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If my walk on opening night through Pier 94 of the Armory Show is any indication, money is more than on people’s minds. It’s on the wall. And off the wall.
Here’s a little sampling:
At Galerie Guy Bartschi: Tom Molloy, Swarm, installation of 900 US dollars
Detail below
At Catriona Jeffries, Vancouver Gareth More, Necklace
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A little tongue-in-chic humor at Nicole Klagsburn, New York
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At Galleria Massimo De Carlo, Milan: Elmgreen & Dragset
At Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris: The narrative ends (sorry, I didn't get the name of the artist)
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A little tongue-in-chic humor at Nicole Klagsburn, New York
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At Galleria Massimo De Carlo, Milan: Elmgreen & Dragset
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At Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris: The narrative ends (sorry, I didn't get the name of the artist).
10 comments:
Prejudicial cards on the table time - i) I've always had my doubts about art as a means of social/political comment & ii) installation work has often seemed to be a refuge for those of modest visual talent and intellectual mediocrity. The world has been moving into a state of profound crisis of which the financial aspect is but one element. When I think of George Grosz and his drawings of Depression years in Germany; the engravings of Hogarth and the photomontages of John Heartfield these offerings are as piercing as damp lettuce and as such exemplify the very type of self-indulgence that has got us into the mess in the first place.
Easy, big guy. Tongue in cheek is the operative mode here.
eesh,
these images are works that just barely touch on the potential of installation art. i'm confident that there's enough sublimity out there in installation art to sway your opinion (tony) otherwise.
joanne, i enjoy how some of your takes through exhibitions and fairs 'curate' topically or visually through what is in fact enormous amounts of art. if you go through on additional trips, i hope there is much to impress you + us.
Joanne, I apologise for the momentary slip. I know that instead of showing my teeth I should have been biting my tongue but visual conceits have a value in times & places & I'm not sure now is the time nor here, in the widest sense, the place.
To Matt: Without doubt there are innumerable worthy & worthwhile installations but personally I find them to be in the minority. (Prejudiced I am & reactionary to boot - again my apologies.)
I agree with Tony on certain points but I don't think it's necessary to pronounce judgment on a whole genre (although I don't think I would call these pieces installation- more like assemblage or sculpture) in order to say that these particular works are not that great. But I don't think Joanne was claiming them to be the most incisive pieces of political commentary around. She was doing a little walk-through and it was just yesterday. I don't want to discourage her from doing her curated art fair thing, so give her a little time.
J, did you see the giant El Anatsui pieces at Jack Shainman? I snapped some pix but couldn't get the whole piece in view. His work always reawakens my sense of excitement and awe about art. Which I was just what I needed in the midst of all that "VIP Lounge" bullshit.
I agree with Tony on certain points but I don't think it's necessary to pronounce judgment on a whole genre (although I don't think I would call these pieces installation- more like assemblage or sculpture) in order to say that these particular works are not that great. But I don't think Joanne was claiming them to be the most incisive pieces of political commentary around. She was doing a little walk-through and it was just yesterday. I don't want to discourage her from doing her curated art fair thing, so give her a little time.
J, did you see the giant El Anatsui pieces at Jack Shainman? I snapped some pix but couldn't get the whole piece in view. His work always reawakens my sense of excitement and awe about art. Which I was just what I needed in the midst of all that "VIP Lounge" bullshit.
Jeez, touchy, aren't we? All we can do at this stage is find the humor - you know, laughing instead of...
CNN on-line reported yesterday that cheaper is now chic-er. Good thing Tom Malloy used $1 dollar bills instead of 20s.
1)Assemblage is 100% correct but when I saw the images of the work I was so disappointed that a cloggy grey cloud got in the way of clear thinking.
2)Nancy Natale - yes, I'm touchy. If you're looking for humour leave it to the professionals - humourists. If art is just a one-minute chuckle, walk-away affair it's not worth the trouble. Entertainment is entertainment; art is not entertainment. Confuse the two at your risk.
3)About the works shown -
a)As passing ideas -OK.
b)As passing ideas worth realising
- questionable.
c)As works justifying(in part)
transporting thousands of miles
- No.
d)As works worthy of being shown
- No.
For me art, & the making of it. implies both a certain ethical position and moral responsibility. Anything else shows a contempt for the viewer & those who seek to maintain a sense of integrity in their own work. To accept less is to open the door to cheap mediocrity which demeans all.
Lovely blog! I recently saw an exhibition of Tom Molloy's work here in Austin & it's been in and around the edges of my thoughts ever since. I enjoyed your photos of the paper airplane piece.
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