tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20158441537221769352024-03-14T02:56:09.795-04:00Post-NonprofalypticJeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-22978626729276988942011-04-26T23:33:00.004-04:002011-04-27T07:50:01.791-04:00BHQF Blast Back<a href="http://www.thebrucehighqualityfoundation.com/Site/home.html">The Bruce High Quality Foundation</a> have responded to my post critiquing their <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://teach4amerika.org/">Teach 4 Amerika</a></span> stop in Philadelphia. Please read the full text here:<br /><br /><a href="http://teach4amerika.org/uncategorized/if-funding-art-is-wrong-we-don%E2%80%99t-want-to-be-right">http://teach4amerika.org/uncategorized/if-funding-art-is-wrong-we-don't-want-to-be-right</a><br /><br />I was thrilled with their response, even though I still think they are off base. Below is my reply, also posted in the comment section of their blog post:<br /><br />First of all, thank you for engaging with this topic and taking the time to respond to my critique. I am also glad to hear that I am not the only one who voiced a concern of a similar nature. I could not agree with you more that to be an artist and to present art for the right reasons is a moral imperative. But what I was reacting to in my original post was the impression that I got from your presentation that even mentioning money or economic value is to denigrate the arts in some way, which I thought was either naïve utopianism, to lift one of your descriptors, or textbook contrarianism. You seemed to be more interested in subverting the existing systems that you felt had done wrong by you, rather than trying to improve or repair them, in your advocating for the type of antiestablishment model that BHQFU represents. I found this attitude unhelpful to a larger public and ultimately self-serving.<br /><br />Now it seems that you acknowledge the importance of public funding for the arts, even though chasing after and distributing public funds for the arts is a labor-intensive process fraught with agonizing bureaucracy, and the recent federal budget battles mean the outlook for the NEA and NEH is hopeless. Are you asking: why even bother? It is not necessary for me to debate with any of the Tea Party/Conservative devil’s advocate playing here, because I know that this is not what you believe. In my own idealist fantasy, public funding the arts would never be looked at as a political issue or a superfluous luxury; it would be universally accepted as providing access to a basic human right.<br /><br />However, I fully embrace that our free market system means that corporations and individuals can contribute to the arts at the highest level they choose, make stipulations for the use of the money, and demand to be acknowledged in a certain way. I concede that I am a Development person, so something like Target Free Nights (we have these in Philadelphia at the Franklin Institute, too) does not bother me in the way it may rankle you. It is an outward signifier that the leadership of the Target Corporation, or any company that sponsors an event or series, sees the value of the arts and makes a commitment to culturally enriching the lives of people in places where it maintains a business presence. I am not naïve enough to think they are doing it for nothing. They have a right to want people to be aware of their contribution, just as a person who gives money to endow a curator position or pay for a new museum wing wants his or her name in the title. I do not have a problem with this; I do have a problem with an institution accepting money that may have ridiculous reporting guidelines, strings attached that hobble the fulfillment of mission or lead to “mission creep,” or specifically support a program that inordinately benefits the gifting entity. I also disagree with accepting money from a company that has a poor public image or reprehensible corporate values (e.g. BP).<br /><br />It is not wrong to lead the fight for the arts with the economic argument. You astutely mentioned that in the halls of Congress, the economy has taken precedence over all other debates. Citing the model of the arts as an economic stimulator gets a foot in the door with officials who want to know what good this will do to helping their constituents and to getting themselves reelected. It does not stain the nobler elements of the arts to report on well-researched data that demonstrates the substantial financial impact that the arts generate in a community. The economic imperative is the tactic that works today; the “Great Nation” claim that inspired the NEA’s creation, though still credible, is no longer compelling to those in a public arena. You do not have to soil your hands with championing the economic effects of the arts if you do not want to do so; leave that to arts administrators and arts advocates. But do not reject us outright, because we share motives and goals that have everything in common. If I did not think that the arts are the most fundamentally important thing in life besides physiological human needs, there is no reason that I would be in this profession.Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-62192025596158618862011-04-11T00:18:00.004-04:002011-04-11T08:32:57.585-04:00The Lives of Charles M. Schulz<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5604241024/" title="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5144/5604241024_77a232a11f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://space1026.com/2011/04/installation-images-of-our-current-exhibition-this-is-a-love-letter-personal-correspondences-from-charles-m-schulz/">This is a Love Letter: Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz</a></span>, which spans art, artifact, and ephemera, is unlike any other show I have seen at Space 1026. The title explains the basic premise, but more on that later. It also brought out a more age-diverse crowd than any Space 1026 opening I have witnessed, no doubt due to the interest in Schulz and his <span style="font-style:italic;">Peanuts </span>gang. It was an affirming feeling to see young and old enthralled by these letters. At a moment when omnipresent media force-feeds us predigested junk at a hysterical rate, a character like Charlie Brown can still be a reliable and satisfying staple. There is something incredibly centering about taking delight in these classic characters; for me, it elicits memories of my grandmother, and her love of Snoopy in the funny papers.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5604241730/" title="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5065/5604241730_6dd8aa2004.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz"></a><br /><br />At face value, the letters tell the rise and fall of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz">Schulz’s</a> (or “Sparky,” as he was known to all) love for a young woman named Tracey Claudius in the early 1970s, who was a Philadelphia resident. His prose is romantic to the core, unabashed in letting emotion overflow as he writes repeatedly about his unquenchable and constant desire to see, speak, and be with her. Superlatives abound: his love for her is the strongest and she is by far the greatest. Doodles of Charlie Brown and Snoopy, as well as other one-off characters not among the <span style="font-style:italic;">Peanuts</span>, punctuate some of the letters. Any woman would feel elated to be on the receiving end of such tenderness and constant attention.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5604240400/" title="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5604240400_2a22939599.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz"></a><br /><br />But hidden in plain sight, the letters offer a far twistier story. The collection is effectively presented as is, without much curatorial guidance. A crucial detail goes unspoken: that Schulz carried on his affair with Claudius while he was still married to his first wife (<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/13/a-dark-and-stormy-life.html">source</a>.) In a telling passage, he writes of “following Gatsby’s green light.” The connotation, taken in context with the rest of that particular letter, would seem to be that Schulz is simply a hopeless romantic; however, comparing himself to the doomed Gatsby, with his unrequited love for Daisy, does not foretell good things to come. If anything, Schulz was something like shades of Jay Gatsby (to his lover and as a cartoonist) and Tom Buchanan (to his wife and others) rolled into one.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5603657431/" title="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. SchulzThis is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5603657431_6cc0417f3f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. SchulzThis is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz"></a><br /><br />Where Charlie Brown and Snoopy pop up in the letters, they act as stand-ins for Schulz’s fragmented psyche, the different parts of an outward persona that he had cultivated. Charlie Brown still plays the loveable loser, blissfully living in the moment and unbothered by worries of a love affair that can have no future. Snoopy, on the other hand, is roguish and consciously detached; the iconic Snoopy alter ego “Joe Cool” appears in a sketch placed near a photo of a smiling Schulz talking on the phone. Who was the real “Sparky”? Both elements, the starry-eyed lover and the smooth playboy, persist in the letters.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5604240692/" title="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5229/5604240692_fc25305d83.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5603658009/" title="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5229/5603658009_f27cab8b94.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz"></a><br /><br />Does Schulz’s flawed personal life besmirch <span style="font-style:italic;">Peanuts</span>? Of course not. Attempting to understand him adds depth to his already staggering oeuvre. In coming up with ideas for a daily strip that ran for fifty years, correlation between the man and his art was inevitable, for we write (and draw) what we know. If <span style="font-style:italic;">Peanuts </span>ever seemed uncomplicated, there was so much more bubbling beneath the surface than we ever perceived.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5604240506/" title="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/5604240506_e797d6a524.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="This is a Love Letter - Personal Correspondences from Charles M. Schulz"></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-7268845883427262302011-04-04T21:49:00.004-04:002011-04-05T08:18:51.194-04:00The Bruce High Quality Foundation’s Teach 4 Amerika – An Arts Administrator’s Perspective<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5582222817/" title="Bruce High Quality Foundation - Teach 4 Amerika at Tyler School of Art by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5582222817_fafb53e91e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bruce High Quality Foundation - Teach 4 Amerika at Tyler School of Art"></a><br /><br />Last week I saw the <a href="http://www.thebrucehighqualityfoundation.com/">Bruce High Quality Foundation’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://teach4amerika.org/">Teach 4 Amerika</a></span> at Tyler School, and their presentation has unsettled me since. Philadelphia was only the second stop on their breakneck, month-long tour of art schools across the United States in a repurposed limousine/school bus. The tour is aimed squarely at people with BFAs or MFAs (or those who are currently pursuing them) and art school faculty. As an Arts Administration graduate student, I was undoubtedly in the minority of those present. But the BHQF presenter called out arts administrators, particularly those who run art schools, and I feel a response is appropriate.<br /><br />I first became aware of the Bruce High Quality Foundation last year when their piece <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/9768610">We Like America and America Likes Us</a></span> was included in the 2010 Whitney Biennial. The work consisted of a Joseph Beuys-referencing (or was it Ghostbusters-referencing?) Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance, with a video rear-projected onto the windows. The video stitches together iconic film footage, viral online clips, and snippets of news and popular culture, over which a narrator speaks. The piece nails the melancholy and longing of Millennials whose contemporary reality is that we live in an America which was forged through hardship by the Greatest Generation and then laid to waste by the Boomers.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5582808784/" title="Bruce High Quality Foundation - Teach 4 Amerika at Tyler School of Art by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5582808784_d5b65761cf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bruce High Quality Foundation - Teach 4 Amerika at Tyler School of Art"></a><br /><br />The <span style="font-style:italic;">Teach 4 Amerika</span> presentation is really no different in its tone. The crew at BHQF are very clever, almost too clever, in their manipulation of appropriated media and pairing image with message. A recurring motif is the use of clips from <span style="font-style:italic;">One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest</span> to illustrate the absurdity of the present art school ecosystem. The narrative is built around the story of an archetypal girl who is pursuing her BFA at MICA. You see, BHQF have a bone to pick with the business and economics of art and art schools. It is hard to begrudge them that the commercial art world has its unseemly practices. It is also fact that almost no one who graduates with a fine arts degree will achieve gallery representation, let alone sales robust enough to support a living. But for they would have it, it’s <span style="font-style:italic;">ars gratia artis</span> or nothing. Art is a vocation, a higher calling—a point that I can agree upon—but one which is sullied once money becomes involved; art and business are at polar ends of the spectrum. <br /><br />BHQF takes exception with the <a href="http://www.nea.gov/">National Endowment for the Arts</a>, picking on its leader Rocco Landesman (an easy target), and its current tagline “Art Works,” <span style="font-style:italic;">i.e.</span> the concept that art can be a generator for local economies. In this city, such a claim is tantamount to blasphemy. Alas, there was no one from the <a href="http://www.phila.gov/visitors/arts_office.html">Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy</a>, the <a href="http://www.philaculture.org/">Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance</a>, or the <a href="http://www.artsandbusinessphila.org/">Arts & Business Council</a> to go toe to toe with them. At the least, their bone of contention with the economic argument for the value of the arts is appallingly naïve. It is the most formidable tool that those in the arts have against naysayers, particularly elected officials who fundamentally disagree that public money should be used in support of the arts. It is but one part of an arsenal that encompasses and can work hand in hand with arguing for the intrinsic value of the arts, not its mortal enemy.<br /><br />The tour amounts to little more than preaching to the converted, pandering to manifest frustration about feeling saddled with debilitating student loans to earn an art diploma that will not lead to a sustainable job that can employ the skills learned while obtaining said diploma. BHQF poses many questions but offers no solutions, other than that they have founded BHQFU, a do-it-yourself “university” for people who want to take part in a creative community (they also reject the accreditation system for art schools as another micro-economy that only looks out for its own monetary interest). <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Teach 4 Amerika</span> is hipster venting, styled as earnest exploration of critical issues. If it is all a put on, a grand work of performance, BHQF is bamboozling susceptible minds. If they are for real, and represent a truism about the future leaders of our arts communities, all of us are in trouble.Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-89025640608789428862011-04-02T14:20:00.004-04:002011-04-02T15:10:52.189-04:00Soil Kitchen<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/21849498?byline=0&portrait=0&color=9dca68" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Yesterday evening I attended the opening reception for <a href="http://soilkitchen.org/">Soil Kitchen</a>, a temporary public art project organized by the <a href="http://www.phila.gov/visitors/arts_office.html">City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy</a>. The collective <a href="http://www.futurefarmers.com/">Futurefarmers</a>—unanimously selected by a panel including Carlos Basualdo, Joshua Mosley, and Winifred Lutz—provided the artistic vision, drawing upon <span style="font-style:italic;">Don Quixote</span>, whose statue stands across the street from its location at 2nd Street and Girard Avenue. They appropriated the windmill, but as a positive model for sustainability and clean energy, rather than the imaginary enemy of a knight-errant. It is tempting to invoke the namesake <span style="font-style:italic;">quixotic </span>moniker, but the project provides a model for community engagement necessary for transforming a dream and an ideal of sustainable living into a practicable reality.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5582238765/" title="Soil Kitchen by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5582238765_4569ff9631.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Soil Kitchen"></a><br /><br />The concept is simple and anyone can participate: bring in a soil sample for analysis and receive a bowl of soup in return, made from fresh, local, and organic ingredients. Empowered with the knowledge about the health and quality of their soil, participants can then take the leap to growing their own vegetables, which can become the ingredients for their own sustainable food.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5582239205/" title="Soil Kitchen by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5582239205_73e8c65fca.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Soil Kitchen"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5582240155/" title="Soil samples at Soil Kitchen by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5140/5582240155_e5493593cf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Soil samples at Soil Kitchen"></a><br /><br />Visit Soil Kitchen before it closes on April 6!Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-40527960522827075982011-03-28T20:53:00.006-04:002011-03-29T08:17:34.602-04:00Looking for Brazil in ChelseaThis month, Chelsea is ripe with Brazilian art! <br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/21578492?byline=0&portrait=0&color=9dca68" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />At <a href="http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/">Tanya Bonakdar Gallery</a>, Ricardo Basbaum, Carlos Contente, Laura Lima, Maria Nepomuceno, and Thiago Rocha Pitta, five artists from <a href="http://www.agentilcarioca.com.br/">A Gentil Carioca</a> gallery in Rio de Janeiro (which I had the pleasure to visit and wrote about <a href="http://postnonprofalyptic.blogspot.com/2010/12/gallery-hopping-in-rio-centro.html">here</a>) are part of a terrific group show.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5563994983/" title="A Gentil Carioca at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5110/5563994983_d228a364fa.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="A Gentil Carioca at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery" /></a><br /><br />Also at Tanya Bonakdar, gallery-represented Sandra Cinto is showing new works and a site-specific installation.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5564652394/" title="Sandra Cinto - Untitled by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5564652394_1077d11546.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Sandra Cinto - Untitled" /></a><br /><br />Since last August, P.S. 11 has been home to a public mural by <a href="http://osgemeos.com.br/">Os Gêmeos</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5564688626/" title="Os Gêmeos & Futura - P.S. 11 mural [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5564688626_86b2b956dd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Os Gêmeos & Futura - P.S. 11 mural [detail]" /></a><br /><br />And <a href="http://www.1500gallery.com/">1500 Gallery</a>, a relative newcomer to the neighborhood, specializes in Brazilian photography. <span style="font-style:italic;">Vale a visita!</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5564727720/" title="Claudio Edinger - São Paulo 2 and São Paulo 12 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5564727720_fc52e14ca7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Claudio Edinger - São Paulo 2 and São Paulo 12" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-56457366537464294002011-03-08T23:32:00.009-05:002011-03-09T08:23:06.536-05:00Unpacking the art of Rubens Ghenov<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5503350805/" title="Rubens Ghenov - ie: Brazilein Chaekkorias, rotted one note by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5503350805_55031c69bb.jpg" alt="Rubens Ghenov - ie: Brazilein Chaekkorias, rotted one note" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />By chance, scrolling through the March First Friday listings, I cheerfully spied a rare sight: a Brazilian artist showing in a Philadelphia gallery. Rubens Ghenov was to be exhibiting at <a href="http://artspaceliberti.blogspot.com/">Artspace Liberti</a>, housed in <a href="http://2424studios.com/home/">2424 Studios</a>. I was unfamiliar with Ghenov and his work, so the night before the opening I read up on him as much as possible with internet research. Born in São Paulo, Ghenov has lived in the United States for over twenty years. This is significant because it is enough time to have become fully assimilated as an American, though his work retains a primarily Brazilian identity.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5503351047/" title="Rubens Ghenov - The Elliptical Professor, vol. 1 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5503351047_30ee2d7521_m.jpg" alt="Rubens Ghenov - The Elliptical Professor, vol. 1" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br />The exhibition, <span style="font-style: italic;">ie: Brazilein Chaekkorias, rotted one note</span>, on view through April 24, comprises nine paintings and an audio component. The elaborate (and entirely mythological) historical narrative that informs the selected works, providing the conceptual backbone of the show, begs explanation. Ghenov relies on a triangle of cleverly contrived characters who are vaguely reminiscent of actual people: Ignácio Bira Puera, Norah Lheo, and Milton Jaula (Gaiolinha). Ignácio Bira Puera was the author of a forgotten volume called <span style="font-style: italic;">O Centimetro Fantasma</span> (<span style="font-style: italic;">The Ghostly Centimeter</span>), a chapter of which Ghenov cites as a direct influence on the paintings. Norah Lheo translated the text to English, providing both the artist and Milton Jaula with a copy of the book. Jaula, whose sample-heavy music was looped at the opening (the track can be streamed <a href="http://soundcloud.com/milton-jaula">here</a>), was also influenced by Bira Puera’s writing.<br /><br />What does all of this mean? Ignácio Bira Puera seems to be a nod to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibirapuera_Park">Ibirapuera Park</a> in São Paulo and a reference to Ghenov’s Paulistano childhood. The name Ibirapuera has been preserved from the Amerindian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupi-Guarani_languages">Tupi-Guarani</a> language word for “rotten wood” (more on the significance of trees and timber later). He resembles some of the Modernist thinkers in Brazil during the first half of the twentieth century. Norah Lheo undoubtedly refers to <a href="http://www.allbrazilianmusic.com/artistas/ver/nara-leao">Nara Leão</a>, Bossa Nova turned Tropicália chanteuse. Milton Jaula is a play on the name of composer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cage">John Cage</a> (full name: John Milton Cage, Jr.; “Jaula” translates to “cage” and the nickname Gaiolinha is a diminutive form for the word “seagull”). Jaula appears in one way to be an alter ego for Ghenov. And, although I’m speculating, he also bears some resemblance to <a href="http://www.allbrazilianmusic.com/artistas/ver/rogerio-duprat">Rogério Duprat</a>, the man who pioneered the sound of the Tropicália movement’s most iconic songs. Taken altogether, this fascinating mélange of Brazilian cultural allusions sets up the parameters of a parallel universe which become Genov’s playground.<br /><br />The title of the exhibition cites <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/asia/c/chaekkori,_an_8-fold_screen.aspx">chaekkori</a></span>, a Korean term for the depiction of items like books, brushes, or artwork, which denote erudition. Ghenov’s paintings contain similar elements, albeit ones he has extrapolated from Brazilian culture and then tweaked in some way. All but one of the works contains a deep crimson woodgrain motif of <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesalpinia_echinata">Pau-Brasil</a></span> (known in English as “Brazilwood”), an emblematic tree that today is ripe with national connotation, and the history of which as an export product was essential to the colonial development of Brazil. Ghenov spoke to me about the wood acting like shelves within the picture plane, on which he propped other things.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5503349785/" title="Rubens Ghenov - The prophetic structure of JDeetroitus by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5503349785_2af7cac428_m.jpg" alt="Rubens Ghenov - The prophetic structure of JDeetroitus" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br />Within the paintings, he turns popular culture on its head, remixing it in a way similar to the accompanying sound collage that plucks from Bossa Nova, Tropicália, and MPB. Adding to the complexity, Ghenov overlays references to “high culture”. In Brazil, as well as much of Latin America, there has traditionally been less of a preoccupation with distinctly segregating high art from popular art. Nineteenth century Emperor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil">Dom Pedro I</a> is styled as <a href="http://www.allbrazilianmusic.com/artistas/ver/chico-buarque">Chico Buarque de Hollanda</a> on the cover of his <a href="http://www.allbrazilianmusic.com/discos/ver/chico-buarque/chico-buarque-de-hollanda-vol-3">third album</a>. A grid that calls to mind <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9lio_Oiticica">Hélio Oiticica’s</a> Constructivist-period <span style="font-style: italic;">Metaesquema</span> paintings maps the face of <a href="http://www.allbrazilianmusic.com/artistas/ver/gal-costa">Gal Costa</a>—both of them key players in Tropicália.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5503350369/" title="Rubens Ghenov - Gal Coastal by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5258/5503350369_b11c979ce6_m.jpg" alt="Rubens Ghenov - Gal Coastal" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5503939948/" title="Rubens Ghenov - On the occasion of the Emperor's exile by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5503939948_cec62e61a7_m.jpg" alt="Rubens Ghenov - On the occasion of the Emperor's exile" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5503349981/" title="Rubens Ghenov - On the occasion of the Emperor's exile [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5503349981_a08b8cf6d3_m.jpg" alt="Rubens Ghenov - On the occasion of the Emperor's exile [detail]" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br />And in the remarkable <span style="font-style: italic;">Astronauta da Saudade</span>, the final painting of the installation, he ties together five hundred years of Brazilian history. The astronaut is held aloft on pillars of Brazilian <span style="font-style: italic;">chaekkori</span> and shelves of <span style="font-style: italic;">Pau-Brasil</span>, while simultaneously being removed them as though they are on Earth, far below his space orbit. <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudade">Saudade</a></span>, the memory and the longing, is what remains for him.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5503940346/" title="Rubens Ghenov - O Astronauta da Saudade by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5139/5503940346_bbcc7ee038.jpg" alt="Rubens Ghenov - O Astronauta da Saudade" width="375" height="500" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-48567491443062505882011-01-23T17:53:00.008-05:002011-01-24T08:08:53.140-05:00Street Art in Rio<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286500763/" title="Tá de Kaô?! by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5124/5286500763_1cbebd1c9a.jpg" alt="Tá de Kaô?!" