Jo Baer, Untitled (Pale Blue), Dec 9, 2020. Pace Gallery

 Pace Gallery online exhibition Jo Baer Untitled (Pale Blue), on view from Dec 9-Ded 30, 2020. The exhibition mainly focuses on the period where Jo Baer returned from LA to New York. Jo Baer has her own interpretation of her work which heavily influenced by her academic background, the behavioral psychology aspect in her painting. The colors and the multiple versions of the same piece Untitled.

The exhibition focuses on details instead of the whole exhibition. If we can get to see how she gives the rule and what the inspiration for the color usage and the psychological effect behind her painting that will be better.

Jo Baer, Untitled (Pale Blue) (detail), 1964-65, oil on canvas, 48" × 48" (121.9 cm × 121.9 cm) © Jo Baer

 

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Two Birds, One Stone: Louise Nevelson's Collage Show at Pace is Also a Fundraiser

Louise Nevelson, Untitled, 1977, cardboard, foil, and paper on board, 36" x 23-3/4" (91.4 cm x 60.3 cm)

Pace Gallery is currently holding an online exhibition Louise Nevelson: Three Collages, consisting three mix media collage works made during the 1970s. The three collages showcase the attention to detail, skill of arrangement, and the mastery of mixing media of Louise Nevelson. In addition to the presentation of the collages, the show is a fundraiser online event for the Nevelson Chapel restoration project, the only existing fully-intact sculptural environment by Louise Nevelson, located in Mid-town New York City. The three collages are highly representative of Nevelson's works and aesthetics, working as a great introduction for those who are less familiar with her works and essentially an eye-grabbing store front for the restoration project.

For an online exhibition, this show is well curated that the webpage is minimally designed, and viewers shall really enjoy every detail of the artworks through the up-close shots accompanied by a few lines of description rendering the artistic contexts. The imperfection, the tear of paper, and the miraculous composition captured through the photographs help viewers to experience the works at no compromise. However, the overly spoken mission of fundraising for the Nevelson Chapel somewhat interrupts the experience. An attention-seeking "available" button is placed right under the images, unavoidably asking viewers to draw comparisons to Ebay auction pages or Zillow real-estate postings. After a curious click, the price tag of the artwork becomes fully disclosed. While the transparency could be potentially appreciated by new collectors, for most exhibition goers, the price tags ruin the otherwise immersive exhibition. For established galleries like Pace, the private ownership of the operations are often mistaken as if they are public museums. Shows like Louise Nevelson: Three Collages are quick reminders of their true functions as brokerage for artists and artworks breaking the mysteriousness of private galleries.

Despite the provocative intentions of the show, taking a look at the three Louise Nevelson collages should still be a refreshing and wonderful break from the hours of Zoom call, especially in the convenience of not having to leave your chair. 

Space Program: Europa

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

September 18, 2016 - January 15, 2016

    Tom SachsTargeting Jupiter’s icy moon. Tom Sachs has achieved to share the experience of space travel with people here on Earth. The expansive sculpture exhibition offers an unprecedented view into Sachs’ extraordinary artistic output and advances his visionary imagination to find extraterrestrial life with his sculptures. From the interpretation of idealized  space travel and the playfulness it represents. The Apollo era Landing Excursion Module, and special equipment for conducting scientific experiments introducing people in a universe of sculpture and possibilities. The emotion of traveling and exploring is shared, letting us fill the gaps with the information needed. Imagination is the engine from which the exhibition launches to space. 

    Each process that the astronauts do around their machines to complete a task could be overlapped with the tasks that we do everyday to continue living. Being present in the moment is more relevant in space and we often overlook the impact of appreciating where we are. Tom Sach has curated an experience for humanity to reflect what we are capable of and to understand the luxury of being down here on Earth. We as humanity have the power to destroy and create. 

    If in one generation we went to the stars and on the next one we almost killed our Earth,  I believe that in this generation we have the responsibility of saving our home. These reminders of what we are working for creates a perspective for us to become better and achieve things that just humans can. Humanity is here for the trip not for the destination, it could be true that we were born too early to explore the universe. But we have to work on the first step of this adventure, humanity was born on Earth but will not perish on Earth, we will forever evolve on to the stars

        

Mending the Sky: Closing the Holes in Our Disastrous Reality

 

Diedrick Brackens, If you feed a river, 2019, Museum purchase, Carmen Donaldson Fund, 2019.61 © Diedrick Brackens

Mending the Sky is an exhibition currently on view at the New Orleans Museum of Art, which focuses on responded to the disaster of 2020 in a restorative way and imagining a better future in the process. Art within this exhibition "recognizes that we must address past problems and remedy present issues in order to forge a new path forward." (NOMA) This exhibition is put on physically, but the NOMA website provides images and descriptions of the show. The physical space of the show is the height of exclusivity, given the precautions that need to be taken because of COVID-19, but from all the images and footage of the show, the space itself seems to function as a restorative haven for its viewers, with cool colors and areas of low light. I am personally fascinated with the focus on the elements, specifically the air and water. 

