Los Angeles art gallery, the Box, aims to create diversity by displaying the work of historical artists along with that of artists from various generations (many of whom have had little or no formal recognition from the art world). The box also strives to create a unique environment – one that encourages visitors to discuss the work they see. As such, many exhibitions include events that encourage public discussion, contemplation and social action.
Fitting with the gallery’s goals, Robert Mallary’s inventive creations, currently on display at the Box through April 3rd, are complex in material and form. Throughout his career, Mallary freely blended figurative and abstract imagery to construct commanding assemblages. The artist was also interested in exploring how different materials could be used to create a new type of realism.
During the 1950s, Mexican artists José Clemente Orozco and José David Alfaro Siqueiros inspired Mallary’s works, which he created by mixing resin with dirt and concrete to make three-dimensional wall pieces containing thick, solid surfaces.
In the early 1960s, Mallary moved to New York City. Collecting debris outside his SoHo studio, the artist used resin to stabilize the found materials, allowing them to combine and hold complex shapes.
The Box’s exhibition shows several of Mallary’s early pieces created during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as some smaller pieces, created in the 1980s. The later works further exemplify the forms and shapes that captivated the artist throughout his extensive career.
Kosuke Ichikawa's first solo exhibition, "Murmur," is on display at Tokyo's Foil Gallery (through February 6, 2010). Crafted by hand, the artist's works are created by the pigmenting technique and by burning sheets of washi paper with incense sticks. This very involved style gives the artist a close connection with his work and intensifies the significance of Ichikawa's personal touch in each piece. The artist's images of generic forests are actually an allegory, relating to Ichikawa's memories and depict images seen during his spontaneous flashbacks.
While some critics say Ichikawa's earlier set of incense pictures lacked spatial complexity, his current show is acclaimed for the artist's use of sixty unique varies of incense among his work. Furthermore, clashes between the woodsy subject matter and their incinerated fragments is apparent and welcomed. The artist purposely creates light and dark contrast by carving away from the surface (reducing, instead of adding).
Ichikawa's detailed technique and creative touch allows for drastic- yet whimsical - pictures worth a view if you're in Tokyo.
White Columns, New York's oldest alternative art space, presents an ongoing program of exhibitions projects, talks, screenings and events. The non-profit gallery is open to the public free-of-charge. Some of the world's most talented contemporary artists have exhibited at White Columns, including William Wegman, Alice Aycock, Andres Serrano, Sean Landers, Lorna Simpson, John Currin and Gordon Matta-Clark (who is one of the gallery's founders).
The gallery is spaciously divided into four sections, which means four different artists can present solo shows at once time. Matthew Higgs, the gallery's director and chief curator, reviews hundreds of portfolios each year in search of the most talented artists.
As NY Magazine describes, a unique aspect of the gallery is its "Bulletin Board." When entering the gallery, on your left (before ascending the short staircase) there are three glass-enclosed wall cabinets - which include a space called the "Bulletin Board." Here, selected artists who work in flat media (like photography and drawing) get to star in quickie, compact mini shows.
Check out the gallery's website for more information.
Seventy-six year old photographer, Gerald Ratto, spent much of his time wandering around, talking to people and snapping photos in San Francisco's Fillmore District during the 1950s (while he studied at the California School of Fine Arts). The photographer went on to lead a successful career as an architectural photographer, but he will always hold a special place in his heart for the Fillmore District. The nostalgic neighborhood - once a bustling center of black culture - has gone through recent rapid growth (and hasn't managed to maintain much of its cultural past). Thus, Ratto's images are sentimental, invoking bitter-sweet memories.
The photographer's pictures can be seen at the Robert Tat Gallery in downtown San Francisco. The space, which specializes in vintage photography, is currently displaying "Children of the Fillmore, 1952," containing 52 silver gelatin prints.
Ratto's images convey themes of innocence and childhood. Most of the subjects are posed - shot close-up and head-on. It is clear Rotto really took the time to talk with his subjects, get to know them and gain their trust (as evident in subjects' willingness to get physically close to the photographer and pose for him).
