December 2005 Archive

Weekly Update – Humanism, Valentine, Squirrels and Castles

This week’s Weekly includes my review of Peter Gourfain‘s solo exhibit at Projects Gallery and a sketch about Jina Valentine‘s inclusion in the Harlem Studio Museum show “Frequency.” That’s on the art page. In the listings section is my editor’s choice on the current Vox Populi members exhibit by William Lohre and Samantha Simpson. Here are Libby’s posts on Gourfain, Frequency and Vox. The Humanist Body It’s hard to imagine Peter Gourfain was ever a minimalist. But the 71-year-old New York-based artist whose politically charged woodblock and lino-cut prints are on view at Projects Gallery had a spell as an ... More » »

Dying for a print review

Last week was a new low in art coverage of at the Philadelphia Inquirer–just two brief (150-word each) art reviews in the Weekend section and nothing in the Sunday paper. But there’s hope that a full-time art critic will come on board–eventually. Entertainment Editor Jeff Weinstein said the lack of Sunday coverage of art at the Inky this past week wasn’t a trend, just a result of “zero space.” The Sunday piece by former Inquirer art critic Ed Sozanski got held. “Ed has agreed to continue writing at least until the end of the season,” Weinstein said. “By then we ... More » »

Out of line

The range of what folks are drawing–or what we are calling drawing these days–is up on the walls at Seraphin Gallery, in the show “Out of Line” (image, “Reviving the Ancient and Mystic Impuse [Diptych],” by Walter Benjamin Smith II, 46 x 35 1/2 inches).The work ranges from incantatory narrative hoodoo of Dali heir Walter Benjamin Smith II to the paper-and-pins constructions of Dee Nicholas to the realistic drawing of Christopher Gallego to a latex paint installation on the wall by Maura Zamora (image, Zamora’s “Punch” installation). This is also a cross-generational exhibit, with work from the late Leon Golub ... More » »

Blue Sky Impermanence

[Serendipity alert: I didn't see Brent's post before I put this one in the queue. But I love that the Starn Twins and their work about impermanence is echoed here by Gary Simmons' snowflake/impermanence piece "Desert Blizzard" now at the PMA Video Gallery. The snowflake of course is an almost perfect symbol for the life's swiftness, beauty and impermanence and these artists make use of it in elegant and elegaic pieces.] I was up at the PMA to interview new Contemporary Art Curator Carlos Basualdo (more of that in the Weekly some time soon). So took a run through the ... More » »

Impermanence at Castelli

Leaden Skies and Blue Skies

philadelphia west Originally uploaded by sokref1. My plane took off for Milwaukee heading east for a change. Huh? Well it must have had to do with the winds last Thursday. When we headed north up the Delaware River I got an eyeful of the city which looked like a weird Lego land made by kids watching too much of Blade Runner. I had just seen Gary Simmons’ “Desert Blizzard” video at the PMA — a blue skies piece that is as lazy and wonderful as a hot summer day. My thoughts have been on the sky a lot of late. ... More » »

A little meatball

Here’s a picture of one of Frank Vagnone’s sculptures at Fleisher-Ollman (image, “Sink”). And here’s a picture of our friend Knox in his studio in Philadelphia. I don’t imagine they know eachother, but both of them live in the Walden Pond of the mind. Vagnone’s pieces are in the “Meatballs” show, this year’s version of F-O’s annual emerging artists spectacular, curated by William Pym and Jina Valentine. [CORRECTION: Add Brendan Greaves to the curators of this show--Libby, 12/21]. I won’t bother explaining the tortured reasoning behind the name of the show. Suffice it to say that this time, the two ... More » »

Between the shows opening tonight and the holiday small works shows at the galleries, there’s more to see than I can wrap my arms around–Afif, Rosenfeld, Spector Red Dot, Vox fundraiser (tomorrow night, 7-10), Projects Gallery, Gallery Joe, Nan Goldin at PAFA, and Antonio Puri at the Art Alliance. I’m sure there’s more that I’m missing. So I’m going to refer you all to the InLiquid newsletter for more information on most of these. Or else try the gallery web pages. And speaking of Projects, I was in there yesterday to see the Peter Gourfain show, “What Folly…” and it ... More » »

Holding down the fort

Roberta’s off in Wisconsin, so I’ll be holding down the fort until she returns.

Obsessions and rhythms

It wasn’t anyone’s fault, really that the image on the Pageant Gallery promotional material looked underwhelming, like a riot of intelocking pie-shaped tree-trunk segments, crosscut to show varied ring patterns. The exhibit’s name, “Polar/Solar,” didn’t help (image, “Offering,” by Sean Riley). But when I saw Sean Riley’s piece, “Offering,” in person, I was pretty surprised. I’d have to say this piece is worth the price of parking. For starters, it’s a triptych, 96 x 144 inches. It’s all tiny white dots, maybe 1/8″ in diameter each, layed down in repeating arcs on a black background, and in person it has ... More » »