One of the pieces that stood out to me was If you feed a river by Diedrick Brackens. This tapestry depicts two black half figures on either side of the image, connected by a blue field of color that reads as a river, with fish swimming through it. There is a blue figure wrapping its arms around one of the black half figures. Based on the description of the piece the website provides, this piece is split down the middle, with the two black half figures represent two sides of a whole person, separated across a river, and the blue figure can be seen as the river itself coaxing the figure back to wholeness.

This focus on the bridging of a gap, and the therapeutic properties of bodies of water, lends me to an introspective take on the meaning of the piece, and by extension the meaning of the show. In order to bridge the disasters in our world, and "Mend the Sky," we first have to mend the shortcomings within ourselves.

The Guggenheim Circular：Of-Also

Jessica Dickinson

Of-Also (2012) Artwork Type: Painting

Medium: Oil on limestone polymer panel

Dimensions sight: 50 x 48 inches (127 x 121.9 cm)

Credit Line: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Purchased with funds contributed by the International Director's Council, 2013

The online exhibition “Time” is from the collection of the Guggenheim Museum. The works in the “Time” show all focus on the relationship between time and life. In this exhibition, many artists are trying to explore and creating special ways of recording time, keeping time and suspending time. Jessica Dickinson is one of the artist. Most of her works are abstract painting. She always can get inspiration form light, some pattern. For her works, the shifting in time are the mean theme. Typically, she will paint on a wood panel to create a sculptural surface first. After adding oil paint, she will distress and chip away at the coated layers. Her painting can show decay by exposing and a process of the impact of the time. The work in this exhibition is Of-Also. An abstract painting on the limestone polymer panel by Oil. She used the similar way to create this work. When people first see this work, the  work gives people a feeling that it is not finished. However, this is a finished work and experienced a lot of exposing and decay. Dickinson said “events of marking, scraping, covering, cutting into, and revealing are worked through as indexical time, illumination, and change become inscribed in the work over several months.” The repetition of the decay on the surface let the work becomes a record of time. In another way to say that this work is also one of the time’s work. Dickinson and “time” create this work together and Dickinson just let the impact of time shows faster. Like any creature in the world, this painting can get old. The dots randomly distributed on the sculptural surface. Scratch and traces of corrosion surrounding around the dots. 

Time can change any surface of painting and sculpture. A lot of artists try to protect art works as long as possible but this Of-Also is trying to show the changes. Any changes on the work is part of the work because time is one of the artist foe this work. 

"Existed Existing": Sam Gilliam's exploration of color and materiality in a new exhibition at the PACE gallery

  

Sam Gilliam, TBD, 2020, acrylic on washi, 79" × 79" (200.7 cm × 200.7 cm), paper 83" × 83" × 3" (210.8 cm × 210.8 cm × 7.6 cm) © Sam Gilliam / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

 

Sam Gilliam's exhibition "Existed Existing" is currently on view at the PACE gallery, and offers an exploration into color, space, and materiality for those who are currently privileged to see it in person. For those who can't view the exhibition in person, PACE has resources including the press release, an interview with Gilliam, and a video about the show, which is what I am basing my critique on. I want to focus on his washi papers, which are a series of large fields of paper utterly saturated with vibrant color. Gilliam says, "The physical presence is not that important as is the color." He also describes the process of making the paper to render the object "so that that materiality disappears." I can only imagine the experience in person, given that electronic means often represent color inaccurately.  I'm fascinated with the idea that you could render an object so saturated with color, at its core an idea, that you could take away its materiality. If I've known anything to be more experiential than factual, it is experiencing artwork, and experiencing color. I wonder about the idea of an object being less material, because when I experience these washi pieces I almost view them as more so, an embodiment, an objective example of pure hue. It makes me yearn to be able to have that in person experience that so many of us have missed, in a fervent way, that I have to view the object to be able to truly verify its existence. Sam Gilliam, as a master of color, has certainly proven that mastery yet again in encouraging me (and other viewers) to think so deeply and introspectively about color and materiality. Being separated from the experience of the in person show is only deepening that need for the experience of color.

