"Now Here is Also Nowhere Part 1"

From the Henry Art Gallery website: "Now Here is also Nowhere is a two-part meditation and non-linear account of how—in making artworks about ideas and intangible concepts— artists continually question and destabilize the nature of the art object."

I haven't laughed out loud repeatedly in a gallery in a long time. It's quite refreshing when it does happen. I encountered Pierre Bismuth's work before on i like this art but this was the first piece I viewed in person: Following the Right Hand of Sigmund Freud, 2009. It is a one and half minute loop shot on 16 mm film featuring a laser pointer.

Tom Friedman always captures my interest and Open Black Box suspended from the ceiling continues his use of voids and drawing the audience's attention to areas of the gallery not normally used.

Stefan Brüggemann's This Work Should Be Turned Off When I Die made me question how the gallery attendants and preparators feel each time they unplug the neon sculpture at the end of the day or pack it for exhibition. I loved the temporary quality of it and wonder if there are instructions for the work upon the artist's death.

I was also fond of Ján Mančuška's While I walked... in my studio in ISCP, 323 W. 39th Street, #811, New York, 2003. The story wrapped around the room and one had to duck underneath it without touching it to finish reading. The materials were a textile rubber band with white silk screened text but it was reminiscent of old typewriter ribbon.

Hans Peter Feldmann's Lovers is another work devoted to absence - there was also a Felix Gonzalez Torres installation of white candies on display. I enjoyed the presentation of this found image with the wood grain activating the cavities where faces once were.

My favorite work in the exhibition was Francis Alÿs's Watercolor, 2010. It is an inspiration for contemplating what to do with my clear water samples. The video comprises collecting water, traveling with water, unceremoniously dumping water, and the interplay between the color of the water and the name of the location. It reminded me of taking a rock from each earthwork visited in 2009, bringing it to the next location and throwing it into the artwork. My actions remain open as the rock from Amarillo Ramp has yet to be deposited into Spiral Jetty. Alÿs closes the loop however in under two minutes.


I wish I was able to see Part 2 but the coming months will be filled with pilgrimages to the Wexner to see Christian Marclay's The Clock, Chicago for the Society for Photographic Education's 50th anniversary conference, and Photolucida in Portland, Oregon.

Tom Friedman & Richard Prince

Tom Friedman, Untitled (Verisimilitude), 2012

I have had Tom Friedman on my mind ever since viewing his show at Luhring Augustine in March. It is mainly due to his recent interview on Bad at Sports.  The comment in this podcast that struck me most (paraphrased) is his idea that "perfection is an illusion." It is all about consistency and the more consistent one is, the more it is perceived as perfect. I am constantly reminded that I am guilty of being a perfectionist. I need to strive for consistency instead. My goal for the rest of the year.

If you haven't caught Richard Prince's "blog," it's a must read (particularly his review of the Francesca Woodman exhibition). It's also where you can find gems like this:


"I'm going to be giving a talk, a "lecture" at Yale soon. Sometime in late April. I would like to talk about photography and how it coats and pours over what's in front of me..."


Oh boy... I may have inadvertently added two more artists to the stalking list.

Chelsea Part 2

Art for sale in Chelsea:



Gerard Petrus Fieret at Julie Saul Gallery:



From the gallery website: "Gerard Petrus Fieret lived in the Netherlands and was trained as a painter at the Academy and self taught as a photographer. He was active in a milieu with no societal restrictions. Fieret maintained a studio practice where he directly engaged with his sitters in a raucous confrontational and experimental mode. There is an open dialogue that is ambiguous and has a performance aspect. Fieret worked in a completely inconsistent and fearless way with creased, strangely exposed prints made in a great range of sizes, with dashing signatures in felt tip pen and studio stamps contributing to their strong graphic presence and dada spirit." [Click on view images for more]

What intrigued me most about his work is the David C. Nolan/Marilyn Monroe effect (stamping a name over the body as if that name owns it).

Tom Friedman at Luhring Augustine:



Tom Friedman, Untitled (Wrinkled Photo), 2012

This gives me a good idea for my next Postcard Collective entry!



Tom Friedman, Untitled (Sun), 2012 contains approximately 3,650 12" wooden dowels painted yellow and were adhered to a 12" styrofoam ball. The first thing I thought of when I saw this piece was "I have more paper cats than dowels represented here!" Yikes. Obsessive collecting.

Paul Graham's The Present at Pace Gallery:



This was one of my favorite exhibitions. His nod to Philip-Lorca diCorcia's lighting, the extraordinary presentation of the images, the passing of time (in brief seconds), and the profound content commenting on today's society (class, race, etc.) were truly engaging.

Douglas Huebler's Crocodile Tears at Paula Cooper Gallery:



The premise of this series is derived from a screenplay written in the late 1970s. From the gallery website: "The screenplay tells the story of fictional performance artist Jason James and brings together a number of issues as current then as today, such as the emergence of digital art, the strengthening of a profit-driven art market, artists’ resistance to commodification, the merging of art and entertainment, and more."



Douglas Huebler, Detail from an image in Crocodile Tears