One of the things I have been working on lately is a staff exhibition at my work. It opened (to other staff members and their friends and families) at the end of May. Looking at my co-workers artwork made me realize how long it has been since I have made anything significant artwise. I’ve been busy working with other people’s work through POV, my current job and riffrag. This is fun and satisfying, as I love finding platforms for people to share what they do and make and how art plays a community building (hence why I worked on the staff show), but I also want to make things again. It was really inspiring to see the work that my co-workers make. Some of them identify as artists and others do not, but clearly everyone who works around art so often has some kind of personal connection to it. You can see the full installation shots and individual pieces on my work’s flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooklyn_museum.
Category Archives: Art
Don’t Ruin Coney Island!
This sign was taped to plywood encircling the now empty lot where the go karts used to be. Thor Equities has purchased Astroland and plans to “make it nice,” but no one really knows what their plans are. Rumors are circulating- will the wonder wheel stay or not? What about the cyclone? What is considered a landmark? This whole looming tragedy of the disneyfication of Coney Island reminds me of a recent argument I overheard between my co-workers concerning the Ratner arena project in Downtown and Prospect Heights Brooklyn. One was insisting that he supported the project because “the city has to expand.” The other was patiently explaining that “expansion” and “development” does not mean destroying peoples homes for stadiums and parking lots and building luxury housing and no schools. Or, in the case of Coney Island, destroying what makes Brooklyn Brooklyn to turn it into a theme park version of itself.
Swoon Painted Over
On Dean street right by Freddy’s I found this “installation” of Swoon’s pieces (sadly painted over, by a rival artist? Someone who wants to ‘clean up’ graffiti and street art?) and “Celebrate Peoples History” Posters. I thought the blue wall offset the wheatpasted prints really nicely. Seeing these pieces, despite the ghostly white paint, brought me back to 11 Spring, which also featured the character on the right.
Peter Teaberry and KW
Peter Teaberry uses bold colors to capture characters in conventional (nude on a chair) and unconventional (family and human sized duck in hot tub) settings. There’s a lot of humur in his work, as well as careful application of paint and attention to detail (without making detailed paintings, if that makes sense). I think Peter’s approach is also captured in the fact that he made up titles for the work after he hung the show. Registrar by day, glamorous artist by night KW is shown here writing those titles on labels as he thought of them. His work is currently on view at Freddy’s Backroom (in the backroom), with it’s nice lighting, pressed tin ceiling, cheap drinks, and always interesting art and bands, it’s the perfect place to hang out after work. Have I mentioned that Peter’s last name is my favorite?
Painting by Peter Teaberry
This photo came out a little blurry, but this is my favorite painting of Peter’s, which are currently on view at Freddy’s Backroom in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. I bet this guy would tell amazing stories about living on a farm in the west and how he had to walk up hill both ways going to school when he was a kid. I think that Peter captured a certain kind of character very honestly in this painting.
11 Spring, all closed up
Leaving the show at Petra Projects last night (see thoughts in the entries below) we passed right by 11 Spring and I managed to snap this picture, bringing back memories of actually being inside the building on that one weekend back in December. I’m glad to see that Street Art still festoons the building and it hasn’t all completely disapeared yet…
Constructing a feminist gaze?
Another favorite at the Petra Projects U-Turn show, Karl Glave’s small, painted portraits. There’s something almost classical about them and their position on this shelf reminds me somehow of an alter or mantle piece. The solid backgrounds isloate you with the subjects’ gaze. I felt myself wanting to have a conversation with these women, wondering about their relationship with the artist, the challenges in their life and how they found strength to overcome them.
Thinking about gaze though, most of the artists in this show were men and most of the subjects female, many scatily clad or naked. It brings up those age old questions of subject and object, active and passive. It kind of shook me because I felt like there’s much strength in many of the women portrayed, while at the same time they are constrained by the canvas and remade how the artist (male gaze) wants to see them. I think I’d also like to see different (feminist) approaches to portraiture as well. What does a feminist gaze (as opposed to “female” gaze, as it’s debatable that such a thing exists) look like? Can we “gaze” in a feminist manner, or do we use feminism as a lens with which to examine?
The Artist of the Hour
Here is Jason himself in front of one of his other works. See other thoughts below.
“It Could Have Been Oh So…” by Jason Grunwald
Last night was the opening of the show “U-Turn,” a group show of portraiture at Petra Projects in Soho. Shown here is Jason Grunwald’s painting “It could have been oh so…”. I had seen this image on the postcard before the show and I was refreshingly taken with the “real” thing. To me this shows again the power of the actual object of art, with visible brushstrokes and all its painterly qualities. Plus I really love the intensity of this girl’s gaze, even though her eyes are hidden behind the sunglasses. There’s a sense of expectation, but also a hint of a challenge in the subject’s face.
I don’t go to galleries expecting to enjoy the art and I was happy to say that while some works in the show I was more taken with than others, it was nice to see a strong showing of portraiture in different mediums in one space. There was a kind of conversation between the pieces, asking us how we see people and how artists choose to show us their subjects. What captures the essence of someone? Is looking at people ultimately comforting or does it confront us with questions about our own identities and what we present to the world?
Painting and Sculpture by Kim Krans
Also showing was Kim Krans, with a show called “I stood in the forest and felt nothing.” Similar to Noah’s, this was another show that created an environment with painted branches, stumps and well, paintings. How nice to see interesting art in Chelsea!
Killerfemme 