 What do you think the world is like after death? Cuban artist Alejandro Aguilera gave his comprehension, the painting "Aurelio (Life After Death)", created in 2009.  This is an abstract painting. It uses blue as the background and some white spots.  This creates the tone of a mysterious atmosphere.  White and yellow horizontal lines traverse the entire image, while red triangles hang on some horizontal lines.  The composition of the picture is very full. In the center of the picture, many bright orange and yellow brushstrokes are projected downward like a beam of light.  This shows that what the author thinks of the world after death is not gray and monotonous, but colorful.  The pale white letters at the bottom right corner of the image read "born after death."

The picture is basically composed of simple geometry, so there will be a lot of room for the audience to understand it.  On the other hand, the whole painting presents geometric inversion, which may imply another world after death. For the author, death means a new beginning, the beginning of another way of life.

Cuban artists are good at using various media and methods to draw inspiration from the environment, whether from literature, culture or politics.  The rich and diverse visual vocabulary used by the artist reflects the diverse culture and ethnicity of the Cuban population. Cultural diversity provides more possibilities for Cuban artists. Their openness and tolerance will be reflected in their works. The collision of different elements and the interweaving of different ideas are a process of seeking common ground while reserving differences. What the world looks like after death is a topic that is often discussed. When people still exist in this world, it is meaningful, and when people die, whether there is meaning, especially those who have made outstanding contributions today, or for those who still exist, will their meaning not disappear? This is also the meaning of the world after death.

A Futuristic Experience Of The Mid-90s: An Exhibition Review of "The Theresa Duncan CD-ROMs"

Rhizome.org is an online platform focusing on the digital and internet presence of the contemporary art, especially of those that are born-digital. The conservation exhibition co-presented with the New Museum, The Theresa Duncan CD-ROMs is among the numerous exhibitions that are currently on-view. The exhibition presents three CD-ROM games that were created by Theresa Duncan, a photographer and illustrator, under the employment of Magnet Interactive during the mid-90s CD-ROM boom. The three CD-ROMs were narrative-based audio books with playful visuals and intriguing music aimed to give children a glimpse into the complex lives of urban adulthood. The games offer an uniquely romantic and sensational experience that may seem antique for contemporary viewers who are accustomed to the technological advancement over the past decades; it is nevertheless very easy to appreciate the sheer creativity of early digital artists that pushed the boundary of the technological medium. Quite exceptionally, the exhibition is said to be one of the first to utilize the cloud servers to emulate the historic operation systems that these CD-ROMs were created for. Relying on fast internet connection, viewers today can finally enjoy these early computer software on their own modern devices, enabling a never-before achievable experience that would inspire the coming generations interested in arts in digital medium. Many galleries are having difficult time this year adjusting to the online medium, and this exhibition might as well be an excellent example of how artists and curators can navigate through this time while connecting the past and the future. 

Chop Suey (Magnet Interactive, 1995, co-created with Monica Gesue). Lily and June Bugg embark on a strange, hallucinatory adventure through the small town of Cortland, Ohio.

Hunter College 2020 MFA Thesis Spotlight

    

The amazing ability to forget

Matt Jones,2020, Colored pencil on Stonehenge natural paper, 55.88 x 76.20 cm / 22 x 30 in

   The Hunter College 2020 MFA Thesis Spotlight is an online exhibition hosted by Hauser and Wirth presenting work by nineteen MFA candidates from Hunter College.  The exhibition had originally been planned as a gallery exhibition in the spring, but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The online platform provides an opportunity for these emerging artists to display their work in a manner conducive to social distancing.  

The exhibition is divided into four thematic sections: ‘Gravity Spell’, ‘Interstices’, ‘Thresholds’ and ‘Save the Last Dance’.  ‘Part I: Gravity Spell’ includes work by Matt Jones. Inspired by medieval illuminations, rococo art, and global warming, Jones’ colored pencil drawings and paintings explore themes of intimacy, domesticity and community.  As he explains “The onset of the pandemic necessarily changed my practice…The references in these drawings have become simultaneously more local…and more mythical”.  He references the collective experience of limited mobility and the desire to escape during these uncertain times.  The amazing ability to forget is a colored pencil drawing of a bright environment scattered with tree stumps holding objects like hand sanitizer, a pile of books and two human skulls.  Repeated gestural shapes filling the space resemble an overgrown garden or a field in flames, emanating chaos and suggesting destruction, disaster and loss.  The isolated objects amidst the upset seem to symbolize the isolated experiences of individuals surrounded by turmoil.

The exhibit presents the artists’ work in an easy to navigate manner.  It would be beneficial to understand why each section of the show is labeled with an opening and closing date even though portions are still up past the closing date.  If these dates are informed by an additional gallery exhibit that coincides with the online show, this should be explained more explicitly.