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />São Paulo may be the undisputed capitol of street art in Brazil—if not the world—but Rio de Janeiro is no slouch by comparison. Graffiti is ubiquitous, whether in the poshest or most marginal areas of the city, like a visual leitmotif with give-and-take relationship to urban life in Rio. Before my most recent visit, I attempted to educate myself as much as possible about the local scene. The book <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Graffiti-Brasil-Street-Graphics-Art/dp/0500285748">Graffiti Brasil</a></span> by <a href="http://www.tristanmanco.com/">Tristan Manco</a>, <a href="http://www.lost.art.br/">Lost Art</a>, and <a href="http://calebneelon.com/">Caleb Neelon</a>, became my bible thanks to its information about the history, terminology, styles, and key players in the vast world of Brazilian graffiti (though understandably its focus is on the <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Paulo">Paulistano</a></span> variety). As a reference it is peerless, because there are few published works in English on the subject. In my own writing I realize that I may mangle some of the nuanced distinctions between things such as throw-ups, bombings, and pieces (or murals), while altogether ignoring the confounding debate over street art versus graffiti art.<br /><br />Graffiti is as integral to the landscape of Rio as the mountains and the sea, and it is everywhere, from locations where it is officially sanctioned by the municipal prefecture, to places where it is an illegal act of transgression. I spent most of my time in Zona Sul, more specifically areas like Lagoa, Jardim Botânico, Gávea, Botafogo, and Ipanema. The more graffiti that I saw, the easier it became to discern the different styles of certain prolific artists. Some works are signed, either by the individual artist or the graffiti crew, but often they are unattributed. It was only after I returned home to do research, especially in the graffiti groups on Flickr, that I identified the artists whose work I had photographed.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fleshbeck.com.br/">Fleshbeck Crew</a> (usually shortened to FBC) is one of the more prevalent groups. I continuously noticed the work of crew member Toz for his cartoony, cat-like creatures. Road, another member, had also laid claim to many areas with his DJ1 character. In addition to their recognizable characters, I think that the color sensibility of this crew sets it apart, by bringing together blocks of bold, contrasting shades.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286497279/" title="Street Art - Rio de Janeiro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5205/5286497279_169c4f545d_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Rio de Janeiro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287100122/" title="Street Art - Jardim Botânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5287100122_d7101245b7_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Jardim Botânico" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287097866/" title="Street Art - Rio de Janeiro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5286/5287097866_c19d935a24_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Rio de Janeiro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287098024/" title="Street Art - Rio de Janeiro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5243/5287098024_9525405821_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Rio de Janeiro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287101214/" title="Street Art - Rio de Janeiro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5287101214_169d864217_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Rio de Janeiro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287096986/" title="Street Art - Lagoa by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5287096986_c8db1d76f5_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Lagoa" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br />Infrastructure provides the best canvas for graffiti art, and the wall enclosing Joquei Clube along Rua Jardim Botânico is a nearly kilometer-long bonanza of countless artists. It is work that has been done legally, disregarding the tags written over some of them (a sign of disrespect), hence the scale and level of detail in these pieces.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19075233?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=9dca68" width="500" frameborder="0" height="281"></iframe><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286497717/" title="Street Art - Jardim Botânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5046/5286497717_3037a2738f_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Jardim Botânico" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286498239/" title="Street Art - Jardim Botânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5286498239_f5764a11d0_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Jardim Botânico" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287099360/" title="Street Art - Jardim Botânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5047/5287099360_f88ce51b18_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Jardim Botânico" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287099420/" title="Street Art - Jardim Botânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5287099420_e4f3bfef8e_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Jardim Botânico" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286498141/" title="Street Art - Jardim Botânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5001/5286498141_8841707df9_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Jardim Botânico" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br />The overpass at the northeastern corner of the lagoon is another excellent place to see a great assortment of pieces.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286494155/" title="Street Art - Lagoa by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5286494155_dec33bcff6_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Lagoa" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286494569/" title="Street Art - Lagoa by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5130/5286494569_4e00f49f50_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Lagoa" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287095012/" title="Street Art - Lagoa by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5287095012_6e185aef36_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Lagoa" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286493711/" title="Cadê O Isqueiro? by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5286493711_e15a4822e9_m.jpg" alt="Cadê O Isqueiro?" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287096306/" title="Street Art - Lagoa by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5206/5287096306_a90e3e9b21_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Lagoa" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br />Avenida República do Chile in Centro also has an impressive concentration of work.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287103232/" title="Street Art - Centro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5287103232_fa626b4ab2_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Centro" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287103106/" title="Street Art - Centro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5048/5287103106_dbf670e4f1_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Centro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287102916/" title="Street Art - Centro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5165/5287102916_09e4925785_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Centro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286501539/" title="Street Art - Centro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5122/5286501539_a58dccaafd_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Centro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286502181/" title="Street Art - Centro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5284/5286502181_12438581c6_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Centro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br />I did not see many paste-ups, except for this recurring silhouette cut-out of the Cristo Redentor statue, typically stuck over already graffitied walls.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286500461/" title="Street Art - Botafogo by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5167/5286500461_7e63cf640f_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Botafogo" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5287101874/" title="Street Art - Botafogo by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5207/5287101874_066c673c60_m.jpg" alt="Street Art - Botafogo" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixa%C3%A7%C3%A3o">Pixação</a></span> (also spelled <span style="font-style: italic;">pichação</span>) is another strain of graffiti, akin to tagging but with very specific criterion. The <span style="font-style: italic;">pichador</span> writes his name, the name of his crew, or the name of his <span style="font-style: italic;">grife</span> (a larger amalgamation of crews). The authors of <span style="font-style: italic;">Graffiti Brasil</span> explain, “There are some visual rules—for example, the letters of the tags should be uniformly tall and wide, meeting an invisible and straight guideline at the top and bottom of the name. The letters should usually be separate from one another. In addition, the breaks and bends of the tag’s letters should (again, normally) be at a consistent elevation (e.g. two-thirds of the way to the top of the letter).” But <span style="font-style: italic;">pixação</span> never stops at a solitary tag; it is a uniform repetition of the same tag at regular intervals. It is most commonly associated with São Paulo, but “in Rio de Janeiro, these spray-painted tags are small, with tight, looping and often symmetrical forms.” Depending on the thickness of the letters, spray cans or rollers can be used. This <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-lDyq6pw0E">video</a> produced by Coolhunting is a first-rate primer on <span style="font-style: italic;">pixação</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286498403/" title="Pixação - Gávea by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/5286498403_d56c3122aa_m.jpg" alt="Pixação - Gávea" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286492203/" title="Pixação - Rio de Janeiro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5002/5286492203_dc19c3ae96_m.jpg" alt="Pixação - Rio de Janeiro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286495851/" title="Pixação - Rio de Janeiro by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5001/5286495851_527d7c8a98_m.jpg" alt="Pixação - Rio de Janeiro" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286498669/" title="Pixação - Gávea by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5049/5286498669_0df4184f7d_m.jpg" alt="Pixação - Gávea" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pixação</span> is aggressive and nihilistic. It is loathed my most people as the lowest form of vandalism, and its practitioners do not think of it as art. If anything, it is more of a political act, an in your face assertion of personal existentiality by people otherwise invisible to the ruling class. When an entire building has been scrawled with <span style="font-style: italic;">pixação</span>, society cannot ignore it. Most of the <span style="font-style: italic;">pixação</span> I saw in Rio falls into the category of <span style="font-style: italic;">agenda</span>, where street-level walls become filled top-to-bottom with different tags. In the hierarchy of <span style="font-style: italic;">pixação</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">agenda</span> tags are not well-respected. It is the heaven-spots, e.g. the tops of buildings or precipices where the <span style="font-style: italic;">pichador</span> must actually risk his life to access (watch this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXybgvyS6Vc">trailer</a> for the documentary <span style="font-style: italic;">PIXO</span> to see hair-raising footage of climbing pichadores), that are of high status. Also impressive is when a crew can bomb an entire building. The only such example I saw was in Niterói, but the internet is littered with photos of buildings that have been fully hit.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5286498871/" title="Pixação - Niterói by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5047/5286498871_e85ef6ae71_m.jpg" alt="Pixação - Niterói" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br />I found <span style="font-style: italic;">pixação</span> fascinating, rather than odious—perhaps I would feel another way if someone had bombed my building. It takes the dedication of an artist, even though it exists in a no man’s land at the periphery of art. In this regard, I have a sense of respect and awe for the <span style="font-style: italic;">pichadores</span>. I suppose that, strictly speaking, they do not care whether you love or hate what they do, as long as it provokes a passionate reaction.Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-38910687229796237452010-12-31T01:04:00.013-05:002010-12-31T08:18:53.678-05:002010 In Review<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4939817123/" title="Rivane Neuenschwander - Eu Desejo O Seu Desejo/I Wish Your Wish by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4939817123_4dde875a7e.jpg" alt="Rivane Neuenschwander - Eu Desejo O Seu Desejo/I Wish Your Wish" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Rivane Neuenschwander's <span style="font-style: italic;">Eu Desejo Seu Desejo </span>("I Wish Your Wish") at New Museum in August, 2010.</span><br /><br />I began my blog Post-Nonprofalyptic in February of 2010. It has been a year of experimentation and growth. I never find enough time to write about everything, even when I limit myself to only the events and exhibitions that I see in person. Looking in retrospect at the year, I am taking the opportunity share a few thoughts about things that I never commented on during the first go around.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bruce Nauman’s</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giorni </span></span>at Philadelphia Museum of Art truly beguiled me. <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Days</span></span>, his English-language version, was distinctly inferior. The raw ingredients of each were essentially the same, but the sounds of the words being spoken held all the power.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4455651509/" title="Bruce Nauman - Giorni by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4455651509_03cd97178c_m.jpg" alt="Bruce Nauman - Giorni" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4455651211/" title="Bruce Nauman - Days by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2787/4455651211_9b230a1c3a_m.jpg" alt="Bruce Nauman - Days" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Live and Die Like A Lion?</span></span>, the Drawing Center’s exhibition of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Leon Golub’s</span> late career work, was the most marvelous and affecting show that I saw all year. Here was a man in his eighties, already a titan of contemporary painting, stripping back to intense focus on the basics using nothing more than oil stick and paper.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4632170199/" title="Leon Golub at The Drawing Center by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4632170199_a935f7b847_m.jpg" alt="Leon Golub at The Drawing Center" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4632169571/" title="Leon Golub at The Drawing Center by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4632169571_306fbf3cfd_m.jpg" alt="Leon Golub at The Drawing Center" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shepard Fairey’s</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mayday </span></span>at Deitch Projects, the gallerist’s last hurrah before flipping coasts to head MOCA, was the absolute depths of banality. Obey Giant has become part of contemporary iconography; its place as a modern classic is assured. Beyond that, Fairey is not doing or showing us anything new. Even worse, ripped from the environment of the streets, his potency is absolutely neutered.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4632171479/" title="Shepard Fairey at Deitch Projects by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4632171479_4160e00cf1_m.jpg" alt="Shepard Fairey at Deitch Projects" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4632767254/" title="Shepard Fairey at Deitch Projects by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4632767254_82dbfb8791_m.jpg" alt="Shepard Fairey at Deitch Projects" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States</span></span> at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts was the perfect show for the summer in which Bravo birthed Work of Art. My self-loathing was intense for sensing a professional obligation to watch something that felt so cynical towards not only artists, but also their methods, materials, and motivations (even though Abdi, the good guy, was anointed winner). Seeing the collection the Vogels amassed, feeling their passion through the art they acquired on a modest budget, inspired a restoration of faith. These are two people who have lived their lives for the art they love.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844393097/" title="Christy Rupp - Pigeon Flock With Rats by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/4844393097_97c7bec849_m.jpg" alt="Christy Rupp - Pigeon Flock With Rats" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844394203/" title="Richard Tuttle - Loose Leaf Notebook Drawings by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/4844394203_daf4b82fd6_m.jpg" alt="Richard Tuttle - Loose Leaf Notebook Drawings" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br />I took the guided tour of <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Bambú</span></span> by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Doug and Mike Starn</span> at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The feeling of standing some forty feet above the roof of the Met on a structure of lashed bamboo? Exhilarating.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936939360/" title="Doug and Mike Starn - Big Bambú (composite) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4936939360_e27077d345_m.jpg" alt="Doug and Mike Starn - Big Bambú (composite)" width="240" height="117" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936839478/" title="Doug and Mike Starn - Big Bambú by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4936839478_ef1736e6b1_m.jpg" alt="Doug and Mike Starn - Big Bambú" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br />I was thrilled about <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rivane Neuenschwander’s</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Day Like Any Other</span></span> at New Museum, a rare solo retrospective for a Brazilian artist in an American museum. I took a ribbon and made my wish. Before seeing the show, I did not realize how much popular culture has influenced her art; almost every piece had something to do with song or film. <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifesto_Antrop%C3%B3fago">Antropofagia</a> </span>is alive and well.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4940403420/" title="Rivane Neuenschwander - Chove Chuva/Rain Rains by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4940403420_b376ee9a4d_m.jpg" alt="Rivane Neuenschwander - Chove Chuva/Rain Rains" width="240" height="173" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4939819321/" title="Rivane Neuenschwander - Primeiro Amor/First Love by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4939819321_4b4585666e_m.jpg" alt="Rivane Neuenschwander - Primeiro Amor/First Love" width="240" height="195" /></a><br /><br />This air handler by the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dufala Brothers</span> at Haverford College is fresh, exactly as advertised and without a doubt. It feels like the self-assured throwing down of a gauntlet before the feet of other artists.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045719865/" title="Billy Blaise Dufala and Steven Dufala - FRESH Air Handler by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5045719865_3bddcb4378_m.jpg" alt="Billy Blaise Dufala and Steven Dufala - FRESH Air Handler" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046341478/" title="Billy Blaise Dufala and Steven Dufala - FRESH Air Handler by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5046341478_d2f1f7158c_m.jpg" alt="Billy Blaise Dufala and Steven Dufala - FRESH Air Handler" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Underground Philadelphia</span></span>, one of the multitude of projects for DesignPhiladelphia, actually succeeded in making Dilworth Plaza come alive as a place where people wanted to be, rather than a place where the down-and-out find themselves by default. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Meejin Yoon</span> did the same for the banks of the Schuylkill with <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Light Drift</span></span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5063581559/" title="Underground Philadelphia at Dilworth Plaza by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5063581559_5fcb6f268b_m.jpg" alt="Underground Philadelphia at Dilworth Plaza" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5063583589/" title="Underground Philadelphia at Dilworth Plaza by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/5063583589_4a935090a1_m.jpg" alt="Underground Philadelphia at Dilworth Plaza" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5084899461/" title="Meejin Yoon - Light Drift by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5084899461_da9c6cb99a_m.jpg" alt="Meejin Yoon - Light Drift" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br />If asked which art project or initiative had the greatest impact this year, my nomination would be the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Phanatic Around Town</span> series. Were they “real” art or just shameless commercialism? Technically, were they very "good"? Do questions such as these even matter? Nothing connected people with their love for Philadelphia (and the Phillies) like these statues did.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4526888031/" title="Jacqueline Cornette - Key To Golden Love by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4526888031_9572f06362_m.jpg" alt="Jacqueline Cornette - Key To Golden Love" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4527517394/" title="Deborah Waldron - Ben Phranklin by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4527517394_d0db391e25_m.jpg" alt="Deborah Waldron - Ben Phranklin" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yarn bombing</span> had its moment in 2010. I noticed it all over the city. It became so ubiquitous that the <a href="http://whyy.org/cms/news/regional-news/2010/04/05/knitting-graffiti-hits-philadelphia/35383">mainstream press</a> ran stories on it. As part of DesignPhiladelphia, the furniture gallery Minima had a yarn-bomber knit a sleeve for the tree in front of its showroom on 3rd Street. Now that this guerrilla art form has become institutionalized, I find it tiresome. How many more times do we want to see a bike-rack covered by crochet?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5066597238/" title="Yarn Bombing at Minima by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5066597238_4c381e0e35_m.jpg" alt="Yarn Bombing at Minima" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4842019279/" title="Yarn Bombing in Rittenhouse Square by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/4842019279_396b1c81dc_m.jpg" alt="Yarn Bombing in Rittenhouse Square" width="180" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4522436968/" title="Yarn bombing outside Reading Terminal Market by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2772/4522436968_4abb363030_m.jpg" alt="Yarn bombing outside Reading Terminal Market" width="180" height="240" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-84171483211926418782010-12-26T18:19:00.006-05:002010-12-27T09:28:48.024-05:00Gallery Hopping in Rio - Centro<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272776116/" title="Largo de São Francisco de Paula by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5207/5272776116_3da645fa4e.jpg" alt="Largo de São Francisco de Paula" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Largo de São Francisco de Paula in the heart of Centro.</span><br /><br />Centro, the other neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro where I visited galleries, is distinct in almost every way imaginable from Zona Sul (including the tourist-heavy areas of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon). Many visitors may never leave the confines of Zona Sul during their time in Rio. I speak from experience: this was my third time in Rio, but only my first time exploring Centro. Zona Sul has a laid-back atmosphere, influenced by beach culture, while Centro buzzes with the activity of pedestrians, vendors, and people otherwise seeming to be <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malandragem">malandros</a></span>, who pack its narrow streets.<br /><br />Centro is Rio’s downtown, a combination of 20th century high-rise buildings functioning as the heart of domestic and international business, mixed with historic edifices, churches, and public squares, which host micro-economies of shops and open-air markets. The galleries in Centro have assimilated to the character of the neighborhood, a complete departure from the sleekness I noticed in Gávea. The prevalent feeling in Centro is one of old-world urban grit transposed by <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeitinho">jeitinho Brasileiro</a></span>.<br /><br />First up, the gallery <a href="http://www.agentilcarioca.com.br/">A Gentil Carioca</a> (Rua Gonçalves Ledo, 17), founded by the artists Ernesto Neto, Franklin Cassaro, Laura Lima, and Márcio Botner. Its entrance is so completely unassuming that I missed it on my first pass. Upon entering, you proceed up the stairs to the second floor, which has an office with a small collection of works in it. Going up one more level, you reach the gallery space, which has two separate rooms, and a little depressed area that they call the piscina (“swimming pool”), into which you can descend via pool ladder. The exhibition on view was <span style="font-style: italic;">Zum Zum Zum</span> by Cao Guimarães e José Bento, comprising a video of instrumentalists talking about the color of sound, and an installation of music stands in the “swimming pool,” which was somewhat treacherous because the room was pitch black.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272166975/" title="A Gentil Carioca by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5043/5272166975_81b31ca25e_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="A Gentil Carioca" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272166851/" title="A Gentil Carioca by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5007/5272166851_2ea0ff5bd0_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="A Gentil Carioca" /></a><br /><br />I attempted to visit <a href="http://noticiascultura.rio.rj.gov.br/principal.cfm?sqncl_publicacao=548">Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica</a> (Rua Luís de Camões, 68), but it was closed for installation. The center is operated by the city and mounts rotating exhibitions. It used to hold Oiticica’s archive of works, until a dispute with his heirs resulted in the transference of the collection back to their private stewardship. In 2009, a significant portion of the collection was destroyed or damaged due to a fire in the home of his brother César Oiticica, where the work was stored. (For further reading, visit <a href="http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/32990/fire-destroys-brazilian-artist-helio-oiticicas-works/">Artinfo</a>, <a href="http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/2-000-works-by-h-lio-oiticica-destroyed-in-fire%20/19623">The Art Newspaper</a>, or <a href="http://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/mat/2009/10/17/parte-das-obras-de-helio-oiticica-destruidas-em-incendio-pode-ser-recuperada-768101117.asp">Globo</a>)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272775072/" title="Centro de Arte Hélio Oiticica by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5288/5272775072_2febd462a0_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Centro de Arte Hélio Oiticica" /></a><br /><br />I also attempted to visit the gallery <a href="http://www.durexart.com/">Durex Arte Contemporânea</a> (Praça Tiradentes, 85). After ringing the bell multiple times and many minutes of waiting, I left.