Brooklyn Museum: Who Shot Rock & Roll

"Four Stars" "★★★★"

Review of the Brooklyn Museum exhibit: Who Shot Rock & Roll:

This Exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum was put together very well and gave a pretty good view of Rock and roll through the photographer's perspective. The inclusion of some musicians was a bit questionable but I'll let Amy Winehouse pass just because I'm in a good mood. The Brooklyn Museum's resources must have been limited because I'm sure many more musicians could have been included in the show. Despite this you get a very well rounded picture of rock and roll. I was helpful that the curator divided up the show into separate categories of pictures like "crowds" or "performances" showing how a photographer and a musician would have to adapt to different situations. The photography was all great; capturing timeless moments that would have slipped away from our memory had it not been for the photographer. It's definitely worth a trip to Brooklyn to go see this exhibit especially if you are a fan of music. I would have given this show five stars. You see, the show is on the 5th floor and its the only exhibit on the floor, so I was expecting a huge show. The show is pretty big for Gallery standards, but not for museum standards. What is taking up the rest of the floor you may ask? Nothing but a HUGE gift shop with posters, studs, earrings, and other rock and roll paraphernalia. It was very disappointing to come out of a refreshing show and then get bombarded with "BUY, BUY, BUY" I'm used to a small gift section after a show, but this gift show was the same size as the show itself, if not bigger! So just be prepared when you are finishing up for a five minute walk through a crowded gift shop. One redeeming factor was that right as you come out of the show there is a little room with magazines that you can cut up with scissors and glue together an album cover. A little sill though because it was filled with 25-30 year olds giggling with excitement like a preschool arts and crafts class. Like I said before, The photography is really good, just don't expect to become enlightened or anything like that. There are some other great exhibits at the Brooklyn Museum right now so you should still make that trip!

Press release of the Brooklyn Museum exhibit: Who Shot Rock & Roll:

See the Press Release>>

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Gana Art New York -> Shigeru Uchida: Vague Hazy Transparent Wavering

"Five Stars" "★★★★★"

Review of Vague Hazy Transparent Wavering:

The Gana Art center really out did themselves with this high profile show of Shigeru Uchida. Uchida is one of the designers today with lots of high profile grants and awards who has been producing for over 30 years! This exhibit was incredible and multi-faceted. For one thing, the attendees at this show were much more interesting than the other receptions that evening, some even wearing traditional feudal Japanese outfits. When I walked in I was greeted with somebodies lovely perfume (typically I don't notice perfume) and it was very pleasant. In a way the pleasant sweetness of the perfume foreshadowed the exhibit.

One of the first things you see when you enter is the large wooden trees (pictured above) and there is a small description on the left wall about some traditional Japanese concepts which set the tone of the lens that you will view the rest of the installation with. It's hard to describe the show really, you'll just have to see it for yourself! Any self respecting art connoisseur cannot miss this opportunity to see Uchida's contemporary works! The first floor also had pools of water which were lit from the bottom casting out a mystical wavering light onto the walls. Also littered throughout the show were these little white creature like benches (also above). On the second floor were some intricate shelving designs that looked like they came right out of a photo sequence. In the same room there was watery light projected onto the floor with more white creatures. Overall Uchida really created an amazing atmosphere that captured some of the essence of Japanese culture and also provided a great sense of tranquility with multi layered meaning. This is a MUST MUST MUST MUST SEE! Enjoy the show!

Press Release for Gana Art New York's Shigeru Uchida: Vague Hazy Transparent Wavering show:

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Marlborough Chelsea -> Steven Charles: The Upstairs Room

"Five Stars" "★★★★★"

Press Release(pdf)

Review of Marlborough Chelsea: Steven Charles's The Upstairs Room:

Wow! Open up your eye's for this juicy and amazing show! This was by far the best show I saw on Oct 15th when visiting receptions in Chelsea. The Internet pics definitely do not give Charles credit for the complexities of his work. He uses enamel in all of his work, dipping paining and splattering making some parts of the frame 3D; actually popping out of the canvass. Furthermore, he does not limit himself to the canvas including old shoes and miniature trees in his pieces. There was even an actual pop-up book enameled to the painting in one of the pieces! That's not including the three contemporary monolithic sculptures that were presented. Not only is the enamel layered, so is his works meanings. "The Upstairs Room" really touches on a range of themes from religion to sex! Combine intensely enamel graphics, a plethora of topics, some awesome colors and an old sneaker with some empty cleaning containers and you get whats in "the upstairs room". These works seem to reflect on persons perceptions of the world or rather they reflect that persons reflections of his or her perception of the world and whatever else is on their mind. This show could set a new trend for expressionism with a twist! Each piece has an almost visceral impact on the viewer forcing them to take in these snapshots and depictions due to the totally unique presentations. All of the work has no kind of contrived feeling, but rather its all very natural and organic feeling. I would guess that Charles is a very genuine person in real life (didn't get to meet him unfortunately).

