Hardware Store Employee Curtain, 2009

Ryan Frank’s work borrows from objects that we normally take for granted. Mailboxes, wooden fences, cinder blocks, shipping pallets, and, this one is my favorite, industrial PVC strip curtains. If you have seen Ryan’s photo curtains, you would probably never look at these industrial plastic strips the same way again. Last month, I was invited to do studio visits at the Wassaic Project, and although I completely missed my last appointment, which was Ryan’s, his work definitely caught my attention. At the recent opening of “What is the Where” a group exhibition at the Invisible Dog, I had a chat with the artist standing next to his latest pieces – stage-like mailboxes and a door. Continue Reading More »

An  instigator of the social norm, Pilvi Takala’s artistic practice provokes many hidden questions  dealing with societies and communities, and she does so with such nonchalance that almost matches with her innocence. Pilvi is definitely careful and clever in carrying out her performance acts. This past Summer, Pilvi and I had a nice conversation about her recent project Real Snow White, her feelings about the iconic Disneyland, and what irks her about malls. Her solo exhibition at the Finnish Norwegian Culture Institute in Oslo opens on November 18, 2010. Pilvi Takala is a performance and video artist based in Amsterdam.

When did you start doing these live performance acts?
In 2004 I went to Glasgow for an exchange from my school in Helsinki, at that time I was more interested in art in the public space and not so much showing in galleries. There I made the first piece that was kind of meaningful. It’s an artist book based on a performative intervention called Event on Garnethill. Continue Reading More »

Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation

I first stumbled upon the paintings of Mark Warren Jacques at Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn. His small, radiant paintings hit me in the face. Mark’s paintings are characteristic of his personality: heady and amorous, and tempered with a languid playfulness. His brightly hued canvases combine a humble, DIY sensibility with otherworldly yearnings and an almost sublime aesthetic. His newest exhibit, I’m Here Now at Gallery Hijinks in San Francisco is open until November 15th. Last week I had the opportunity to talk to the artist about the show, his art, and future plans. Continue Reading More »

"Kon Would Rather Eat A Palm Frond On Slater's Birthday Than Drink Muddy Water"

Pablo Power merges text, photography and painting to echo the ephemeral life of the unseen. Passionate about documenting not only the lives but also the lifestyles found just outside city limits, Power submerses himself in grimy subculture and finds that it isn’t so bad. Rather than criticizing his surroundings, Power focuses on capturing moments and regenerating their energy. As a teenager in Miami he experimented with a myriad of disparate offerings to the street. Exploring a range between public subversion and permanent collaborative commissions for Miami Dade Transåit, Power eventually settled on what would be his focus and obsession for years to come: spontaneous bombardment of all accessible space, stationary or mobile, with his “visual mantra.” Continue Reading More »

Garrick Gott

Photo: Jost Sarwoko

It has been quite a catch-me-if-you-can exchange between me and Robert Knoke. When I met Robert during the Scope Art Fair this past February at Lincoln Center he was standing in the center of a dimmed exhibition space surrounded by life-sized black ink paintings. Dressed in complete black, Robert looked as if he belonged in one of his paintings. Though the raw lines and strokes of his work are awe inspiring, Robert made an impression on me for a different reason. Standing faithfully beside his art during the fair the artist chatted passionately about it to any passerby who caught his eye. At first Robert’s childlike enthusiasm didn’t seem to match his somewhat menacing portraits. His distinct choice of subject and the  impact of a single traditional medium used with tireless effect, earned him recognition from both the art and fashion world.  Trotting between Berlin and New York, I briefly caught up with Robert while he was in town for the release of his latest book project “Black Material.” Continue Reading More »

Axis of Castration (installation view)

Expressing ideas about art in a theoretical or systematic fashion is a quick way to either set yourself up for a failure or a tired and clichéd success. I don’t want either of those. Art is such a great outlet to ask questions you don’t need an absolute answer to. I think there are too many currents in the art world focused on creating these neatly packaged systems to engage with art. The academic world (MFA programs) has put a lot of energy into celebrating and championing a dry formulaic way of experiencing and creating art.  I’m more interested in allowing for diverse ways of interacting with the art. I don’t want to tell people what to think about what I create, rather I expect a willing viewer to intersect and interact with something I have made. I don’t want anyone to walk away with the feeling of ‘oh I get it’, and then that’s it. (Keck)

I recently came across Erika Keck’s mixed media installations at Envoy gallery in the Lower East Side. I was somewhat disturbed by the intensity of her work, but also captivated by the spontaneity of how each piece was conceived. If anything, I think her installations need more space for them to breathe and to do it justice. The following is a Q & A between Erika and Envoy.

Self Reflection

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Bus Fire (2010)

I had the feeling that Michael Stickrod is somewhat of a 21st century neo-Romanticist when I saw his assemblages. A dusty postcard, a half-torn hotel letterhead scribbled with messages, a used pencil from his mother, handmade knives from his father, Michael saves everything that has personal value. These personal mementos quietly meld into his palette for producing work that’s full of vivid narratives. Before I got to know Michael personally, I was curiously drawn to his assemblages showing at the group show Untitled at NP Gallery. His story is particularly strong because each object – though casually pinned on the cork board – had gone through many places and cycles of time. The way the artist chose to light these artifacts using a single warm lamp almost feels as if we’re looking through his eyes. Yet these clues are not enough, many pieces of the puzzle are still missing. Continue Reading More »