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272775348/" title="Durex Arte Contemporânea by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5164/5272775348_f824ec4368_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Durex Arte Contemporânea" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.largodasartes.com.br/">Largo das Artes</a> (Rua Luís de Camões, 2) occupies an airy and spacious loft that looks out over Largo de São Francisco de Paula. The exhibition paired two artists: Osmar Barros’ <span style="font-style: italic;">Me Mostre a Pintura</span> (“Show Me The Painting”) and Ronaldo Grossman’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Homem de Areia</span> (“Sandman”). I enjoyed Barros’ work the most out of any that I saw in a Rio gallery. He reveals hidden colors, such as eggs that when cracked open release two pigments instead of white and yolk. A video documents him chipping away at the drywall to reveal brightly-painted bricks beneath it, an interesting way to play upon the history ingrained in the nineteenth century building that houses the gallery.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272168059/" title="Largo das Artes by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5272168059_b19c1f5d0a_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Largo das Artes" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272776326/" title="Osmar Barros - Me Mostre a Pintura & Ronaldo Grossman - Homem de Areia by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5242/5272776326_2a9cc7d3ca_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Osmar Barros - Me Mostre a Pintura & Ronaldo Grossman - Homem de Areia" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272167705/" title="Osmar Barros - Me Mostre a Pintura by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5047/5272167705_54b78efeb5_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Osmar Barros - Me Mostre a Pintura" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272167577/" title="Osmar Barros - Me Mostre a Pintura by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5167/5272167577_955fcb2b29_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Osmar Barros - Me Mostre a Pintura" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272167389/" title="Osmar Barros - Me Mostre a Pintura by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5284/5272167389_c49a8f594a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Osmar Barros - Me Mostre a Pintura" /></a><br /><br />Along the same street as Largo das Artes and Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica is <a href="http://www.largodasartes.com.br/">Real Gabinete Português de Leitura</a> (Rua Luís de Camões, 30), a singular attraction not to be missed. It is not a gallery or museum, but an historic library dedicated to Portuguese literature and culture. The Neo-Gothic interior is absolutely stunning, as is the volume of rare and antique books it contains. There was also a temporary exhibition drawn from its collection, <span style="font-style: italic;">Imagens da República Portuguesa no Brasil 1910-22</span> (“Images of the Portuguese Republic in Brazil”). Many of the works on display were caricatures from the popular press, which gave insight to how Brazilians viewed their former colonial master, then struggling with how to exist as a republic (Brazil had been independent of Portugal since 1822, and a republic from 1889).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272167281/" title="Real Gabinete Português de Leitura by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5088/5272167281_eed2f340d9_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Real Gabinete Português de Leitura" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-19557461269883183592010-12-19T22:39:00.007-05:002010-12-20T08:32:46.965-05:00Gallery Hopping in Rio - Gávea<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272924160/" title="Joquei Clube by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5162/5272924160_8387e94819.jpg" alt="Joquei Clube" width="500" height="375"></a><br /><font size="1">The Jockey Club in Rio. Gávea lies just behind it.</font><br /><br />Earlier this month I spent ten days in Rio de Janeiro. Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a particular interest in Brazilian art. More than in any previous trip I have made to Rio, I set aside as much time as possible to explore museums and galleries. Over the next few posts, I will write about my recent trip. I have two goals: to offer tips whenever possible for travelers who will seek out visual art while in Rio; and, to talk briefly about what I saw during my own visit.<br /><br />After you arrive in Rio, obtain a copy of <font style="font-style: italic;">Mapa Das Artes Rio De Janeiro</font> (“Map of the Arts”), the local gallery guide. The pamphlet is free and available at bookstores and cultural destinations. It is written in Portuguese only, but regardless of your linguistic skill level it becomes an indispensable tool for art trekking. Destinations are grouped by category: Museums and Public Spaces; Galleries and Art Offices; Institutional Spaces; and Ateliers, Services, and Other. The city and neighborhood maps are the most valuable feature of the guide. The reverse side has event and exhibition listings. A map in a travel guide may show you locations of large museums, but will not pinpoint the galleries and ateliers. There is a web version at <a href="http://www.mapadasartes.com.br/">http://www.mapadasartes.com.br/</a> which is clumsier to use, though it links to Google maps. <a href="http://www.rioecultura.com.br/">Rio & Cultura</a> is another online option (again, some knowledge of Portuguese required).<br /><br />I used the Mapa Das Artes to plan my itinerary by looking for clusters of destinations where I could focus my limited time most efficiently. My gallery hopping centered in two neighborhoods: Gávea and Centro. In this post I will concentrate on Gávea.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272081415/" title="Galeria Anita Schwartz by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5272081415_7ff04f5082_m.jpg" alt="Galeria Anita Schwartz" width="180" height="240"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272081293/" title="Otavio Schipper and Sergio Krakowski - Inconsciente Mecânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5126/5272081293_be70b21fa4_m.jpg" alt="Otavio Schipper and Sergio Krakowski - Inconsciente Mecânico" width="240" height="180"></a><br /><br />Using Praça Santos Dumont as a starting point, I first visited <a href="http://www.galeria.anitaschwartz.com.br/">Anita Schwartz Galeria de Arte</a> (Rua José Roberto Macedo Soares 30). Housed in its own building, there are two floors of gallery space inside. The ground level has a large “white cube” gallery, and upper level has smaller gallery with an open air patio and a shipping container that was set up as a theater on the interior. The ambience here was slick and corporate. The primary exhibition was Otavio Schipper’s and Sergio Krakowski’s <font style="font-style: italic;">Inconsciente Mecânico</font> ("Mechanical Unconscious"), a collaboration between an artist and musician. Their installation of antique telegraph machines had a strong auditory component, as they clicked and responded to recorded telephone ringers and synthesized sounds in a low-light setting.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272690254/" title="Silvia Cintra + Box 4 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5210/5272690254_8be5212e1e_m.jpg" alt="Silvia Cintra + Box 4" width="240" height="180"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272081879/" title="Silvia Cintra + Box 4 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5243/5272081879_1db840989c_m.jpg" alt="Silvia Cintra + Box 4" width="180" height="240"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.silviacintra.com.br/">Silvia Cintra + Box 4</a> (Rua das Acácias 104) is a similar gallery, also occupying its own building on a quiet street set in the shadow of Atlantic rainforest that branches from the bordering Jardim Botânico. The minimalist design of both Anita Schwartz Galeria de Arte and Silvia Cintra + Box 4 integrate surprisingly well amongst the older architecture of the neighborhood. The featured exhibition was Rodrigo Matheus’ <font style="font-style: italic;">Hollywood</font>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272690104/" title="Galeria Anna Maria Niemeyer by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5044/5272690104_d922fd02e1_m.jpg" alt="Galeria Anna Maria Niemeyer" width="240" height="180"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.annamarianiemeyer.com.br/">Galeria Anna Maria Niemeyer</a> has two sites, one of which is situated directly on Praça Santos Dumont. The other is a little more of a challenge to find. It is on the second floor of Shopping da Gávea (Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 52). In Brazil, the word “shopping” is used for what we would simply term a “mall”. Be aware that the two locations have different days and hours of operation. On view at the Shopping da Gávea gallery was <font style="font-style: italic;">Pinturas </font>(“Paintings”) by João Magalhães.<br /><br />Finally, I visited <a href="http://www.contornoartes.com.br/">Contorno Artes</a> (Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 142), located in Gávea Trade Center, an office building with an arcade of shops on its first two floors. Conotorno Artes does not mount temporary exhibitions; it displays works from its holdings of Brazilian artists, which are available for purchase.<br /><br />If the idea of an art gallery in a shopping mall conjures thoughts of the stores that sell over-reproduced posters and prints of questionable taste, as well cheap framing, put those thoughts out of your head. These are honest-to-god galleries. While not all malls are created equally, in Brazil they are viewed as chic places for high-end shopping and lack the stigma that hovers around the mall culture in America.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272372835/" title="Jardim Botânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5208/5272372835_1511d44df9_m.jpg" alt="Jardim Botânico" width="180" height="240"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5272979660/" title="Jardim Botânico by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5284/5272979660_178c4ec221_m.jpg" alt="Jardim Botânico" width="180" height="240"></a><br /><br />If you are in the area, it would be a shame to miss out on <a href="http://www.jbrj.gov.br/">Jardim Botânico</a>, which is within short walking distance from all of the galleries mentioned above. It is easy to spend many hours walking Jardim Botânico’s vast acreage, so my plan of attack was to budget the morning for galleries and the afternoon for the gardens.Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-75103013970521089232010-11-25T16:45:00.006-05:002010-11-26T09:27:48.746-05:00USS Olympia update<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183781364/" title="USS Olympia by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/5183781364_afc45e3522.jpg" alt="USS Olympia" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Last Thursday the USS Olympia received a lifeline, the same day on which I published my story about the impending closure of the ship. But the vessel is not yet saved: this is merely a stay of execution. The Olympia will remain open, albeit with limited days and hours of visitation, while Independence Seaport Museum explores options for the future of the historic landmark. According to the <a href="http://www.phillyseaport.org/ships_olympia.shtml">ISM website</a> and the <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20101118_Spanish-American_warship_spared__at_least_for_now.html">Inquirer article</a>, funds were released to cover case-by-case repair costs. I was curious about the source of these funds, so after making initial contact with someone there, I posed this and a few other questions which went unanswered. Here’s what I think: the publicized closing date of November 22 was an arbitrary one, with a calculated purpose of motivating an influential donor to step forward and pledge support. His or her backing would have been used to rally others and generate momentum for a fundraising campaign. In no way am I implying that the Olympia is not in dire shape, because I believe that it is. But most people will not rush to save something in peril without an absolute deadline, which even in this case was unsuccessful.<br /><br />I want to propose a theory to explain why it may be very tricky to find high-level donors willing to commit support to the Olympia. Could it be that the Philadelphia-area philanthropic community is suffering from ship-saving fatigue? Already this year, the SS United States has been rescued from a similar scrap yard fate, though it is not entirely out of danger yet. A <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/97576799.html">$5.8 million gift by Gerry Lenfest</a> to the <a href="http://www.ssunitedstatesconservancy.org/SSUS/Home.html">SS United States Conservancy</a> will allow the not-for-profit organization to purchase the ship, giving them time to devise plans and a strategy for its restoration. Given the rhetoric of superlatives used to describe the historic and engineering significance of the SS United States, the Olympia can only wither by comparison (click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvTEEFX5HeY">here</a> to watch Mayor Michael Nutter and Lenfest praise the ship). <br /><br />There exists an analogous group in the <a href="http://cruiserolympia.org/Home.html">Friends of the Cruiser Olympia</a>, itself a 501(c)(3) with a stated mission of reviving the Olympia (I also did not receive a response to my questions for them). The organization is new as of this year and it has not yet made a convincing case that it could be a legitimate steward for the Olympia. On the other hand, the SS United States Conservancy has existed in some form since 1992 (originally as the SS United States Preservation Society)*, has successfully lobbied congressional support in the past, and now carries the Lenfest seal of approval, making it substantially easier for them to leverage contributions from other donors, foundations, and public sources.<br /><br />If anything, what the USS Olympia needs is a champion, which may prove difficult to find if it remains in Philadelphia and under the tutelage of Independence Seaport Museum.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:60%;">*Note: I took this information from the SS United States Conservancy website. The organization was founded in 2009, and no financial records are yet available. According to <a href="http://www2.guidestar.org/">Guidestar</a>, the SS United States Preservation Society was founded in 2005, the only year for which they have a 990 available (this 2005 return contains no useful information about the financial position or health of the organization at that time).</span>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-18299356212702597012010-11-17T23:37:00.007-05:002010-11-18T07:55:07.389-05:00Saying goodbye to the USS Olympia<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183187005/" title="USS Olympia by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5183187005_6a16aa12aa.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="USS Olympia" /></a><br /><br />My first visit to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Olympia_%28C-6%29">USS Olympia</a> at <a href="http://www.phillyseaport.org/">Independence Seaport Museum</a> will also be my last. On November 22, the ship is to be closed the public, awaiting one of two fates: it will either be scrapped or scuttled to become an artificial reef off the coast of New Jersey. I put together a video of my tour and one of the questions I pondered was, what is the life cycle of a historic landmark such as the Olympia? Nothing, especially not a century-old steel vessel subjected continuously to the corrosive effects of water, is meant to last forever. During our lifetimes, we might have to deal with the deterioration or destruction of monuments that carry great historical or cultural significance. People make plans and arrangements regarding their own deaths, so do we not need to consider the course of action to be taken when a landmark is close to its expiration?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16847159?byline=0&portrait=0" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Lest I be misconstrued, I think that the loss of the Olympia is premature and a damn shame: it is both shameful for those charged with its care and it is a shame that the citizens of Philadelphia will now be deprived of its existence. If $20 million could be raised in an instant to save the Olympia, it would be worth every cent. But it would merely be an extension on life, not an avoidance of an inevitable end that some future generation would have to face.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183785304/" title="USS Olympia - Officer's Country by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1398/5183785304_e1100454d0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="USS Olympia - Officer's Country" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183185901/" title="USS Olympia by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5183185901_b1941ac468_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="USS Olympia" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183183173/" title="USS Olympia - Berth Deck by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1428/5183183173_4c3e4e2da6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="USS Olympia - Berth Deck" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183186019/" title="USS Olympia - Captain's Suite by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5183186019_7be34d5e47_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="USS Olympia - Captain's Suite" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183783562/" title="USS Olympia - Wheelhouse by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/5183783562_3d7bddd299_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="USS Olympia - Wheelhouse" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183185173/" title="USS Olympia by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5183185173_4aac7ed7bc_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="USS Olympia" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183185253/" title="USS Olympia by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1439/5183185253_c436df0491_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="USS Olympia" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5183784186/" title="USS Olympia by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1041/5183784186_74c9e73c12_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="USS Olympia" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-66310515595906616942010-10-31T22:58:00.012-04:002010-11-17T23:55:26.244-05:00Michelangelo Pistoletto - Takin' It To The Streets<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5129709891/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5129709891_37d4eb4254.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br />One striking thing I have learned since I began graduate school last year is how many people are averse to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and other institutions of comparable size and scope. There are as many reasons as there are individuals, not limited to: the price of admission makes the museum inaccessible; the museum is neither representative of nor welcoming to people of color; the leadership of the museum does not prioritize serving the locals of its community, catering disproportionately to out-of-towners; or that the museum, its largest donors, and heaviest users are just plain elitist. Learning about these points of view so different from my own was an eye-opening experience. Even though I continue to be a lover of PMA and its programming, I have come to understand how the museum sits atop its hill, letting people come to it, rather than reaching out to the community to engage people where they are in an open and unimposing manner.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16370904?byline=0&portrait=0" width="500" height="375" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />I state all of this to emphasize how important it is for the PMA to run programs like the recent reenactment of <a href="http://www.pistoletto.it/">Michelangelo Pistoletto’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Walking Sculpture (Scultura da Passeggio)</span>. We departed from the museum with an already sizable crowd, operating under the idea that, as we rolled the giant newspaper ball through the city, more folks would join our group. While there is no empirical way of measuring whether or not this actually happened, I do think that it worked. Based on my observation, the size of our group stayed consistent; though I know that some who started out from the museum did not complete the journey, I also witnessed new participants enter the fold along the way. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5130305066/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1101/5130305066_8f87e33baa_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5129705095/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1184/5129705095_f03b5fe2ce_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5130307506/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5130307506_b907dbdabe_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5130305800/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1139/5130305800_4b0f6162cf_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br />The planned itinerary took us down the Schuylkill River Trail, up to Chestnut Street, over to Rittenhouse Square, then down Locust Street and up South Broad Street to City Hall, before finally cutting through JFK Plaza to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with a small detour at the Rodin Museum, and ending back at PMA. Here lies a problem: the journey was more of a touristic flyby of fashionable and picturesque spots, not a truly inclusive route through residential areas. Did we reach anyone not already sympathetic to the museum and its <span style="font-style:italic;">modus operandi</span>? Would it have been truer to the spirit of Pistoletto’s original work to hijack the ball and roll it through anywhere but Center City?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5130309414/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5130309414_e10b1c5510_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5129708479/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1119/5129708479_d16ed09b60_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5130311570/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/5130311570_759662952d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5129710727/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5129710727_b5ff7683a3_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5130313844/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5130313844_432015c9a6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5130314074/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/5130314074_e7406b8fef_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a><br /><br />If it appears that I am being overly critical, I will conclude with this thought: what we all experienced that day was sheer, unadulterated fun. For the greater part of the trek, children were happily pushing the ball through the streets and you can hear their joyous laughter throughout the video. The artist himself was light and airy, dancing to music and playfully interacting with the children. Even the PMA senior staff members who made the trip seemed less than their usual austere selves. And when else would you see Gerry Lenfest out and about, rubbing shoulders with the man on the street? <br /><br />The need for programs such as this one is great; institutions of gravitas and artists of renown have a mandate to provide them.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5130315060/" title="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1146/5130315060_0b7a95b0f8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Michelangelo Pistoletto - Walking Sculpture/Scultura da Passeggio" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-78482587305848299192010-10-14T23:12:00.006-04:002010-10-15T07:45:03.373-04:00First Friday, October 2010<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045935982/" title="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5045935982_fd7625f3b6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br />Life? It’s a little crazy right now. But I had to make time for First Friday, especially after missing out on September. I concentrated around Chinatown, stopping first at <a href="http://jolielaide.com/gallery/Jolie_Laide_Gallery.html">Jolie Laide Gallery</a>, which I had wanted to visit since it opened over the summer. The location is slightly hidden in an isolated pocket of North Juniper Street, which is fenced in by the new convention center extension to the south and Vine Street to the North. Their current show features three artists: <a href="http://mandrews.net/home.html">Mike Andrews</a>, <a href="http://eastonawesome.com/home.html">Easton Miller</a>, and <a href="http://andrewholmquist.com/home.html">Andrew Holmquist</a>. Taken as a whole, I was most interested in the varying textures that each of them created. Miller’s collages of repurposed items, such as woven strips of basketball, rabbit’s foot key chains, pieces of shag carpeting, and plaid paper, are like rebuses to unlock some dramatic narrative. The droopy clumps of yarn in Andrew’s tapestries hang as though they are melting off the weft, somehow calling to mind Mike Kelley’s stitched-together stuffed animals. Holmquist’s semi-transparent layers of paint make for an illusion of physical depth.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045897918/" title="Easton Miller at Jolie Laide Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5045897918_919e82c542_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Easton Miller at Jolie Laide Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045898314/" title="Easton Miller - Punk As Fuck by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/5045898314_94cd76fa3b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Easton Miller - Punk As Fuck" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045898576/" title="Easton Miller at Jolie Laide Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5045898576_398e608917_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Easton Miller at Jolie Laide Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045898794/" title="Easton Miller - Gettin' Lucky by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5045898794_71b1f031e7_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Easton Miller - Gettin' Lucky" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045277871/" title="Easton Miller - Glory by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5045277871_b41603f1e7_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Easton Miller - Glory" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045276069/" title="Mike Andrews - Grey Peak, Then Fall by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5045276069_b6abee9d4d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mike Andrews - Grey Peak, Then Fall" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045277685/" title="Mike Andrews - Grey Peak, Then Fall [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/5045277685_a667aacc21_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Mike Andrews - Grey Peak, Then Fall [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045276237/" title="Mike Andrews - Pretty Good by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5045276237_332edeb2c6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mike Andrews - Pretty Good" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045898190/" title="Mike Andrews - Oooh That Smell by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5045898190_fb5a190d68_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Mike Andrews - Oooh That Smell" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045899008/" title="Andrew Holmquist and Mike Andrews at Jolie Laide Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5045899008_00d1cb24d6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Andrew Holmquist and Mike Andrews at Jolie Laide Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045898038/" title="Andrew Holmquist - Painting A Day Series by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5045898038_4e421c971d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Andrew Holmquist - Painting A Day Series" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.marginalutility.org/">Marginal Utility</a> had a show of Justin Matherly, featuring the mouthful of a title <span style="font-style:italic;">Would that You were the last of the filth which You had to remove / why does your flesh shit?</span> The most striking work is his degenerated reimagining of the Vatican Museum’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvedere_Torso">Belvedere Torso</a>, a Classical marble sculpture that served as a font of inspiration for numerous High Renaissance artists. The cement Matherly used for the piece looks like liquefied clay poured into bulging plastic trash bags, which were then left to harden in the sun. Whereas the Belvedere Torso is effortlessly vigorous and virile, Matherly offers a leaden, crippled, and impotent sub-human being. Is it a critique of Classicism’s legacy in figurative art? I do not know, and would perhaps rather it remain ambiguous. But I say all this as an admirer of the work. I did ask Matherly about his technique for making the prints that were also part of the show. He divides the image into sections that are inkjet printed on the glossy side of a transparency, which he then transfers while wet on to the paper surface. The result is a fuzzy and off-register composition that resembles the degradation of an image when it has been re-photographed multiple times.