Pace Wildenstein, Yancey Richardson, 303 Gallery, Paula Cooper, Tanya Bonakdar, Anton Kern and David Zwirner
I had already peeked into Pace Wildenstein to see Sterling Ruby’s sculptures 'Bus' and 'Pig Pen', two massive, oppressive, apocalyptic pieces that seemed simultaneously hot and scary. They were hot as I could see them as part of an S&M session- the interlocking cages seemed perfect for some sex slave games. The hardware all seemed very sexual. Scary as it seemed prison-like and very controlled, almost against one’s will. In the end I found them very fun, albeit terrify and intoxicating.
Next up was a quick pop-in to Yancey Richardson gallery to see the Esko Mannikko photographs, which were almost all animal profiles. The most interesting was the human-like stare of the gorilla, but the prints overall celebrated the beauty and perfection of wild animals. Highlights included the symmetry of a zebra’s behind, the grey tounge of a presumed bull and the way a flamingo can twist its neck. It was a great small show and worth stopping by.
Untitled, from the series Harmony Sisters (Yancey Richardson)
Mike Nelson’s massive interactive sculpture at 303 Gallery was fantastic. Thankfully I have friends who have more patience then I do so we waited five minutes to go into the sculpture which was a collection of four travel trailers. It wasn't until later that I realized how haunting the experience was and I then felt like I had trespassed into someone else’s home. You did walk away feeling a little dirty and also very voyeuristic. It was great to see the piece, as I realized Nelson was the artist who transformed the Essex Street Market into fairytale funhouse of sorts on the Lower East Side in 2007, a piece called ‘A Psychic Vacuum’. Once I made the connection it was clear to see the similarities.
Quiver of Arrows, 2010 (303 Gallery)
A Psychic Vaccum (Creative Time)
Up next was Sam Durant’s huge platform sculpture at Paula Cooper titled “Dead Labor Day”. The platform was elevated 7 feet above the floor with nothing but a water cooler and trashcan which visitors were welcome to ascend to retrieve a cup of water. I, of course, was too cool for school to sign the waiver and go up there, but luckily one of my companions did. Again, at the time the piece didn’t really move me, but in hindsight, the more I think about the title, the homemade feeling of the platform and the presence of the water cooler, it makes me think of all those breadwinners in the suburbs who take on a big project over a holiday weekend instead of actually enjoying the holiday. It reminded me to enjoy those few holidays granted in corporate America.
We totally missed Tanya Bonakdar, but I made everyone walk back to see Olafur Eliasson as I was blown away by his show last year at the MCA in Chicago. Even though the gallery workers, of which there were a dozen, were acting like self-important snobs, the main piece on the ground floor – a play on light/reflection/shadow/color was fun and engaging. The rest of the show was mostly research pieces for more of his well-known works. The employees turned me off, so we did not stay too long. It’s ok; I still love his work and often close my eyes and picture ‘Beauty’ and smile.
The John Bock show at Anton Kern was not at all what I expected. From the picture below I expected intricate small sculptures, but instead the space was very DIY with fabric, sculpture, videos and even loose everyday items like pepto bismol bottles. I think I missed some performance element to the work, so further investigation is needed. Also, the video piece in the back of the gallery seemed odd and cliché for no reason I can point to. The whole show seemed a little immature, so I am looking forward to learning more the artist and hoping to change my mind.
Finally, and definitely not required was a stop at David Zwirner to see Marlene Dumas paintings that seemed interesting. Being the last stop on our tour, we needed to be wowed, and I know I was definitely underwhelmed, and ready for a cocktail. The pieces seemed interesting, and I would like to learn more about the artist, but was too tired by that point in the day to make the effort.
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