April 2007 Archive

Phoebe’s playhouse: Washburn’s ICA ramp

Phoebe Washburn’s ramp project at the ICA Funny that Roberta just wrote about this–Phoebe Washburn’s Vacational Trappings and Wildlife Worries installation on the ramp at the ICA (see her post). But I’ll add a couple more thoughts. The yellow steel drum with the hose on top gives a mixed message of danger, usefulness and homey cheer. Washburn’s cathedral of detritus holds the space with architectural spectacle that transforms the ramp from what it is to what it should be–a powerful soaring arch made of reused bits of wood shingled up the walls and over the top. That arch transforms what ... More » »

Survivor–ICA!

Stella, Cate and I saw Phoebe Washburn’s Minor In House Brainstorm at the Whitney at Altria a while back. The sprawling scrapwood shack was a marvel of engineering with low-grade materials, and it raised all kinds of issues about the survivability of the planet in these overheated days. See post. Phoebe Washburn’s installation Vacational Trappings and Wildlife Worries at ICA. Now Washburn’s got an installation at ICA and while it’s similar to the one we saw at Atria it’s a true ICA ramp project — and one of the best. The piece is called Vacational Trappings and Wildlife Worries and ... More » »

NEW – Episode 7 of Look! It’s Libby and Roberta

Hello artblog lovers, Episode 7 of Look! It’s Libby and Roberta is now running live on artblog (see column at the left and click the picture or the link below the picture). See all seven great episodes (each is a fun-filled conversation that takes less than 3 minutes of your time!!) at blip tv. Episode 7 takes us inside Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for a look at Thomas Eakins‘ painting The Gross Clinic and to the Morris Gallery to spend time with the Laylah Ali‘s drawings. We are very proud of these groundbreaking videos, directed by the most ... More » »

This summer, get the bridge eye view

I don’t know who took this great photo but ain’t it great? I think the view is looking West at Philadelphia. I got an email recently from Frank Vagnone, head of the Historic Landmarks Projects. If you’re a bridge lover and/or a photography buff, you’ll love this: Landmarks Projects is giving guided walking tours of the Ben Frankiln Bridge starting in June. As someone who’s walked the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate, I am definitely doing this. INNAUGURAL TOUR Saturday, June 16, 1:00 – 4 PM, This tour will be offered monthly through October 2007. TICKETS: $15/person (includes PATCO ... More » »

52 reasons for Victory

Yo! from Milwaukee. I didn’t have time to post on Victory for Tyler at the Crane before I left and while I can’t post much now I do want you all to get up there and see one helluva painting show. 52 artists were selected from around 200 who applied and the show’s a head spin, from abstract work to pop cartoons to installation and 3-D paintings. Juried by ICA’s Jenelle Porter and hung by Susan Moore (and a gentleman whose name I forget, sorry), the show looks super in the Icebox, and money raised from sales and from selling ... More » »

Obscure object of desire: Karen Kilimnik at the ICA

Switzerland, the Pink Panther & Peter Sellers & Boris & Natasha & Gelsey Kirkland in Siberia, 1991, mixed media instllation, dimnesions variable–layers of ballet and movie romanticism go into this childlike dream of impossible, wonderful lives that even include a fondue set. Linda Harris the security guard grabbed my hand when I walked into the Karen Kilimnik exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art and started a conversation as she pulled me along from piece to piece. She was excited at the same time that she was irritated. What was Kilimnik saying, exactly? As I got the tour, here are ... More » »

The human side of artbots

The robots Neil and Iona greeting me. I was greeted at the portal to the gallery space by Neil and Iona. It didn’t matter at that point whether the rest of the ArtBots exhibit at Esther Klein Gallery was going to be any good or not. I fell in love. It’s hard not to give the robots human qualities in ArtBots, an exhibit of robotic art and/or artist-making robots. The only down side to the exhibit is that not all of the robots were in gear. But the ones that were stole my heart. Yes, Neil and Iona were not ... More » »

Super Mario boy

Blogger Shahin Ismail-Beigi recently came upon Alex Paik’s work in the just published New American Painters Mid-Atlantic edition and interviewed him via email. The interview is on the blog conversations, etc. Alex, if you don’t know his work, paints scenes based on video games, but puts it all in unlikely pastel colors. The resulting abstractions suggest a crazy relationship to space as well as a fan’s desire to share his boyish enthusiasm. Anyway, it’s a pretty good interview, and I know some of you are fans of his work.

Thoughts about videos on art

Here’s a link to a post on imomus about how slow the art museums have been to use video on their web sites as a more lively way to let people know about the exhibits. Is anyone listening out there in museum land? Of course David wrote a comment about the Look! It’s Libby and Roberta videos. He’s been trying to get some sponsorship them, to no avail so far. I think this is shocking. It’s such a lively way to let people know what’s going on.

Weekly Update – Jim Houser’s world at the Bride

This week’s Weekly has my review of Jim Houser‘s show at Painted Bride. Below is the copy with some pictures. More at flickr.Back to BlackJim Houser spills his NPR-addled subconscious. Black Lurker with arrow in heart greets you in Jim Houser’s Painted Bride installation. Black has never been the anchor color in Jim Houser’s mostly pastel installations, but it’s all over his new two-floor piece at the Painted Bride. From boulder-headed characters called lurkers to small candles, shells and rocks on the memorial-like shelves that dot the walls, the preponderance of black changes the tenor of Houser’s universe from eggs ... More » »