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Close(er) to Perfect:
The April 30th, 2009 Chelsea Gallery Art Stampede
by
Stephan Fowlkes
Wow! I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated you all on the goings-on in the art world, and for that I apologize.
I’ve been just sort of sitting back and taking in all the developments resulting from the dramatic changes which are
currently affecting all things, and i have to say, the art world has risen to the occasion! A major re-evaluation and
overhaul seems to be taking place: standards, expectations, intentions and processes are all being redefined in what I
feel to be a positive and powerful direction. More and more of what I’m seeing in Chelsea (and Soho and the LES)
seems to be coming back around to a standard of excellence in form, content, process and yes, even craftsmanship,
technical skill, and dare I say it...beauty. My eyes are like in a candy store, taking in colors, patterns, a sensibility in
composition, well formulated and executed ideas (but not in the MFA-driven over-ideology-based, conceptual, referent
objects that for so long pervaded the gallery spaces), paintings that show an understanding and mastery of the medium,
sculptures that won’t fall apart in a stiff wind, work that is engaging on oh so many levels; how refreshing! Jerry
Saltz recently said something to the effect that the art world isn’t suffering in this economic down-turn, but in fact has
the luxury of re-inventing itself (sorry Jerry if that is too loose an interpretation) and I believe we are seeing the
beginnings of just that. Granted, some of the recent success comes from presenting established, big names who have
proven themselves over the test of time, and yes, this is nothing new, but it seems to refresh the perspective of what
makes good art and art good. Some of these artists were radicals in their youth but through time, their work has come
to define their generations.
Yes, this sets a high standard for the emerging artists, but you know what? Though I don’t condone copying the past
I do feel there is a lot to learn from those who struggled in the past, persevered, and ultimately came to be the ones
who we now recognize, the house-hold names of the art world. This week, those names were Chuck Close and
Chakaia Booker, at Pace and Marlborough, respectively.
What can I say about Chuck? He is a pretty regular fixture on the Chelsea art scene, and often enough in our crawling,
we come across him seated, elevated in his throne, the Rolls Royce of chairs, balanced on two wheels, thanks to seven
gyroscopes, apparently defying gravity and the laws of physics. PaceWildenstein presents us with seven signature
portraits, oil on canvas, measuring from 6’ x 5’ to 9’ x 7’. But this is only the half of it: we are also treated to nine of
his Jacquard tapestries, photo-realistic portraits, composed of hundreds of different colored threads, of figures such as
Brad Pitt, Philip Glass, Andres Serrano, Cindy Sherman, as well as two self-portraits. At first glance, these tapestries
look like large photos, but upon closer inspection, the intricate pointillism of the weaving shows a sort of
miniaturization of the technique he applies to his painting--truly remarkable and a definite must-see. His paintings
include portraits of Bill Clinton, two of the artist Zhang Huan--one in color and one in black-and-white, James Siena,
his daughters Georgia and Maggie, as well as a new self-portrait. I never tire of staring at these paintings: pure
abstraction when viewed close-up and photo-realistic when viewed from afar. And what’s astounding is his color
palette. The faces have greens and pinks, fuscias, vermillions, purples and lavenders, reds--pretty much the full
spectrum--from pale pastels to pure pigment, intense hues. Combined in little squares and rectangles, these colors
combine in a sort of pixilated system to somehow accurately portray his subjects. I never tire of getting lost in his
worlds of color and geometry and the intricacies of his process. Go Chuck, you rock!
Chuck Close: Selected Paintings and Tapestries 2005-2009
PaceWildenstein
534 W. 25th Street
May 1-June 20, 2009
Right across the street we found the wild, wonderful world of Chakaia Booker’s tire-based sculptures. Working
predominantly with tires she cuts, shreds and reassembles, Booker creates dynamic forms reminiscent of other-
worldly creatures, under-sea flora and fauna, mythical monsters, as well as some more formal monolithic pieces.
There is an amazing diversity to her use of such a mundane material, whether it dictates the form or merely serves as a
skin for a pre-conceived and constructed form. There are free-standing large sculptures, pedestal pieces, and wall
works, and these are nicely balanced with paintings--black and white, collaged and directly referent to the sculptures.
It could be said that this is a prime example of proper use of garbage in art. Booker doesn’t just stack the tires she
finds and call it finished. The raw material--Michelin, Goodyear, Firestone-- gets manipulated, transformed assembled
almost to the point of unrecognition, yet there lingers a smell of rubber in the gallery which belies the material. It is
great to see such productive recycling of materials, saving them from land-fill, and putting them to good use, for our
viewing pleasure.
