Good day, all. This is just a news flash to let you know some of what we’re working on this week. First off, Artblog contributor Douglas Witmer has a wonderful Q&A with artist Linn Meyers that we’ll be bringing you in several parts beginning later today. Meyers’ show is up now at Gallery Joe and Libby posted on it here and here’s my post linking to my Weekly piece. (Meyers’ show is up through July 2) I’m hoping to blurb more on photography — specifically the great new Stuart Rome show at Gallery 339 — which relates in excellent fashion to the Silver Garden group exhibit PMA Photography Curator Kate Ware curated up at the museum — and yes, it’s safe to go up the hill again — the Dali crowds and end of year school group have decamped, although it was still nicely populated the day I stopped in. The Rome show (all images are on the gallery’s website by the way) is up to July 24 and Garden’s up til July 17. (top image is Rome’s “Fiery Leaves Begin to Drop, Fairmount Park (In tribute to Alan Ginsberg)” one of my favorites in an array of mystical forest scenes)
My Weekly review this Wednesday will highlight painter and former political prisoner Elizam Escobar‘s dark, surreal paintings at Taller Puertorriqueno. On Wednesday I’ll run more pictures and information. (image is detail of Escobar’s “Generacion Libre”)
And we have a new blog contributor coming on board from New York — Brent Burket — a self-proclaimed art maniac just like us! Burket is an Artblog reader who’s been in touch with us to get tips on Philadelphia shows and galleries for occasional trips to our city. He’s a collector and a writer of enthusiastic colorful prose who knows the NY scene from having lived there for ten years.
I ran into Burket quite by chance at the Do-Ho Suh opening Friday night at the Fabric Workshop and Museum — he’s an FWM member!
Here’s some of what Burket wrote in a recent email, just to give you an idea:
Since I’ve lived here [in New York] I’ve fallen quite nicely ass-over-tin-cups into some artworld connections that have led me to interesting places. I’ve been very lucky in garnering some excellent guides to an overwhelming landscape. Girlfriends, co-workers, relatives of friends, an angry letter to the head of an arts organization that turned into a friendship, and so on. All of these things have served to make my experience of art deeper and more delicious. I would very much like to share my cake.
Just a word about Philadelphia: YEE-HAWWWW! Moving beyond the Museum and the ICA, it’s been such a kick to discover the other parts of the Philadelphia art world. In one day I saw more good art than I’ve seen in Williamsburg in the last 4 months. I’ll take my good art where I find it. Williamsburg, Philly, Baltimore. Wherever.I don’t care very much about scenes, movements, history, or characters. That’s somebody else’s problem. Not that it’s not fun to watch. It’s just that all I really want is to swoon. I love being knocked a bit daft the way I was on Friday night. That first piece [Suh’s “Paratrooper II installed in PAFA’s Morris Gallery] dropped my jaw, but the second piece [Paratrooper V] made me feel like I was the one that needed the parachute. The memory brings a lightness to my chest that is somewhere between salvation and queasiness, a bit like a landing.
(last image is Suh’s “Paratrooper V.” I agree with Burket, that’s the piece with the jaw-dropping wonderment factor. Click here for bigger version of the photo at flickr)
