Fair Well: C'est What?

Previous Miami posts

Is Anybody Happy



 Darren Almond at Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin, Art Basel Miami Beach

Some years ago I worked at Women’s Wear Daily. The mere sniff of a trite phrase would send the copy desk editors into a frenzy of elbow jabbing as they mocked the writer. “Clichés? Nothing wrong with clichés; after all, everyone uses them,” they'd say, making no effort to suppress their mirth. They’d move in close to the unsuspecting writer to offer this advice: “You have to avoid clichés like the plague.” Then they’d all have another good laugh and cut the bejesus out of the writer's story.

Those editors would have had a field day (sorry, guys) with some of what’s here. Is it the nature of text-based art that cliché often takes precedence over poetry, irony or wit? Two galleries got it just right, I thought: Carroll and Sons, Boston, and Charlie James, Los Angeles, with text based installations that were intentionally deadpan or funny and fresh.

I also responded to Mira Schor’s paintings, emphasis on painting; Jennifer Dalton’s wry foursome; Barbara Gallucci’s witty take on Robert Indiana’s oversold sculpture; and Darren Almond’s elegantly executed exhortation, which I took to heart as I made the rounds.

The sentiments expressed in the images are not necessarily my own.



Mel Bochner at Quint Contemporary, Miami Project

This guy just won't shut up:

Above: At Peter Freeman, New York and Paris, ABMB

Three below: at Two Palms New York; ABMB 

 

Foreground: Bertrand Lavier at Galerie Hans Mayer;

background: Barbara Kruger at Mary Boone Gallery, New York City; ABMB

Robert Indiana at Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York City

Above: Barbara Gallucci
Below: Joe Zane installation; both at Carroll and Sons, Boston; Miami Project

Alejandro Diaz at David Shelton Gallery, Houston; Miami Project

David Buckingham at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans; Miami Project

Tony Lewis at Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; NADA

Two from Roni Horn

Above: at Dranoff Fine Art, New York City; Ink

Below: at Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, ABMB

Barbara Kruger at Mary Boon Gallery, New York City; ABMB

Above: Eugenio Merino

Below: Artist unidentified, both at Birnam Wood Galleries, New York City and East Hampton; Art Miami

Above and below: Margie Schnibbe at Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles; Aqua Art

Deborah Kass at Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York City; ABMB

Jack Pierson at Richard Gray Gallery; ABMB

 Susan Jamison at Fergeson Gallery, Farmville, Virginia; Aqua Art

Rashin Johnson at James Harris Gallery, Seattle; ABMB

Michael Scoggins at ABMB; photo by Sharon Louden

William Pope. L at ABMB

Detail below

Wayne White at Western Project, Los Angeles; Miami Project

Detail below

Mira Schor at CB1 Gallery, Los Angeles, Miami Project

Tracey Emin at Lehman Maupin, New York City; ABMB

Justin Lieberman, Tibetan Pornography, at Galerie Rodolphe Janssen; ABMB

Kay Rosen, LOL, at (I think) Sikkema Jenkins; ABMB

Claire Fontaine at ABMB

Cheng Ran at Galerie Urs Meile; ABMB

 Artist unidentified at Kendall Koppe, Glasgow; NADA

Michelle Andrade at Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles; Aqua Art

Foreground: Jennifer Dalton at Charles James Gallery

Detail below

William Powhida at Charlie James Gallery

Detail below

Cary Leibowitz at Invisible Exports, New York City; NADA

Lawrence Weiner at Christina Guerra Contemporary Art; ABMB

Too good to ignore: Utility sign at ABMB



Artist unidentified Christina Grajales Gallery; Design Miami

John Giorno at White Columns, New York City; NADA 

Joe Wardwell at Prole Drift, Seattle; Aqua Art

Sam Durant at Sadie Coles, London; ABMB

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Fair Well: Is Anybody Happy?

Barbara Kruger at Mary Boone Gallery, Art Basel Miami Beach

As the celebrity stories and the reports of who-sold-what-for-how-much flow out of Miami, I’d like to talk about the other side of things.

“I feel diminished,” is how one art dealer put it.
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Yes, the art world is ridiculously hierarchical, but we lay a heavy burden on ourselves. Here’s how it goes: The dealer who can’t afford to do to an art fair feels diminished. The one who applies but doesn't get into any art fair feels just as bad.  The dealer who gets into a second-choice venue feels grateful but still diminished. The dealer who gets into a first-choice fair but gets an out-of-the-way booth, or who doesn't sell as much as the dealer in the next booth feels diminished. The big name dealer who sells a big-name piece feels just a little bit less on top of things because her big sale was not as big as it might have been. And, of course, if the big seller doesn't get a chance to tout the sale to the business reporter, that sale is just a little less sweet.

