Rudolf Stingel at Paula Cooper

two photos of the installation from flickr member ~~IIROBII~~

Jerry Saltz mentioned the current Rudolf Stingel show at Paula Cooper gallery while writing about the current state of the art world in reference to Lisa Yuskavage's work. He wrote, "Stingel escapes the irony and kitsch of the recent past and gives us an atmospherics of melancholy and love. I wouldn’t want any of these paintings individually, but together they charge the gallery with thoughts about what it takes to create shows in the wake of orgiastic abundance. Stingel’s installation is a requiem for the white cube and a fond farewell to the last fifteen years. These four shows make you understand that while the market is dying, art is in the process of being reborn. They may not be remembered in ten years, but right now that doesn’t matter."

I was never a fan of irony in art either - good riddance as far as I'm concerned.

Check out Tim&Vas blog for more installation views and visit the Paula Cooper site here.

Tauba Auerbach

TAUBA AUERBACH / CAMILLA LØW / EMILY WARDILL
“ALMOST ALWAYS IS NEARLY ENOUGH”
2009

TAUBA AUERBACH

CRUMPLE IV
2009

Acrylic paint on canvas
80 x 60 inches (203.2 x 152.4 cm)

Tauba Auerbach, Crumple II, Acrylic and UV Cured Inkjet on Canvas, 80x60", 2008

Tauba Auerbach, Crumple I, Acrylic and UV Cured Inkjet on Canvas, 80x60", 2008

Kristen Schiele at David B. Smith Gallery

Kristen Schiele, Industrial, Oil on Canvas, 21"x30"

Three of Swords, 2008, 48" x 46", oil on canvas

I finally got over to David B. Smith gallery to see the current group show. I really enjoyed these two pieces by Kristen Schiele and had a nice chat with Dave about gallery name change (from Limited Addiction) and all that 2009 has in store for him (books? prints? new artists! Josh Keyes show!).

If you haven't seen the show that's up right now, do. I thought it was more diverse than their previous group shows and represented a broader range of painting and sculpture - broader than the typically narrow scope of the Juxtapoz/low-brow/pop-surrealism/whateveryouwanttocallit scene that they often (perhaps unfairly) get lumped into. I'm excited to see their scope grow as their gallery grows and I'm really looking forward to their upcoming shows this year.

Two Postcards

Untitled Study (Chicago Mountain Lion), Ink, Graphite, Colored Pencil on Paper, 4x6"

Untitled, Ink, Graphite, Colored Pencil on Paper, 4x6"

I made a couple of small drawings for the Postcard Show at Artlink in Fort Wayne. They will be on display there and for sale with all proceeds benefiting Artlink's exhibitions. The postcards will be up during the Fort Wayne Photographers exhibit, December 12, 2008 – January 14, 2009. Artlink is the first gallery I showed at and has been exhibiting the occasional piece of mine since I was a teenager - I'm happy to support them and all that they have done for the small art scene there in Fort Wayne.

Two Great Art Video Podcasts

While I've been spending most of my days in the studio, I've been keeping myself energized with some great video and audio podcasts about art. The MOMA has several audio podcasts to choose from (here). I'm really excited about these video pocasts as well:

Merrily Kerr's New York Art Tours

These short videos are great - succinct but not shallow. Merrily Kerr is thorough in her research and shares her insights while showing the viewer around the gallery. I think it is fantastic to get a short tour of NY galleries from all the way across the country. I'd highly recommend subscribing to this series (free). RSS feed here.

Vernissage TV. Well made video podcasts that include artist interviews and gallery tours. Recommended. RSS feed here.

If your mp3 device does not have video capabilities you can watch these videos on their websites - they are only a few minutes long and will be much more beneficial than watching another Sarah Palin parody on youtube.

Manifest Hope - mega picture post

All photos by Nathan Abels:

Shepherd Fairey paste-ups read carefully (artist unknown)

this one was pasted up a couple block from my apartment on Colfax

Denver has been extremely fortunate to get such high-class art here along with the DNC. Andenken gallery had a show up this week called "Manifest Hope" - mostly Obama-based art works by big shots like Shepherd Fairey and Ron English. Here are my photos from the show that I attended for three of the four days it was open (with the Boom truck):

Shepherd Fairey's large piece - also served as the back-drop to the VIP party that included Sarah Silverman, Jenny Lewis, Ben Gibbard, and others.

(that's Will.I.Am - of the Black Eyed Peas)(that's also Will.I.Am - of the Black Eyed Peas)

Harrison, of Denver's own Magnet Mafia - working on a wall across from the gallery.one of my favorite bands, Nada Surf - playing acoustic across the street form the gallery.

Here are more pics of the show/opening 1, 2, 3.