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045315123/" title="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5045315123_9000f214fe_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045936174/" title="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5045936174_cb70252347_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045314469/" title="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5045314469_1b7b5863ed_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045936294/" title="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/5045936294_099feb106f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045315003/" title="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/5045315003_02306c6ac1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Justin Matherly at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br />At <a href="http://grizzlygrizzly.wordpress.com/">Grizzly Grizzly</a>, <a href="http://christophercarroll.org/home.html">Christopher Carroll’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">The Pilot’s Dilemma</span> pitted man against nature in several short videos. There is a brief loop played in forward and then reverse of a Canada Goose flopping back and forth over a decoy: is it balletic or bellicose? Boston’s Prudential Tower stands in the background, letting us know that we are not in the wild. In a video diptych, a man in waders ventures with trepidation into an arched tunnel, lighting a flare that briefly illuminates the dark interior, but that quickly burns out. Another pair of videos show deer being hit by bullets; the footage is grainy and slowed down, a Zapruder film of hunting, allowing the blood spray and shockwaves that ripple the animals’ flesh to be visible.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045623825/" title="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5045623825_6401538e68_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046247396/" title="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5046247396_fa69c1e9ac_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045624319/" title="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5045624319_c58081cb13_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045624507/" title="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5045624507_cd7fd136f8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045624193/" title="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5045624193_e385067063_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045624775/" title="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/5045624775_c7f3a983be_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Christopher Carroll at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.voxpopuligallery.org/">Vox Populi</a> was showing four artists. The first you encounter is <a href="http://www.katestewart.xbuild.com/">Kate Stewart’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6tterd%C3%A4mmerung">Götterdämmerung</a></span>, where plants and sod have been installed in the gallery. The cold, raking light sets an eerie tone. You feel like an unwelcome interloper in the room, as though this is a snapshot of a post-human dimension. Next, there is <a href="http://www.karacrombie.com/">Kara Crombie’s</a> animated film <span style="font-style:italic;">Mother’s Birthday</span>, a silly, mixed-up anachronism of life on a southern plantation during the Civil War. Think of a nothing-sacred, animated sitcom variation on <span style="font-style:italic;">Gone With The Wind</span>: the lady of the house takes a female slave as lesbian consort; tragicomic mishaps and gags ensue. <a href="http://leahbailis.com/home.html">Leah Bailis’</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Magical Thinking</span> is also cinematic in its vision, embellished with sparkling tesserae of a disco ball and a tapestry of sequins. In the back, there is <a href="http://billthelen.com/home.html">Bill Thelen’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Connect Up To Me</span>. Have you ever said to yourself, I would love to see that notorious paparazzi photo of <a href="http://aslcdn.celebuzz.com/images/2007/07/prince_anhalt_073007-thumb.jpg">Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt</a>, naked and tied to his steering wheel, but blown-up on a sandwich board, and contextualized by some other stuff? Well, here you go.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046266722/" title="Kate Stewart - Götterdämmerung by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/5046266722_5736b0f876_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kate Stewart - Götterdämmerung" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046266906/" title="Kate Stewart - Götterdämmerung by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5046266906_658634785b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kate Stewart - Götterdämmerung" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046267090/" title="Kara Crombie - Mother's Birthday by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5046267090_eeb1749ce1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kara Crombie - Mother's Birthday" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046267010/" title="Kara Crombie - Mother's Birthday by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5046267010_8b0ca90d9a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kara Crombie - Mother's Birthday" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046267052/" title="Kara Crombie - Mother's Birthday by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5046267052_57a4065076_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kara Crombie - Mother's Birthday" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045646039/" title="Kara Crombie - Mother's Birthday by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5045646039_3939ca10ff_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kara Crombie - Mother's Birthday" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046268432/" title="Leah Bailis - Magical Thinking by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5046268432_be4dd61e60_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Leah Bailis - Magical Thinking" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045645439/" title="Leah Bailis - Magical Thinking by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/5045645439_632227e2cb_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Leah Bailis - Magical Thinking" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045645521/" title="Leah Bailis - Magical Thinking by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5045645521_5b39d02cda_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Leah Bailis - Magical Thinking" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046268300/" title="Leah Bailis - Magical Thinking by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5046268300_66f67137b9_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Leah Bailis - Magical Thinking" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045645183/" title="Bill Thelen - Connect Up To Me by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5045645183_7a259798da_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bill Thelen - Connect Up To Me" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046267822/" title="Bill Thelen - Connect Up To Me by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5046267822_73d817f8e1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bill Thelen - Connect Up To Me" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045644761/" title="Bill Thelen - Connect Up To Me by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/5045644761_e9ba31c2d4_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bill Thelen - Connect Up To Me" /></a><br /><br />Upstairs at <a href="http://www.tigerstrikesasteroid.com/">Tiger Strikes Asteroid</a>, I found queasy intrigue in <a href="http://matthewsepielli.blogspot.com/">Matthew Sepielli</a>’s paintings of built-up impasto embedded with found object. They are glazed to an almost sticky, sickeningly-sweet finish.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046295876/" title="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5046295876_2cbc2b5210_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046295984/" title="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/5046295984_dcdeda9c0f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045673723/" title="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5045673723_6df9cf2da5_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045673855/" title="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/5045673855_aa615e9c66_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046296408/" title="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/5046296408_a390aa45c7_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matthew Sepielli at Tiger Strikes Asteroid" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://space1026.com/">Space 1026’s</a> exhibition featured photography shot on old-school cameras with 35mm film (imagine that!). <a href="http://sandykim.com/">Sandy Kim’s</a> style is more spontaneous, like the slice of grungy life work by Larry Clark or Nan Goldin, where the artist’s real-life friends, acquaintances, hook-ups, drug-buddies, or whomever else, become the cast of characters. <a href="http://www.loganwhitephoto.com/">Logan White’s</a> photographs are more elaborately staged, but still feel like they are coated in a layer of bohemian grime.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046302488/" title="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5046302488_a1d26024e6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046303088/" title="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/5046303088_029481079b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045680625/" title="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5045680625_69e22b35d9_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046302708/" title="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5046302708_3604a9182f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046302838/" title="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5046302838_079dc0ac91_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045680231/" title="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/5045680231_05e0aa8b1a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sandy Kim and Logan White at Space 1026" /></a><br /> <br />My night ended on a low-note with a visit to the <a href="http://fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/">Fabric Workshop and Museum</a> for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Jonas">Joan Jonas’</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Reading Dante III</span>. When I walked into the gallery, I had an immediate sense of déjà vu. I was nagged for a while by the sense that I had seen this before; then I remembered William Kentridge’s 7 Fragments for Georges Melies at MoMA this spring.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4396080912/" title="William Kentridge - 7 Fragments for Georges Melies by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4396080912_c116c1484e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="William Kentridge - 7 Fragments for Georges Melies " /></a> <br /><br />Alright, they are not the same thing, but they feel remarkably similar. I went into this knowing nothing about Jonas. If sources are to be believed, she is an influential but somewhat unsung pioneer of video art. However, I saw nothing in content or presentation of <span style="font-style:italic;">Reading Dante III</span> that felt fresh, original, or demanding of my attention. It is hard to believe that brain behind FWM, who last year, in a very forward-thinking mode decided to partially-fund and exhibit Ryan Trecartin’s most recent film trilogy, is the same person who decided it would be good to reach backward for Jonas. Hold up the twitchy, youthful energy of Trecartin’s films next to Jonas, and she seems not mature, but rather geriatric. Also, it appears that the whole show has been lifted and reinstalled wholesale from the 2009 Venice Biennale (even then subsequently shown in identical form at her gallery <a href="http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=37097">Yvon Lambert</a>), an unpardonable act of laziness. Why does an organization with a stated mission of collaborating with artists on new work that pushes the boundaries of materials and media resort to being a showcase for New York gallery hand-me-downs? I know the answer, but will let you draw your own conclusions.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046317270/" title="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/5046317270_9338c3d762_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5045694275/" title="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5045694275_cd12278bfa_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046316916/" title="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/5046316916_f3fc60efc0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046317110/" title="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5046317110_2414095729_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/5046317182/" title="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/5046317182_b3d31411ea_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Joan Jonas - Reading Dante III" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-84738440911102496792010-09-17T23:35:00.003-04:002010-09-18T08:52:17.844-04:00Hidden Realizations at Vincent Michael Gallery<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973060610/" title="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4973060610_64df00e26a.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br />I went out of town on Labor Day weekend, and as a result, I was unable to attend any First Friday openings. Regrettably, I have been to nary an event all month, save for a preview at <a href="http://vincentmichael.com/">Vincent Michael Gallery</a> of the current show <span style="font-style:italic;">Hidden Realizations</span>. The two artists, <a href="http://tomfrenchart.wordpress.com/">Tom French</a> and <a href="http://www.wix.com/ChloeFUrban/Chloefurban">Chloe Faith Urban</a>, were present and I was glad to have the opportunity to chat with them. The works selected have layering as a common thread: the layers of construction or of different media help to build their levels of meaning.<br /><br />Tom French, who hails from Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England, is enjoying his first United States show. Immediately, I was struck by his stunning touch with charcoal. He manages a tricky balance of detailed realism and gestural looseness in many of the works. Some drawings have taken a more stylized direction, and he has overlaid them with color gels upon which he sprayed or dripped paint. The resulting graffiti effect is playful, such as one might mischievously scribble devil horns or a curly moustache over a portrait, both enhancing and defacing aspects of the underlying work. French also has several <span style="font-style:italic;">memento mori</span> drawings evocative of the skull optical illusion in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Allan_Gilbert">Charles Allan Gilbert’s</a> famous <span style="font-style:italic;">All Is Vanity</span>. He has substituted sexual desire for the self-love of Gilbert’s mirror gazer.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972414547/" title="Tom French - TBC 2 [left] and Skull 2 [right] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/4972414547_0ed7d39805_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom French - TBC 2 [left] and Skull 2 [right]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973029206/" title="Tom French - TBC 2 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/4973029206_5fcf2e04de_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tom French - TBC 2" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973029342/" title="Tom French - TBC 2 [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/4973029342_359f4722b8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tom French - TBC 2 [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973029046/" title="Tom French - Skull 2 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/4973029046_8a3728cf53_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom French - Skull 2" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973028938/" title="Tom French - Skull 2 [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/4973028938_6a578cc9e6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom French - Skull 2 [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972414793/" title="Tom French - Skull 1 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/4972414793_63cebe6c26_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom French - Skull 1" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972414697/" title="Tom French - As Angels Play 1 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4972414697_e7db121033_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tom French - As Angels Play 1" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973028802/" title="Tom French - Portrait 7 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/4973028802_83eb60f975_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tom French - Portrait 7" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972414613/" title="Tom French - Portrait Hidden 2 [left] and Portrait Hidden 1 [right] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/4972414613_e53161d0a4_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom French - Portrait Hidden 2 [left] and Portrait Hidden 1 [right]" /></a><br /><br />Chloe Faith Urban was still in the process of installing her work when I saw it, but I came away with a good idea of how the final product would look. To produce the small, mixed-media series she was hanging, she begins with gelatin print monotypes made by inking the random folds of scrunched fabric. She then applies further print color passes, adding scraps of gauzy fabric to some or cutting away portions to create patterns on others. My favorite thing about this series was how it was suspended slightly away from the wall, allowing the lacelike shadows of the heavily cut-up pieces to be visible. Urban is also a dancer, and she explained that her method on the larger works involves dancing on paper with charcoal on her feet. She then goes back into the drawing to pull out specific markings made by her movement.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973060404/" title="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/4973060404_6d769ee018_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973059732/" title="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/4973059732_5934fb6367_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972445179/" title="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/4972445179_f0b654e217_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973060094/" title="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/4973060094_f8de155e98_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972445865/" title="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4972445865_c9b47b6a6d_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972445013/" title="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/4972445013_a0471099f3_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Chloe Faith Urban at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973059922/" title="Chloe Faith Urban - Darkness Needs Light by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/4973059922_2a2d76f227_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Chloe Faith Urban - Darkness Needs Light" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Hidden Realizations</span> is on view at Vincent Michael Gallery through September 25.Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-81217136839074241642010-09-13T00:14:00.008-04:002010-09-13T09:20:51.713-04:00Some thoughts inspired by Virtual Public Art Project<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973003588/" title="Chris Manzione speaking at NextFab Studio about VPAP by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/4973003588_3f12854d96.jpg" alt="Chris Manzione speaking at NextFab Studio about VPAP" width="400" height="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.virtualpublicartproject.com/">Virtual Public Art Project</a> (VPAP), in collaboration with <a href="http://breadboardphilly.org/">Breadboard</a>, is on its way to Philadelphia, debuting in a limited capacity as part of <a href="http://www.designphiladelphia.org/">Design Philadelphia 2010</a> and then going citywide in the spring of 2011. On September 1, I attended a talk and demonstration at <a href="http://nextfabstudio.com/">NextFab Studio</a> by <a href="http://www.christophermanzione.com/ChristopherManzione.com/Christopher_Manzione.html">Chris Manzione</a>, the founder of VPAP. To say my mind was blown would be an understatement. I was already peripherally aware of VPAP since last year, without knowing much of what is was or how it actually functioned. Learning about the project and the technology that makes it possible opened my eyes to a world of promise for its use in arts and culture.<br /><br />Manzione spoke of the author <a href="http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/">William Gibson’s</a> influence, as well as the emergence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locative_media">locative media</a>, on his desire to place public art into virtual space. In Gibson’s novel <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spook_Country">Spook Country</a></span>, artists place geo-tagged, three-dimensional virtual models of celebrities at their death sites, such as River Phoenix’s slumped body outside of the Viper Room; the models are viewable through head-mounted displays attached to GPS devices. The rapid technological advancement of smartphones, paired with their mass proliferation on the open market, has propelled the concept of locative art out of speculative fiction and into the realm of possibility.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972390055/" title="Chris Manzione speaking at NextFab Studio about VPAP by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/4972390055_eaf8f6b8b6_m.jpg" alt="Chris Manzione speaking at NextFab Studio about VPAP" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4972390095/" title="Chris Manzione speaking at NextFab Studio about VPAP by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/4972390095_bf29f6fecd_m.jpg" alt="Chris Manzione speaking at NextFab Studio about VPAP" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br />VPAP relies on <a href="http://www.layar.com/">Layar</a>, an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality">Augmented Reality</a> (AR) browser available to iPhones and Droids (which makes this Blackberry user very dejected). Using the live camera feed on these phones, Layar software pulls information based on a user’s exact location via GPS positioning, and overlays geo-tagged information about the things in that immediate environment. Let’s say you hold your phone up to a city block and search for a coffee shop: the software will pinpoint matching locations. You are not looking at a grid or a map; you are looking at the real time street view through the phone’s display screen. It can also link to related information like menus, customer reviews, or the café’s Twitter feed. Eventually (and alarmingly), software like Layar could have the ability to pull up information about other people in the immediate vicinity, if data stored on their personal electronic devices is not properly protected. Imagine looking at a stranger on the bus and a text bubble pops up over his or her head which instantly displays phone number, email, and Facebook profile.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4973003952/" title="Chris Manzione speaking at NextFab Studio about VPAP by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/4973003952_a631b9d544_m.jpg" alt="Chris Manzione speaking at NextFab Studio about VPAP" width="240" height="180" /></a><br /><br />It was with the mission of placing site-specific, three-dimensional art into virtual space, that Manzione founded VPAP. The art can be based upon a real world object that has been scanned into a digital model, or it can be designed entirely on the computer. He began by digitizing small sculptures, scaling them up in size, and placing them in virtual spaces that corresponded to actual geographic coordinates. When looking at the virtual art through a smartphone, its presence behaves much like that of a physical object might, becoming larger or smaller based on the distance one stands from it. In the case of <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.virtualpublicartproject.com/Virtual_Public_Art_Project/Exhibitions_Veiled_Presence.html">Veiled Presence</a></span>—a giant, perforated dome placed on an open field in New Jersey—one can walk into and through the dome, looking up through the holes towards the sky (see above photo).<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><object width="400" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d7Gg_NiWnZk?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d7Gg_NiWnZk?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object><br />Video via VPAP on Youtube</span><br /><br />The newness of the technology makes virtual space something of a wild west. Presently, there is no restriction or rule of law and every inch of space in our real world remains a stake to be claimed in the parallel virtual world. Anyone can place anything into virtual space that corresponds with a real world location, remaining invisible to the naked eye until viewed with the appropriate technology interface. Herein exists the exciting and transgressive potential of virtual public art. Forget about zoning, permits, material, and labor. Forget about commissioning the artist; you can be the artist! Simply proceed to create and place your art into virtual space at will. It is only natural to foresee a future in which programs will exist with out of the box capability for users to easily design, install, or curate their own collections of virtual art. On Foursquare, any user can already add an object or location, no matter how insubstantial. Want to be the mayor of a street sign? You simply add it and check-in repeatedly. Does virtual mayoralty acquired through heavy or repeated usage of a place (i.e. being a “regular” there) constitute some kind of ownership?<br /><br />Manzione himself is interested in ownership of virtual space and using AR to put objects into restricted areas. Artist Christian Meinhart has explored the concept for VPAP with his project <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.virtualpublicartproject.com/Virtual_Public_Art_Project/Exhibitions_Cargo.html">Cargo</a></span>, designing virtual totems out of digitized freight containers, inspired by tribal “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult">cargo cults</a>”. He positioned the sculptures on inhospitable industrial wasteland settings inaccessible to the average person, such as Chernobyl. Among other aspects of the work, Meinhart is reclaiming for the virtual world areas that have been made desolate and toxic in the physical world.<br /><br />It was at about this point in the presentation that Dan Schimmel, the director of Breadboard and Esther Klein Gallery, astutely remarked that there is no restriction preventing a company like Verizon from plastering a massive logo on top of the rival Comcast building in virtual space. Marketing messages are thrust upon us everywhere we go; virtual space is the next frontier and it is an eventuality we all should dread. What is to stop a corporation from littering your home and personal space with its advertising? Marketing is already being used to limited effect in AR and its prevalence will surely grow.<br /><br />Those concerns aside, the arts and culture applications for Augmented Reality are incredibly exciting, only constrained by the imagination and the capacity of the software. Audio and virtual tour applications already developed by some museums will look old and obsolete compared with what AR could provide given a few more years. You could hold your phone up in a gallery and instantly access voluminous information about the art and artist, time period in which it was made, the style or movement, and suggestions of similar artwork that you might like. Now go beyond what we think is already possible in a museum experience. Imagine overlaying sketches or studies the artist did for the work, or even videos of the artist’s process. How about comparing one work against the artist’s virtual catalogue raisonné, instantly accessing hundreds or thousands of items scattered amongst collections all over the world? Curators and experts could pop up as talking heads to give even more context.