New York trip

January 11:
We visited the new New Museum on the Bowery, as much to see the exhibition of assemblage sculpture called "Unmonumental:The Object in the 21st century," as to peruse the building. Sheathed in metal mesh over jauntily stacked floors from bottom to top, the architecture beautifully integrates into the street culture of restaurant supply and lighting stores, apartment buildings, and neighborhood shops. The exhibition features works by artists including Isa Genzken, Rachel Harrison, Sam Durant, Sarah Lucas, Jim Lambie, Carol Bove, and others.
Curator Laura Hoptman generously gave us an introduction to the show's ideological framework while happily sharing the joys and relief of opening the museum on time and on budget (no small feat these days!).





After the museum, we visited Diane Villani Editions, an established print publisher in Soho, known for her work with artists including Alison Saar, Fred Sandback, Joanne Greenbaum, and Ida Applebroog. Of particular interest to us, were new lithographs with chine colle by Atlanta-based artist Jiha Moon. These works feature imagery sitting on and around a centrally located fan shape, a new pictorial device for the artist. Nahan's Forty Winks (image below) has a coloring book clarity and Moon's classic combination of traditional Korean landscape space, abstract gestures, ripe peaches (a nod to her Georgian state of mind), and lush color.



We wound up our day at sculptor Lisa Hoke's studio, to talk with her about her Rube Goldberg-like installations featuring plastic cups, paint, lighting gels, aluminum, and various hardware. Ecstatic and ephemeral, her works exploit existing architectures and examine conditions of balance, color, and consumption. Hoke has made a distinct shift from a traditional studio-based practice to working on large scale commissions, and she happily discussed the pros and cons of this choice (including her use of ebay as a source for commercially produced products). The Rhapsody of Chaos, 2007, at the Elizabeth Harris Gallery (image below) is indicative of her recent projects.



January 12:
We traveled out to painter Jack Whitten's studio in Queens, where we discussed his upcoming exhibition of Memorial Paintings at the Contemporary (April 18-June 14). Trip participants were treated to a lively round of storytelling by the artist; recalling his interactions with jazz greats Dizzie Gillespie and Milt Jackson, and his intense emotions on September 11th, as he watched the attacks on the Twin Towers at close range. His painting 9-11-01 is seen below, a 120 x 240 inch canvas featuring an overpowering black pyramid shape (taken from the U.S. dollar bill) made with acrylic paint combined with bits of bone, ash, blood, and other elements.
Whitten gave an impromptu demonstration of how he works, encouraging people to touch the "skins" of paint that he uses to create his diverse palette.





Back in Manhattan, we made our way to the Whitney Museum of American Art where we saw My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love; the ferocious survey of wall works, drawings, and films by Kara Walker. After dealing with the complex emotions that Walker's works prompt, we were engaged and delighted by legendary Conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner. His accessible and physical language-based works were the perfect conclusion to our trip-- a combination of looking, thinking, and being together.

posted by the Contemporary