Thanks for sticking with me today while I continue talking about William Christenberry's current show at the Katzen Art Center at American University. I have been thinking about a discussion that arises with the idea of the grid and how it relates to WC's art in an era that could be defined as reductive - by this I mean the early seventies and into the very early eighties, the early stages of his mature artistic output.

I have always thought of the work as documentary in style and presentation - while I still find this to be true, I'm starting to think about the serial nature of the places that are photographed in Christenberry's work. Why for instance have I seen more that 10 different versions of The Palmist Building, The Green Warehouse, Sprott Church, and The Bar-B-Q Inn. Certainly these images could create a grid of changes to the location or even a timeline of the same, however could we now start to see that structure as a formal 3 dimensional grid that could represent; image of the location, deterioration of the location, year of the location, anthropological uses of the location. An x,y, and z axis if you will. This grid (or cube) could now start to also work in other disciplines - his drawings, paintings, and sculptures of the locations (or details thereof) of said subject combined.

There is a secondary question to this that needs to be asked as well - Is this an intention of the artist or is this something that has sprung from reading the output of his practice. Or is it a combination of both, in my mind, probably both. While this says nothing definitive of WC's work, it does raise a curious thought about art we (especially in the DC area) have grown very accustomed to.

Clearly this post is as much me thinking aloud as it is definitive theory - I have been kind of rolling the idea around for the last couple of days just to see where it might stick.

Labels: DC Galleries, Galleries, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Washington DC

There is a body of Christenberry's work that I have been interested to see for quite a while. The installation is called The Klan Room. I only knew of The Klan Room by stories I had heard at the Corcoran when I was attending there in the early eighties. The stories were about G.I. Joes dressed up in Klan robes interacting with each other - and still holding a powerful presence - almost like the sculptures were as evil as the people they represent. I believe this show happened at the Corcoran in 1977.

Then the story starts to change.

1979 Christenberry's studio was burglarized by people who stole the entire contents of what constituted The Klan Room installation. Nothing else was taken, the intruders even locked the door on the way out. 20 years worth of artwork suddenly disappeared. Christenberry started over. He would expand the size of The Klan Room installation to three times its original.

At the same time WC's fans would ask, why pursue a subject so painful and divisive, galleries and museums have shied away from showing it due to corporate sponsorship concerns, others would say its not the right time or the right place. Others would say it's not a proper subject to make art about. All the while Christenberry has pursued this part of his work regardless of its desirability. The work that comprises The Klan Room is deadpan and in your face. It is some of the most shocking and shameful artwork I have ever seem that documents the United States.

The amount of The Klan Room shown in the current show at the Katzen is relatively small, however it packs quite a punch. WC is best known for a body of work that is both documentary in style and concerned with a history of story, and place of memory.

My wife joked about the current curatorial initiative at the Katzen when on the way over she said "Last time we got to see the torture at Abu Grahib - and now this - you really are quite the winner at choosing a date for the two of us...

I hope to discuss the rest of the show later this week, frankly there is so much to discuss.

Some research for this entry was gathered from Aperture #96. Copyright 1984, the Aperture Foundation.
Photo from the Klan Room are by me sneaking them when I was told of no photography for this show, my apologies to all.

Labels: DC Galleries, Galleries, Photography, Washington DC

I know your thinking is that even possible. Frankly, you might just be right.

CBGB's bar will become the newest location for the John Varvarto clothing line, while the gallery space will be going a bit more upscale. The Morrison Hotel Gallery will take over the space. The Morrison Hotel Gallery sells fine art prints of classic rock. As for the space, there is a plan to preserve some of the original interior - including graffiti and flyers.

I don't think I need to say anything more.

Labels: general notice, New York

Just a quick reminder about the craigslist show opening at Civilian Art Projects this Friday from 7-9 pm.

Jointly curated by Andrea Pollan of Curator's Office and Jayme McLellan of Civilian, the show features three artists that use the Craigslist web-site as part of their artistic practice. artists included are Joseph Dumbacher & John Dumbacher, Jason Horowitz, and Jason Zimmerman. The show runs until April 26th.