<br /><br />Historic sites are prime candidates for making the most of the technology. Rather than using it to fabricate something new, AR can be used to overlay virtual recreations of structures no longer in existence. The Classicist in me immediately thinks of ancient civilizations: as tourists stroll through the Roman Forum or the Athenian Acropolis, they could see the ruins restored to their glory days. Objects from our not so distant past are already being resurrected, such as this virtual model of the <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,704970,00.html">Berlin Wall</a>. The September 11 Memorial just released an <a href="http://www.observer.com/2010/politics/want-explore-911-theres-app">AR-enhanced app</a> in time for the ninth anniversary of the national tragedy.<br /><br />As long as it remains an open platform, virtual public art has the makings of a democratizing force, if not in the physical world, then in a cyber realm where we spend increasing increments of our time. But at this point, its accessibility is limited to populations who own the two specific types of smartphones mentioned previously. As of the first quarter of 2010, smartphone penetration comprised only 23% of the mobile phone market, but its share is rising steadily. (<a href="http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/iphone-vs-android/">source: Nielsen</a>) The audience for AR-enhanced arts and culture experiences, such as VPAP, is primed and will continue to grow. I hope that for inclusivity developers will consider all phone operating systems when developing software that delivers AR experiences.Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-59152056682568833552010-08-30T00:16:00.006-04:002010-08-30T08:47:25.451-04:00Husband vs. Wife redux at Grizzly Grizzly<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936209093/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4936209093_48b4d326fc.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br />On Friday I checked in at <a href="http://grizzlygrizzly.wordpress.com/">Grizzly Grizzly</a> to see <a href="http://www.limescreen.com/">Tim Eads’</a> and <a href="http://www.tiernanalexander.com/">Tiernan Alexander’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Husband vs. Wife</span> in its final state before the show closed. The premise was simple: each took one half of the gallery for an independent installation; after the opening reception, they would meddle with the other’s work (see the first post <a href="http://postnonprofalyptic.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-friday-august-2010.html">here</a>). The end product is even more of a bonanza than the original installation. There’s frosting on the walls and furniture dangling up in the air. The relative orderliness of the installation’s first state has been upended.<br /><br />Being in a relationship, we come to know our partners intimately, which begs the question: did the couple instinctively do things that they knew would get the other’s goat? I would have to estimate that they played nicely, because nothing too destructive took place. As Tim pointed out during my first visit, the idea was to improve upon or make “better” the other’s work. He said this tongue-in-cheek, but revealed a truth about the process. If anything, the second phase of the project is more like curation than it is creation.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936797982/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4936797982_28313d3801_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936797898/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4936797898_c1c069c35a_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936797810/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4936797810_77e39faee0_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936208679/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4936208679_a508b88d1e_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936208517/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4936208517_50ecc3a2c6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936208585/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4936208585_1f0314a234_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936208423/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4936208423_7e590f0214_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936208205/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4936208205_d279aeb182_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936797372/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4936797372_8c4df4cfb2_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936208063/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4936208063_da40ff043a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4936797006/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4936797006_722f03e798_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-33328469708187478522010-08-17T23:57:00.007-04:002010-08-18T09:29:49.356-04:00Road Trip - Storm King Art Center<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773304568/" title="Menashe Kadishman - Suspended by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4773304568_6ef37d0cfe.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Menashe Kadishman - Suspended" /></a><br /><br />This summer I had the opportunity to visit <a href="http://www.stormking.org/">Storm King Art Center</a>, a destination that I had wanted to go to see for many years. It is a place that I had passed by dozens of times when driving back and forth to Connecticut. Adding to my yearning, one can catch a glimpse of the sculpture-laden South Fields of Storm King from the New York Thruway. They beckoned to me just as the Sirens sang to Odysseus; each time I would ask myself when I would make the time to pause for a stopover. I wonder how many others ponder the same question. And so, I carved out a few hours for a visit, but really an entire day would have been better to traverse the vast acreage and take in all of the art.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773295204/" title="Tal Streeter - Endless Column by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4773295204_8f7b5ae050_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tal Streeter - Endless Column" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772666701/" title="Tal Streeter - Endless Column by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4772666701_3b18f43fbb_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tal Streeter - Endless Column" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773406750/" title="Robert Grosvenor - Untitled by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4773406750_f5bbb81399_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Robert Grosvenor - Untitled" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773295760/" title="Robert Grosvenor - Untitled by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4773295760_8c7262abac_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Robert Grosvenor - Untitled" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772657381/" title="Kenneth Snelson - Free Ride Home by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4772657381_e154ddfde0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kenneth Snelson - Free Ride Home" /></a><br /><br />Storm King Art Center as a whole feels like sacred ground where particular types of sculpture from the mid-twentieth century have been enshrined for eternity. It simultaneously has the air of an alternate dimension that exists out of time and place. When I crept along the gravel path in the car up to the guard post to purchase a ticket, seeing the giant steel structures dead ahead, I knew that I was about to enter into another world. The specter of artists like <a href="http://www.calder.org/">Alexander Calder</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Liberman">Alexander Liberman</a>, <a href="http://www.noguchi.org/">Isamu Noguchi</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_di_Suvero">Mark Di Suvero</a> loom large over the landscape, literally and in spirit. Like the remains of titans or giants from a lost epoch, their hulking art still commands the rolling topography. But the art has been continually refreshed with new additions. <br /><br />Initially, I did not give much thought to the specific placement of sculptures: I was caught up in exploration of the site, filled with anticipation that the summiting of each hill revealed new discoveries in the distance. Bit by bit, I became more attentive to the installation of the art and the interplay of specific pieces. In the immediate presence of a massive construction, one can easily be oblivious of other things that might exist in the periphery. For the best long view of what Storm King is all about, one must gaze out in all directions from the vantage point of Museum Hill, where the main building is located. It was here, looking over the same South Fields visible from the freeway, that I appreciated how the angularity of Mark di Suvero’s work punctuated the open land, contrasting with the trees and framed by the horizon line. I was also attuned to perspective and vanishing point in the way I might consciously think about them only when faced with a very intentionally rendered Renaissance painting. There is something extraordinary about having the opportunity to look first from extremely far away, then advancing to close inspection.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773301162/" title="Storm King Art Center South Field by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4773301162_6102e05904_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Storm King Art Center South Field" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772663621/" title="Alexander Calder at Storm King Art Center by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4772663621_9c97c4cff6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alexander Calder at Storm King Art Center" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772663769/" title="Alexander Calder at Storm King Art Center by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4772663769_2f06f190ce_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alexander Calder at Storm King Art Center" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772665049/" title="Ursula von Rydingsvard - For Paul by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4772665049_cf00c3e56c_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Ursula von Rydingsvard - For Paul" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772665975/" title="Sol LeWitt - Five Modular Units by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4772665975_44fccb9fb6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sol LeWitt - Five Modular Units" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773304324/" title="Menashe Kadishman - Suspended by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4773304324_3500b6d0f3_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Menashe Kadishman - Suspended" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772666577/" title="Menashe Kadishman - Suspended by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4772666577_9e6e25375a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Menashe Kadishman - Suspended" /></a><br /><br />Quite unlike installations by the same artists in an urban setting, where the art is hemmed in and often dominated by surrounding architecture, the undeveloped land offers a context in which the artist’s creation is the undisputed focal point. In the precious and few open areas throughout a city, public sculpture is most successful when it manipulates and makes people aware of the way they use said spaces. But they are too often invisible to a desensitized populace: fading into the background can be a real danger. To illustrate, I think of works by Alexander Calder and Alexander Liberman that I regularly walk past on Penn campus, and the drastic difference in the way I experienced work by the same artists at Storm King.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4842682194/" title="Alexander Calder - Jerusalem Stable by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/4842682194_7a226deff3_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alexander Calder - Jerusalem Stable" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4842062961/" title="Alexander Calder - Jerusalem Stable by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/4842062961_9e4cd60a4a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alexander Calder - Jerusalem Stable" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772656527/" title="Alexander Calder - The Arch by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4772656527_7a86418073_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Alexander Calder - The Arch" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773294708/" title="Alexander Calder - The Arch by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4773294708_0e7142914e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alexander Calder - The Arch" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780774586/" title="Alexander Liberman - Covenant by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4780774586_bc67a249b2_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alexander Liberman - Covenant" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780774284/" title="Alexander Liberman - Covenant by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4780774284_0a5ec39d90_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alexander Liberman - Covenant" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772657211/" title="Alexander Liberman - Iliad by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4772657211_1be4dc69a6_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Alexander Liberman - Iliad" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773295346/" title="Alexander Liberman - Iliad by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4773295346_2dc584701c_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Alexander Liberman - Iliad" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772656655/" title="Alexander Liberman - Adonai by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4772656655_ea0e37f253_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alexander Liberman - Adonai" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772656045/" title="Alexander Liberman - Adonai by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4772656045_ee30dca296_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Alexander Liberman - Adonai" /></a><br /><br />Am I spending a disproportionate amount of time discussing the behemoths? Equally excellent works of mid- to smaller scale are clustered in and around the museum building. A favorite of mine was <a href="http://www.ursulavonrydingsvard.net/">Ursula Von Rydingsvard’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">LUBA</span>. So new was the piece that its intoxicating perfume of charred cedar added a deeper level sensory enjoyment. It would have been perfectly appropriate to offer one of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Bourgeois">Louise Bourgeois’</a> <a href="http://catherinebray.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/louise-bourgeois-spider.jpg">giant spiders</a> on the park grounds; instead visitors get the unexpected treat of a stone-cylinder miniature landscape reminiscent of the basalt columns at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant%27s_Causeway">Giant’s Causeway</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773299766/" title="Ursula von Rydingsvard - LUBA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4773299766_995352e86d_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Ursula von Rydingsvard - LUBA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772661733/" title="Ursula von Rydingsvard - LUBA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4772661733_12c80c0680_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Ursula von Rydingsvard - LUBA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773300592/" title="Ursula von Rydingsvard - LUBA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4773300592_08c881ac0e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Ursula von Rydingsvard - LUBA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773300790/" title="Ursula von Rydingsvard - LUBA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4773300790_42a3389832_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Ursula von Rydingsvard - LUBA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773296582/" title="Louise Bourgeois - Number Seventy-Two by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4773296582_5dae09190b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Louise Bourgeois - Number Seventy-Two" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772658337/" title="Louise Bourgeois - Number Seventy-Two by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4772658337_66875a0d6a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Louise Bourgeois - Number Seventy-Two" /></a><br /><br />There was the brainy comparison of having a <a href="http://www.louisenevelsonfoundation.org/">Louise Nevelson</a> at the front of the museum, matched at the building’s direct opposite end by a more recent work from <a href="http://www.chakaiabooker.com/">Chakaia Booker</a>, arguably a descendant of the same assemblage values. I delighted in the wonderful trickery of <a href="http://www.derekeller.com/alysonshotz1.html">Alyson Shotz’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Mirror Fence</span>, was perplexed by the rambling and twisty bamboo space-frame construction by <a href="http://www.stephentalasnik.com/">Stephen Talasnik</a>, and felt oddly entranced by <a href="http://www.bowdoin.edu/faculty/j/jbisbee/">John Bisbee’s</a> squiggly spheroids.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773296440/" title="Louise Nevelson - City on the High Mountain by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4773296440_f27209a546_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Louise Nevelson - City on the High Mountain" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772663429/" title="Chakaia Booker - A Moment In Time by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4772663429_d197ca6275_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Chakaia Booker - A Moment In Time" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773302950/" title="Alyson Shotz - Mirror Fence by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4773302950_0f2035b987_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alyson Shotz - Mirror Fence" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773302434/" title="Alyson Shotz - Mirror Fence by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4773302434_612e3c344b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alyson Shotz - Mirror Fence" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773302686/" title="Alyson Shotz - Mirror Fence by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4773302686_9762797ce2_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Alyson Shotz - Mirror Fence" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773303510/" title="Stephen Talasnik - Stream: A Folded Drawing by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4773303510_2ddf9cdddb_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Stephen Talasnik - Stream: A Folded Drawing" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773303874/" title="Stephen Talasnik - Stream: A Folded Drawing by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4773303874_680474b406_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Stephen Talasnik - Stream: A Folded Drawing" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772665883/" title="Stephen Talasnik - Stream: A Folded Drawing by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4772665883_193a2ca1d6_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Stephen Talasnik - Stream: A Folded Drawing" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772659047/" title="John Bisbee - Squall by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4772659047_3235a0b57b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="John Bisbee - Squall" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772659323/" title="John Bisbee - Squall by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4772659323_fb9a03f8a5_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="John Bisbee - Squall" /></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, I ran out of time on my visit, just barely scratching the surface. But I will return.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773301380/" title="Storm King Art Center main building by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4773301380_d4b209ee28_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Storm King Art Center main building" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773301070/" title="Storm King Art Center columns by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4773301070_02363b8dc1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Storm King Art Center columns" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772658445/" title="Alexander Calder model of The Arch by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4772658445_835a1f4ba4_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Alexander Calder model of The Arch" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773296922/" title="David Smith - Five Units Equal by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4773296922_268c9e67c9_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="David Smith - Five Units Equal" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773297032/" title="David Smith - Tanktotem VII by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4773297032_2bd8aaeebf_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="David Smith - Tanktotem VII" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773296164/" title="Saul Baizerman - Aphrodite by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4773296164_0e300a6384_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Saul Baizerman - Aphrodite" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772659979/" title="Johnny Swing - All The King's Men by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4772659979_ddba17cdc3_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Johnny Swing - All The King's Men" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773298888/" title="Johnny Swing - All The King's Men by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4773298888_c26167baa1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Johnny Swing - All The King's Men" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772659485/" title="Alyson Shotz - Viewing Scope by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4772659485_853bbdba58_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Alyson Shotz - Viewing Scope" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4772659747/" title="Alyson Shotz - Viewing Scope by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4772659747_c4730bc1a1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Alyson Shotz - Viewing Scope" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773299208/" title="Sol LeWitt - Concrete Block Structure by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4773299208_f169c1f5c8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Sol LeWitt - Concrete Block Structure" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4773299462/" title="Sol LeWitt - Concrete Block Structure by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4773299462_3a81c1ba48_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Sol LeWitt - Concrete Block Structure" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-53854674487788191402010-08-08T10:44:00.004-04:002010-08-08T11:57:19.555-04:00First Friday, August 2010<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869962735/" title="Leslie Rogers and Zachary Palladino of Puppetyranny by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4869962735_dcacdd50c2.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="Leslie Rogers and Zachary Palladino of Puppetyranny" /></a><br /><br />The strange allure of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jell-O">Jell-O</a>, a food that I do not remember having eaten for some years, drew me to <a href="http://www.chemheritage.org/">The Chemical Heritage Foundation</a> to kick off First Friday. Among other things, Jell-O calls to mind strong personal association with childhood and memories of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G_EDtd1yuM">Bill Cosby commercials</a> from the 1980s. Jell-O is hospital food, served to the elderly and infirm. It will never shake the whiff of kitsch trailing back to its heyday as a staple dessert in the Post-war American kitchen. And, of course, it would be best not to think about its animal byproduct origin. Nevertheless, Jell-O wields power over the psyche because of the way it connects to our shared experiences as a populace.<br /><br />Forgotten classic recipes, if they can be called such, were revived for degustation at CHF’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Mid-century Cooking from the Jell-O Cookbook</span>. Gigi Naglak and Jennifer Dionisio, looking smart in their throwback aprons, gave a talk about the history and the chemical properties of Jell-O, and then provided samples from each of four varieties that they had prepared: <a href="http://chemicalheritage.net/community/periodic-tabloid/2010-8-6-theres-always-room-for.aspx">Macaroni Salad</a>, typical of once-popular savory gelatin dishes; Long Weekend, a layered dish made with cream and sugar; Peach Bavarian, whipped until fluffy; and a traditional canned fruit jelly mold. I tested the Long Weekend, which was not only quite tasty, but brought on nostalgia of days passed.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870456152/" title="Mid-Century Cooking from the Jell-O Cookbook by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4870456152_98fa5bbc91_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mid-Century Cooking from the Jell-O Cookbook" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869844081/" title="Mid-Century Cooking from the Jell-O Cookbook by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4869844081_1949a5be37_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Mid-Century Cooking from the Jell-O Cookbook" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870456412/" title="Mid-Century Cooking from the Jell-O Cookbook by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4870456412_1cb80c9214_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Mid-Century Cooking from the Jell-O Cookbook" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869844353/" title="Jell-O Sampling by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4869844353_acfeb82013_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Jell-O Sampling" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869844387/" title="Macaroni Salad Jell-O by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4869844387_43e9091908_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Macaroni Salad Jell-O" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870456752/" title="Long Weekend Jell-O by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4870456752_3c3e20117e_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Long Weekend Jell-O" /></a><br /><br />While there, I took a quick peek at <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.chemheritage.org/visit/museum/exhibits/marvels-and-ciphers.aspx">Marvels and Ciphers: A Look Inside The Flask</a></span>. Art and objects drawn from the permanent collection depicted chemistry in action throughout the ages, tempered with a healthy dose of humor. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869845303/" title="Marvels and Ciphers: A Look Inside The Flask by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4869845303_80a2c8cf8f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Marvels and Ciphers: A Look Inside The Flask" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870457452/" title="Michael Maier - Atalanta Fugiens [Atalanta Fleeing] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4870457452_dcfcc1d728_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Michael Maier - Atalanta Fugiens [Atalanta Fleeing]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870457078/" title="Marvels and Ciphers: A Look Inside The Flask by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4870457078_96695b6769_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Marvels and Ciphers: A Look Inside The Flask" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870457194/" title="Hendrick Heerschop - The Alchemist's Experiment Takes Fire by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4870457194_8b81461df4_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Hendrick Heerschop - The Alchemist's Experiment Takes Fire" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869845129/" title="James Gillray - Scientific Researches!-New Studies in Pneumaticks! or an Experimental Lecture on the Powers of Air by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4869845129_bc4782b352_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="James Gillray - Scientific Researches!