Tag Archive "painting"
Jolie Laide, Bleach, Nirvana, and things better left unsaid…
The gallery statement for the show Bleach by Alex Da Corte and Paul DeMuro at Jolie Laide begins by referencing the release and aesthetic characteristics of Nirvana’s album of the same name. I only read the description after seeing all of the work at the opening, and I didn’t make the connection until then. As if the show weren’t strong enough to begin with, Nirvana happens to represent my rock music roots and a certain amount of nostalgia for my late teens. After thinking I had a handle on this powerful show, I was forced to double back and revisit ... More » »
Studio visit with two Los Angelenos in Philly – Fabian Lopez and Shanna Waddell
Fabian Lopez got in touch recently about a show he curated at the old Nexus space at Crane Arts. Lopez is a recent Tyler MFA, and the 7-person exhibit includes his work and work by some friends of his. The show fills the space well — it’s mostly painting and works on paper but there is one sculptural installation. I met Lopez and his studio-mate, Shanna Waddell, who is also in the exhibit, and after looking at the show we went upstairs to their shared studio space (they are renting Susan Moore’s large studio – plenty of room for two) ... More » »
Close Encounters with Art – Liam Dean #9 at Knapp Gallery
Never in my life has a painting brought me to tears, until #9 by Liam Dean. I stood in front of this vortex masquerading as a painting, frozen and consumed by an orchestra of exquisitely deep and rich orange, red, browns and yellows sparkling like melted glass and menacingly closing in on a central amoeba-shaped floating form claiming to be under constant attack but unafraid and sending me urgent whispers — about supernatural abortions committed by both good and evil; about aborted ideas of escaping the prison of duality, for no matter how good you are, good only exists because ... More » »
New podcast-Claes Gabriel on creating a tribe of totems
Locks Gallery sponsors this episode. Claes Gabriel (Claes is pronounced “Clays”) makes bright-colored totemic shapes from stretched canvas over wood armatures. The works show the artist’s attention to detail in crafting and painting. The artist, who was born in Port au Prince, Haiti in 1977 is not making “black art” but rather painting his feelings, he says. He’s the son of a famous Haitian artist, Jacques Gabriel, and yes, he was named after Claes Oldenburg. Claes came to the US in 1989 and studied at Maryland Institute College of Art (BFA 1999) and while right now he’s in Philadelphia, his ... More » »
Rubens Ghenov’s enigmas with Milton Jaula’s sound art at Liberti
Post by Chip Schwartz Rubens Ghenov’s show at Artspace Liberti on 2424 York Street is a series of snapshots without a camera. Everything in the gallery space in the show “ie: Brazilein Chaekkorias, rotted one note” seems to move in frames. The intermingled, painted images are stationary, but their relationships are jumbled and obfuscated. Along with Milton Jaula’s anxiously dynamic soundscape (listen here) resonating throughout the space, this show is intriguing because it is so challenging.
Two exhibition catalogs: ‘The Making of Art’ and ‘Painting Under Attack’
The Making of Art (Buchhandlung Walther Koenig: Cologne, 2009) ISBN 978-3-86560-586-3 Target Practice; Painting Under Attack 1949-78 (Seattle Art Museum, 2009) ISBN 978-0-932216-64-9 Those of us involved in the art world never seem to tire of looking critically at the way that world works. Self reflection has been the basis of a number of exhibitions in recent years; I saw two devoted to artists’ studios: The Studio at the Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane (discussed on Jan. 3, 2007) and Picturing the Studio at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2009-10). The Making of Art, at the ... More » »
More than Meets the Eye?
How do you make ordinary art into Black art? Surface Politics, [Salon Joose, October 8-November 20, 2010] asks that question by juxtaposing a series of works in the context of a black-owned gallery. Organizer Theodore Harris, who is well-known for his overt statements about war, religion, and politics, has invited artists of varied ages and media to participate. Harris collaborated with aesthetic philosopher Sharon Chestnut on this show; Chestnut and Harris will lead a dialogue on November 5th, 6-9 pm at the gallery, under the aegis of the Institute for Advanced Study in Black Aesthetics.
Chris Ofili at the Tate Britain
The Chris Ofili mid career survey at the Tate Britain reveals a sexually charged and scatalogical body of work reminiscent of Gilbert and George’s The Naked Shit Pictures. This survey contains overlooked sensations and under-exploited materials. The energies driving the early works have been tamed and the latest works are in an amorphous state of disarray. This could be one of the futures most exciting shows if Offili finds the new path he is looking for.
