| There is definitely something distinctive about New York in that there is always something special going on: whether it’s a free concert, a book signing or a showing of an old film on the big screen. It’s these events that take us out of our day-to-day routine, recharge our spirits, and make us realize time and again that we live in a great city. |  |
Hitting The Mark – Ryan Quigley
There is definitely something distinctive about New York in that there is always something special going on: whether it’s a free concert, a book signing or a showing of an old film on the big screen. It’s these events that take us out of our day-to-day routine, recharge our spirits, and make us realize time and again that we live in a great city. The AIM 26 exhibition was one of those special events. As I left the subway station at 167th street it became clear that I was by myself, and I was cold. When I entered the Bronx Museum that night I felt an immediate 180-degree turn around as people soon surrounded me, and I felt the warmth and excitement perpetuated by a group of young artists who were given the opportunity to show their work.
The show was set up on two floors, with two smaller rooms for video installation and a hanging sculpture on view in the lobby. The body of work displayed was diverse in medium and discipline. Many of the artists were concerned with landscapes and how one makes interpretations of those spaces. The piece by Bettina Johae, entitled Borough Edges, NYC vol. II The Bronx, is a landscape work that is composed of two parts. One part is an extremely tedious and exacting pen and ink line drawing of the outermost physically travelable areas of New York City. The other part is a slide show of photos from her trip through the Bronx. In contrast to the more widely visualized orientation of a New York City map, such as a subway map, where the city is vertical, the ink drawing by Johae is exact. Paying close attention to the cartography of the city, Johae draws the map on an angle. The line drawing then provides the context for the photo slide show. The shots are of somewhat unfamiliar parts of the Bronx and the photos aren’t laden with the normal iconography of New York. The shots appear as though they were taken in another city or another place. Much like the contour of the map with its more realistic but unfamiliar orientation, the piece gives the viewer a different perspective. The piece forces the viewer to reassess how they interpret their surroundings. Johae is telling us that the city is not necessarily what we have perceived it to be.
The work by Heidi Neilson entitled Roofs 16, from the 7, part of her “Rooftop Series,” goes again on cue with landscape and the way one internalizes the visual stimulus of that area. The etchings from the series are inspired from Neilson’s travels on the 7 train in Queens. The etchings in the more literal sense are rooftops disjointed from their walls. The disjointed rooftops are meant to show an unusual and static world in comparison to the world on the street. The quiet and serene rooftops stand out against the bustling, and active streets almost as though there are two worlds coexisting at once. Neilson is looking to give the viewer another perception by providing a representation of the world that she sees. As though the viewer was receiving a unique guided tour of the city, Neilson and Johae both are retelling the stories of their landscapes.
Other works in the show that concern themselves with the city and its interpretation are Midtown by Theresa Bloise and Lux :Metropolis 1 by Christina Seely. In Midtown, Bloise employs the effects of color and light to recreate the effect of the glow of buildings in midtown Manhattan at nighttime. Literally the piece is just colored squares and rectangles over a black painted background. Without Bloise’s understanding of color relationships and atmospheric perspective the work could be perceived as disjointed squares and rectangles of color. The painting is coherent and there is an awareness of depth between the buildings. The painting itself is visually stimulating and large and I was immediately drawn to it. Next to the painting by Bloise was the photography of Christina Seely entitled Lux: Metropolis 1. The work by Seely is part of a study that documents the way cities emit light into the sky. The ground is placed low in the picture plane, effectively putting emphasis on the sky. Blue and violet dominate the work and the glow emitted from the city cuts through the hues of the sky. Seely captured a scene and a view unfamiliar to most people. It is uncommon to see the full scope of that amount of illumination a city emits. Two power lines run through the top of the photo and reiterate the underlying theme of energy.
The thematic scope in the exhibition was diverse. Many of the artists focused on the external but there were also pieces that turned very internal and tackled topics of family and personal relationships. The Puerto Rican Pieta by David Antonio Cruz is an example of a work that turns inward. The piece is composed of a shirtless and lifeless adult son lying in a provocative pose on the lap of his mother who looks out the picture plane with a strong and possessive stare. The mother wears clothing specific to Puerto Rican culture and the piece takes the pieta pose and recharges it with new characters. The Freudian Oedipus complex and the roles of masculinity and femininity are themes suggested in the work. A similarity between the facial features of both son and mother causes the viewer to wonder if Antonio Cruz painted the same face twice. Eeriness surrounds the work and the strong stare of the mother makes the viewer uncomfortable. It is a well-crafted and enigmatic piece. One of the big highlights of the show was the photography of Yolanda Del Amo. In her pieces, Elena, Malena, Dean and Fuencisia, Frank, Del Amo stages an explicit and unadulterated view of family life. The photos brought to mind the work of Gregory Crewdson. Crewdson’s photography is dreamlike and staged with a theatrical air that brings to mind a dreamlike vision. Where Crewdson lacks in realism Del Amo does not. Her photography’s realistic lighting and rigid composition brings the viewer into the work and into the room with the characters. Through poses and body position, one is forced to understand what is being captured with only body language and facial expressions. This subjective interpretation makes it possible for people to internalize the work in their own way, which is why this piece is so successful. Each of the works in the show was accompanied by a written description, which was helpful, but other times hindered the treatment of the piece. I found myself looking at the written description before making my own interpretation. The pieces could have been left to stand alone without the written component.
The Arts in the Marketplace (AIM) 26 exhibition marks the culmination of 24 weeks of instruction, guidance and growth. The AIM program is an opportunity for young emerging artists, in the metropolitan area, to receive instruction and professional guidance. After a process of submission and portfolio reviews only 36 artists are selected for the program each year. The artists of AIM 26 have put together a strong and diverse exhibition. There is a lot of promise here.
