Pace is an art gallery synonymous with New York City. Having moved here in the 1960s from Boston, owner Arne Glimcher has built it into something of a dynasty. This September marks the gallery’s 50th year in existence. To celebrate, Glimcher has organized a massive exhibition sprawling across all four of his Manhattan gallery spaces. The show features influential and important paintings from across Pace’s five decade history. The uptown space has been organized into a mini retrospective of notable Pace exhibitions. The other three spaces in Chelsea are ordered based on a rough chronology, featuring contemporary art, abstract expressionism and pop art, and “minimalism and post modern art” respectively.
When I was told that Alva Noto would be performing at the Kitchen last night, I braved it to Chelsea just in time before he started his set. Carsten Nicolai a.k.a. Alva Noto is a minimalist sound artist, post-techno electronic musician. I started following his work since his early collaborations with Sakamoto Ryuichi. What I didn’t realize is that Mr. Nicolai also produces visuals. Last night’s performance was mind-blowing, literally, the heavily broken beats, blips, and prolonged static are sounds from faxes, modems and the telephone. They were in sync with the intense visuals which was manipulated real-time by Mr. Nicolai himself. There is something quite ecstatically surreal in this work in which he uses old technologies (with recordings by poet Anne-James Chaton) that throws you off the chair. It is the art of minimal simulation to the max. The show is presented by the Pace Gallery. More photos to come.
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