Gallerizing: The days of Whine & Cheese

Fall has fallen. It's already the unprecedentedly early Jewish New Year (Happy Rosh Hashanah y'all). That means the art world season has only just begun. The white cube galleries have opened their doors and popped the corks to some inexplicably bad wine and the class-act Pabst Blue Ribbon for art lovers, hangers-on, wannabes, gallerinas, collectors, and let's face it, those who are there just for the free booze. 

Each year, I wait with anticipation for this time of year. Yet as of the past few years, I've been severely let down. It seems as though these galleries in Chelsea are just filling their walls with whatever seems uber-contemporary (in this case I mean: has the ability to both intrigue/disgust/confuse/annoy simultaneously). Shuffling among the masses to view B art no longer has its charm as perhaps the misguided me once could appreciate. 

The interest in 'gallery-hopping' has become too mainstream. There is less interest in the art aspect but rather using the experience to post or Tweet about. Ersatz art enthusiasts would be standing in front of a god-awful $15,000 post-Abex work with a PBR in one hand whilst making a finger mustache with the other. 

The problem I have with this, is the same problem I have with people taking pictures in museums or children running around in art institutions... it leaves less room for those of us who truly want to observe the art in a meaningful way. 

So after hearing statements such as: this last night "Dude, it smells like weed in here. Where's the weed at?", "Does standing next to this sculpture make me look thinner?"and "Would the owner be pissed if I move the painting a little to the left to get better lighting for my pic?" GALLERIES SHOULD HAVE A MEMBERSHIP POLICY! There, I said it. Taking the elitism of the white cube system to an even 'eliter' territory. Museum exhibition openings are reserved for museum members -- those serious enough about the art institution to shell out X amount of $ for the year. The same system should apply for galleries - openings reserved for those willing to invest in the mission of the gallery and the artists the gallery represents. NO FREE BOOZE FOR YOU, perhaps then something other than swill could be served to a select number of invitees. 

One of the more meaningful exhibitions I saw last night was at DC Moore Gallery (535 West 22nd St). 

Barbara Takenaga's recent paintings at DC Moore are riveting and other-worldly. There is some immaculate pleasure derived from the resplendent images that evoke natural phenomena. There is a natural element as well as an iconographic formula, triggering the imagery of mandalas, that blend marvelously in her work. 

Sphere/Horizon, 2012, Acrylic on linen, 42 x 36 in. 

(Photo courtesy of Cherise Gordon)

White Grid on Silver, 2013, acrylic on linen, 54 x 90 in. 

(Photo courtesy of Cherise Gordon)

Lines of Force (red), 2013, Acrylic on wood panel, 54 x 45 in. 

(Photo courtesy of Cherise Gordon) 

Sphere/Horizon reminds me of an orb or even an extra-terrestrial jellyfish that has just landed. The dotted canvas creates a 3-D texture that lends itself to a richly brocaded Appearance. Biker chick and skater boy just can't get enough... it is apparent that the work is optically engaging and amazingly detailed that repeat (or elongated viewing) is essential. Her work is magnetic for sure, but is it prophetic? Does the red coloring in Lines of Force represent scalding magma? Are the two shadows in White Grid on Silver aliens ready to probe humans for scientific experimentation? The abstract nature lends itself to a bit of whimsy, but there is a deeper, darker element underway. Be sure to catch this show before it ends on October 5. 

I leave you all with the acknowledgement that galleries must face the ongoing struggle of keeping art pure, specialized, and a deeply enriching experience for viewers. Perhaps ace the PBR & mediocre art just to appeal to the masses... 

$119.9m price tag.

This was the face I made upon discovering that Sotheby's sold one of the 4 versions of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' to businessman, Leon Black, on 2 May 2012 for about $120m. While I appreciate a beautiful pastel and a poem, this work surely fetched for triple of what would be an already exorbitant sum. Existential angst, indeed.

Having seen it at the MoMA with hoards of smart-phone toting museum goers capturing a shot of one of the most recognizable images in the art world, I was reminded of Thomas Struth's photography.

Struth brilliantly captures onlookers of Las Meninas at the Prado Museum in Madrid. 

I was also reminded of the horrendous swarms of people at The Louvre surrounding the Mona Lisa. What makes the work of art more of a visceral experience nowadays... is capturing it on a personal electronic device and broadcasting it to friends, family, and voyeurs. Does this legitimize the experience? Does tweeting or uploading a Facebook status with the image enhance the viewing pleasure? 

Like Struth, I prefer watching people watching the art...