Raymond Pettibon at David Zwirner (Revised)

Raymond Pettibon’s show at David Zwirner does not disappoint his fans. He delivers his usual crude, loose, sketch like works on paper bordering on the poetic. Not only does he provide his viewers with a variety of works to help transform the space from gallery to studio, but his bank of image sources is vast, ranging from larger than life male genatalia to baseball games to a crowd watching an explosion in the sky to him asserting with typical sarcasm, “Either you find my work poetic or not.”


Pettibon’s work, especially in this show, shows us just how malleable the artist is, although I’m waiting for the next ‘chapter’ of the artist. Yes, there are no boundaries for Pettibon, but I wonder when the ‘adult-child’ complex will subside and a maturity within the work will unfold. He’s been in this autopilot of sarcastic, sketchbook aesthetics and studioesque installations for a fair amount of time and I wonder if these characteristics are a crutch, if the artist isn’t just quite done with these aesthetics (which is fair enough, the sponge is still dripping) or if he’s tapping out. I do appreciate his art historical references, especially his renderings of the female nude, reminiscent of renaissance painting except here with a ping of boyish immaturity that has been successful within the work, a balance difficult to achieve.

Sonya Blesofsky at Mixed Greens: Renovation

Sonya Blesofsky's exhibition at Mixed Greens, simply titled “Renovation,” focuses on the struggle between preservation and progress that has been waged throughout New York in recent years. Her drawings, vellum sculptures, and installations memorialize architectural details that, due to renovation projects and new construction, are in danger of being replaced and forgotten. At the same time, she attempts to transform the gallery space into something fresh and new.

The most striking feature of Blesofsky's exhibition is the modification of the gallery space itself. Holes (presumably for windows) have been cut out of the gallery walls. White planks (with the wood grain drawn on in pencil) that recall John McCracken's sculptures lean against the walls as if the viewer has interrupted work at a construction site. Part of the surface of an existing pillar has been removed, exposing its previously hidden wooden substructure.

Alongside these alterations, details of older buildings (such as warehouses and brownstones) are presented as drawings and vellum sculptures. Fragments of a brick arch crumble into nothingness. Drawings of stamped tin ceilings line two walls, some of them fresh and white, others black and lost and forgotten. All of these artworks are ghostly reminders of pieces of New York's endangered architectural history. The exhibition as a whole manages to strike a balance between encouraging the preservation of these details and making room for the features that could become tomorrow's antiques.

Jonas Wood at Anton Kern

     Detail oriented Jonas Wood once again presented his audience with a series of  whimsical, autobiographical paintings at Anton Kern Gallery . Large scale, patterned works present characters with strange gazes inviting the viewer into the scene. Simultaneously, the viewer is caught in a position of a voyeur; a witness to  everyday life’s mundane happenings. Wood’s skewed perspective, treatment of pattern and positioning of characters give this mundane element an irresistible quality of a curious story of the artist to be told.

                                                             Image courtesy of Anton Kern Gallery

        In this body of work the compositions are well structured and complex. The paintings depict  both domestic settings as well as the ones from the television scenes the artist found interesting . The most striking domestic scene is in “My Old Bedroom Shelf”, in which Wood works from the memories of his childhood room. The bright color palette, in combination with bold, textile-like patterns and semi abstract shapes, brings viewers into an experience of Wood’s memory of the space. The close-up cropping in this piece, although not typical in other paintings in the show, is particularly successful in bringing the viewer into a disorienting closeness with the artist’s rendering. Paintings that reflect the artist’s interest in television scenes, such as “Head Up" that depicts a poker tournament, only work in the context of the show full of domestic imagery, complementing scenes of bedrooms and living rooms. (edit 10/16/1013)

Pure: Barry McGee at Cheim & Read

San Francisco-based artist Barry McGee's exhibition of new work contains a dynamic assortment of paintings, installation, and ceramics all done in McGee's West Coast street-art style. Using geometric shapes and patterns in a mix of exuberant neons, corals and earth tones, McGee's work is approachable and set to please a diverse audience, from local graffiti artists to international art world professionals. 

It is a pleasure to see this collection of works in various mediums balancing and communicating with one another. From ceramic objects that could fit in your hand, to large, eloquently composed paintings of text and intricate patterns, there is a wonderful sense of play and enjoyment. McGee's practice seems to be one of constant making, intercepting, and documenting. This is particularly apparent in the large installation in the back room of the gallery, where photographs mix with paintings and drawings in found frames. This compilation of dozens of framed pieces comes across as composed storytelling, allowing the viewer an entryway and journey through McGee's work.

