new york, part 1
last weekend in ny hit the spot. i spent my free time on saturday catching some galleries and shows.
highlights:
lamont young dream house
i heard that this was closing down soon, i'm happy its still there. this is the second trip in a row i was able to drop by.
the dreamhouse is a place where i like to go and find my center. in the main room there are four large speakers hung from the ceiling on each corner, each playing its own tone. the combination gives every space its own unique combination tone frequency. as you walk around the room you hear either more of the high or low tones. for the first 15 minutes i heard mostly the high. i walked slowly through the room until i got the tones to "line-up" into a consonance. once i found that spot, i closed my eyes and let the sound overtake me. the funny thing is that the low tones began to overtake my breathing. after about 10 more minutes the high tones had disappeared and i could only hear low. now walking around the room had a whole new feeling. i repeated the process until i found a consonance of low tones. after i let the sound in, i felt "centered"
what a great place.
chengwin vs. chunk parade/football game
we wandered into the end of this parade/performance art piece near canal st.
when we came upon it there were two life size goal posts in the street.
then came the chunk(i think)and the marching band
this was a truly postmodern spectacle mimicing the sporting rituals of pagentry, pregame posturing, and mindless devotion to hollow slogans.
the crowd/band came around the corner, the "cheerleaders" led the way and while the band played a large crowd gathered. the "game" began just when the cops came, at this time the street was filled with 1/2 spectators and 1/2 "fans".
it was the most effective street performance art i have ever seen. i think the only thing we have here like it is the doo-dah parade. but coming upon something unexpected is much cooler than waiting for something irreverent.
on to the galleries:
leo koening inc.
j-peg twister-the name was far better than the art
deitch projects gallery
the art in here was pretty good, the video in the basement was really good. not much info around on any of the artists. looks like they were cleaning up from a big party the night before.
we also speedwalked through a few other galleries in the area with questionable content. the art in one gallery was so bad, the plain handwritten 3x5 notecards that identified the pieces were more interesting than any of the art.
mary boone gallery
porn stars are real people too, more spectacle than art.
i guess i forgot about my crappy life for a minute and felt lucky not to have their problems.
gagosian gallery
wasps-blue paintings-basketball players with logos erased
yawn... starting to see a pattern, skip any gallery with a guy in a suit who looks like a broker. these galleries look more devoted to investment banking than art.
fuse gallery
my favorite in ny, not only is the art right down my alley, but this place is a 2nd cousin to my favorite gallery in los feliz. i had never made it to a juxtapoz group show before and it was like water in the desert. all my favorites were there; sas christian, derek hess, seonna hong and joe coleman..
man i really like joe coleman's work, but this altarpiece really kicked me in the head. maybe because of its smaller size and direct combination of images and text. it burned right into my skull.
Altar to Sex Violence and Death (2001).
violence:
you entertain us with your spectacle and comedy
but our cheers and laughter are soon choked
when we become your next victim
sex:
you are the world’s greatest sorcerer
your trick, the taste of your glorious illusions
which leave behind wailing stinking parasites
death:
you spoiled brat
god’s favorite
you always win, you never lose
and you get everything in the end
more later...
highlights:
lamont young dream house
i heard that this was closing down soon, i'm happy its still there. this is the second trip in a row i was able to drop by.
the dreamhouse is a place where i like to go and find my center. in the main room there are four large speakers hung from the ceiling on each corner, each playing its own tone. the combination gives every space its own unique combination tone frequency. as you walk around the room you hear either more of the high or low tones. for the first 15 minutes i heard mostly the high. i walked slowly through the room until i got the tones to "line-up" into a consonance. once i found that spot, i closed my eyes and let the sound overtake me. the funny thing is that the low tones began to overtake my breathing. after about 10 more minutes the high tones had disappeared and i could only hear low. now walking around the room had a whole new feeling. i repeated the process until i found a consonance of low tones. after i let the sound in, i felt "centered"
what a great place.
chengwin vs. chunk parade/football game
we wandered into the end of this parade/performance art piece near canal st.
when we came upon it there were two life size goal posts in the street.
then came the chunk(i think)and the marching band
this was a truly postmodern spectacle mimicing the sporting rituals of pagentry, pregame posturing, and mindless devotion to hollow slogans.
the crowd/band came around the corner, the "cheerleaders" led the way and while the band played a large crowd gathered. the "game" began just when the cops came, at this time the street was filled with 1/2 spectators and 1/2 "fans".
it was the most effective street performance art i have ever seen. i think the only thing we have here like it is the doo-dah parade. but coming upon something unexpected is much cooler than waiting for something irreverent.
on to the galleries:
leo koening inc.
j-peg twister-the name was far better than the art
deitch projects gallery
the art in here was pretty good, the video in the basement was really good. not much info around on any of the artists. looks like they were cleaning up from a big party the night before.
we also speedwalked through a few other galleries in the area with questionable content. the art in one gallery was so bad, the plain handwritten 3x5 notecards that identified the pieces were more interesting than any of the art.
mary boone gallery
porn stars are real people too, more spectacle than art.
i guess i forgot about my crappy life for a minute and felt lucky not to have their problems.
gagosian gallery
wasps-blue paintings-basketball players with logos erased
yawn... starting to see a pattern, skip any gallery with a guy in a suit who looks like a broker. these galleries look more devoted to investment banking than art.
fuse gallery
my favorite in ny, not only is the art right down my alley, but this place is a 2nd cousin to my favorite gallery in los feliz. i had never made it to a juxtapoz group show before and it was like water in the desert. all my favorites were there; sas christian, derek hess, seonna hong and joe coleman..
man i really like joe coleman's work, but this altarpiece really kicked me in the head. maybe because of its smaller size and direct combination of images and text. it burned right into my skull.
Altar to Sex Violence and Death (2001).
violence:
you entertain us with your spectacle and comedy
but our cheers and laughter are soon choked
when we become your next victim
sex:
you are the world’s greatest sorcerer
your trick, the taste of your glorious illusions
which leave behind wailing stinking parasites
death:
you spoiled brat
god’s favorite
you always win, you never lose
and you get everything in the end
more later...
Labels: spectacle
posted by paul bailey at
6:09 PM
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