Cultural Extraction

The beauty of being an artist is that after you achieve a certain level of acclaim and notoriety you can as much as fart and it is seen as some sort of cultural extraction. As long as it's pretty no one cares that stinks.

Perfect Puryear

There is a magical quality to the current Martin Puryear exhibition at the SFMOMA.  When you enter the first space you become aware of the scale and majesty of the works and yet their elegance beckons you to approach.

The works tactile quality comes from Puryear’s ability to utilize the raw textures and forms of his materials, in most cases various woods, but also steel, wire, rattan, and leather. It is only fitting that the first work you encounter is Ad Astra 2007. It is an astounding piece that resembles a horse drawn wagon tipped upwards by the weight of is cumbersome load. The work incorporates the found wheels and axle of an actual wagon, and wooden planks arranged to create a large askew cube that situates the sculpture on a large base. It then incorporates entire tree trunks to recreate a tongue like protrusion (the pole extending from a carriage or other vehicle between the animals drawing it) that reaches over 100ft into the atrium of the museum. As to why it is there we know not, but its title means “to the stars” and as it reaches into the heavens it seems to call out to God, “could you be so kind as to bare this burden?”  

One of the earliest works in the exhibition is Some Tales 1967-9. It is a grouping of forms that resemble tools hanging in a shed. They are a clear vision of the artists concept and a poignant starting point to the artist's development. It is his iconographic craftsmanship that is situated to traverse the line between pure form and representative object. As he has stated, “The most interesting art for me retains a flickering quality, where opposed ideas can be held in tense coexistence,” that idea becomes clear throughout the exhibition.

One of the most complex and astounding works in the exhibition is C.F.A.O 2006-7. In this composition Puryear incorporates a wooden wheelbarrow, a relic the artist supposedly found while doing a residency at the home of well know 20^th century sculptor Alexander Calder. It consists of a grid like construction of 2” by 2” pine that surrounds the concave carving of a white head that emerges out of the wheelbarrow bed. The head form in this case is reminiscent of an African mask from the Gabon tribe. This mask like head adds additional layers to the interpretation of the work especially in the context of the artist's race; African-American. Also adding to the analysis is the fact that the wheelbarrow and mask both serve as objects with functional roles, the wheelbarrow as a movable lever, and the mask as a ceremonial object. It is increasingly difficult to distinguish the intent of their appropriation but the effect is transcendent. Now to infer as to their meaning. It is possible to say that the work is about the weight of displacement the African American culture suffered through the slave trade, or also the anachronism of past religious histories, yet in the gallery the piece evokes the cool geometry of minimalism, given its grid like construction and history of the incorporated wheelbarrow, so that regardless of its intent it becomes is a complex diagram of the artist’s ability to weave seemingly disparate genres and histories into a unique visual vocabulary.

Throughout the exhibition one see sculptures that challenge their materials, and transcend the confines of the gallery to exist in the collective unconscious of the viewer as both tools of humanity and objects of art.

 

2332 Review "Sofa,King,Cool"

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/art-review/on-the-wall-on-the-couch/

“A bit claustrophobic at times, but I guess that’s what you get after you’re hit by a Tornado.”

The Wizard of Oz the current exhibition at CCA’s Wattis Institute is definitely a trip into a different world, or at least a very nostalgic one. With works like Andy Warhol’s image of Marilyn Monroe, a black and white film still of a sign reading Kansas by Bruce Conner, and a drawing by Raymond Pettibon of an ejaculating penis pointing towards the lower half of a women in a skirt, all hovering above the head of a super-sexy afro chic, you get a sense of the imagery that was being evoked. But the theme is poignant and its correlations to today are astounding. The original movie starring Judy Garland in the role of Dorothy was released in 1939 at the tail end of the Great Depression and amidst World War II.

With all themed shows it is a fine line between illustrating the themes or just glancing past them, and for this show the latter held mostly true. It is an exhibition full of eye candy as delicious as that in Oz. And yes they have the “Ruby Slippers.” But there are also oil paintings of San Francisco at night by Robert Bechtle. Wonderfully illustrated works by Clare Rojas of aged women and men in fields. A neon sign shaped as bold capital letters reading America by Glen Ligon, buzzing with the hope and electricity needed to fuel it. In addition there is also a strong list of other artists that have contributed.

Jennifer Bornstein
Ulla von Brandenburg
Walker Evans
Simryn Gill
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Loris Gréaud
Joseph Grigely
Carsten Höller
Evan Holloway
Steve McQueen
Gareth Moore
Rivane Neuenschwander
Harry Smith
Donald Urquhart
Cerith Wyn Evans

Even though this exhibition is not necessarily a hopeful one it reminds us that, “there is no place like home.” Even amidst all of its hardships.

http://www.wattis.org/exhibitions/oz#

The Alphebet Soup of Watteau

For those interested in the paintings of Antoine Watteau author Jed Perl's, Antoine’s Alphabet is a nice exploration into the themes and influence of this 18th century painter. The books' segments are arranged according to the alphabet with each letter guiding the reader through the historical, and or theoretical, influence that Watteau had on other pivotal artist of the past two centuries. The book pleasantly takes us from Watteau's portraits of the Commedia dell'arte clowns, Harlequin and Perrot, and turns them into perpetual pranksters who emerge throughout the centuries and find their way into works by Cezanne, their souls in the plays of Samuel Becket, and dance their way through ballets with Nijinsky. And while it is still uncertain as to whether we are retreating from or retuning to Cythera, this book enables us to indulge in the pleasures of the moment and remain as transfixed as a lover in Watteau’s garden.

2332 Review

Here is a review for the Huntington Beach Art Centers current exhibition 2332.

http://artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles2008/Articles1108/2332A.html

The Irony of Craft

It is a difficult to know which road to choose when deciding which kind of art one would like to make, whether it be the humanity of craftsmanship, or the all-consuming monumentality of the concept. In this postmodern day and age when all services are available and anything is possible it seems that the only irony left to explore is the irony of being dedicated to a craft.

Simple Town

Simple Town is a comic strip that I have had in the back of my mind for some time.

Enjoy! 

A Musketeer's Creed?

One of the most reassuring and intelligent points of view to resurface in the political arena started with Senator Obama’s keynote speech some 4 years ago in which he declared we are the “ United States of America.” Given the cultural, religious, and economic diversity within the states it seems fitting that a political agenda start with that premise. E Pluribus Unum.

The Porn in Politics

I recently read about Hustlers Sara Palin porn flick " Who's Nailin' Pailin? " and have to admit was somewhat entertained by the idea. Even the part in the script that engages her in a friendly neighborhood romp with a couple of Russian troopers didn't offend me much. I thought it was a rather crude but telling way of poking fun at her foreign policy experience.

However, to engage Palin with Condelazza Rice, and Hillary Clinton in the political tête-à-tête of the winter seems a bit excessive. Regardless, if you can't get beyond the MILF status bestowed upon Mrs. Palin, or her inability to address the pressing issues of our day with little more then populist rhetoric, I don't feel that it is fair to place her in such a harrowing role with Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Rice. Women who have proven themselves to be diplomatic leaders.

To Mr. Flynt let politics run its course, and let people decide through political Q and A rather then crude T and A. It seems a bit premature to compeltley deconstruct a woman who still has the opportunity to be president and prove herself to be more then a shotgun toting, Caribou killing, Barbie blow up doll.