Rachel Perry Welty, Friends & Family, video on DVD, 8 minutes, edition of 25 Not meaning to slight the various other wonderful work at Gallery Joe, I had to lead with the video! This has to be a first in the history of this jewel of a gallery that usually limits its shows to intense drawings. The video, by Rachel Perry Welty, is excellent and hilarious–I stood for all 8 minutes, not wanting to miss a word. But you know how it is when you get a message on a phone machine, and some of the words come through a ... More » »
This week’s Weekly has my summer art roundup. Below is the copy with some pictures. More photos at flickr. Philadelphia’s art scene doesn’t take summer vacation anymore. Miguel Luciano, interactive piece based on Puerto Rican saying that (loosely translated) means that children can be heard when hens pee (which they never do). Miguel Luciano’s identity-fueled works at Taller Puertorriqueño use exaggerated stereotypes to poke fun at bromides about Puerto Rican identity. Luciano, a New York-based artist, turns Taller’s galleries into an interactive playroom with sculptures (including a slot machine) that let people “play” with their own identities. Luciano’s work is ... More » »
We’re going to be in Pittsburgh for the 2008 Carnegie International opening but if we were here this is where you’d see us Friday night. Joe Boruchow, cut paper, at Wexler in the group show Vanitas. We saw a great show of his work last year at Bean Cafe. Wexler–this is the hot ticket. Group show, Vanitas, curated by Sienna Freeman, one of the young female take-charge curators we’re very excited about. She rounded up top notch names: Randall Sellers, Joe Boruchow, Damien Hirst, Ann Siems, Dirk Staschke and more! This follows on their recent show of Chuck Close prints ... More » »
This week’s Weekly has my short editor’s pick review of Ink! at Gallery Joe. Below is the copy with some pictures. More photos at flickr. Ink is a persnickety art material, but one with a cult following. Perfectionist artists often make their own inks (grinding pigments or using alternative liquids like tea), and many are fanatics about brushes and pens. Call them old-fashioned or visionary, but some day soon these artists will be our only link to the ancient material. Roland Flexner.untitled 2007sumi ink on paper 5 3/4 x 7″ Gallery Joe’s summer show is a celebration of the material ... More » »
Joseph Borelli, carved pink insulation. We saw it at his Tyler MFA show and were wowed! We don’t know if it’s in this show, but here’s a taste of his work. It’s not fireworks, but there’s some good stuff coming up this Friday. Libby will be inChicago and miss the sparklers, but Roberta will be out on the town and hopes to see so of you. Here’s our short list of where you might bump into her. VOXXOXOFor the third year in a row, Vox Populi (6-11 p.m.) invited curators to jury an emerging artists show. As with other years, ... More » »