The curator who doesn't get into the VIP event feels diminished. (“Finally, after three years of trying I got my VIP pass to Basel Miami!” exulted one curator.) The one who gets ignored by this or that other curator feels diminished. The one whose big effort is unrecognized by his colleagues at the fairs feels diminished. And god forbid you don't get your picture taken with P. Diddy.

Artists get sucked in, too, of course. You don't get invited to an art fair? You feel diminished, and all the talk about Miami just annoys you. ("My work is waaay better than what's there," is the typical comment. And, indeed, it may be.) You get invited but can’t afford to go? You feel diminished. The artist who gets invited to a small fair feels a little lower than the one who’s at a larger fair, who feels a little bit lower than the one who has work in two fairs, or with several galleries at the same fair, or who didn't get the solo show in the gallery booth, or who did all of those things and didn't sell out the booth, or who didn't sell anything at all.

I’m not saying this stuff doesn't matter—it does; there is a pecking order in the art world—but I think we are personally much more aware of our particular situation than anyone else.

My suggestion: Think of what's here as a snapshot of a particular moment, not what's engraved in art history. If you're in Miami, stop obsessing and have a good time. If you're desktop visiting, Artcritical, The Art Newspaper's Miami Edition, Huffington Post and Hyperallergic all have good coverage (though HuffPo is a bit heavy on who's wearing what).

And if you're waiting for my report, I'll start posting midweek next week.

Related: Mat Gleason: "There's nothing fair about the art world."

Fair Well: See You in Miami!

Updated 12.1: Miami resources, scroll to bottom of post

Projects Gallery at Aqua last year. This year: Room 116, a big suite off the courtyard

Yes, I'll be making the rounds of the fairs for blogging, but I'll also have work at Aqua Art in Miami. Come and see it at Projects Gallery, Room 116. I should be around on Wednesday evening, Friday morning, and again on Friday evening. Come and say hi to Frank and Helen, and take a look at who else the gallery is showing:  Ross Bonfanti, Craig Cully, Denise Dmochowski, Harry Enchin, Mike Geno, Frank Hyder, Florence Putterman, Alex Queral, Shirley Steele, Marcelo Suaznabar and Vivian Wolovitz

To receive your complimentary, one-day pass e-tickets, click here.  Please indicate that you are being invited by Projects Gallery.

  

 

Updated 12.1:

For organized listings of the who/what/where/when, click onto these two sources:

. Hyperallergic's Complete Guide, replete with map, links and some free e-passes

. Art-Collecting's Art Fair Guide, a linked listing of all the venues with notable events
. And if you are a Facebook friend, check my homepage for info about lunch on Friday, December 6
. Free passes to Art Context. Click here
. Free passes to Aqua Art. Click here
. Are you a Facebook friend? I've invited my FB buddies who are in Miami for the fairs to meet me on Friday, December 6, for a no-host lunch on Lincoln Road. Click onto my FB home page for the details

Sexy Russian Ladies

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Bad blogger. I have not been posting regularly, but allow me to make it up to you with some bad poetry from the spam I've received recently.

I've used only the subject line info, verbatim. What's interesting is the subject matter. Maybe algorithms are targeting their subjects differently, or maybe we're seeing a sociological change of some sort. To wit: The penis-enlarger ads have, er, diminished while those for love and home improvement are on the rise.

 

Looking for something

Hi there
Are your windows looking a little dull?
You should add a sunroom to your home
Are you safe at home?
Open your tub and walk on in
Overweight? Lose 2-8 inches in hours
Bored with marriage?
Have a discreet encounter
Joints hurt? Try this
If you could look younger, why wouldn’t you?
Do you need pest control services?
Are your cords becoming a tangled mess?
Want to learn a new language fast?
Let’s chat then

Woman Looking

Allow me to introduce myself

Greetings from Miss Lea Edem

Greeings and salutations

Nice to meet you
My compliments to you
You look gorgeous

You’re my dream
Make me your girl

Stairway to Heaven
Hello dear, be blessed today
Sexy Russian ladies want to meet you
Your love story can start here . . .
Life is short, have an affair

Everyone wants one of these
The incredible expanding garden hose
Bigger size-extra fun
Free!

This could please your partner like never before
Feel like a superhero, no matter who you are

Be a super lover

Take your lady to heavens
Safe. Secure. No obligation.

 

Baa Humbug

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The grass is greener . . .for now

 

This bucolic scene, with green grass and 25 grazing  moutons by the late sculptor François-Xavier Lalanne, has been installed on the site of the former Getty station at the corner of Tenth Avenue and 24th Street in the heart of Chelsea. Its appearance can mean only one thing: The lot is about to be developed.