Longtime fans may challenge McGee's cult credibility for showing in such a commercial arena, but he is an artist who can command any indoor or outdoor space and his work looks comfortable in Cheim & Read. This exhibition demonstrates that McGee is a contemporary artist who is relevant to a larger audience than is often reached through the traditional Chelsea gallery space.

Living in Fiction (Revised) - Philip-Lorca diCorcia’s Hustlers series

  Taken in Los Angeles from 1997 until 2008, Philip-Lorca diCorcia’s Hustlers series include total of thirty-six photographs. Neatly framed in white, his image carries portraits of prostitutes in the neighborhood of Santa Monica Boulevard. The figure’s dignified stance expresses immense amount of self-confidence. The title holds information about each subject's name, age, hometown, and the amount of money Dicorcia spent on each shoot.

The mysterious and fictitious quality of his photo first intimidates the viewer then causes curiosity to wonder who they are and where they are from.

                                        Philip-Lorca diCorcia. Marilyn; 28 Years Old; Las Vegas, Nevada; $30. 1990-92. 

The series is composed of portraits of male prostitutes; Most of the subjects are staring directly into camera while displaying a bored detachment from their naked surroundings. It is apparent that artist wants to maintain a certain distance from the subject matter.     

            Most of times, Dicorica selected public places gas stations and bus stops as his backgrounds but occasionally, he also placed models in private places like motels and its interiors. The artist confessed that shoot was almost always planned ahead. Only after completing the preparation would he start a real shoot. Stipends equivalent to a charge for prostitution were given to a model in exchange afterwards. His prearranged idea is heightened by the use of artificial light, creating an uncanny tension. This visual composition offers a cinematographic quality.

Thomas Hirschhorn's Gramsci Monument

Thomas Hirschhorn’s The Gramsci Monument stood for 77 days on a green in the Forest Houses public housing in the Bronx.  Under Hirschhorn’s direction, the residents of the Forest Houses built and staffed this project, and the Dia Foundation paid for the materials and salaries. This triangulation of interest, commitment, and enthusiasm resulted in a social club more than a monument. Hirschhorn designed the functional plywood structure of two bunkhouses connected by a footbridge. On the surface, it looked flimsy, like it was constructed with brown packaging tape.  However, the building was quite solid, containing a library, an Internet room, a radio station, a newsroom, a café, an art room, and lecture hall.  Every day was programming provided by artists and philosophers performing, discussing, and answering questions on various ideas about art, democracy, and freedom, and anything relevant.

            This is Thomas Hirschhorn’s fourth monument to philosophers who are his ‘heroes.’ Antonio Gramsci was an early 20^{th century} Italian Marxist. According to Hirschhorn, Gramsci’s writings  are the intersection of ‘love and politics.’ Many quotes from Gramsci’s diaries like “Every human being is an intellectual” are spray painted throughout,   One remarkable result of Hirschhorn’s optimism and belief, an art foundation’s sheparding, and a housing project’s invitation and courage is a dismantling of a singular cultural hegemony.

The poetic bridge between art and designs

Canadian artist Marc Hundley’s new work is coherent with respect to his previous one including an interest in Virginia Woolf. In fact, the title The Waves, The Body Alone is taken from Virginia Woolf’s experimental novel The Waves. Hundley often uses appropriated materials as his subjects such as texts from novels, favorite film posters, and images of music icons that can be both extremely personal and public at the same time. Although he takes the clear physical presence of vintage material, he does not merely reproduce the original. Hundley's fabrication of posters can be interpreted as mental imprints of his subconscious mind. Details in the work subtly imply his memory towards the subject such as mismatched titles, pixelated prints, and offset layers.

Hundley's art appears to have more in common with graphic design than with what would be considered to be fine art. This can lead to the main concern where his design stands in gallery context. An eye level display, mint colored walls, and symmetrically placed two large benches are not a coincidence and exist to serve a purpose. Design is created for function, and non-functional design is considered as a failure. Hudley's work is successful as design. However, the nature of art should always fail which non-art can never be. Perhaps the bridge he is trying to connect between art and design in this exhibition can lead to either a great success in design or glorious failure in fine art.