Posts By chip schwartz
Radcliffe Bailey – Ruination and stoicism in a debut show at Bridgette Mayer
—History of Africans brought to America is an undercurrent in the works at Bridgette Mayer gallery this month. Chip explains the artist’s methods and themes in his review.–the artblog editors——————>Radcliffe Bailey‘s premier solo exhibition at Bridgette Mayer Gallery pulls the viewer into a world that is both chaotic and precise, contemporary and historical. Utilizing a diverse range of mediums from steel, bronze, porcelain, wood, glass, and collage, Bailey, a New Jersey-born, Atlanta-based artist, breaks down and rebuilds his surroundings into silent, dignified compositions that are simultaneously ruinous and stalwart. While a significant portion of the show is full of Bailey’s ... More » »
A slap of the absurd at Tiger’s Style Points and Substance Pangs
—Chip deconstructs some perplexing work that deals with corporate logos, cat conundrums and cross-cutural cartoons. A fun show of absurdist humor. –the artblog editors———————————–Tiger Strikes Asteroid takes a foray into an ambivalent and over-saturated world in its April exhibition “Style Points and Substance Pangs” curated by Rachel LaBine and Keith J. Varadi. Three artists have work in the show: Jamian Juliano Villani, Emily Ludwig Shaffer, and Edward Marshall Shenk, and the work is, at times, difficult to find an entry point into, but when there is a way in, the images likely leave the viewer even more perplexed than when they ... More » »
Demolishing the “Ivory Tower” at Fjord
A visit to Fjord this March was a journey down from the “Ivory Tower.” The show was thus named because of the term’s connotation with a supposed pristine, sterile, and luxurious way of life which the curators Kaitlynd O’Doherty and Sarah Pater sought to topple or at least dissect. Ten artists provided the work which ranged in medium from video, to installation, to polystyrene and even pudding. The show closed on Saturday. Here’s a peek at what was there. Directly next to the doorway, a shiny contraption attracts visitors’ attention, hooking them into the show with its unique, mirrored madness. ... More » »
ICA gets fashionable with “White Petals Surround Your Yellow Heart”
Fashion has been a part of human culture for practically as long as clothing has. Surely early humans crafting tools and art objects from the ground would have turned their aesthetic judgments toward the animal skins and fabrics they donned as well. While clothing initially provided warmth and protection, it also serves as a way to express, adorn, and attract. The University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) delves headlong into the contemporary world of fashion – one that our ancestors could never have dreamed of – with its current exhibition “White Petals Surround Your Yellow Heart.” The show, ... More » »
Shelley Spector’s personal and communal world at Bridgette Mayer Gallery
In her first solo show at Bridgette Mayer Gallery (through Feb. 23), Shelley Spector includes a variety of objects that bridge the gaps between found art, domestic wares, and nostalgic trinkets. A series of prints and a room-sized installation round out the three-part, one-person exhibit that offers variety and depth. By far the largest one of Spector’s works is the project “Mariposa.” In the room farthest to the back of Bridgette Mayer, Spector lines the walls with a long, wraparound shelf located at waist level. On the shelf rest every shape, size, and composition of spools wrapped with bright red ... More » »
Little Barnes on the Prairie – Winter Down’s jewel box salon at the Crane’s Icebox
Curators Timothy Belknap and Ryan McCartney harness the meta-ness of our zeitgeist by constructing a physical gallery within the massive confines of the Icebox project space at the Crane Arts Building. The exhibition, “Winter Down,” includes work by five artists – Amy Lincoln, Beth Livensperger, Mike Stifel, Becky Suss, and Douglas Witmer – all displayed in the skewed, pentagonal gallery-within-a-gallery constructed specifically for this show. Upon stepping into the Icebox at Crane, the first thing to confront the viewer is a white-walled, open-topped structure smack dab in the center of the room. Leading up to the fifth (missing) side is a hanging, ... More » »
Jayson Musson’s cozy chaos at Fleisher-Ollman
Fleisher-Ollman Gallery in Center City is in the midst of a fleecy, Frankenstein’s monster of a show assembled by the one and only Jayson Musson. You may also know this hilariously controversial artist and instigator by his alter-ego Hennessy Youngman, the Def Jam-style critic of YouTube’s “Art Thoughtz”. His current show entitled “A True Fiend’s Weight” pieces together canvases from strips of Coogi sweaters, the brightly colored garments popularized by the likes of Bill Cosby and the Notorious B.I.G. Upon entering the wide open space of the Fleisher-Ollman gallery, one is confronted by varying sizes of stretched fabric wall-hangings ... More » »
Nicole Donnelly and Andrew Chalfen at Seeds Gallery
One of Philadelphia’s newest hyper-local, contemporary art spaces is the Seeds Gallery located in West Philly at 50th and Baltimore. Since opening its doors to the public over the summer of 2012, Seeds has been headed by director Mary Tasillo, who seeks to focus her curatorial efforts on the rich, local art emerging from every crevice in the city. The current, inaugural-year ending exhibition is a two-person show highlighting work by Nicole Donnelly and Andrew Chalfen. Both artists have distinct, abstract styles, and in the gallery, their work delineates a healthy line of contrast through the center of the space; ... More » »
Preston Link’s perpetual afterparty at Pageant Soloveev
Pageant Soloveev is currently full of what appear to be a number of practical jokes – or artworks – by Preston Link for his show “Here’s to the Future and Afterparty.” The objects range from full-on audio/visual installations to slices of fake pizza, actual hamburgers and pipes. Whether puckish prankster or Duchampian artist (what is the difference, really?), Link provides a body of work that, if nothing else, provides a sense of humor as unapologetic as it is self-aware. The star of the show is undoubtedly “Afterparty”. This box is constructed like one of the white, covered pedestals seen housing ... More » »
Kate Bright’s aquatic explorations at Locks
Ripples and refractions are the name of the game at Locks Gallery throughout the month of November. Internationally renowned British painter Kate Bright brings her canvases to Philadelphia for a showcase of her most recent work – an exhibit entitled In Deep. About a decade younger than the notorious Young British Artists like Damien Hirst, Kate Bright has always embraced the formal elements of painting in stark contrast to her conceptual contemporaries. Her current Pool Series is exactly what it sounds like: painted views of different bodies of water, specifically swimming pools and park side fountains. She renders watering holes ... More » »
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