If you go see one show this fall THIS IS IT! MUST SEE!

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Marlborough Chelsea -> Red Grooms: Dancing

"Two Stars""★★"
Press Release (pdf)

Review of Marlborough Chelsea's Red Grooms:Dancing show:

This show was not up to par for me coming from Marlborough. The sculptures were very straight forward, so straight forward in fact that they lost their personality and intimacy. Furthermore the craftsmanship of the pieces didn't lend to the art's overall meaning. The fact that they were made in this way was pointless; they could have been carved out of marble and the meaning would bee the same. Marble would have looked nicer and it would have been more impressive as well as immortalized the subjects, while this cardboard looking construction will crumble the first chance it gets. The show had an additional video installation of some dance groups work from the 80's and 90's that Red Grooms assisted with painting the background. That was interesting even though i looked like it took place on the set of an avant guard Sesame Street. Worth a quick look if you are in passing. The video below is more entertaining....

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MoMa -> In & Out of Amsterdam: Travels in Conceptual Art, 1960–1976

"Five Stars" "★★★★★"

This exhibition examines approximately seventy-five works by artists of different nationalities relating to travel and the city of Amsterdam, which was the nexus of intense art activities in the 1960s and 1970s, when artists converged there from all over the world. Hanne Darboven, Gilbert & George, Sol LeWitt, Charlotte Posenenske, Allen Ruppersberg, and Lawrence Weiner, among others, spent considerable amounts of time in Amsterdam and often produced works in direct relation to the city.

from the Moma website.

I absolutly loved this show! It's highly intimate, thought provolking has art from a ton of artists! Its presentation is equaly intimate allowing each piece its own livelyhood. You leave with a clear feeling of what effect amsterdam has on artists(its warm and fuzzy!). Included is work from all sorts of artists, from old slowmotion 8mm Film projectors to graphic presentations on maps of amsterdamn. I felt like I was transported there for a blink of an eye. Much of the work is also some of the more earlyer work of the artists before they became more established. So there is a fresh and exploritory feel to much of the art. Whoever curtated this show was spot on! Hurry and go on Friday after 5:30 when you get in for free! Get your whistle wet on the exibit website!

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MoMa -> Ron Arad: No Discipline

Three Stars "★★★"

Moma did a great job at hyping this exhibit up! They had a great big ad campaign and everything! Unfortunately for all those who got exited, the show was...lacking. The New York Magazine but it best in their super grid. "It looked like a glorified dive bar in a washed up Vegas hotel"(or something like that) Not to discount Ron Arad and his designs, It was a curation disaster. Half of the items on exhibit are 20 feet above your head in this grid like structure. Now how am i supposed to be fascinated by some intricately designed sculpture If I'm, looking at it from a distance. Moma's Ron Arad exhibit is best viewed virtually. Some of the "cool" factor is lost in its virtual presentation but the great wall of "No Discipline" does a good job of killing the experience. The pieces themselves up close and personal were very interesting.
Arad does a great job at taking everyday functionality to an extreme which plays into his title of no discipline. he doesn't stick to the convention of for example straight lines or standard furniture structures. A MUST SEE FOR DESIGNERS! That goes without saying. I especially enjoyed the use of reflective surfaces in the exhibit. So you should go if you like shiny stuff!

• 'rtw' storage-wheel for hidden, 2000

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art->Roxy Paine on the Roof: Maelstrom

"viewers the sense of being immersed in the midst of a cataclysmic force of nature" but rather they were looking for another dimension of the piece which isn't there.

The piece brought into consideration the juxtaposition of man vs. nature and the gray area that is inherent with the assumption that man and nature are actually separate from each other.

It is not worth a trip just for this exhibit. The video would have done the trick for me.

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