 

According to the handout available at the site, this "public art program [was] . . . conceived by real estate developer and art collector Michael Shvo to bring outdoor exhibitions to a broad audience in the center of the High Line arts district." So generous of Shvo to bring art to Chelsea. There's so little of it there.

Keep reading the handout and you come to this: "The Getty filling station . . . will be transformed to the premier collection of luxury residences near the High Line."

 

Shvo is not the only developer making the neighborhood safe for the super wealthy--the 20s between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues are screeching with the sound of development--but he's the only one doing it in sheep's clothing.

 

More at www.gettystation.com

Chromatic Geometries is up through

September 30 at Arden Gallery, Boston

 

View from the street

 

Chromatic Geometries, up through the end of the month, is my seventh solo show with Arden Gallery in Boston.

I've been involved with the diamond shape for a couple years. In this new body of work--a continuation of the Diamond Life series I've been working on plus a new series, Chromatic Geometry, which has given the show its title--I started by fracturing the diamond into a planar crystalline structure and improvising from there. You can see images here, directions here.

I'm pleased to share two excellent reviews about the show.

. In the current issue of Artscope, a New England-based art magazine, Elizabeth Michelman writes, "Her game is formal as she determines what kinds of color relationships to set in motion and how to balance or destabilize them from within the geometrical structures that hold them."
.
. In Two Coats of Paint, Sharon Butler's widely read blog, Butler writes, "As usual, Mattera demonstrates tremendous mastery over her materials and a seductive approach to color, while introducing some quirky compositional strategies. Although she usually discusses her work in terms of formal exploration, the timeless fascination of the figure-ground reversal that points to our shifting notions of meaning and perception is compelling on a metaphorical level as well."

Above: Click here for the full Two Coats of Paint review, which Painter's Table excerpted

 

Below: Artscope magazine. Click pic to bring up the page to readable size

 

Members Only

 

Image from the Internet



I just received the request to renew my membership to MoMA and was reminded of a funny story.

I have been a MoMA member for probably 20 years. I feel it's important to support the institutions that are valuable to me (and of course the discounts, members' previews and avoiding the long ticket lines are a plus).  When I moved my studio to Massachusetts, I was able to get an "International" membership for $70 instead of the $85 I had been paying as an "Individual" here in New York. Same benefits. (I'd had an "Artist" membership for years, but when I got a raise at a good job I had at one point, I decided to be bit more financially supportive and paid extra for the Individual.)

Somewhere along the line "International" got changed to "Global" and with it the ability to enter the museum early during members' hours was curtailed. When I went recently, I was asked to wait until regular museum hours to enter.

"Can artist members get in early?" I asked.
"Yes," replied the woman at the desk.
"Great. I'm an artist."
"Well, can you prove that?" she asked.
"Sure. Here's my business card."
"No " she said, arching her back slightly. "We need proof from a gallery."
"I can do better than that," I said. "You can hear from the dealer herself."

I introduced Marcia Wood, owner of the gallery that bears her name in Atlanta. She had just arrived to meet me for early entry.

"I'm sorry, said the membership person, whose back by now was so arched she  could see the wall behind her. "We'll need written proof on gallery letterhead."

At this point it was 10:30 and the general public was being let in, so it became a non issue.

But here's the thing: When I renew next month it will be with a $50 artist membership--I have proof--so generosity be damned, I'll actually pay less for a membership that gives me more.

Artists: You do know about the Artist Membership at MoMA, right? You have to ask for it. And you have to provide documentation, such as exhibition postcard or catalog. You can be an artist from anywhere. You just have to be "documented." Info here.

A Few Days on Cape Cod

 

Sarah Hinckley, Hours That Are Lonely, from her solo show, Stillness of Remembering, at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, Mass., up through September 8

 

In Massachusetts-speak, "going down the Cape" means heading to Cape Cod. That's what I did recently, stopping at the Cape Cod Museum of Art to see a beautiful solo show of Sarah Hinckley's regionally-inspired paintings, and then traveling along the arm of the Cape to Truro at Castle Hill Center for the Arts to drop off a painting for their auction (one of the very few I participate in), before ending up in Provincetown where I spent a few days hanging out with my friends Bev Hulse and Linda Reese, visiting the galleries, eating squash-blossom appetizers at The Mews, and sitting on the beach. Alas, I did not photograph the squash blossoms but I do have some images of the art I saw.

