AJ Fosik and Josh Keyes at www.jonathanlevinegallery.com
Both these exhibitions were great. We went to see AJ Fosik's beautiful fairytale monsters but really fell in love with Josh Keyes drawings and paintings in his "Migration" exhibition. And we weren't the only ones as every work by Josh had sold. The paintings were wild animals that normally wouldn't be together, hanging out in the urban jungle. The works were engaging and comical and beautifully conceived.
Cedric Christie at www.flowersgalleries.com
For this sculptural exhibition, Christie created whimsical sculptures that created effervescent 3D scribbly lines. I was excited to see these works, but was most taken by two works that stood out from the rest made with billards balls. The one was very Donald Judd-inspired - two long black metal rods sandwiched about 12 different colored balls. The piece was very simple, yet striking in its visual impact.
Carsten Holler at www.carolinanitsch.com
I wasn't expecting much from this show. Holler is also on view at the New Museum - having installed a enclosed slide that cuts through the museum. This show was a collection of photogravure (which is to my understanding a complex way to make editions from an artist's proof - more info can be found here) of birds and mushrooms. The bird prints were simply amazing. The artist allegedly crossbred birds to make new species and the result is fascinating. Not only is the work a dialogue about human nature and our ability to breed new species (my mind immediately went to labradoodles, etc) but some of these new birds are adorably photogenic. The show iss small and simple enough not to take itself too seriously.
Nan Goldin and Charles Ray at www.matthewmarks.com
Marks is hosting three art world darlings right now. In addition to Goldin and Ray, in his third gallery are photographs by the late artist Peter Hujar. We didn't make it to 24th Street for these photographs but the show is up until Christmas so hopefully we'll make it back. The Nan Goldin exhibition was amazing and it was my cohort's first experience with her work and he was totally taken with the sheer power of her photographs. If it wasn't for his reaction, I would have lasted three minutes in this gallery. While I am a fan of Goldin's work and always appreciate the emotion in her photographs, I was disappointed in the way these works were displayed. Some of the works were one piece with a grouping of 8 - 16 photographs and while they worked to tell a story or a theme, they style of the grouping reminded me of a high school girl's bedroom pin-board. I felt as a grouping they detracted from the power of the individual photograph.
The Charles Ray exhibit was just one sculptural piece - a shoe that morphed into a mushroom-like head with a money bag on one side. For an artists I usually love, I was not getting this piece and the absence of a press release coupled with a gallerist on the phone left me clueless.
Andrew Borowiec at www.sashawolf.com
"Along the Ohio" is a collection of black-and-white photographs from the 1980s and 1990s of the Midwest landscape. The collection includes both profiles of structrues - homes, gas stations, carports - as well as landscapes both of valleys and flooded streets. The style of the pictures and the absence of any people gave the photos a more historical feel - say mid 1950s. The photos are a mix of both the obvious that hit you over the head and simple landscapes that are beautiful in their simplicity. The obvious came in "Moscow, Ohio 1997" showing a classic Americana backyard, complete with lawn ornamentation, and in the background a large nuclear power plant pumping out smoke. The simple came with the raw beauty in the urban decay landscapes such as "West Market Street, Akron, Ohio, 1985 #1" showing a long abandoned building with weeds making their way through the cement. Mother Earth's fuck you to man's alleged advancement.
Cedric Christie at www.flowersgalleries.com
For this sculptural exhibition, Christie created whimsical sculptures that created effervescent 3D scribbly lines. I was excited to see these works, but was most taken by two works that stood out from the rest made with billards balls. The one was very Donald Judd-inspired - two long black metal rods sandwiched about 12 different colored balls. The piece was very simple, yet striking in its visual impact.
Marcos Zimmermann at www.hpgrpgallery.com
This show was a collection of all black and white photographs of nudes, all men, in South America. It was a solid start to the day but I didn't feel the raw exposure of these men really made the point. It felt more exploitive than engaging.
I wasn't expecting much from this show. Holler is also on view at the New Museum - having installed a enclosed slide that cuts through the museum. This show was a collection of photogravure (which is to my understanding a complex way to make editions from an artist's proof - more info can be found here) of birds and mushrooms. The bird prints were simply amazing. The artist allegedly crossbred birds to make new species and the result is fascinating. Not only is the work a dialogue about human nature and our ability to breed new species (my mind immediately went to labradoodles, etc) but some of these new birds are adorably photogenic. The show iss small and simple enough not to take itself too seriously.
Nan Goldin and Charles Ray at www.matthewmarks.com
Marks is hosting three art world darlings right now. In addition to Goldin and Ray, in his third gallery are photographs by the late artist Peter Hujar. We didn't make it to 24th Street for these photographs but the show is up until Christmas so hopefully we'll make it back. The Nan Goldin exhibition was amazing and it was my cohort's first experience with her work and he was totally taken with the sheer power of her photographs. If it wasn't for his reaction, I would have lasted three minutes in this gallery. While I am a fan of Goldin's work and always appreciate the emotion in her photographs, I was disappointed in the way these works were displayed. Some of the works were one piece with a grouping of 8 - 16 photographs and while they worked to tell a story or a theme, they style of the grouping reminded me of a high school girl's bedroom pin-board. I felt as a grouping they detracted from the power of the individual photograph.
The Charles Ray exhibit was just one sculptural piece - a shoe that morphed into a mushroom-like head with a money bag on one side. For an artists I usually love, I was not getting this piece and the absence of a press release coupled with a gallerist on the phone left me clueless.
Andrew Borowiec at www.sashawolf.com
"Along the Ohio" is a collection of black-and-white photographs from the 1980s and 1990s of the Midwest landscape. The collection includes both profiles of structrues - homes, gas stations, carports - as well as landscapes both of valleys and flooded streets. The style of the pictures and the absence of any people gave the photos a more historical feel - say mid 1950s. The photos are a mix of both the obvious that hit you over the head and simple landscapes that are beautiful in their simplicity. The obvious came in "Moscow, Ohio 1997" showing a classic Americana backyard, complete with lawn ornamentation, and in the background a large nuclear power plant pumping out smoke. The simple came with the raw beauty in the urban decay landscapes such as "West Market Street, Akron, Ohio, 1985 #1" showing a long abandoned building with weeds making their way through the cement. Mother Earth's fuck you to man's alleged advancement.
Another favorite from Sasha Wolf was this piece part of a group show. Still tracking down the artist info.
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