I am a fan of Jason Horowitz's work - he is showing images from the Corpus portfolio, its interesting work and worth looking at. One last bit of JH news, he recently received an Individual Photographer's Fellowship grant from the Siskind Foundation.

Civilian Art Projects
406 Seventh Street, NW
Third Floor
Washington, DC
202.347.0022

Labels: Galleries, Photography, Washington DC

ARTOMATIC 2008
May 9 - June 15, 2008
Capitol Plaza building, located at 1200 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002

This year's Artomatic, occupying 200,000 square feet at Capitol Plaza, will be the largest to date.

For more information go to Artomatic.org

Labels: DC Galleries, Galleries, Washington DC

From Paul Morley's programme "Pop! What Is It Good For?" Simon Armitage, the poet and Paul Morley, a great rock and roll critic. talk through The Smiths "This Charming Man". I was never a huge Smiths fan, but I thought this was kind of interesting.

I thought it was weird to write the words "rock and roll", I mean does that even mean anything anymore?

Labels: music, Video

I was recently pointed in the direction of Blinky Palermo by JW Mahoney, who thought that I would enjoy his work because of the titling of his work as well as the geometric approaches of his work. Well when someone is right, they're right. Palermos work has connected with me in a lot of ways recently. I have been compulsively reading and re-reading the book Palermo which as a catalog of the recent show at Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, this has proven to me to be a gold mine of discussion and thought about an artist who was for the most part, unknown to me. As a cherry on top - I've learned quite a bit about artists that I knew a good deal about.

Back to Palermo. Adopted and his name changed to Peter Heisterkamp (1943-1977) he later assumed the name of the American gangster and boxing promoter and became known to the world as Blinky Palermo. The namesake Palermo was famous at the time for "owning" Sonny Liston, who would later be defeated by Cassius Clay (Later to be known as Mohammed Ali)

Probably most famous for his initial works - spare monochromatic "fabric paintings". These "paintings" would be stitched together and then stretched over a traditional canvas stretcher, where they resonate with the works of Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden, Rothko, Albers and Daniel Buren (to name a few) later his work would shift to a triangle motif for a few years and then move into installation type works. One of the most interesting parts of his work was the fact that these installations were subtle and easy to miss, a fact not missed by many looking (and not finding) his work.

What I'm finding most interesting is that his work keeps opening like a flower and is multi-layerd like an onion. His sense of humor is evident in almost all his work in an age where reductivist work was so very earnest, clearly we have an artist who is thinking in ways that not everyone else is, while at the same time covering similar issues in ways not thought of by his contemporaries.

I'm just really getting to know this artist, I suggest you take a look yourself.

The Palermo catalog has a cast of thousands in it as far as the writing and interviews go (27 different artist and writers contributed) is a great read - and frankly less of an exhibition catalog - but all the better for it.

One last quirky note: Did you know that Donald Judd based a portion of his work on the colors of Harley-Davidson motorcycles? Neither did I.

Labels: 70's, Europe, Galleries

Poster and catalogue for a major exhibition to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Richard Hamilton's definition of Pop Art designed by Graphic Thought Facility and Peter Saville. I just think it's a great piece.

Granted the post is a little late...

Labels: Design, Galleries

PERFORMANCE, SILENCE AND SPACE (WITH BRIAN ENO + TOM PHILLIPS + VESNA PETRESIN ROBERT)

Royal Academy
Monday 21 April [6:30 - 8pm]
Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1 T:020.7300.8000

Silence and space are at a premium in our bustling industrious city, with architecture defining the limits and possibilities of engaging with it. The relationships between buildings and music are many, with repeating patterns, harmony of shapes and textures, order of sequences and intervals being essential ingredients of both. When John Cage offered up his seminal work 4' 33", focusing on the silence around us, it was clear to listeners that we need not fear about the future of music: it's around us in all forms. This performance and talk will explore how artists have imaginatively transformed our environment and stimulated thought around notions of place and sense. Painter and musician Tom Phillips RA will be in conversation with his former student, musician and theorist Brian Eno, and architect Vesna Petresin Robert, expanding upon ideas of intellect, intervals and liberty within our environment.