-New Studies in Pneumaticks! or an Experimental Lecture on the Powers of Air" /></a><br /><br />A quick jaunt through the rest of Old City proved forgettable, except for my first contact of the evening with performance. In the window of <a href="http://bodegaphiladelphia.org/index.html">Bodega</a>, <a href="http://mpsavitsky.com/">Matt Savitsky</a> was playing a character named <span style="font-style:italic;">Minty</span>. Paint-mottled and gender-ambiguous, one moment s/he was acting as though asleep and unconcerned with the presence of a spectator, while the next moment enthusiastically vamping for my camera. Nestled in a bed of shredded newspapers, Minty was like a kitten in a pet store display window begging to be taken home.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869884767/" title="Matt Savitsky - Minty by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4869884767_5329975dfb_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matt Savitsky - Minty" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870496290/" title="Matt Savitsky - Minty by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4870496290_0374965121_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Matt Savitsky - Minty" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869884891/" title="Matt Savitsky - Minty by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4869884891_4a067c5775_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Matt Savitsky - Minty" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869885013/" title="Matt Savitsky - Minty by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4869885013_2b14829eed_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matt Savitsky - Minty" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870496774/" title="Matt Savitsky - Minty by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4870496774_ef3ba3550d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Matt Savitsky - Minty" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870496840/" title="Matt Savitsky - Minty by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4870496840_0292e8fcb4_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Matt Savitsky - Minty" /></a><br /><br />At <a href="http://grizzlygrizzly.wordpress.com/">Grizzly Grizzly</a> I caught up with <a href="http://www.limescreen.com/">Tim Eads</a> (a former colleague from The Fabric Workshop) and <a href="http://www.tiernanalexander.com/">Tiernan Alexander</a>. Lovingly entitled <span style="font-style:italic;">Husband vs. Wife</span>, the show has started off peaceably enough, but promises to unfold with the drama of a title fight. The two, who are married, have split the gallery 50/50, doing two separate installations. Tim’s is an interactive work with tubing twined around wood joinery that snakes down from the ceiling; the tubes connect bicycle pumps to Gatorade bottles that bubble and perfume the air with a fruity scent. Tiernan’s is a domestic scene where things seem to be amiss: a plant grows from a card catalogue, a mass of braided hair looks about to spring to life and crawl out of a baby crib. But it is after the opening night that the fun truly begins, when husband and wife each get to muck about with the other’s work, or as Tim put it, make the other’s “better”. Revisions and manipulations will be ongoing throughout the month, until the final product is revealed at the closing on August 27.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870537726/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4870537726_acb9e48310_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870537626/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4870537626_b30e45e153_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869925933/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4869925933_93e900d421_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870552618/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4870552618_8917246064_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869925859/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4869925859_d1a7a53259_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870538004/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4870538004_e0240dca8b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869940819/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4869940819_cee2dd8507_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869940901/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4869940901_c869f2ffba_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869940729/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4869940729_c6b2712c8d_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870537840/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4870537840_cf8d205b27_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870537954/" title="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4870537954_8b1cef3340_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander - Husband vs. Wife" /></a><br /><br />Glowing bricks lit the way into the disorienting dark of <a href="http://www.marginalutility.org/">Marginal Utility</a> for <a href="http://local-artists.org/users/abigail-deville">Abigail D. DeVille’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Gold Mountain</span> (apologies in advance, as it was impossible to photograph well). Black lights illuminated the front of the gallery; an infernal red shone in the back. According to what I have read on their website, DeVille’s work explores race as an issue in contemporary America. Funny, because I did not observe anything in the least that would suggest this theme. If anything, the installation started off about as groovy as cosmic bowling, but then, in following the brick path, led towards a circle painted on the back wall reminiscent of a hell-mouth. Road to perdition via rave?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870560876/" title="Abigail D. DeVille - Gold Mountain by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4870560876_c4e5f6d106_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Abigail D. DeVille - Gold Mountain" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869949003/" title="Abigail D. DeVille - Gold Mountain by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4869949003_9d54dff539_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Abigail D. DeVille - Gold Mountain" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870560692/" title="Abigail D. DeVille - Gold Mountain by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4870560692_0f0e2953b2_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Abigail D. DeVille - Gold Mountain" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870560782/" title="Abigail D. DeVille - Gold Mountain by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4870560782_b15ca8286f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Abigail D. DeVille - Gold Mountain" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.voxpopuligallery.org/">Vox Populi</a> was all about performance for the night. <span style="font-style:italic;">Going Out</span>, enacted by Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan, was concerned with the rituals of its namesake. When I first came in, the two were situated in opposing corners of the gallery set up as though separate apartments, fiddling on their laptops whilst talking on the phone to one another. A bit later, they were getting ready in earnest to “go out”. I did not stay for the next step, which apparently involved dancing and other aspects that relate to clubbing. Moving on to the next gallery, <a href="http://www.the3oclockbook.com/">Beth Heinly</a> lounged in her underwear as she read aloud from <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733">Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking</a></span>, a book by David Bayles and Ted Orland.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870573622/" title="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4870573622_a4bb931a45_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870573782/" title="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4870573782_b3fa32fda8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869961937/" title="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4869961937_55cc6528c9_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870573994/" title="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4870573994_afd8e341e3_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869962961/" title="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4869962961_b839d4ac25_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bobby Gonzales and Jean Suivan - Going Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869962201/" title="Beth Heinly reading Art &amp; Fear by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4869962201_4e21752737_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Beth Heinly reading Art &amp; Fear" /></a><br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13959753&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13959753&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br />At the back gallery, I was completely delighted with Puppetyranny. By way of description, I will not say much, other than to direct you to the two videos below. Zachary Palladino acted as master of ceremonies, with <a href="http://www.inliquid.com/artist/rogers_leslie/rogers.php">Leslie Rogers</a> offering her face as a proscenium, for a <span style="font-style:italic;">Mouth Puppet Show</span>. A larger troupe of performers materialized to interpret <span style="font-style:italic;">Mystic Powers</span>, the fantastical journey of two heroes who are literally joined at the hip, written by Palladino at the age of five.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870574348/" title="Leslie Rogers of Puppetyranny by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4870574348_8b0b51dcb6_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Leslie Rogers of Puppetyranny" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870574480/" title="Leslie Rogers and Zachary Palladino of Puppetyranny by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4870574480_8ae060759b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Leslie Rogers and Zachary Palladino of Puppetyranny" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870574238/" title="stage for Mystic Powers by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4870574238_6f7dc515e5_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="stage for Mystic Powers" /></a><br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13959860&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13959860&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13960035&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13960035&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br />Upstairs at <a href="http://www.tigerstrikesasteroid.com/">Tiger Strikes Asteroid</a> I chatted with <a href="http://thomasvanceart.com/">Tom Vance</a> about his <span style="font-style:italic;">Plan</span>. There was a certain air of sereneness to the installation. The way in which the sculpture divided the gallery, channeling the flow of traffic, called to mind both Eastern and Western sensibilities, perhaps <span style="font-style:italic;">feng shui</span> as well as the carefully manicured topiaries of a palatial European estate. Even the simple title of the work suggests landscape design. The partitioned fields within his paintings, like orderly compartments of a bento box, mimicked the feeling of human rationality as applied to nature.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870602254/" title="Tom Vance - Plan by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4870602254_fae165f683_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tom Vance - Plan" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870602392/" title="Tom Vance - Plan by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4870602392_0f31cef342_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tom Vance - Plan" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870603394/" title="Tom Vance - Plan by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4870603394_ef7a691804_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom Vance - Plan" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869990485/" title="Tom Vance - Plan by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4869990485_7ca40bd7e0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom Vance - Plan" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869990767/" title="Tom Vance - Plan by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4869990767_a5a6248359_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Tom Vance - Plan" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4870603070/" title="Tom Vance - Plan by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4870603070_a8e33f3842_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom Vance - Plan" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4869991257/" title="Tom Vance - Plan by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4869991257_b7e74ee2d6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Tom Vance - Plan" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-74545897694278741502010-08-01T22:25:00.005-04:002010-08-02T09:30:41.241-04:00Putting-Out at Leonard Pearlstein Gallery<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844979624/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/4844979624_04b8061291.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br />On Friday, I stopped by <a href="http://www.drexel.edu/westphal/about/facilities/pearlstein/">Leonard Pearlstein Gallery</a> at Drexel University to meet with <a href="http://candycoated.org/">Candy Depew</a>. She and her apprentices were finishing up the installation of <span style="font-style:italic;">Putting-Out! Practices in Cottage Industry and Urban Guilding</span>, organized for the gallery by Filiz O’Brien, a friend and Arts Administration classmate of mine. A brief history lesson was in order, as Candy recounted to me the genesis of cottage industry and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putting-out_system">“putting-out” system</a>, an early form of entrepreneurship run by women and children from the home, that was influential laying groundwork for the Industrial Revolution. Although industry assimilated and overtook many types of cottage industry, it has never really gone away. Candy astutely pointed to <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> as all the evidence one needs to see how robust “putting-out” remains today. She is heavily invested in screen printing, both as personal practice and as a teacher, and she sees screen printing as one of the main avenues of today’s cottage industry. In this way, she passes on a skill, whereby others can initiate and sustain their own creative commerce.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844362063/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/4844362063_b22687160e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844978996/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4844978996_23a4905a4a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844362853/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/4844362853_b7f2782297_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844362363/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/4844362363_8b5d7c0332_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844979952/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/4844979952_b31dbb94af_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844980644/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/4844980644_28a5630b0a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844980802/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4844980802_d7b4ba6e08_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br />The focal point of the installation is a loosely-rendered wall painting of an actual cottage; when I arrived, apprentice <a href="http://www.emiliefosnocht.com/">Emilie Fosnocht</a> was giving it a final touch up. Examples of Candy’s work, primarily screen printed items, radiate outward from the cottage, around the entire gallery. She calls her method of applying a decorative veneer to all possible surfaces “candy-coating”—also the title of her website. In the current show, the collected imagery represents something of a kitchen-sink approach, a tableau of the various iconographies that recur in her work. She explained to me the meaning behind some of the symbols: diamonds, because of their elemental composition, correlate to humans and all other forms of carbon-based life; koi fish, when appearing in clusters of seven, bring luck; and the ghoulish faces date to her time in New Orleans, when Anne Rice’s <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEY6taM15iE">Interview With The Vampire</a></span> was being filmed on location and she would see costumed actors roving the streets at 2 a.m.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844362703/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/4844362703_be1a42b82f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844363231/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/4844363231_99c3b0656e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844361943/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/4844361943_f8867ba983_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844363053/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4146/4844363053_a662b542e8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4844980384/" title="Candy Depew - Putting Out by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/4844980384_68f04f8a2b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Candy Depew - Putting Out" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Putting-Out! Practices in Cottage Industry and Urban Guilding</span> opens today, August 2, and runs through September 10. Candy will be running a screen printing demonstration at the opening reception on Wednesday, August 4 at 6:30 p.m.Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-91951676982810374872010-07-31T00:28:00.007-04:002010-07-31T09:47:33.283-04:00Road Trip - The Aldrich Museum<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759449870/" title="KAWS - Chum (black) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4759449870_db2ed5562d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="KAWS - Chum (black)" /></a><br /><br />I drove up to New England to see my parents over the long Independence Day weekend. Whenever I go, I try to hit as many museums as possible, but inevitably I must narrow my focus to a select few that I particularly want to see on that trip. This time, <a href="http://www.aldrichart.org/">The Aldrich Museum</a> in Ridgefield, Connecticut was at the top of my list. One of the things I love about The Aldrich is that it is exactly the right size. The museum presents exhibitions which are consistently manageable in scale and always of high artistic value. You could spend two to three hours at The Aldrich, experiencing each exhibition very thoroughly, and you would leave not feeling overwhelmed. I have found it to be a rather refreshing place to visit. <br /><br />Currently, the atrium is perforated by <a href="http://www.ginaruggeri.com/">Gina Ruggeri’s</a> cavern-like wormholes, which belch sinister clouds of gas—painted Mylar decals adhered to the walls.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758808469/" title="Gina Ruggeri - Immaterial Landscape by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4758808469_7254dc5c13_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gina Ruggeri - Immaterial Landscape" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759445490/" title="Gina Ruggeri - Immaterial Landscape by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4759445490_0bd3b1d599_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gina Ruggeri - Immaterial Landscape" /></a><br /><br />The eponymously-titled <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.aldrichart.org/exhibitions/kaws.php">KAWS</a></span> was the main draw for my visit. <a href="http://www.kawsone.com/">KAWS</a> (real name: Brian Donnelly) is based in Brooklyn, though apparently he is of much better renown in Japan than in the United States. You will have seen at least one of his designs; he created the cover for Kanye West’s <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://kkwu.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/kanye-west-808s-heartbreak-album-cover-by-kaws/">808s and Heartbreak</a></span>. <br /><br />Should I try to classify the work? Is it street art? Design? Pop art? Appropriation art? Wholesale rip-off? The only proper way to describe it is as a buffet of assimilation and subversion. The artist is obsessed with popular cartoon culture, altering iconic characters in such a way as to unsettle the firmly-set image in the mind’s eye of the viewer. For example, he starts with the Simpsons, “X-es out” their eyes, adds goofy skull teeth and grotesque ear-like growths, and calls them the <span style="font-style:italic;">Kimpsons</span>. But these mutations do not feel like cruel potshots at images that the inner child fondly treasures. When KAWS looks at these cartoons, he must see something entirely different than most of us see. Could he simply be aligning what he perceives, to match what the outside audience will see? I do not consider these works to be incisive commentary on cultural touchstones like Mickey Mouse or the Michelin Man. I believe this to be KAWS’s way of cherishing these same characters we all love. Through repetition of the same characters, with slight variances each successive time, he has built his artistic lexicon.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758808733/" title="KAWS - Companion series by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4758808733_2b87c32b81_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS - Companion series" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759445818/" title="KAWS - Companion series (detail) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4759445818_cfc4d2c27c_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Companion series (detail)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759450406/" title="KAWS - Companion series by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4759450406_b6b8619b00_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Companion series" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758812111/" title="KAWS - The Wall by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4758812111_da68358dbc_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS - The Wall" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759449334/" title="KAWS - The Wall by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4759449334_43a1c61b18_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS - The Wall" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758813129/" title="Kaws - Never Can Tell (left) &amp; First Warning (right) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4758813129_be77f928ca_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kaws - Never Can Tell (left) &amp; First Warning (right)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759450064/" title="KAWS - Pinocchio and Jiminy Circket by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4759450064_2644cf2977_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Pinocchio and Jiminy Circket" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759446420/" title="KAWS - Untitled (Kimpsons) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4759446420_9d7d96691a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS - Untitled (Kimpsons)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759446582/" title="KAWS - Untitled (Kimpsons) [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4759446582_d24a08e9e4_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Untitled (Kimpsons) [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759447542/" title="KAWS - Untitled (Chum) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4759447542_363117e46d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS - Untitled (Chum)" /></a><br /><br />I enjoyed his advertising-based works the most, where he paints directly onto the ad. The sight of a slithery creature winding around Kate Moss was both disquieting and delightful. The inherent dichotomy is that he has taken something so overtly commercial and, with a few judicious strokes, inverted it into something equally commercial in a market which began underground, but is now mainstream. His early bus shelter posters, typified at The Aldrich by Calvin Klein perfume ads, became highly sought after commodities, with collectors snatching them right off the streets. His figurines and statues are prized and expensive collectibles. And he has extended his brand by providing designs to the purveyors of shoes, snowboards, and other merchandise. I am guessing his original intention as a guerrilla artist was a bit more radical, but KAWS was shrewd to embrace saleablity when market demand, instead of running from it, when interest in his work exploded.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758809029/" title="KAWS - Untitled (Clavin Klein) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4758809029_3780dcc16f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS - Untitled (Clavin Klein)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759446148/" title="KAWS - Untitled (The Captain) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4759446148_5a821f5147_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Untitled (The Captain)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759447830/" title="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4759447830_4541cc4d16_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758811149/" title="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4758811149_c52d7c5360_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759447962/" title="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4759447962_d6930ac151_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759448268/" title="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4759448268_5e94f25e6e_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759447686/" title="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4759447686_1f170a45c4_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS - Untitled (collaboration with David Sims)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759447162/" title="KAWS at Aldrich Museum by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4759447162_79d57f4ba5_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS at Aldrich Museum" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758810009/" title="KAWS at Aldrich Museum by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4758810009_d5c46d7d56_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS at Aldrich Museum" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758810341/" title="KAWS at Aldrich Museum by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4758810341_48b0664404_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS at Aldrich Museum" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758809837/" title="KAWS at Aldrich Museum by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4758809837_1cb1a6f7de_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS at Aldrich Museum" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758811435/" title="KAWS at Aldrich Museum by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4758811435_81cff056ac_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS at Aldrich Museum" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759448780/" title="KAWS - Untitled (Exposed and Relax magazine cover art by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4759448780_dba7a220bd_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="KAWS - Untitled (Exposed and Relax magazine cover art" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759449534/" title="KAWS - Selected Drawings by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4759449534_b1bc3f26cf_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="KAWS - Selected Drawings" /></a><br /><br />On the second floor, the exhibition <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.aldrichart.org/exhibitions/lichtenstein.php">Gary Lichtenstein: 35 Years of Screenprinting</a></span> was a feast of gorgeous artist edition prints. <a href="http://www.garylichtensteineditions.com/">Lichtenstein</a> ran a studio in San Francisco, and then later in Connecticut, where for decades he has made prints for widely-known artists. The designs on display are not his own, but the art and practice that has brought them to life are solely to his credit. Through his use of color, Lichtenstein puts a direct stamp on the prints he produces. Some pieces use dozens of colors, a labor-intensive process, each requiring a discrete pass of pigment. Shelves had been built into one gallery wall to house a collection of used ink cans. I was completely taken with the signature touches in the way the show had been designed and installed. The introductory text panel was actually exposed onto the emulsion of a silkscreen, which was then made legible by squeegeeing dark ink through the mesh. The banal formality of the introductory text in a museum exhibition is a given, even when it communicates interesting information; to see it presented in such a innovative and sensitively subject-specific fashion jolted my expectations in the best way possible. The exhibition had the true feeling of a print studio, from the screens, to the drying rack loaded with artist proofs, to the wall of pigments. As a means of bringing the audience closer to the artist and his work, the exhibition succeeded in every way possible.