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12.27.2010

Fair Enough: Moola-riffic

The posts so far:
Fair Enough: And I'm Off
Fair Enough: Traveling Incognita?
Fair Enough: All Over But the Posting
Fair Enough: Art or Trash?
Fair Enough: Prologue to the Report
Fair Enough: ABMB, Part 1
Fair Enough: ABMB, Part 2
Fair Enough: Aqua Art
Fair Enough: Pulse
Fair Enough: Seven
Fair Enough: Scope
Fair Enough: NADA
Fair Enough: Ink
Fair Enough: A Peek at Art Miami
Fair Enough: Doubletake at Art Miami
Fair Enough: Art Miami
Fair Enough: My Just Right Breakfast
Fair Enough: Speaking Volumes

Jack Pierson at Galleria Christian Stein, Milano; ABMB
.
Vs.

Doug Aiken, Regan Projects, Los Angeles; ABMB


In a tossup between Sex and Money, money came out on top. Sure there was the usual assortment of erogenous body part (aren’t there always?) but currency—real, reproduced, reconstituted and ridiculously fake—were in evidence everywhere.

Seeing all the currency-related art at the fairs, I can’t help but think about Oscar Wilde’s comment: “When businessmen get together they talk about art. When artists get together they talk about money.” What’s ironic is that you have wealthy collectors shelling out thousands for one and two-dollar bills.

I didn’t love it all, but I did like the artists’ wit and their range of materials. Standouts for me were Dan Tague's manipulated money, folded to reveal unexpected meanings; Lauren DiCioccio's Jefferson in stitches;  Patrick LoGiudice's inflated digital image preserved under a scrim of wax; Srdjan Loncar's mattress with the money on the outside; and Dave Cole's currency couture, which serves as a well-crafted metaphor for the intersection of art, fashion and money.


Jota Castro, Private Dancer, Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin; ABMB
(Of course, sometimes sex and money are intertwined)
Detail below



Dan Tague at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans; Pulse
Closeup of one photograph below



Randy Noborikawa at Anderson Art Collective, Santa Barbara; Red Dot

Michael St. John at Andrea Rosen, New York;  ABMB
Detail below



Patrick LoGiudice digital print submerged in wax at Von Braunbehren Galerie, Munich; Art Miami
Closeup below 



Lauren DiCioccio embroidered currency, actual size, at Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco; Aqua Art
Installation view below
.


Artist at Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm; ABMB
Closeup below



Yang Qian at Eli Klein Gallery, New York and Beijing; Art Miami

I'm showing you two closeups of this funny money
Above: It's a confetti mosaic of shredded paper
Below:  The confetti is made from Chinese paper. Talk about reading between the lines 



Mark Wagner, Rub-A-Dub, 24x24 inches, at Pavel Zoubok, New York; Pulse
If the message is that our economy is backed by the Chinese, as the previous work suggests, this collage shows us graphically that our economy is adrift. Or am I reading too much into these works? 

Srdjan Loncar at Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans; Art Miami
Why put your money under the mattress when you can make the mattress out of bills? These appear to be photocopies but that's OK.  I love the Benjamin buttons that secure the (non-existent) tufting

Image above from the gallery website; my detail below



Susan Stockwell currency quilt at Patrick Heide Gallery, London; Pulse
It's not always just about the Benjamins
Detail below




Maximo Gonzalez at Galeria Valle Orti, Valencia, Spain; Pulse
Detail below




Paul Sietsma at Matthew Marks Gallery, New York; ABMB
The bill, rendered in ink and enamel on paper, is actual size


Justine Smith at Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami; Art Miami
Detail below



Dave Cole at Dodge Gallery, New York; Pulse
Cole embodies the art/fashion/money nexus in thin slinky, semi-transparent dress knitted from American currency
Detail below


Post Script
Just as I did a prologue to the book post, I'd like to add a post script here. When viewing a trend in anything--in this instance, currency-based art--it's easy to think we're seeing it for the first time. While I'm sure large the impressive showing is directly connected to the economy, there are artists who have been working with the U.S. dollar for a while. Take a look at the website of my buddy Oriane Stender, who has been making Dollar Bill Quilts for over a decade.  Here's a peek:

Oriane Stender, Dollar Quilt, shown about actual size

8 comments:

Troy Gua said...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/troygua/4054452278/in/set-72157623023563877/

and

http://www.flickr.com/photos/troygua/sets/72157623023563877/with/4054452278/

Great post!

Oriane Stender said...

The artist at Galeria Valle Orti is Maximo Gonzalez, from Mexico. That particular piece doesn't photograph so well, but he does some interesting work.

I don't know if Pavel Zoubok had any CK Wilde up, but in my opinion, he does the best money collage. He and Mark Wagner collaborate sometimes, but Chris is da bomb.

There seems to be a lot of sewing and weaving of money going on. Hmmm...

Joanne Mattera said...

Oriane: Your comment reminded me that I wanted to post an image of yours--a post script this time, just as I did a prologue in the book post. Take a look.

Tamar said...

Joanne--I love these themed posts and count on you to point out the trends..... From moola-rffic: I'll take the Dave Cole money-gown.

mariandioguardi.com said...

Paper money....books . I am thinking that this is a real statement of value. We are entering an age when these things will no longer hold or have a value of their own. The future in now. Art speaks truth.

Oriane Stender said...

Thanks, Joanne!

ivan buenader said...

Joanne, thank you so much for doing always such a great reasearch work. I noticed a lot of works with money this year, more than ever, and you got some that escaped my eye!!! Thank you Oriane for speaking so positively about Maximo's work.
I invite you guys to see a short video of that particular installation, where it can be appreciated so much better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGR11DKK2NA
I also invite you to visit Maximo's web page if you want to see other work with currency:
http://maximogonzalez.info/piezas_hechas_con_dinero/?lang=en
Enjoy!
Have a nice New Year 2011
Ivan Buenader

Oriane Stender said...

Ivan, thanks for the info about Maximo. I met him briefly a few years back in New York. Prospero Ano Nuevo to you all!

Oriane