Mamma Andersson, “Behind the cutain” at David Zwirner.

Mamma Andersson, “Behind the cutain” at David Zwirner.

519 & 525 West 19th Street David Zwirner, New York

January 8 - February 14, 2015

January 8^th to February 14^th David Zwirner presented new work by Swedish artist Mamma Andersson. Andersson was born in 1962 in Luleå, Sweden. She studied from 1986 to 1993 at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm, where she continues to live and work. The exhibit showcased the artist latest body of paintings and included two murals that were made specifically for the exhibit. She paints pictorially and her images seem surreal, but as if taken from a state or performance. The subject matter includes melancholic landscapes and private interiors.

Theatrical and domestic fictions construct an interior setting that reference domesticity and femininity. We are over-shadowed by giant characters that are based on toys or dolls. The representation of dolls appear throughout the show whether it is up-front, like her dolls that reveal their nature with their peg joints, or if it is more subtle such as seen in her painting “behind the curtain” which shows two female dancers whose bodies are stiff like a wooden dolls.

Her paintings seem heavily influenced by the painting process. In one work you will find areas that have washes of paint, or heavy and thick application of paint, or stark graphic lines. Her broad range of techniques is a testament to her engagement with the process. Translating her paintings to murals is a recent development, one that is complex and exciting. Entering the gallery to be over-whelmed by her murals is an experience that leaves the viewer challenging their familiarity with every-day objects (such as dolls).

Subodh Gupta : Seven Billon Light Years / revision

by Eun Jin Wang

Though the weather getting cold in NYC, being greeted with Martin Creed’s colorful stripes at Hauser and Wirth Galleries in Chelsea was enough to make me warm up to relax with the object from india.

Subodh Gupta’s recent works in the exhibition called  ‘Seven Billion Light Years’ share the title of one of his film works which can be found in this show.

I had seen his show few times in my hometown, Seoul, South Korea, but this exhibition presents a variety of medium that he used not just his famous sculptures made with found and common object but paintings . There are films, installations and sculptures with his distinctive materials which are included the most fascinating works were his paintings. 

There are four different paintings about used utensil which is one kind of cooking vtersil. The real utensil is attached to one side of the canvas and the painting looks like a photograph of the object which is attached on it. Even though I don’t believe that he painted themself, the contents are enough to enjoy and appreciate his own intention. Through out the entire the show, people can have a chance to encounter the life of india which makes me look back of my life in Soeul and the monent that I didn't care about.

Time Flies by Esko Mannikko at the Yancey Richardson Gallery / Revision

I have a confession. I get grumpy when I’m hungry. This was no different when I thought to myself, “Why bother looking photographs in person in a gallery if I can see them online?” I am aware of the shallowness of this comment. But this argument was immediately shot down when I saw the exhibition.

This self-taught, Finnish photographer presents a selection of works that vary exponentially during his travels in Finland. From abandoned cars to family photographs, Minnikko’s photographs imply the passage of time, as well as the inevitable decomposition of all materials: those animate or inanimate. The rusty metal colors resemble the decay, as if it was melting away from the photograph itself. The subject matter adds to this; yet there is an evident beauty behind the silent aging of the every day materials.

            Perhaps the most intriguing component of this exhibition isn’t the photographs themselves, but the convincing presentation. The carefully selected frames for each photograph lead a peculiarity that compliments the photographs. In addition, the tight row of display of the photographs creates an irony that is a tribute to the relationship between photography and painting. It creates a delightful visual experience, where the singularity of works compliment each another with their character, wit, and unpredictability. It’s refreshing enough to persuade one to think that hunger was worth the while after all.

Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao's New York: Assembled Realities

Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao’s New York: Assembled Realities at The Museum of the City of New York features forty large-scale panoramic images of the urban landscape of the concrete jungle. The work displays the city’s allure but, aside from displaying technological innovations in photography, Liao’s conceptual content appears lacking.

Duffy Square, Times Square, Manhattan, 2011. 

JEFF CHIEN-HSING LIAO/MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

By digitally stitching together over 200 images of an iconic location in each work, Liao aims to capture the movement and vitality of The Big Apple. The final product becomes a hyper-real image that is impossible for the artist to capture from one angle. One marvels at the crisp images that display Liao’s technical prowess with photo editing software. The photographs’ content, however, could illustrate more complex subjects than pedestrians and buildings. It is uncertain if the work could be considered significant if shown outside the context of a space devoted to New York City.

Feast of San Gennaro, Little Italy, 2011. 

JEFF CHIEN-HSING LIAO/COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

As technology continues to develop and infiltrate culture, Liao has adapted his artistic practice to create work that has that “wow” factor. Like the work of Jeff Koons or Takashi Murakami, Liao’s work displays technological advancement playing to humans’ attraction to bright, eye-catching imagery. If one attempts to peel back the work’s shiny exterior, little information exists to inform the viewer or alter the romanticized view of The City that Never Sleeps. 

Half Empty at Grennan & Griffin Gallery

 

I had a chance to see HALF EMPTY exhibition at Brennan & Griffin Gallery. There were three artists’ pieces in this exhibition, but Mateo Tannatt’s sculpture Untitled interested me. The piece was a mixed-media sculpture that mixes a painted canvas, rag, and a cast chicken head positioned on a wooden pallet. I could see only one piece of his work in this gallery, but it was necessary to look up his previous works to be able to understand his world of art. The materials for his work mainly include everyday objects such as a carpet, a mannequin and kitchenware. Most of his sculptures are in a simple form which looks to be of great importance to him. His works are minimal and meticulous arrangements with a sensitivity for material texture and geometry. While viewing his exhibition, I started to think about art and objecthood. Setting feeble material up against a wall or installing an object in a risky manner or arranging objects that have different characteristics intrigues viewers and invites their concentration even for a moment. Perhaps, his work is completed by the participation by viewers instead of a visible piece if work itself? I am looking forward to his new works in the future.