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759451368/" title="Gary Lichtenstein - 35 Years of Screen Printing by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4759451368_9cb6e0fe4f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gary Lichtenstein - 35 Years of Screen Printing" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758814561/" title="Gary Lichtenstein - 35 Years of Screen Printing by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4758814561_f1db220851_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gary Lichtenstein - 35 Years of Screen Printing" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759445034/" title="Gary Lichtenstein - 35 Years of Screen Printing by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4759445034_d3d217aa54_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gary Lichtenstein - 35 Years of Screen Printing" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758814149/" title="Gary Lichtenstein - 35 Years of Screen Printing by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4758814149_8536c9039e_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Gary Lichtenstein - 35 Years of Screen Printing" /></a><br /><br />I cannot neglect to mention <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.aldrichart.org/exhibitions/korot.php">Beryl Korot: Text/Weave/Line—Video</a></span>, also on the second floor. In her recent works of video, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/korot/index.html">Korot</a> weaves together word and image into a kind of multimedia textile. These represent a natural evolution from her work <span style="font-style:italic;">Text and Commentary</span> from 1977, also on display, where she stages a row of televisions broadcasting extreme close-ups of textiles, the zigzagging patterns of which she has mirrored with graphite on paper grids, all divided by a screen of hanging fabric bolts. Korot was an early adapter of portable video technology and a pioneer in video art.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758813475/" title="Beryl Korot - Babel: The 7 Minute Scroll by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4758813475_c8f8682fb9_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Beryl Korot - Babel: The 7 Minute Scroll" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758813625/" title="Beryl Korot - FLORENCE by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4758813625_b3ca8525cc_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Beryl Korot - FLORENCE" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759450768/" title="Beryl Korot - Text and Commentary by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4759450768_5020e44358_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Beryl Korot - Text and Commentary" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758813843/" title="Beryl Korot - Text and Commentary by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4758813843_44ca465351_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Beryl Korot - Text and Commentary" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759451054/" title="Beryl Korot - Text and Commentary by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4759451054_3a6b80c666_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Beryl Korot - Text and Commentary" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-12941811615450102312010-07-26T01:35:00.004-04:002010-07-26T14:19:46.168-04:00Vox VI<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781242260/" title="Vox VI gallery view by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4781242260_2ef331d753.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Vox VI gallery view" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Vox VI</span> is the sixth edition of <a href="http://www.voxpopuligallery.org/index.php">Vox’s</a> summer exhibition of emerging artists. <a href="http://www.williampowhida.com/">William Powhida</a> and <a href="http://www.jenniferdalton.com/">Jennifer Dalton</a> served as the jurors, selecting a high concentration of artists from the Philadelphia region as well as New York and New Jersey. The event can be viewed as something of an annual barometer to the emerging or dominant trends and tastes that cycle through local creative communities. In the curation and installation of the show, each of the galleries at Vox has been used to a distinct effect, creating five separate clusters of work that synergize around a leitmotif. These are not stated or outward themes, but the ones that I have perceived.<br /><br />The lobby gallery had a cheekiness to it. <a href="http://www.clintb.com/">Clint Baclawski’s</a> large, floor-bound lightboxes are either making fun of the subject of the photographs—an inflatable Titanic/iceberg playground in a gym and corporate logo emblazoned promo tents at the foot of a ski slope—or the boxes themselves are meant as a gag. On the wall just above them, <a href="http://www.thebestrevenge.info/">Joshua Weibley’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Untitled (You Make Kitty Scared)</span>, takes on LOLcats and other viral internet memes, using an impressive ink on paper technique to imitate by hand the printout of a grainy photocopy or an inkjet printer on the fritz. <span style="font-style:italic;">Nothing Could Drag Me Away from the Soft Glow of Electric Sex in the Window</span> by <a href="http://sanfordmirling.blogspot.com/">Sanford Mirling</a>, alludes to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Shepherd">Jean Shepherd’s</a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/"><span style="font-style:italic;">A Christmas Story</span></a>, which for me inspired dread at the Turner television networks’ nonstop marathons of the film during the winter holidays. Then there were <a href="http://cutslikehanife.com/home.html">Deyra Atlan’s</a> gaudily decorated box traps: she is hunting a monster, apparently a chain-smoker with a weakness for whiskey (the bait used). As for <a href="http://www.amberdubois.com/index.html">Amber DuBois's</a> <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pop%20off">Pop Off</a></span>, just the title is funny, mostly for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyhSbjjt1xA">this reason</a> (thank you to Joel McHale and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Soup</span>!).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781238188/" title="Clint Baclawski - Motorola [left] & The Titanic [right] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4781238188_8882933a4e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Clint Baclawski - Motorola [left] & The Titanic [right]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781238662/" title="Joshua Weibley - You Make Kitty Scared by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4781238662_bd68e838d4_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Joshua Weibley - You Make Kitty Scared" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780604123/" title="Joshua Weibley - You Make Kitty Scared by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4780604123_6b84999728_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Joshua Weibley - You Make Kitty Scared" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781239124/" title="Sanford Mirling - Nothing Could Drag Me Away From The Soft Glow Of Electric Sex In The Window by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4781239124_2af460590d_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Sanford Mirling - Nothing Could Drag Me Away From The Soft Glow Of Electric Sex In The Window" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781238368/" title="Sanford Mirling - Nothing Could Drag Me Away From The Soft Glow Of Electric Sex In The Window by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4781238368_05c6932835_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Sanford Mirling - Nothing Could Drag Me Away From The Soft Glow Of Electric Sex In The Window" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781238950/" title="Derya Atlan - Ghost Trap: Box Trap (For The Sure Thing) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4781238950_fb700ce530_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Derya Atlan - Ghost Trap: Box Trap (For The Sure Thing)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780608693/" title="Derya Atlan - Ghost Trap: Box Trap (For My Monster) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4780608693_ee617a70db_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Derya Atlan - Ghost Trap: Box Trap (For My Monster)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780608871/" title="Amber DuBois - Pop Off by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4780608871_a7167698ea_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Amber DuBois - Pop Off" /></a><br /><br />Gallery one evoked a science fiction tinged, 1950s vision of things to come. In another piece, Joshua Weibley creates a Flintstones version of a desktop computer, with a stone for a mouse. <a href="http://www.meganhays.com/">Megan Hays</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Selever Rex</span> uses bright orange extension cord as totem to electronics. <a href="http://manuelpena.net/home.html">Manuel Pena’s</a> photograph with Rock Hudson’s face pasted over a modern day sitter reminded me of his underappreciated paranoid, plastic surgery thriller <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060955/">Seconds</a></span>. Aidan Rumack built fluorescent tube prison cells to enshrine a taxidermy bird and a spacecraft fashioned from an ostrich eggshell. Sheila Whitsett contributed a mirrored monolith, and a Superman ice “Fortress of Solitude” reminiscent pile of crystals and instant snow. There is also <a href="http://www.mattkalasky.com/">Matt Kalasky’s</a> video of a helmeted space commander, <a href="http://www.katelyngreth.com/">Katelyn Greth’s</a> genetic mutant hybrids <span style="font-style:italic;">Sheep Boy</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Dog Boy</span>, and <a href="http://www.norasalzman.com/">Nora Salzman’s</a> android-like replicas (or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicant">replicants</a>?).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780609861/" title="Vox VI Gallery View by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4780609861_1e3d83776d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Vox VI Gallery View" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780604971/" title="Joshua Weibley - Untitled (Personal Desktop Environment) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4780604971_8da8836cba_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Joshua Weibley - Untitled (Personal Desktop Environment)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780605101/" title="Megan Hays - Selever Rex by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4780605101_ae00ff64cc_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Megan Hays - Selever Rex" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780604751/" title="Manuel Pena - Untitled by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4780604751_557624f211_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Manuel Pena - Untitled" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781240044/" title="Aidan Rumack - Living Isn't Worth Dying For (Diptych) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4781240044_a6d3d18d9c_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Aidan Rumack - Living Isn't Worth Dying For (Diptych)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781239958/" title="Aidan Rumack - Living Isn't Worth Dying For (Diptych) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4781239958_8e623ccb94_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Aidan Rumack - Living Isn't Worth Dying For (Diptych)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780609993/" title="Sheila Whitsett - Monolith by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4780609993_470c84776f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Sheila Whitsett - Monolith" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781244032/" title="Sheila Whitsett - Untitled (Logs With Snow) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4781244032_7917354c2a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sheila Whitsett - Untitled (Logs With Snow)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781240168/" title="Matt Kalasky - Dead by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4781240168_184fa886a9_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Matt Kalasky - Dead" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781239612/" title="Katelyn Greth - Sheep Boy by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4781239612_67e267f597_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Katelyn Greth - Sheep Boy" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780609485/" title="Katelyn Greth - Dog Boy by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4780609485_227d8682de_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Katelyn Greth - Dog Boy" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780604631/" title="Nora Salzman - Replica Reuben [foreground] & Replica Reuben Masking as Nora [background] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4780604631_1e6b929bf5_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Nora Salzman - Replica Reuben [foreground] & Replica Reuben Masking as Nora [background]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780609357/" title="Sally Denison - Ingrid [left], Hannah [center], Theresa [right] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4780609357_733ed24fe1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Sally Denison - Ingrid [left], Hannah [center], Theresa [right]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780604543/" title="Jim Jeffers - Chest Eagle, 2010 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4780604543_f8a78a0a25_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Jim Jeffers - Chest Eagle, 2010" /></a><br /><br />Gallery two was pop fun. The entire tone of the room is punctuated by <a href="http://piperbrett.com/">Piper Brett’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Large Bow</span>, imparting a celebratory jubilance. I also thought a bit about her <span style="font-style:italic;">Phone Number</span>—is it an exultation of the numbers, phones or telecommunications in general, or is it some kind of longing portrait of the person on the other end of the phone line? <a href="http://www.joshuabienko.com/">Joshua Bienko</a> provides entertainment in the form of his art raps, which are clever and insidery, harnessing the supersaturated braggadocio of hip-hop videos, but almost bordering on a too-cool-for-school act that’s more self-serious than it is ironic. I preferred his <span style="font-style:italic;">Ever So Much More</span> pieces, where he painted iconic works of Jeff Koons and Anish Kapoor on the rouge soles of Louboutins, a more definitive comment on the current state of pop art. Rounding out the feel of the gallery: <a href="http://www.dustinmetz.com/">Dustin Metz’s</a> Warhol-appropriating paintings; Diedra Krieger’s woozy infomercial shorts; and <a href="http://www.goodgrrrldesign.com/">Kelli Miller’s</a> dizzying computer wallpapers of animated gifs.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780607775/" title="Piper Brett - Large Bow by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4780607775_173d8d34a8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Piper Brett - Large Bow" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781243424/" title="Piper Brett - Phone Number by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4781243424_e5e485da88_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Piper Brett - Phone Number" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781244432/" title="Joshua Bienko - Tcheching Hsiah & LeWitt, Sol by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4781244432_c99f9c7ec1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Joshua Bienko - Tcheching Hsiah & LeWitt, Sol" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780608027/" title="Joshua Bienko - Ever So Much More (Koons) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4780608027_20e70732a8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Joshua Bienko - Ever So Much More (Koons)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781243112/" title="Joshua Bienko - Ever So Much More (Koons) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4781243112_9515b407de_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Joshua Bienko - Ever So Much More (Koons)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780608441/" title="Joshua Bienko - Ever So Much More (Kapoor) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4780608441_f721b6e92f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Joshua Bienko - Ever So Much More (Kapoor)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781242458/" title="Dustin Metz - Still Life [left] & Self Seeing Portrait [right] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4781242458_9a79f9108c_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Dustin Metz - Still Life [left] & Self Seeing Portrait [right]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781242746/" title="Diedra Krieger - Ad For Spastic Plantastic by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4781242746_958f046b52_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Diedra Krieger - Ad For Spastic Plantastic" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781244578/" title="Kelli Miller - Gifts by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4781244578_5c41b6e234_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Kelli Miller - Gifts" /></a><br /><br />Gallery Three looked into the past. <span style="font-style:italic;">Lacuna Shadows</span> by <a href="http://laurendombrowiak.com/home.html">Lauren Dombrowiak</a> dominates the space. The stacked china set against a patch of richly patterned wallpaper and carpeting, feels positively Victorian for its choice of found object. Sarah Knouse’s drippy, melted lawn flamingos suggest a burning effigy to icons of suburban kitsch. The small porcelain figurines of <a href="http://uas.osu.edu/mfa2010/jmacpherson">Janet Macpherson</a> are presented as if medieval artifacts coming from an off-kilter fairytale land. And <a href="http://smbrundage.com/home.html">Susan Marie Brundage’s</a> works on paper offer a weird, mystical take on life in rural America. I will lump <a href="http://constanzepirch.wordpress.com/">Constanze Pirch’s</a> hallway installation into this lot, because she has other smaller paintings in the gallery.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781240780/" title="Lauren Dombrowiak - Lacuna Shadows by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4781240780_b54b5dab74_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Lauren Dombrowiak - Lacuna Shadows" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781240346/" title="Sarah Knouse - Pastoral Flamingos by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4781240346_d6af0d396a_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Sarah Knouse - Pastoral Flamingos" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781240634/" title="Janet Macpherson - Submerge by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4781240634_ed48d4c941_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Janet Macpherson - Submerge" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780606139/" title="Janet Macpherson - Glance by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4780606139_ee1fbcfc44_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Janet Macpherson - Glance" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781240514/" title="Susan Marie Brundage - Gold Lion by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4781240514_6f3650183a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Susan Marie Brundage - Gold Lion" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781241048/" title="Constanze Pirch - Yes, Yes... 26 Times Yes! by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4781241048_96edf50cd9_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Constanze Pirch - Yes, Yes... 26 Times Yes!" /></a><br /><br />Finally, gallery four in the back gives off the whiff of depression and decay. <a href="http://www.jordangriska.com/">Jordan Griska’s</a> deflated accordion of a vintage gas pump deconstructs king oil and pairs appropriately with Samantha Simmons’ charcoal treatments of the undercarriages of cars. Catelynn Booth examines the underside of a bridge with what looks like a construction tarp tearing away. <a href="http://www.lindsayfoster.com/">Lindsay Foster’s</a> video <span style="font-style:italic;">Father Lover Friend</span> is road trip that meanders an ambiguous path through emotionally wrenching territory. Dustin Metz paints the abandoned interior of the restaurant <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/que-chula-es-puebla-philadelphia-2">Que Chula Es Puebla</a></span>, with an odd pigment-splattered table set for dinner, but not a human in sight (save for a floating hand).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781242116/" title="Vox VI gallery view by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4781242116_1d4a6acbbc_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Vox VI gallery view" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780606721/" title="Jordan Griska - Gas Pump by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4780606721_5d32ae8387_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Jordan Griska - Gas Pump" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780607127/" title="Samantha Simmons - OoooAaaa by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4780607127_9fd0123a09_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Samantha Simmons - OoooAaaa" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781241652/" title="Catelynn Booth - Star Rising by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4781241652_f987920b04_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Catelynn Booth - Star Rising" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780606983/" title="Lindsay Foster - Father Lover Friend by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4780606983_83f573e205_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Lindsay Foster - Father Lover Friend" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780606555/" title="Dustin Metz - Que Chula Es Puebla by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4780606555_14a4f794dc_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Dustin Metz - Que Chula Es Puebla" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781241144/" title="Megan Hays - Grasps by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4781241144_4c7c5ca278_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Megan Hays - Grasps" /></a><br /><br />I would be remiss if I did not mention <a href="http://www.jennifercampbellphoto.com/">Jennifer Campbell’s</a> work in the video lounge, not technically part of <span style="font-style:italic;">Vox VI</span>. In <span style="font-style:italic;">Eruption</span>, she creates the illusion of Mt. Rainier as a reawakened volcano, holding a smoke-spewing tube in the foreground. <span style="font-style:italic;">Precipitate </span>shows two figures suspended from trees who perform acrobatics while hoses attached to their faces spurt jets of water.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780608927/" title="Jennifer Campbell - Eruption by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4780608927_bca73e0d0d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Jennifer Campbell - Eruption" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4781243812/" title="Jennifer Campbell - Precipitate by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4781243812_1931d89c81_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Jennifer Campbell - Precipitate" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-34593718636572623622010-07-19T00:20:00.008-04:002010-07-19T09:26:05.856-04:00Second Friday, July 2010<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780953822/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4780953822_f30dc20d5d.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br />On the second Friday of July I scoped another full slate of openings, encompassing Locks Gallery, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, and just about everything at 319 North 11th. I’ll attempt to touch on everything that I saw, excluding Vox Populi’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Vox VI</span>, which because of its size will get its own subsequent post.<br /><br />The first floor gallery of <a href="http://www.locksgallery.com/">Locks</a>, housing Thomas Chimes’ <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.locksgallery.com/exhibits_works.php?eid=107">On Alfred Jarry</a></span>, was vacant of people. His white-washed canvases gave the impression of peering through a bayside fog, or reaching back through the hazy filter of memory. I could not resist the meticulous surface texture of the paint, his almost perfectly regular and parallel brushstrokes stretching unbroken from end to end, which inspired an agreeable hypnosis.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780819396/" title="Thomas Chimes - Faustroll (Hermes) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4780819396_754dcaf02e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Thomas Chimes - Faustroll (Hermes)" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780819496/" title="Thomas Chimes - Faustroll (Hermes) [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4780819496_f5267ebab9_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Thomas Chimes - Faustroll (Hermes) [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780819612/" title="Thomas Chimes - Faustroll by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4780819612_88dddfb7c0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Thomas Chimes - Faustroll" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780819788/" title="Thomas Chimes at Locks Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4780819788_291bc7857a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Thomas Chimes at Locks Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780185709/" title="Thomas Chimes - Faustroll Smaller Than Faustroll by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4780185709_09c0d8c9c1_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Thomas Chimes - Faustroll Smaller Than Faustroll" /></a><br /><br />But the second floor was the center of action, for the opening of <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.locksgallery.com/exhibits_works.php?eid=106">Whiteout</a></span> by <a href="http://www.nadiahironaka.com/">Nadia Hironaka</a> and <a href="http://matthewsuib.blogspot.com/">Matt Suib</a>. Consisting of both a single- and a two-channel video installation, the black and white visuals are flipped to negative, splashing the walls with an ethereal pallor that is made more vaporous by the fact that they are meant to be exhibited in a lit gallery. White ants scurry against a dark surface, shifting sands cascade down from a dune then reverse back into place again, and a horse rolls on its back in a grove of white birch with color inverted to black. There is also a wall installation of cut vinyl hiding in plain sight, which imitates the ripples of wind- or water-worn sand. The cinematic evocations of the video imagery are intentionally strong: the visuals feel familiar enough to bring to mind certain film classics, while leaving some ambiguity as to their direct allusion. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780186743/" title="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - Whiteout by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4780186743_25f1fd2bfd_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - Whiteout" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780187225/" title="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - Whiteout by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4780187225_4253378fb0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - Whiteout" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780186265/" title="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - The Fall by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4780186265_64eef660b0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - The Fall" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780187061/" title="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - Whiteout by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4780187061_15ba21b64f_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - Whiteout" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780186897/" title="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - The Fall by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4780186897_5520f57c98_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - The Fall" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780186405/" title="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - White Sands by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4780186405_c8aecdd350_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - White Sands" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780186557/" title="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - White Sands by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4780186557_eed24e9817_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nadia Hironaka &amp; Matt Suib - White Sands" /></a><br /><br />At <a href="http://www.bridgettemayergallery.com/">Bridgette Mayer Gallery</a>, <a href="http://www.bridgettemayergallery.com/artist_brosseauhome.htm">Mark Brosseau’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.bridgettemayergallery.com/pressrelease/pressrelease_brosseau.htm">Wondrous Spaces</a></span> lived up to its title. I found the paintings to be enigmatic, playful, and ultimately pleasurable. The media of these works was primarily water-based paints and ink. He paints shapes, serpentine bands, and irregular squiggles of color on top one another, creating bleeds and unevenly applied patches of pigment. These imperfections held my attention the most. I sensed a definite <a href="http://www.albersfoundation.org/">Josef Albers</a> influence, but it was almost as though Brosseau had painted abstract, impossible landscapes where the mind game is to figure out how you could traverse or inhabit them.