While a recent review from the NY Times calls Rotto's photographs static and lifeless, I disagree. I see them as intriguing in their ability to display hardships the Fillmore District and its residents faced during this early and mid 20th century (most subjects don't look overly happy or engaging... which seems natural and refreshing).
Artist Stuart Haygarth, known for collecting trash and putting it together to create multifaceted works of art, is currently displaying his art at London's Haunch of Venison Gallery in a show titled "Found." The British artist uses a unique artform and (literally) get his hands dirty while creating stunningly detailed collages and sculptures made of trash.
Like most artists, Haygarth follows a methodic art-creating process. However, the difference here, is that Haygarth's creation process begins with a carefully planned out drive around London to specific places where people have dumped or left "good trash." The artist has spent years figuring out these locations and collecting and sorting through his acquisitions. Haygarth also has his own methods for knowing what to keep and how to categorize and group together certain items - which will eventually be crafted into artwork.
Haygarth gains inspiration not only from the trash he collects, but also from the places he travels to and the people he meets along the way. His masterful creations are fun to get visually lost in, and the artist's creativity is truly evident - as each of his works are unique and fresh and many times, you are not even able to detemine Haygarth's use of "trash." His novel approach to art is environmentally friendly (an added plus), and his current show (on display through January 30th) is not to be missed.
To read more about Haygarth's show, click here.
Washington DC's Conner Contemporary Art is currently displaying acclaimed artist Koen Vanmechelen's "Cosmopolitan Chicken Project (DC)." This is the Belgian artist's first show in the U.S., and it definitely shows off his unique ideas and skills.
While the modern art era has broadened the definitions and blurred the limits and lines of "art," lessening the shock value of seemingly-outrageous or bizarre creations, Vanmechelen's exhibition is a one-of-a-kind approach to conceptual art that triggers many reactions.
Precisely his point, the artist, whose Washington DC exhibition is part of an ongoing "Cosmopolitan Chicken Project," has been systematically crossing every chicken breed to create a "world-mongrel chicken" (as he calls it). Vanmechelen's wacky initiative raises important questions about genetic engineering, globalization, and individuality (among other things).
His exhibition at Conner Contemporary Art includes taxidermy, video, photography, drawings, and paintings (whose tempera paint is made from eggs laid by the artist's own bred chickens).
To read the full article about "Cosmopolitan Chicken Project (DC)" on Artdaily click here.
To read more about Conner Contemporary Art, click here.
A new gallery has opened in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. The appropriately (and humorously) named "Central Booking" is dedicated to print and book art. The gallery's founder, Maddy Rosenberg, is a long time book artist and independent curator. Central Booking is currently displaying works by an eclectic group of 130 artists, including Mary Frank, Joan Snyder and Jay Bolotin.
As Rosenberg states (in an article from The Art Newspaper):
...Central Booking bears little resemblance to a traditional book store. The first of the gallery's two rooms is reserved for curated shows of work by artists who make prints but also explore other mediums; the current show, "Natural Histories", contains pieces ranging from a sawbox by Steven Daiber that is filled with pine cones wrapped in wood prints of a natural history text ($5,000), a non-print-related installation of scavenged metal and natural debris by Judy Hoffman ($25,000), and a limited-edition copy of “A Book of Works”, an unfinished 1993 book of poems and photographs by Ana Mendieta (loaned by the artist's foundation, it is the only piece in the gallery not for sale).
Image from Central Booking
Furthermore, Rosenberg is optimistic about the increasing popularity of book art and hopes to keep the project going even after the current venue closes in April.
She continues,
...With book art appearing more and more regularly in exhibitions and art fairs over the past year—and with Gagosian gallery opening its own Madison Avenue shop of artists' books and limited editions—there are signs that the recession-friendly medium has been slowly gaining traction. "I feel the most dynamic, interesting, experimental work is going on in books because it doesn't have a huge tradition or baggage.”
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com