Art 10/20/07

I finally made it to the Whitney and the Guggenheim museums. Usually I see new shows as soon as they open but thats in LA. The Richard Prince show was fantastic. I had hear from other that if you saw one joke painting, you knew them all but I disagree. The formal aspects of his endeavor takes over and the installation within the small sections of the museum work incredibly well. The work layers up and down within the installation as well as within each work. While most of the work is not new to me, seeing groups --like the nurses all together gave them greater impact. As a lover of 90's appropriation it was confirming to see the early work as well as the sketches and source materials. Even the cars which are not my favorites made sense in this show.

Kara Walker at the Whitney was another show I was looking forward to and was not disappointed in. While I think her early work is stronger, especially the silhouettes on the walls, I am also interested in the animations as there i think the shapes and her narratives take on new life. The textual aspects of her work, and her willingness to open her journals or notations as art is also curious. There is a lot there to see. She also has a new show at Sikkema Gallery in Chelsea where new works--paintings and works on paper are on view. Perhaps seeing both is a bit overwhelming but the scope of her endeavor continues to impress.

The early photography show at the MET was also worth while. MOMA is in between new shows, the annual photography show was a disappontment, as none of that work seems especially new or innovative. Also fewer pieces by each artist seemed to be on view than what I remember from the past.

As for Gallery shows:

Amir Zaki
October 19 - November 21, 2007

Perry Rubenstein Gallery
527 West 23rd St
New York, NY 10011
www.perryrubenstein.com



Amir Zaki at Perry Rubenstein. Zaki continues to use the landscape of southern California as his inspiration. These works appear to be less digitally manipulated than those from recent shows, yet his digital transformations are still there. This time the take place as signage. Using the vernacular landscape of Los Angeles and its funky architecture as his source, Zaki presents churches, gas stations and other isolated buildings. At first glance everything seems normal until you look closely at the neon signs, the posters on a building's face and realize that the insignias are not what you'd expect. They are ambiguous icons that are abstract forms. The sink into the landscape and become part of the facades. What is equally interesting is what Zaki looks for, then adds to his compositions, and how he extrapolates...in this case by making sculptures based on the logos and signs in the images. These pieces, while not all that successful to me, show me that Zaki an artist who always is reaching for something more.

Joseph Zito
September 20 - October 27, 2007
Tomorrow The Birds will Sing

Lennon Weinberg
514 West 25th Street
New York, NY 10001
www.lennonweinberg.com

Joseph Zito's sculptures have a nasty edge to them. Some are mechanized, and many involve children or children's playthings. A seesaw is made with an electrical current running through it. A swing has a seat that is a bed of sharp nails. Cast Iron replicas of the blow up pillows that surround children's arms so they will not drown are left to rust in an abandoned pool. The work is sinister, yet playful.

Ugo Rondinone
Big Mind Sky
September 15 - October 27

Matthew Marks Gallery
523 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011



Ugo Rondinone is a swiss artists whose large sculpted head and small paintings on canvas of urban setting are a curious juxtaposition but one inspiring to me. The paintings on burlap leave the edges exposed so the painting only take splace in a small area. The line drawings are sketchy and delicate.

Wolfgang Tillmans
Atair
october 20 - November 24, 2007

Andrea Rosen Gallery
525 West 24th Street
new York, NY 10011
www.rosengallery.com


Wolfgang Tillmans' photographs some frames, some taped to the wall, some of people some of places work together in ways the individual images do not. There is content that is often explained through context. Yet there is the pure pleasure of looking as well.

Carlos Motta
The Leningrad Trilogy
October 19 - November 17

Winkleman Gallery
637 West 27th STreet
New York, NY 10001
www.winkleman.com





Carlos Motta's exhibition is formally elegant and conceptually complex. In a 3-channel video installation and a series of 36 photographic diptychs, Motta presents a thought-provoking meditation on the history and the monuments of Lenigrad. The photographs juxtapose the past and the present while the videos range from a poetic meditation to interviews with people on the streets.

Isaac Julien
WESTERN UNION: Small Boats
26 October - 17 November 2007

Metro Pictures
519 West 24th Street
New York NY 10011
www.metropicturesgallery.com

Isaac Julien’s film installation is a multi room multi channel meditation on migration and the hope for a better life.