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780240881/" title="Mark Brosseau - Simultaneous, Modernizing, Scheduled, Drifting, Sporadic [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4780240881_8dee119ab5_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mark Brosseau - Simultaneous, Modernizing, Scheduled, Drifting, Sporadic [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780240729/" title="Mark Brosseau - Simultaneous, Modernizing, Scheduled, Drifting, Sporadic by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4780240729_41e507b5ef_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mark Brosseau - Simultaneous, Modernizing, Scheduled, Drifting, Sporadic" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780240601/" title="Mark Brosseau - Capricious by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4780240601_c61a7e10d4_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mark Brosseau - Capricious" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780240501/" title="Mark Brosseau - Collecting by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4780240501_fbac34be08_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mark Brosseau - Collecting" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780240359/" title="Mark Brosseau - Freezing &amp; Bending [detail] by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4780240359_a4b1f31282_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mark Brosseau - Freezing &amp; Bending [detail]" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780240211/" title="Mark Brosseau - Fervent; Freezing &amp; Bending; Fast by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4780240211_806eaf6d49_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mark Brosseau - Fervent; Freezing &amp; Bending; Fast" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780875012/" title="Mark Brosseau - Wondrous Sequences 1 &amp; 2 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4780875012_74a2e49ddd_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mark Brosseau - Wondrous Sequences 1 &amp; 2" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780874898/" title="Mark Brosseau - Wondrous Sequences 1 &amp; 2 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4780874898_1236644f24_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Mark Brosseau - Wondrous Sequences 1 &amp; 2" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Lovetown, PA</span> at <a href="http://www.tigerstrikesasteroid.com/">Tiger Strikes Asteroid</a> is part of Gene Schmidt’s project of the same name, a multidisciplinary work that defies strict categorization, incorporating performance, video, sculpture, text, and social activism. Schmidt wound a path from North to West Philadelphia placing individually lettered blocks to spell out Paul’s appraisal of love from <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NIV">1 Corinthians 13</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Indiana">Robert Indiana</a>-imposed Philly “<span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOVE_%28sculpture%29">Love</a></span>” this is not: that iconic piece is a destination, in the sense that one must go to it. With <span style="font-style:italic;">Lovetown, PA</span>, Schmidt finds people where they already are. He integrates the individual characters and neighborhoods on his route, creating an organic narrative that teases out true reflection of inhabitants and places. The work is uplifting and a marvel of execution. My only problem with the gallery installation was that it felt more like presentation of artifacts and relics from the artwork, rather than an integral contribution to its composition, as I believe it was intended to be. The video, photographs, and arrangement of the letter squares, while giving a good overview of the project, came off as strict documentation. Nevertheless, <span style="font-style:italic;">Lovetown, PA</span> is worth a visit as a reminder that love and beauty are all around; sometimes you just need someone to point it out to you. <br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13248370&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13248370&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780317475/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4780317475_13ee5bbc22_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780953430/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4780953430_47071e3d16_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780317623/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4780317623_18927ebfeb_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780317305/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4780317305_a311312d76_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780953134/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4780953134_297a8c268c_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780317011/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4780317011_8ffdd086cd_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780952408/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4780952408_cd1500506c_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780953290/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4780953290_794d3cd3f6_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780318247/" title="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4780318247_4a61700fd8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gene Schmidt - Lovetown, PA" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://rachelannmason.com/">Rachel Mason’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.marginalutility.org/exhibitions/2010/rachel-mason-the-duel-of-hamilton-fish/">The Deaths of Hamilton Fish</a></span> at <a href="http://www.marginalutility.org/">Marginal Utility</a>, which had opened the month prior, held my interest for a particular reason. The name Hamilton Fish was one I have known for many years, due specifically to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newburgh%E2%80%93Beacon_Bridge">Newburgh-Beacon Bridge</a> (also known as the Hamilton Fish Bridge), where Interstate 84 crosses the Hudson River. I have driven on the bridge innumerable times, most recently this past Fourth of July weekend, but never knew the significance of its namesake. Spurred by Mason’s project, which includes original music, video, and installation, I learned that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Fish">Hamilton Fish</a> was a nineteenth century governor of New York and a United States Senator. Mason fashioned a narrative centering on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Fish_II">Hamilton Fish II</a>, the Governor’s son and a politician in his own right, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Fish">Albert Hamilton Fish</a>, a serial killer. She begins with the historical coincidence that both men died on the same day—the former presumably of old age and the latter by state execution—and from there weaves a fictional ballad about how their separate lives terminate at a fateful intersection. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780346459/" title="Rachel Mason - The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4780346459_8936630664_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Rachel Mason - The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780346233/" title="Rachel Mason - The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4780346233_9f209732d3_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Rachel Mason - The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780981186/" title="Rachel Mason - The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4780981186_ee5266d191_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Rachel Mason - The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780346381/" title="Rachel Mason - The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4780346381_e3cbb36c4f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Rachel Mason - The Deaths of Hamilton Fish at Marginal Utility" /></a><br /><br />Right next door, <a href="http://grizzlygrizzly.wordpress.com/">Grizzly Grizzly</a> offered another historically tinged show with <a href="http://matthewcraven.com/home.html">Matthew Craven’s</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">Future Myths</span>. Craven used found images from old book pages, collaged and painted over, such as portraits of uniformed cavalry from the Union army and other assorted military scenes. He either removes or replaces the individuals’ faces, then superimposes geometric patterns painted only in primary colors. The commentary seems to lie with American history, perhaps conquest of the West or Manifest Destiny, but I remain mystified as to what Craven was trying to say.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780961946/" title="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4780961946_b75c8c9204_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780962100/" title="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4780962100_b78d578893_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780327031/" title="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4780327031_be418a155a_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780326317/" title="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4780326317_dae0980e3a_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780962254/" title="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4780962254_e8646dc8f8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4780326413/" title="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4780326413_af0034301b_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Matthew Craven - Future Myths at Grizzly Grizzly" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-85739785199809828732010-07-10T09:00:00.001-04:002010-07-10T09:00:00.084-04:00First Friday, July 2010<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758692435/" title="Gregory Brellochs - XYZ by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4758692435_bfec1a0b56.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="Gregory Brellochs - XYZ"></a><br /><br />I took advantage of an early dismissal from work on the Friday before this Independence Day weekend to visit PAFA and PMA, which whetted my appetite for this month’s First Friday. Then I remembered that we are now in the dead of summer, the art world’s wasteland off-season. My fears were to be both confirmed and refuted, as I took consolation in some quality amid spotty offerings.<br /><br />I first tried my luck in Old City, walking in and then quickly out of <a href="http://www.pentimenti.com/">Pentimenti</a> Gallery’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Three Weeks Only!</span> without much regard for its contents. Shifting next door to <a href="http://www.daletart.com/">Dalet Gallery</a>, I found an exhibition with the focused quality worthy of a spring or fall showing, not one meant to be buried amongst summer’s scrap pile. Featuring six contributors with <a href="http://www.cfeva.org/">The Center For Emerging Visual Artists</a> and curated by <a href="http://www.amiepotsic.com/">Amie Potsic</a>, the work felt evocative of crisper weather, limited in color palette to black, white, and some red. I was enthralled with <a href="http://www.gbrellochs.com/">Gregory Brelloch’s</a> sublime celestial scenes and his command of graphite on paper. I immediately thought of two points of comparison, having just seen both of them at PMA: an almost photorealistically detailed <a href="http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/celmins/index.html">Vija Celmins</a> seascape (also graphite on paper) in the exhibition <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/382.html">Water Work</a></span>, and a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo">Giovanni Battista Tiepolo</a> etching in <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/383.html">Visions of Venice</a></span> employing his signature perspective of gazing upward toward the heavens. Among the other artists included, <a href="http://daniellebursk.com/home.html">Danielle Bursk’s</a> paintings of finely crosshatched white lines against black—and vice-versa—wove nests of intrigue.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758692257/" title="Gregory Brellochs - Nebula 4 by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4758692257_cf18dffc99_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gregory Brellochs - Nebula 4"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758692601/" title="Gregory Brellochs - XYZ by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4758692601_5fedb01648_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Gregory Brellochs - XYZ"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759329920/" title="Danielle Bursk - Origin/End by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4759329920_7cfb72e58b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Danielle Bursk - Origin/End"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758693197/" title="Danielle Bursk - Kiss by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4758693197_9e7e93f596_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Danielle Bursk - Kiss"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758692123/" title="Danielle Bursk - Horus (left) &amp; Not a Pipe (right) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4758692123_e50d1342d0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Danielle Bursk - Horus (left) &amp; Not a Pipe (right)"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758692799/" title="Christine Elfman - Red and White series by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4758692799_a50838f27e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Christine Elfman - Red and White series"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759330714/" title="James B. Abbott - Snail Road Path in Fall by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4759330714_80eee44291_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="James B. Abbott - Snail Road Path in Fall"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758693359/" title="Ana B. Hernandez - Three Angles of Carmen by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4758693359_110a48906c_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Ana B. Hernandez - Three Angles of Carmen"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759330482/" title="Ana B. Hernandez - Three Angles of Carmen by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4759330482_9b08375e96_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Ana B. Hernandez - Three Angles of Carmen"></a><br /><br />I quickly peered into <a href="http://www.theclaystudio.org/">The Clay Studio</a> which was opening its <span style="font-style:italic;">Seventh Annual Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Student Exhibition</span>. After I left, I found it hard to shake this little grotesquerie, <a href="http://www.claytonkeyessculpture.net/">Clayton Keyes’</a> <span style="font-style:italic;">The Collector</span>, though not necessarily for positive reasons. Browsing through his website reveals a coterie of other malformed misfits. But his work was memorable, which many of the other selections were not. One other standout oddity, <a href="http://www.undinebrod.blogspot.com/">Undine Brod’s</a> trio of mounted trophy heads that look like bandage-wrapped Frankenstein animals pieced together with spare parts.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758694897/" title="Clayton Keyes - The Collector by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4758694897_3c359acdae_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Clayton Keyes - The Collector"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758693937/" title="Undine Brod - Trophy Head I, II, III by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4758693937_f6436c0a23_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Undine Brod - Trophy Head I, II, III"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759331040/" title="Undine Brod - Trophy Head I, II, III (detail) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4759331040_67e816bbfb_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Undine Brod - Trophy Head I, II, III (detail)"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758694249/" title="Nicole DeBrandbandere - Brick Series by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4758694249_7faefd0126_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Nicole DeBrandbandere - Brick Series"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759331372/" title="Lani Shapton - Roadside Faith by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4759331372_b74b3c190d_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Lani Shapton - Roadside Faith"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759331584/" title="Lani Shapton - Roadside Faith (detail) by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4759331584_0497738e18_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Lani Shapton - Roadside Faith (detail)"></a><br /><br />The <span style="font-style:italic;">Bambi Biennial</span>, now in its second edition, was next. My expectations were high: the <a href="http://theartblog.org/">ArtBlog</a> ladies talk a big game; could they back it up? In case you had not heard—which, if you keep an ear to the local scene, it would be impossible to remain unawares—Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof were the jurors.<br /><br />The immediate feeling I got walking into the gallery was entirely chaotic. <a href="http://www.bambiproject.com/">Bambi Gallery</a> is a fine space for some shows, but scale is key, because it did absolute disservice to their Biennial. The installation was salon style hell, the true depiction of which my photos cannot convey, aggravated by the number of people squeezed into the limited area. Perhaps, salon style is an inaccurate label; in some way, it felt more like an art gallery version of entering inside a home on the morbidly riveting show <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/index.jsp">Hoarders</a></span>. Hyperbole? Yes, but the work had no room to breathe, which was of issue because I was not convinced of how well it all coalesced. It is hard for me to say what I liked, since I felt distracted the whole time. I do not fault the artists selected, because independent of their individual merits, they are the victims of circumstance: the gallery and the two jurors should have known better than to stack artwork everywhere.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759335186/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4759335186_358cccabf0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759335022/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4759335022_5ae36e8763_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759333248/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4759333248_f971a40162_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759334854/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4759334854_5749ab05fc_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759334690/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4759334690_942e69fb61_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759334516/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4759334516_0a2f82ab12_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759334338/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4759334338_bfc8a2aa2b_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759334202/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4759334202_3376ed10a9_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758697009/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4758697009_029b75a776_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758696827/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4758696827_fc241d96ac_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759333698/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4759333698_2efcaa64b3_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759333412/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4759333412_18031d68ba_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758696509/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4758696509_d3862c62b8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758695981/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4758695981_68813ba98f_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758695843/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4758695843_6e5422a163_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759332616/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4759332616_2c4224be2a_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759332422/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4759332422_bceef59875_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759332276/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4759332276_c8e11d482b_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759332120/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4759332120_d301bd7afa_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759331968/" title="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4759331968_a3c353b3da_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Bambi Biennial at Bambi Gallery"></a><br /><br />Crossing to the The Piazza’s opposite wing, the brand new <a href="http://vincentmichael.com/">Vincent Michael Gallery</a> revealed a scene of marked contrast. With a crowd that appeared larger than the one I had just left, but more open space to hold them, the atmosphere was one of free-flowing energy and interaction (at Bambi, people were huddling around in impenetrable cliques). I think that pride was a differentiating factor for the VM Gallery crew, excited to share the long-delayed opening with any and all. The straightforward central narrative of the inaugural exhibition, <span style="font-style:italic;">PaperMonster Ate That Little Boy</span>, also helped. The artist <a href="http://papermonster.wordpress.com/">PaperMonster</a> had a palpable exuberance. Being present when he was putting final touches on the wall stencil (see my previous <a href="http://postnonprofalyptic.blogspot.com/2010/06/exclusive-preview-papermonster-at-new.html">post</a>), I could see how pleased he was with it. Unequivocally the <span style="font-style:italic;">pièce de résistance</span>, all of the smaller pieces orbit around its gravitational pull, which was not at all a bad thing. The work is impermanent, and naturally burns brighter in its short lifespan.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759336900/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4759336900_e0871b11e2_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758698991/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4758698991_52910a983e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758698433/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4758698433_75282d0aa8_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759335588/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4759335588_ec5ee63a83_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758699155/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4758699155_f9b85e6276_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759336448/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4759336448_f762fd77bc_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4759336678/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4759336678_94e4cb8683_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758700085/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4758700085_61424f6746_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758700253/" title="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4758700253_fe750a8c64_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster at Vincent Michael Gallery"></a><br /><br />Oh, and that nasty little piece of agitprop, The Art Of The Steal, was screening at the Piazza that evening. Been there, seen it, and don’t get me started on its insidiousness wrapped in white knight crudsaderism!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4758700333/" title="The Art Of The Steal screening at The Piazza by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4758700333_e31af24d26_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="The Art Of The Steal screening at The Piazza"></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2015844153722176935.post-19903910629113572422010-06-28T01:00:00.003-04:002010-06-28T09:53:51.787-04:00Exclusive Preview: PaperMonster at the new Vincent Michael Galley<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740206001/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4740206001_3e027d6d96.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br />Yesterday I was treated to a preview of the new <a href="http://www.vincentmichael.com/">Vincent Michael Gallery</a> at The Piazza at Schmidt’s, as it prepares to open to the public this Friday. I had been corresponding with <a href="http://chrismclark.blogspot.com/">Chris Clark</a>, one of the gallery’s founders, about the bureaucratic troubles they had encountered in gaining permission to open for business. He had been searching for pop-up gallery options so as not to delay the launch of Vincent Michael Gallery any further—having already been barred from opening their June exhibition at the last minute—while they would wait for their permanent home to be cleared for use. Luckily, it did not come to desperate measures: the city released the facility from a seemingly arbitrary cease work order with just enough time for them to prep before July’s First Friday.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740839540/" title="Vincent Michael Gallery at The Piazza under construction by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4740839540_fee3949af8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Vincent Michael Gallery at The Piazza under construction" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740840364/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4740840364_bf1a3bb0f0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740204023/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4740204023_69cba0d382_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740206167/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4740206167_c337fc6518_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740840904/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4740840904_d6c3e1369e_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">PaperMonster Ate That Little Boy</span> is the inaugural show and when I arrived, the artist <a href="http://papermonster.wordpress.com/">PaperMonster</a> was putting some final touches on a large-scale stencil, graffiti and collage wall-installation. The work is impressive, a confident visual imprint for a new gallery that looks like it will succeed by differentiating itself from the cluster of other galleries in the immediate area. I spent some time speaking with Elizabeth Gault, a local independent curator who has been working with Vincent Michael Gallery. It is clear that these are not some crazy kids throwing whatever works up on a wall; real vision is guiding their choices. <br /><br />Vincent Michael Gallery and <span style="font-style:italic;">PaperMonster Ate That Little Boy</span> open on Friday, July 2 at 6 p.m.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740839730/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4740839730_178dbf513b_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740839342/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4740839342_700d5e6d72_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740839916/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4740839916_02b684ac9b_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_bussmann/4740205055/" title="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery by j_bussmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4740205055_babc86e3c7_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Paper Monster installing at Vincent Michael Gallery" /></a>Jeffrey W. Bussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02137478843705810047noreply@blogger.com4