Tag Archive "jessica-jackson-hutchins"

Shiny penny no more–Whitney Biennial takes on the new America

Quiet, a little sad, introspective, and not a lot of beauty. Those are how I’d sum up this year’s Whitney Biennial, now celebrating its 75th edition. After the ebullient excess of 2008, in which more than 80 artists exploded beyond the bounds of the museum, taking up residence in the nearby armory, and pock marking Central Park, a mere 55 artists certainly reflects a societal time of retrenchment and self-reassessment. It’s as if America is no longer the youthful shiny penny it used to be. Well, that would be right. It’s not. And this is the Whitney Biennial that reflects ... More » »

Dirt on Delight at the ICA

[This is part 2 of a 2 part article that first appeared in the March issue of Ceramics Monthly. Click on the Dirt on Delight tag at the bottom of the post to find part 1.] Not everything in the exhibit is explicitly about body and bodily functions. Numerous pieces revel in clay’s historic use as a decorative medium. Jeffry Mitchell, Pickle Jar, 2005, glazed ceramic, 15.5 x 13 x 13 inches, collection Ben and Aileen Krohn

Magic mountains

Nick Paparone and Jamie Dillon standing in front of Everest Mountains and boulders of papier mache are everywhere, it seems. In the past year Roberta and I have seen four. The first was Everest, the hilariously diminutive, comic-booky version of a white-out mountain at Space 1026 by Nick Paparone and Jamie Dillon. A deadpan rendition of the grandeur of nature, including a white rug beneath, it came straight out of Miss Dingle’s kindergarten’s stage-set building project. It made a mockery of the ambitions of mountain climbers and the eagerness of travellers and their tourist snapshots at the same time that ... More » »