Charles Wilkin "Untitled (fawn)" (pigment stain on postcard, C-Print) 18" x 24"
When I previewed Calico Brooklyn’s show titled Born Again, featuring the works of Thomas Buildmore, Allison Maletz, and Charles Wilkin, it was easy to find the theme of reuse and reinvention in collage artist Wilkin’s enlarged pigment stained postcard prints and Buildmore’s drippy spraypaint floral still lifes, but Maletz’s sound installation called Utility Purgatory, outfitted with a telephone and surrounded by her watercolor mold paintings was harder to discern. That is, unless we consider the post-Mayan apocalyptic experience referenced by Curator Scott Chasse, which he described as “very similar to the pre-Mayan apocalypse, only we are able to celebrate the afterlife in real-time.”
When I asked Chasse what inspired Born Again he said, “I understand that appropriation and reuse of images, ideas, materials, etc is nothing new, but I think that looking at the works by these three artists as a form of “rebirth” gives a fresh, slightly different way of experiencing what is being presented.”
Sitting on a rotary phone on hold with the telephone company for so long that mold grows on the walls would leave anyone dreaming of the apocalypse, or at least the reinvention of customer service tactics.
Maletz explained that, “these services exist in theory to improve our lives, yet are rendered useless as all the various “please hold” messages loop endlessly, leaving the audience completely impotent.” But Maletz doesn’t take “hold” for an answer and presents this experience in a new way with “a new meaning, so that we might all step back as outsiders looking in, to observe and perhaps even enjoy this well known and frustrating experience.” She went on to say that she made “the Mold Paintings specifically to go with Utility Purgatory. At their core, both works are about what can grow out of neglect.” Continue reading →
Greenpoint’s “eco-chic” boutique the one well (165 Greenpoint Ave) is hosting Greenpoint artist Amanda LaMarco’s first solo show titled Hair, opening tonight August 12, 2012 from 7-10pm.
This girl has chops with pen on paper, the time and attention to detail to draw micro-fine strands of hair isn’t easy, but her hair illustrations, created just for this show, are not meant to show-off her skills but to deal with her hair that she describes as “big.” Continue reading →
It was hot, humid, sticky. It’s summer in New York. Friday nights are often special; this friday in particular was the opening of Gina Pollack‘s solo exhibit of Where They Swam // Other Relics. It was hosted at the one well, a fabulous local shop/gallery space whose owner Kerry Jones is also the curator/designer.
Gina came in, price sheets and artist info in hand. ”So sorry, I forgot about these,” said the Silverlake native-turned New Yorker.
Untitled, Where They Swam, V
I was admiring her photographs earlier while helping Kerry prep. A part of me always wonders what the artist looks like in comparison to the art they make. Her photos were colorfully vivid and vibrant. They were filled with beautiful nostalgia and juxtaposition of man-made elements and forces of nature.
With her vintage red pumps, ethnic-inspired black dress and no-fuss hair, Gina was the perfect petite embodiment of her artwork.
I was curious what inspired her to take these photographs, so I asked if she had a couple of minutes to answer my questions.
Y: So, aside from the fact that the McCarren Park Pool is opening soon, I want to know what spurred your interested in taking photographs of it in the first place?
G: It was actually a spur of the moment thing. My friend and I were walking past it and curiosity got the best of me. Continue reading →