Boomin'

Last night was the debut of Boom's nomadic gallery in a truck and I think it went well. Unfortunately, I missed the first stop, but was able to catch up with the truck at another artist-conceived-convention-related project called "Karaoke Convention". Now the idea of karaoke-ing campaign speeches may sound a little dry but it wasn't at all. The participating speakers read speeches that scrolled across a prompter verbatim - including any stumbling over words, dramatic pauses, and (of course) long applause. There was a degree of humor to it all, but I can also say that I noticed/absorbed the words that were being spoken much more than if I had simply been watching the speech given on network news. All the speeches to choose from can be rehearsed and read-over on their website. It was interesting to hear speeches from larger-than-life personalities like Obama or Clinton read by people with far less media coverage - regular people who just signed up to participate on the spot. If you're in Denver, take a look at the Karaoke Convention schedule and be sure to stop by one of their events. I talked to the artist last night, and here's the scoop - if you go to Karaoke Convention at JR's on Sunday, the BBC should be there. That's the rumor anyway - but there are a lot of rumors here during convention week, so don't hold me to it. ha ha. And speaking of schedules, Boom is putting together a schedule of where the art truck will be here. I'll take some pictures of the truck tonight...

Boom

I am pleased to announce that I will be joining the art group called Boom for its second nomadic gallery adventure. Basically - we will be hosting an art exhibit in a transformed box truck - gallery walls, track lighting and all...I was not in Denver in 2006 during the maiden voyage of the Boom truck, but they took a lot of great photos from then:



Boom will be traveling to various events and locations during the DNC this and next week (more info soon). I will have four small pieces in the show - three of which have not been shown previously (and one that has):

"speed of stopping", acrylic on paper, 11x15"

"ice", acrylic on paper, 5x7"
"weight of chance", graphite on paper, 11x15"

"forest fire", graphite on paper, 11x15"

Sip & Slide

TONIGHT.
(this flier has been in my pocket a few days)



FRIDAY JUNE 1 3 6-9 P.M.
Another Fantastic Slide Show Event with a Potluck,
brought to you by the Colorado Photographic Arts Center.
Sign in at 6 p.m. and load up your slides (traditional or digital)
At 7p.m. the curtain will rise and the slide show begins.
The idea is simple, and has certainly been done before but we
think it will prove to be an excellent evening of showing and
viewing local creativity of all sorts.
Each artist will be limited to 10 slides.
Call 303-888-2679 for more information
or email taftkatie@gmail.com


Ironton - 3636 Chesnut

"Twinkle, Twinkle" opening

Photos from the "Twinkle, Twinkle" opening have been posted at Plus Gallery.

New Sliding Door Gallery.Com

I redesigned the new Sliding Door Gallery.com using a blogger site called wordpress. Check it out:

Exhibition Post Card

(front)
(back)

This is the design for the exhibition post-card for my upcoming show entitled, "Last Seen". If you would like to receive a postcard - email me and I will you on the mailing list. If you're in the Denver area - come on out for the opening.

Denver First Friday : March

In a new, monthly segment I will be covering the highlights of the "First Friday" gallery exhibitions in Denver. By far, the most memorable gallery of the night was the inaugural group show of the "Limited Addiction Gallery." I generally refer to the genre of art they exhibited as the "Juxtapoz"-type art or west-coast art - though it does not consider every work being shown, those of you familiar with the magazine might understand the reference or genre. Their own description of what they show is "otherwise labeled Pop-Surrealism, Urban Contemporary and 21st Century Figurative Art." The gallery was packed (both with art and attendees) and represented many great artists from across the country including Tim Biskup, Dalek, Audrey Kawasaki, Dan McCarthy, Tra Selhtrow, Jeff Soto, and more. *Check the links to Dan McCarthy and Tra Selhtrow especially - they have great limited edition silk-screened prints available online for very reasonable prices*

The walls at Limited Addiction were hung salon-style, often four or five pieces high but there was enough similarity of genre to keep it from feeling disorganized or cluttered. I'm looking forward to future shows there. We have now added this signed print from Audrey Kawasaki to our collection:

Mia & Mai

giclee print on archival paper
13" x 22" on a 15" x 24" sheet
signed and numbered
limited edition of 100

The work of Josh Keyes at Limited Addiction Gallery was also quite interesting. It has a science text-book diagram type of feel. I especially liked these pieces:

"Interlock #3", 12"x9", 2007, pencil and gouache on bristol board


"Envelop #1", 2007, 9"x12", pencil and gouache on bristol board

Another artist worth mentioning from last night was Armin Muhsam - whose work can be seen at the Kanon Gallery on Santa Fe Blvd. I was especially taken back by this piece:

Armin Muhsam
"Recent Earthworks"
16x48 Oil on Panel(s)

There was also a strong opening by Tracy Barnes and Eric Havelock-Bailie a the Sliding Door Gallery. Being the most recent addition to the Sliding Door co-op, I was glad to see a good turn-out and well planned show. Here are a few shots of the opening: