I spent some time wondering around Chelsea (ok – I started at the bottom and serpentine’d my way up to 29th st.) and a big shocker – I have some things to say.
Three new artists for new to dote on:
Johnnie Winona Ross at Stephen Haller Gallery.
JWR has a touch of Agnes Martin (in all the good ways) but where Martin would back away, Ross moves forward. These are reductive images as presented, but the images themselves are heavily steeped in process. I’m talking about details here as well, multiple layers (and by multiple I mean as many as 30 sanded and repainted layers) really fine finishing of the work, as well as perfect presentation. To illustrate the point – JWR uses hand made cooper nails to attach his work to the stretcher – this little touch has a hint of Robert Ryman as well – not the hand made nail part, but including the viewer in on seeing the support behind the image.
I really think this is a must see show, esp. if your interested in reductive/minimal work. Spend a little bit of time and you will be rewarded with some great work.
Johnnie Winona Ross at Stephen Haller Gallery through June 27.
www.stephenhalllergallery.com
Howard Fonda at Mixed Greens.
I walked into Mixed Greens not really knowing what to expect – the gallery seems young but forward thinking and has a great vibe – Fondas work was in the back gallery and it immediately knocked me out. The imagery was of trees – spiky very architectural trees with broad bands of color going through the back as well as at times moving into the foreground. This is a really poor description of really well painted work. The paint handling is what turned me on the most however, it was loose and comfortable yet exact and clearly thought out beforehand – I was speaking to Steven the gallerist who was showing me some other work and I said that it reminded me of Neal Jenney’s “bad paintings” but that it had been pushed even farther and refined. (those of you who read here know of my love of those paintings)
Well worth checking out.
I forgot to get a show card, but Mixed Greens is at 531 west 26th street
www.mixedgreens.com
Shai Kremer at Julie Saul (part of “Infected Landscapes”)
I like this work a lot. It comes across as really banal, but really interesting – especially seeing the encroachment of the landscape. I was thinking why I liked these and the basic thought I had was that these are landscapes with a protagonist. More than that it shows me someone who seems to be thinking past traditional thoughts of landscape – to me thats a great thing and well worth rewarding.
I forgot to get a show card (again), but Julie Saul is at 521 west 21st street
Other things worth noting:
Eva Hesse at the Drawing Center
To me the Drawing Center is routinely missed in peoples art viewing itineraries – I think thats because of its SoHo location – It hardly matters though because the Eva Hesse show on view right now is a real gem – especially for the working artist. I found it to be a open door to her process and approaches.
James Lee Byars at Mary Boone, Perry Rubenstien, and Michael Werner
JLB is a great artist however I found this show on the whole to be not so interesting – however the installation at Mary Boone of “The Spinning Oracle of Delphi” was just what the piece needed. The vessel filled the room as much as it could and the viewer was forced to navigate around the room and object. Perfect.
On reflection I think the show is so sprawling that with multiple galleries in 6 different locations – nothing has the chance to resonate with each other, then again the work is so big, its probably the only way to show his work outside of a museum space.
Oliver Boberg at DCKT Contemporary
These are images of a solitary suburbia. Approached with a multiple frame sequence that reminds me of split screen movies of the sixties. The images are like snippets from Douglas Couplands suburban landscape of “Girlfriend in a Coma” no one to see, nothing to do, but it all looks so interesting. These are interesting.
The photographs are of photographed models – super realistic models with all the details that you would expect. Maybe no one needs to know – it sure isn’t obvious to the viewer. I hope I haven’t spoiled them for you. Sorry to report that the show closed this weekend.
I’ll get the rest of what I thought was noteworthy up on wednesday.