The works on display at James Cohen Gallery include three installations as well as a number of works on paper. The largest installation, Thank You, Fog, consists of 85 glass panels across the length and nearly the height of the room. The hanging glass panels are suspended in such a way as to make them appear weightless. Spatial perception is a crucial element here. As the spectator walks around the installation their view of the rest of the room is always partially obscured. This lends to the feeling of quiet isolation that one might experience during a misty morning hike. Thank You, Fog consists of nothing more than grey painted walls and frosted glass but it feels powerful in its subtlety.
Another charming installation in the show, Yellowstone Hike (from Lily Pad Lake to Artist’s Point), is Finch’s visual record of a day in Yellowstone this past August. The installation consists of 340 Pantone color chips affixed directly to the wall. The height of the chips change to reflect the increasing elevation of the hike. Following the color chips feel like reading cliff notes of a day well spent.
At a time where many artists and galleries are celebrating more glitter, more paint, and more kitsch Spencer Finch’s show is a refreshing surprise.
There are a lot of great strengths in this review!
ReplyDelete- First, your introductory sentence totally drew me in.
- These sentences ("This lends to the feeling of quiet isolation that one might experience during a misty morning hike. Thank You, Fog consists of nothing more than grey painted walls and frosted glass but it feels powerful in its subtlety.") are a really thoughtful synthesis of how the form and installation of the piece relates to Finch's (and your) perception of nature.
- The final statement also places your positive analysis of Finch's work into a context that emphasize the glowing nature of your review.
A few small things that could potentially be reworked:
- After reading your review, I agree with your use of the descriptor "delightful" at the beginning of the review, but I'm not as convinced by what you mean by "sweet." How is his work sweet? What does sweet mean to you?
- This is a very small thing, but in your analysis of "Yellowstone Hike," how does the experience of looking at the color chips translate to a "cliff notes of a day well spent"? I like that language, but I felt like Finch's translation of the hike to color was reductive in a way that totally excluded me from reading value in to his experience, e.g. whether or not the hike was good or bad.
Overall, your review helped articulate the experience of the show for me!
There are a lot of great strengths in this review!
ReplyDelete- First, your introductory sentence totally drew me in.
- These sentences ("This lends to the feeling of quiet isolation that one might experience during a misty morning hike. Thank You, Fog consists of nothing more than grey painted walls and frosted glass but it feels powerful in its subtlety.") are a really thoughtful synthesis of how the form and installation of the piece relates to Finch's (and your) perception of nature.
- The final statement also places your positive analysis of Finch's work into a context that emphasize the glowing nature of your review.
A few small things that could potentially be reworked:
- After reading your review, I agree with your use of the descriptor "delightful" at the beginning of the review, but I'm not as convinced by what you mean by "sweet." How is his work sweet? What does sweet mean to you?
- This is a very small thing, but in your analysis of "Yellowstone Hike," how does the experience of looking at the color chips translate to a "cliff notes of a day well spent"? I like that language, but I felt like Finch's translation of the hike to color was reductive in a way that totally excluded me from reading value in to his experience, e.g. whether or not the hike was good or bad.
Overall, your review helped articulate the experience of the show for me!