Carol Irving likes to interrogate “the truth” in a gutted manner. She has been examining that “truth” not only in herself but also in over 600 volunteers through multiple “truth” happenings held at office spaces in Manhattan. I had the opportunity to meet with Carol at Carriage Trade, in which her piece PL/90-0559A is part of the group exhibition entitled Mistaken Identities.  Using an original polygraph, which is an old-fashioned lie detector, on herself and on others for a period of over 18 years, Carol is onto something here. The results of these tests look strangely familiar, with marks and symbols that we seem to relate to, although not quite sure why or how. Then the questions begin to surface, such as Have you noticed your smells have changed as you’ve grown old? Do you know anyone named Art? Her images may seem surreal and fictitious but these polygraphic tests were once forced on individuals up until the late 80s. Being interrogated can be an unbearable experience, but transforming this into an art form becomes an attractive practice. I’d certainly be interested to surrender myself to become lines and numbers rendered by a guilt detecting device.

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The anticipated LUSH LIFE opened this past Thursday in nine galleries spanning through the Lower East Side. The curators of this project Franklin Evans and Omar Lopez-Chahoud cleverly used the novel written by Richard Price as a connecting thread. Each of the nine galleries represent a different chapter in Lush Life (2008), which is a psychologically gripping tale about a murder investigation and concerning the gentrification of lower Manhattan. Basically it reveals some of the ugliness behind today’s yuppified Lower East Side. This is the neighborhood where I first landed as child, so I can definitely relate to those changes first hand. Now that the bodegas, hosiery and leather shops have moved on to be replaced by pricey wine bars and boutiques, it’s nice to see a new wave of galleries coming in. Which brings in a whole different dynamic to the area, and you can feel it while walking down the streets at any time of the day, it’s such a unique mixture of energies in the LES that is unlike anywhere else, because it has gone through so many layers of changes, just like those stickers plastered everywhere.  And this exhibition is unique in a sense that these galleries have created a sort of ensemble, which attracted a flood of people, some who had never been to any of those galleries before.  Of course the artists and the work matters just as much, but what’s more remarkable is the unity of the event as a whole–the bigger picture. Perhaps it is what the downtown galleries need right now, to generate some action, especially since those hungry sharks in the bigger art market usually gets all the attention. If you haven’t seen the show yet I advise starting from Chapter One: Whistle at Sue Scott Gallery. Closing dates vary depending on the gallery, but here’s the list: Sue Scott Gallery, On Stellar Rays, Invisble-Exports, Lehmann Maupin, Y Gallery, Collette Blanchard, Salon 94, Scaramouche, Eleven Rivington. Don’t be overwhelmed, there is a free map that you can pick up at any of those galleries.  (more pics after the jump…)

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