Chakaia Booker: Recent Work, 2003-2009
Marlborough Chelsea
545 W. 25th Street
April 30-May 30, 2009
And as some of you may know, I am a fan of wood, so I have to mention the show at the Walter Randel Gallery, “Of
and About Wood: Sculpture and Photography.” To quote the press release, “Works from a myriad of world cultures
covering a spa of 1000 years will be shown in the company of sculptures by two contemporary artists. Contemporary
and vintage photography depicting the beauty and ever-becoming rarity of this venerable material augments the scope
of this show. Sculptures of pine, mahogany, linden, fruitwood and exotic tropical hardwoods from Polynesia, Africa,
Italy, Spain, China and India are included. Sculptures and photographs of the woods, forests and wood-working
ateliers highlight both the preciousness of this versatile material and demonstrate the mastery required in transforming it
into art.” Amen! I couldn’t have said it better.
Of and About Wood: Sculpture and Photography
Walter Randel Gallery
287 Tenth Avenue
May 1-June 15, 2009
And on a more contemporary note, we came upon some really interesting and inspired paintings by Ahmed Alsoudani
at Goff+Rosenthal. Although the subject matter is dark, the palette and style is playful and fresh, much along the lines
of Dana Schutz’s paintings. There is a lot of energy in these colorful paintings, and some of this enhances the darker
subject-matter of “the artist’s own experiences of recent wars in Iraq, the imagery of devastation and violence--
occasionally laced with a morbid and barbed humor--evok(ing) a universal experience of conflict and human
suffering,” (press release). Here is a good example of combining intent, content, subject-matter, imagery, technique
and style all in one clean package--not that art has to be, but here it works. They are intense, yet it is clear that
Alsoudani enjoys the process of painting and has something worth saying. I would comfortably classify him as one of
the New Generation of painters out there and encourage all to see these paintings if you’re in the neighborhood.
Ahmed Alsoudani at Geff+Rosenthal
537B W. 23rd Street
April 30-June 12, 2009
And finally, a pleasant surprise a little off our usual beaten path was a show of photographs at the Tibet House by Paul
Blackthorne, actor/ photographer (he was really good as the evil mastermind in “24, Season Three,”). His show,
“Delhi to Manhattan” is a great collection of black and white photographs taken in India in 2008. He has a great eye
and captures a certain poignancy, pervasive in the landscapes and visages of the inhabitants. From a child’s
unflinching stare to a set of old, withered, well-worked hands, to desolate landscapes, Blackthorne manages to place
the viewer almost first-hand in situ. This is a benefit show with proceeds going to support the Tibetan Children’s
Village and Tibet House, at the request of the artist.
Delhi to Manhattan
Paul Blackthorne at the Tibet House
22 W. 15th Street
Through June 18th, 2009.
The April 30th, 2009 Chelsea Gallery Art Stampede
by
Stephan Fowlkes
Wow! I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated you all on the goings-on in the art world, and for that I apologize.
I’ve been just sort of sitting back and taking in all the developments resulting from the dramatic changes which are
currently affecting all things, and i have to say, the art world has risen to the occasion! A major re-evaluation and
overhaul seems to be taking place: standards, expectations, intentions and processes are all being redefined in what I
feel to be a positive and powerful direction. More and more of what I’m seeing in Chelsea (and Soho and the LES)
seems to be coming back around to a standard of excellence in form, content, process and yes, even craftsmanship,
technical skill, and dare I say it...beauty. My eyes are like in a candy store, taking in colors, patterns, a sensibility in
composition, well formulated and executed ideas (but not in the MFA-driven over-ideology-based, conceptual, referent
objects that for so long pervaded the gallery spaces), paintings that show an understanding and mastery of the medium,
sculptures that won’t fall apart in a stiff wind, work that is engaging on oh so many levels; how refreshing! Jerry
Saltz recently said something to the effect that the art world isn’t suffering in this economic down-turn, but in fact has
the luxury of re-inventing itself (sorry Jerry if that is too loose an interpretation) and I believe we are seeing the
beginnings of just that. Granted, some of the recent success comes from presenting established, big names who have
proven themselves over the test of time, and yes, this is nothing new, but it seems to refresh the perspective of what
makes good art and art good. Some of these artists were radicals in their youth but through time, their work has come
to define their generations.
Yes, this sets a high standard for the emerging artists, but you know what? Though I don’t condone copying the past
I do feel there is a lot to learn from those who struggled in the past, persevered, and ultimately came to be the ones
who we now recognize, the house-hold names of the art world. This week, those names were Chuck Close and
Chakaia Booker, at Pace and Marlborough, respectively.