The event will be hosted by Scanner (Robin Rimbaud).

Labels: Europe

this is quite an idea and while I tend not to be too interested in seeing a represented past, however I think of all the early "minimalist" shows this is one to see. The 1964 Green Gallery show was a coming out party of sorts for Flavin an artist who would repeatedly say, "... my own proposal has become mainly an indoor routine of placing strips of fluorescent light. It has been labeled sculpture by people who should know better." However the past is easy to forget, the Green Gallery show of 1964 was poorly received and sparsely attended while at the same time canonized.

It's been curious to note (and see) that the most groundbreaking piece of that show, The Nominal Three (to William of Okham) has been displayed in relative sizes over the years - but always shown in units totaling three (rather obvious, I know). One of the things about the earlier Flavin shows (I was lucky enough to see his exhibition at the Corcoran in the mid eighties) is how intensely spare the installation of the shows were. This is especially true if you look at the almost jewel like installation of his retrospective at the National Gallery a couple of years ago (even more so when the show was in Chicago).

Dan Flavin: the 1964 Green Gallery Exhibition is at Zwirner and Worth (32 E 69th street) through May 3rd.

Labels: 60's, Galleries, New York

Nike has sold Bauer (hockey equipment) to a Canadian partnership. Which is great news for those who care about such things. If anyone thought that merging Nike's culture and the culture of hockey was a good idea, they should really have thought twice. I mean no one wants or buys multi-colored skates every six months to keep up with fashion.

As you might have read in this blog the last couple of months, I recently had a one person show at DCAC (District of Columbia Art Center). One of the things I've learned is that a "one person" show is hardly done by one person. I owe a few people at least a little bit of recognition - I'd like to take this time to do so.

B. Stanley at DCAC for his support of my work after seeing it at Art-o-matic last year.

Blair Murphy at DCAC for her help in all of the details in getting the show on the walls.

J.W. Mahoney for his curatorial help and great advice.

Andrea Pollan for opening her rolodex for my curatorial search.

Kelly Rand at DCist for the review of my work.

Kristen Capps for his review in the City Paper

Whoever placed my work in the Sunday Source at the Washington Post

JT Kirkland with his kind words at Thinking About Art.

Douglas Witmer for his mention of my work on his blog

Stephen Alexander for his mention of my work on his journal

Harris Eisenberg and Tony Eckersley covering for me at work

Most importantly, My wife, Catherine for putting up with me through all this.

Also a big thanks to everyone who came out and supported me and my work these last few weeks.

"Thank you friends, wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you...."

Labels: DC Galleries, Matthew Langley

Jeffrey Weiss Resignation
The director of the Dia Art Foundation, Jeffrey Weiss, has resigned after less than one year. He said he had decided that he was ill suited to the administrative burdens of the director's post. "It took me too far away from curatorial and scholarly work."

Dia is mostly focused on developing a presence in New York City right now - Since Weiss feels this is not playing to his strengths - good for him for getting out now before he makes a hugely expensive (and long term) blunder.

Larry Zox at Stephen Haller Gallery (NYC)
Larry Zox's work is associated with the color field movement and really the only reason I mention it today is because I want to use his quote in the next paragraph. Zox is currently being shown at Stephen Haller Gallery. I'm not getting to New York anytime soon - but it's worth going to see.

My favorite quote of Zox's come from him speaking of Max's Kansas City (A very famous or infamous bar - depending how you look at it): "There I am sitting near the front and I reach for something and this girls says to me. "I wouldn't reach too fast." I said, "What?" And I look over at her and here's this tiger sitting with this woman. This huge fucking tiger with teeth this big. That same night someone came in with a baby elephant. I said, I don't believe this, next it will be grashoppers."

Speaking of Color Field
Why would anyone write a large article for the major newspaper of this city and spend the entire article trying to find pictures in the images. I swear it was like looking at clouds trying to find picture of bunnies or something.

A Big thanks to Steven Alexander
For the mention in his blog the other day. Steven just recently finished a show at Gremillion & Co. Fine Art in Houston. I think his work is pretty interesting as well. He's on the web also - follow this link

Labels: Fontana Mix