We start at the Cape Cod Museum of Art where Sarah Hinckley, who lives in New York City now but grew up not far from the museum, is showing 17 easel-size abstractions in oil that evoke the meeting of sky and sea. In Hinckley's version, that meeting--an omnipresent visual experience for Cape dwellers--is reductive and stylized but contains the essence of the horizon and the Cape's rarefied light. Her vegetation explodes wildly, too tropical for New England, but let's give the artist some room to cultivate her vision. At left is the museum and its own exploding vegetation.

View from the entry

Panning around to the far wall . . .

. . . and then continuing around to the third wall

 

Find a Better Dream, oil on canvas. Image from the artist's website

 

. . . . .

 

In Truro I stopped at Castle Hill Center for the Arts. I love that place! Judy Pfaff was holding a weeklong studio class, and students were in two large studios, as well as outside, creating large elements for what I presumed would become installations. 

 

 

View of the barn. I took this from the Castle Hill website. It was a hive of activity the day I peeked in, and I didn't want to disturb the proceedings

 

The gallery set up for the auction. Photo: Cherie Mittenthal, taken from Facebook

 

(Disclaimer: the school and its executive director, Cherie Mittenthal, are my producing partners for the International Encaustic Conference, which takes place in June each year). I went to drop off a painting for the Castle Hill Auction, which will take place this Saturday. Though I'm not a fan of auctions in general, I do think it's important for artists to support the institutions that support them. If you're in the area, check it out.)

. . . . .

 

In Provincetown I visited a number of galleries. Here I'm showing you Schoolhouse, Voyeur and Albert Merola. If you're in the area, I'd encourage you to also visit A Gallery, ArtStrand, Ernden, Gallery Ehva,  Kobalt and  Rice Polak. Many are within walking distance of one another in the town's East End. Provincetown does things a bit differently from galleries on the mainland. Because high season is so short--July, August and September--the standard length of each exhibition is two weeks. And many galleries hold multiple solo shows at one time, meaning that each solo gets a corner, alcove or wall.

Welcome to Schoolhouse Gallery. Yes, it was once a schoolhouse. Now there's a radio station upstairs and ArtStrand Gallery in the back. Bonus for drivers: there's a parking lot behind the building

 

 

View of Clark Derbes solo show in the front gallery. Derbes, a Vermonter, paints on rough-hewn wood, creating the illusion of optical depth on cubes and planks

That block has a lot of facets

I'm using it as the visual anchor to show you around

 

Below: the work on the far wall, partly visible in the image above

With Derbes's sculpture as a landmark, we swing around to view Sarah Lutz's solo

Lutz, a New Yorker who has shown on the Cape for many years, makes luscious paintings that seem to embody a lifecycle of growth, abundance (even overabundance) and inevitable decay.

 

Above, center: Cloud

Detail below

 

I peeked into the hallway that links Schoolhouse to ArtStrand and saw work by Mira Schor, above, and Garry Mitchell, below

. . . . .

  

Next stop: Gallery Voyeur

In all the years I've been coming to Provincetown, I have never stopped into Gallery Voyeur, though appropriate to the gallery's name, I have peeked in. Painter Johniene Papandreas's large-scale portraits--classically inspired and often cropped dramatically--are to my mind an acquired taste. But my Facebook friend, Richard Christopher Patterson, who is now a real-life friend, works there and I stopped in to say Hi. I'm glad I did. The painting Papandreas did of him is fabulous, though as you can see from the picture of portrait and sitter below, those chartreuse cat eyes are a dazzling figment of the painter's imagination.

Richard Christopher Patterson and his portrait by Johniene Papandreas

 . . . . .

  

Matisse was not here  

 

At Albert Merola Gallery, Timothy Woodman was showing a selection of small collage paintings from Tim's Museum, his collection of famous works. The scale is all Woodman's, as is the execution; the medium is oil on aluminum and the construction is pieced and riveted. So in this small exhibition he has turned MoMA on its end and squeezed it into a tiny gallery at the tip of the Cape.

The wall to your left as you enter the gallery with recreated works of Van Gogh, Rousseau, Matisse and Picasso

 

The "Matisse" close up

 

The Red Studio, scaled down and riveted

Mondrian didn't have rivets in mind when he painted his Broadway Boogie Woogie, but Woodman did--and their staccato rhythm boogies the woogie. Image from the gallery website

 

Below: The work on the wall, next to a Woodman Stuart Davis

. . . . .

 

At twilight the sky turned pink and lavender. The palette was reflected in the calm water of the Bay and repeated in the profusion of hydrangeas in front of a building on Commercial Street. It's a vignette that has been repeated season after season, year after year. And that brings us back to Sarah Hinckley at the opening of this post, whose exquisite paintings are inspired by the  light and horizon and vegetation of a unique and marvelous place.

 

Next up, next week: 24 Hours in the Hudson Valley