What can I say about Chuck? He is a pretty regular fixture on the Chelsea art scene, and often enough in our crawling,
we come across him seated, elevated in his throne, the Rolls Royce of chairs, balanced on two wheels, thanks to seven
gyroscopes, apparently defying gravity and the laws of physics. PaceWildenstein presents us with seven signature
portraits, oil on canvas, measuring from 6’ x 5’ to 9’ x 7’. But this is only the half of it: we are also treated to nine of
his Jacquard tapestries, photo-realistic portraits, composed of hundreds of different colored threads, of figures such as
Brad Pitt, Philip Glass, Andres Serrano, Cindy Sherman, as well as two self-portraits. At first glance, these tapestries
look like large photos, but upon closer inspection, the intricate pointillism of the weaving shows a sort of
miniaturization of the technique he applies to his painting--truly remarkable and a definite must-see. His paintings
include portraits of Bill Clinton, two of the artist Zhang Huan--one in color and one in black-and-white, James Siena,
his daughters Georgia and Maggie, as well as a new self-portrait. I never tire of staring at these paintings: pure
abstraction when viewed close-up and photo-realistic when viewed from afar. And what’s astounding is his color
palette. The faces have greens and pinks, fuscias, vermillions, purples and lavenders, reds--pretty much the full
spectrum--from pale pastels to pure pigment, intense hues. Combined in little squares and rectangles, these colors
combine in a sort of pixilated system to somehow accurately portray his subjects. I never tire of getting lost in his
worlds of color and geometry and the intricacies of his process. Go Chuck, you rock!
Chuck Close: Selected Paintings and Tapestries 2005-2009
PaceWildenstein
534 W. 25th Street
May 1-June 20, 2009
Right across the street we found the wild, wonderful world of Chakaia Booker’s tire-based sculptures. Working
predominantly with tires she cuts, shreds and reassembles, Booker creates dynamic forms reminiscent of other-
worldly creatures, under-sea flora and fauna, mythical monsters, as well as some more formal monolithic pieces.
There is an amazing diversity to her use of such a mundane material, whether it dictates the form or merely serves as a
skin for a pre-conceived and constructed form. There are free-standing large sculptures, pedestal pieces, and wall
works, and these are nicely balanced with paintings--black and white, collaged and directly referent to the sculptures.
It could be said that this is a prime example of proper use of garbage in art. Booker doesn’t just stack the tires she
finds and call it finished. The raw material--Michelin, Goodyear, Firestone-- gets manipulated, transformed assembled
almost to the point of unrecognition, yet there lingers a smell of rubber in the gallery which belies the material. It is
great to see such productive recycling of materials, saving them from land-fill, and putting them to good use, for our
viewing pleasure.
Chakaia Booker: Recent Work, 2003-2009
Marlborough Chelsea
545 W. 25th Street
April 30-May 30, 2009
And as some of you may know, I am a fan of wood, so I have to mention the show at the Walter Randel Gallery, “Of
and About Wood: Sculpture and Photography.” To quote the press release, “Works from a myriad of world cultures
covering a spa of 1000 years will be shown in the company of sculptures by two contemporary artists. Contemporary
and vintage photography depicting the beauty and ever-becoming rarity of this venerable material augments the scope
of this show. Sculptures of pine, mahogany, linden, fruitwood and exotic tropical hardwoods from Polynesia, Africa,
Italy, Spain, China and India are included. Sculptures and photographs of the woods, forests and wood-working
ateliers highlight both the preciousness of this versatile material and demonstrate the mastery required in transforming it
into art.” Amen! I couldn’t have said it better.
Of and About Wood: Sculpture and Photography
Walter Randel Gallery
287 Tenth Avenue
May 1-June 15, 2009
And on a more contemporary note, we came upon some really interesting and inspired paintings by Ahmed Alsoudani
at Goff+Rosenthal. Although the subject matter is dark, the palette and style is playful and fresh, much along the lines
of Dana Schutz’s paintings. There is a lot of energy in these colorful paintings, and some of this enhances the darker
subject-matter of “the artist’s own experiences of recent wars in Iraq, the imagery of devastation and violence--
occasionally laced with a morbid and barbed humor--evok(ing) a universal experience of conflict and human
suffering,” (press release). Here is a good example of combining intent, content, subject-matter, imagery, technique
and style all in one clean package--not that art has to be, but here it works. They are intense, yet it is clear that
Alsoudani enjoys the process of painting and has something worth saying. I would comfortably classify him as one of
the New Generation of painters out there and encourage all to see these paintings if you’re in the neighborhood.
Ahmed Alsoudani at Geff+Rosenthal
537B W. 23rd Street
April 30-June 12, 2009
And finally, a pleasant surprise a little off our usual beaten path was a show of photographs at the Tibet House by Paul
Blackthorne, actor/ photographer (he was really good as the evil mastermind in “24, Season Three,”). His show,
“Delhi to Manhattan” is a great collection of black and white photographs taken in India in 2008. He has a great eye
and captures a certain poignancy, pervasive in the landscapes and visages of the inhabitants. From a child’s
unflinching stare to a set of old, withered, well-worked hands, to desolate landscapes, Blackthorne manages to place
the viewer almost first-hand in situ. This is a benefit show with proceeds going to support the Tibetan Children’s
Village and Tibet House, at the request of the artist.
Delhi to Manhattan
Paul Blackthorne at the Tibet House
22 W. 15th Street
Through June 18th, 2009.