The Risen / Originals (Jo Baer) - PACE NYC

 

The Rod Reversed (Mixing Memory and Desire) (1985)  

The Risen / Originals is an exhibition presented by the PACE Gallery NYC which features the work of American artist Jo Baer. The Risen is a collection of five paintings, originally dating back to 1960-61, before they were subsequently destroyed  and recreated, and serves as a display of Baer’s prolific experimentation in minimalism. In juxtaposition, The Originals is  a collection of Baer’s work dating from 1975 to present day. This leg of the exhibitions shows off the artist’s departure from minimalism and her progression towards a more “image-based aesthetic”.

The Risen remembers the pioneering that Baer achieved as a female artist in the 1960s. At a time when many other artists were experimenting with abstraction and minimalism, Baer was able to stand out amidst her male peers. Her vivid colors and bold shapes remain impactful to this day, as can be seen through the selection on display at PACE. Works like Wink (1960-61/2019) prove Baer’s mastery of form and color; its vibrant orange orange triangles quite literally winking at its onlooker, as the title suggests, amidst a dynamic collection of black and white forms.  

The second collection, Originals, serves as a lovely counterpart to The Risen. This collection gives visitors a chance to travel through Baer’s artistic journey, as she departs from abstract minimalism and delves into image based work, declaring herself to “no longer be an abstract artist”. Throughout Originals Baer explores a middle ground between abstraction and figuration, pulling inspiration from prehistoric art, as well as her homes throughout Europe. In works such as The Rod Reversed (Mixing Memory and Desire) Baer plays with human and animal form while maintaining a surreal and minimal landscapes, sparking curiosity and intrigue.

The Risen / Originals serves as  a commendatory dedication to Baer’s life and body of work, and proves to be a refreshing exhibition.  Visitors become able to physically witness Baer’s evolution as not only an artist, but as a person. The exhibition is an intimate and flattering window into Baer’s life and mind. 

Embrace - Guggenheim Circular

 

“Embrace” is a collection of photographs curated by the Guggenheim Circular serving as a response to the deprivation of intimacy which the coronavirus pandemic, and subsequent lockdown, brought onto many. Exhibited online during June of 2020, a month which hosted not only pride month but a series of protests across the world demanding racial justice, “Embrace” is a series which investigates race, sexuality, and gender. 

The collection includes works such as “Melissa & Lake, Durham, North Carolina” from a series by artist Catherine Opie titled “Domestic (1995-1998)”. Opie’s series featured a collection of portraits taken across the country of lesbian couples or them and their families. In “Melissa & Lake” two women hold each other in a bedroom while staring with intense solemnity into the camera lens. Despite the image itself being quite docile, a sense of melancholy seems to wash across it. This same melancholy is then embedded into the viewers, as it projected through both the women’s sad stares. The intent of Opie’s collection was to put an emphasis on the plight of an underrepresented and misunderstood community. Through seeing the faces of those who find love and intimacy in ways unfamiliar to the majority of the population, one may reconsider their idea of what intimacy and love is. 

This is the exact sentiment which “Embrace” is intended to instill in its viewers. It braves the question: “What does intimacy look like?” Although a small collection of photographs may not be able to answer that question alone,  “Embrace” serves as a lovely reminder that love is just as diverse as we are. 

Melissa and Lake, Durham, North Carolina (1998)

Nina Katchadourian: Monument to the Unelected

 

New York — Nina Katchadourian, Monument to the Unelected, Sep 18–Dec 12, 2020; Pace Gallery 

          New York City-based Pace Gallery has recently organized an exhibition by the artist Nina Katchadourian titled “Monument to the Unelected.” The artist began the work in 2008 as an ongoing project that features lawn signs created by Katchadourian that represent the names of all the United States’ presidential candidates that have lost elections. The signs mimic actual political lawn signs by using corrugated vinyl. This series is being exhibited before and after the 2020 Presidential election, and was updated accordingly after the winner was declared. The work has also been replicated in three other locations across the United States.

This work was initiated after the loss of John McCain to Barack Obama, when Katchadourian began to look closer at the exhibition of political signage. The artist described the work as being triggered due to the onslaught of lawn signs she noticed in each election that seemed to be a very American phenomenon worthy of closer inspection. Katchadourian plays on the irony of forgetting candidates that were once so prominently featured on lawn signs across the country forever memorializing them in her work. The impermanence of the traveling exhibition also echoes the nature of these forgotten names. Katchadourian also reinvents the idea of “monument,” as monuments are typically erected to feature one prominent figure, whereas this “monument” actually washes away the idea of the “one” to compartmentalize all the names of the as “those forgotten.” By placing these once distinguished names as a part of the same artwork, Katchadourian dooms the figures to forever be a part of the ignored whole.