they are a bit simplistic, they’re upbeat.
A quibble: humans adapt to positive emotions quite readily, as Phillip Zimbardo and John Boyd wrote in The Time Paradox. So the advice “Keep doing what you’re doing” would probably maintain happiness, but only for so long. Humans also need novelty, variation, and new challenges.
Christine Wong Yap, Cheap and Cheerful #5, 2009, neon and glitter pen, 11.625 x 7.75 inches / 29.5 x 45 cm. Produced in the Breathe Residency at Chinese Arts Centre.
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Plus, for you-know-whats and giggles (unless you’re an information graphics designer for which chartjunk is a curse upon the earth of Biblical proportions):
The usually illustrious Christoph Nieman’s illustration for Portfolio.com:
Illustration by Christoph Niemann for article about personal wealth and happiness on Portfolio.com
M recently asked me about good sources for art news. It’s a great question because I wouldn’t think to answer it. But actually, more art news sources have sprouted up the past few years, so it might be well worth an overview now.
Email lists
First off, to hear about artists you’re interested in, sign up for museum and gallery email lists. Many artists also have websites and mailing lists of their own. College and university art programs will inform you of visiting artists’ lectures.
If you’re already struggling to slay the email dragon, set up a separate email address for newsletters. This is especially useful for heavy, but informative, mailers such as the largely international e-flux, Art Agenda and Art & Education.
I am most excited about…
Art Practical
A bi-weekly online critical journal with features, critical reviews, and 250-word Shotgun reviews based in San Francisco, CA, with contributors in far-flung cities. Their news section, updated a few times a week, is nicely well-curated. Art Practical cultivates emerging critics while maintaining high editorial standards. [Disclosure: I am a contributor.]
Open Space
The blog of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, with invited contributors selected from distinguished curators, poets, writers, and artists. The writings can be very speculative and interdisciplinary. I think it’s one of SFMOMA’s most promising ventures. [Disclosure: I will be a contributor March through June this year.]
Frieze Magazine
UK monthly magazine. Rigorous, critical, yet not too obscure, and beautifully designed to boot. A nice view into UK and European art scenes.
Artcards.cc
A great way to get weekly round-ups of openings.
For criticism, I also try to check out…
NY Times
I find Holland Cotter’s critical writing astute.
LA Times’ Culture Monster
Reviews of exhibitions around LA, with the occasional amazing essay or op-ed.
Art Papers
An Atlanta-based print magazine with sound writing and design.
Artforum
The phone book-sized monthly glossy behemoth everyone loves to hate. Not sure why the gossip column, Scene & Herd, always leads the website, while the print issue is anchored by weighty essays and critical reviews from around the world. Yet, it’s one of the main sources for a reason.
New York Magazine
The populist critic Jerry Saltz is straightforward and often enthusiastic. Some people have a problem with that, but I don’t.
From the source…
Frieze Foundation podcast talks
Listen to well-produced lectures and panels from artists, writers and curators. I appreciate the high level of dialogue at the Frieze talks.
Bad at Sports
A deliberately informal, low-tech, interview-based podcast. The interviews are most compelling when guests bring a lot of energy and focus to the mic.
Most recently, my curiosity has been piqued by:
Fillip
A newish magazine/website/podcast out of Vancouver, BC.
Art 21 Blog
The blog of the fantastic PBS contemporary art TV series. In the coming months, VG will be a contributor; (I designed her column mark), and I’m looking forward to her thought-provoking posts.
When visiting different cities, I usually try to find…
Art Info’s Gallery Guide maps.
There’s lots more:
Art in America, the typographically-challenged Art News, Brooklyn Rail, the art internet “channel” Art Babble, Happenstand, Art Rabbit, Art Review, Bomb, the super-brains’ journal October, Cabinet, and SB’s Artopic.
Apologies for the many others that I’ve missed. It’s not for want of interest, merely, for want of time and energy after the end of a long week making, installing, photographing, re-touching, writing about, looking at, planning, and collaborating on art. And anyway, I think this answer’s Ms question.
I’ve been working on a new cutout text installation for a forthcoming group exhibition. It will be an optimistic, exhuberant update to my copper and elastic installation, Cloud.
The original installation was comprised of mundane, mindless texts, such as “hey, it’s me, are you busy now?” The new iteration uses spoken, written and emailed texts from my life that express happiness, gratitude, or empathy. It will be made of colorful materials like 3D illusion plastic and glitter foil.
February 28 – April 1, 2011
Portraiture: Inside Out
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 3, 5—9pm
An exhibition of contemporary portraiture. Curated by Ruth Ballester, Whitney Fehl and Lauren Thompson, Graduate Students in the Museum Professions Program.Artists: Sarah Bliss, Dominic Guarnaschelli, Gwen Hardie, Jenny Hyde, Pat Lay, Greg Leshé, So Yoon Lym, Ryan Roa, Steve Rossi, Jesse Eric Schmidt, Travis LeRoy Southworth, Tanja Targersen, Peter Whittenberger, Christine Wong Yap, Raphael Zollinger
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 3, 5–9pm
Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Gallery hours: Monday–Friday, 10:30am–4:30pm
Also in the exhibition, by chance, are two members of the collective, Brolab, who I met through volunteering for the Art in Odd Places festival, and whose work I enthused about, last fall.
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Random & Rad:
I did a Google image search for “attitude” and this is what came up:
I love the mix of results! Trashy, jokey mottos alongside sincere (if simplistic) mantras for optimism. Just the first row is brilliant: unapologetic crudeness underscored by a sassy type treatment, self-help clichés (positive thinking, magic, happy face), motivational sports maxims, more unapologetic crudeness plus sexual egomania, and a party-goer’s mantra. It sort of exemplifies American ignominy as well as the desire for inspiration and the futility of oversimplified positive thinking. It presents lowbrow poles of irony and sincerity.
R+D 
