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Gallery
of New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk
University This approach
raises questions about the nature of an exhibition and a level of
anxiety
for the curator. ³The artist assures me that
he will be present on November 18 at which time he will
occupy the space and explore his options, one of which
will be to cancel the show. Visitors
to the gallery and the reception are encouraged to interact
with the artist and to discuss his intentions. There
may or may not be some form
of documentation which may or not remain in the space
as an exhibition. The documentation may or may not take
the form of text, signage, digital
and video images and monitors. These are options the
artist may or may not explore. The hope is that something
fresh and relevant evolves from
this trope of the artist/ non artist and an extreme instance
of conceptual minimalism. It also begs the question of
how conceptual art is documented.
And what represented the creative act; the action / performance
or the record of it? Often, important and influential
actions have been witnessed
by few if any spectators. It is actually the subject
of a current project for the Guggenheim Museum in which
the artist Marina Abramovic has sought
permission of artists and or their estates to recreate
some of these most famous conceptual pieces. So this
latest work by Lubelski references
and enlivens that tradition. It will be interesting to
see how Abraham does, or does not pull this off." "Travel, as a source of visual imagery and inspiration, has long
been part of both the American and European painting
traditions. The great American landscape painters Frederic
Church, Thomas Moran, Thomas Cole and Albert Bierstadt
traveled extensively; not only in America,
but also to areas as diverse as the Antarctic and South
America and for Matisse there was North Africa. ³I travel with a set of watercolors and sketchbooks, a compact
and efficient medium for these circumstances, and work
along the way. I also carry a camera and often photograph
in and around the areas I
paint. The watercolors I execute on the spot are responses
to things that move me visually, emotionally, or intellectually,
rather than observational
renderings of a ³scene² that is in front of me. The photographs
are more factual, but they too are responses to something
that caught my attention. "I often find myself sifting through my travel journals of watercolors
and the photographs I have taken. Each medium triggers
its own memories and Abraham
Lubelski: Publisher/ Gallerist/ Artist November 20, 2005 NYArts Magazine With artist,
entrepreneur, publisher, gallerist, Abraham Lubelski, anything that
engages his
attention and imagination is possible. Five
years ago, not long after I launched Maverick Arts Magazine
as an eletter, he was one of the first to respond.
Abraham invited me to submit Maverick
articles for republication on his website and in the
print version of New York Arts Magazine. This continued
for some time, until a hiatus
of the past couple of years, when, as a result of mutual
commitments and schedules, we fell out of contact.
He is constantly on the road
to global art fairs and commutes to galleries he operates
in Berlin and Beijing. The usual response to attempts
to contact him by phone
is, “Abraham is in a meeting.” A couple
of years ago, however, we discussed the possibilities of an exhibition
or project
with the program I run for the New England School
of Art & Design at Suffolk University. About a year ago, he wanted
to confirm and pin down a date. But when I asked what he planned to
show the response was evasive. “It’s too soon to say and
I don’t want to lock in as I prefer to be fresh and spontaneous,” would
be a typical response. As a curator, I try to work with
strong artists, give them room to create, and trust that
we will be mutually satisfied
with the results. After a number of years of functioning
in that manner I am pleased to report about a 90% success
rate. While all projects
have not turned out as anticipated, overwhelmingly, they
have fulfilled goals and projections by providing lively
and informative programming,
within the freedom and flexibility of a non profit, academic
setting. Abraham was making me increasingly nervous and difficult to pin down.
Getting ever closer to the date and deadlines there was still no clear
understanding of his project. At one point, there was a conference call
that involved my associate and installer, James Manning, an individual
of considerable brilliance in that capacity. Abraham wanted to know
what media resources would be available including computers and video
projectors. A number of possibilities were discussed but with no clear
assurances of the actual project. He indicated that he wanted to come
and engage with the space, staff, and students and from that energy
to configure his project. Yes, that is a bit looser than the norm, but,
again, I try to trust the artist and an instinct that they want to represent
themselves well. So Jim
and I were floored when, at the last minute, he sent a press release
that stated
that “The Show Has Been Cancelled.” We
were perplexed how to respond to that, literally or figuratively? It
proved to be, well, more or less, both. And more. There were exchanges
of e mail for clarification. His responses were provocative and dodgey.
I found myself cornered into being more avant-garde than I necessarily
wanted to be. This is ok if you believe in and are committed to the
work. But, frankly, I still not sure. Which amuses the artist as precisely
his intention. Was he an artist I mused, during several restless nights
of tossing and turning, or a con artist? While I think of myself as
a savvy guy, was I being played? And, if so, why? Just what was the
motive? Or objective? Hasn’t this all be done before? And, why
me? Weighing all the possible options I called his bluff. But that also
entailed a lot of work. First there were two intense weekends of house
cleaning, I did my share and Astrid doubled that. She insists on having
everything ship shape for guests. I went out and dropped a c note on
a nifty air mattress. Several days prior to his arrival we blew it up
and gave it a couple of test flops about. Then there was the matter
of explaining to colleagues and superiors that the gallery may actually
be empty. The artist designated for the Project Space was miffed to
be sure. Why was he consigned to the smaller space when the main gallery
might be left vacant? There was no way adequately to respond. The press
release that I wrote stated what may or may not happen. So everyone
was prepared for the non event of the season which just may or may not
have happened. Well, it
did all right. Last night actually. Overall, it was less and more
than one
would expect. Abraham’s best and worst quality is
that he is utterly charming, massively persuasive, and completely sincere.
Over the past three days of round the clock dialogue I was utterly seduced.
Again. Those around us, peers, colleagues, superiors were less so. But
he seemed committed to engage with anyone and everyone who had a question
or response to his persona, strategy and project. One student, Michelle,
among our very best and brightest, responded that she was “mixed.” She
sat with him in the gallery while the interview was video
recorded and projected on the wall. The dialogue was
deep and insightful. I asked
if it presented possibilities for her own work. There
was a complex but astonishingly meaningful response mostly
about her need to establish
herself and not having the luxury for such an existential
approach.
A number
of other individuals- students, faculty, and guests- sat with him
on a couch
and engaged in the projection/ documentation. On the
wall behind he wrote in rough hand “The Show Has Been Cancelled” and
under it five lines stating his reasons including, what seems to be
an obsession with him “I would rather be making love.” I
accused him of being a randy old goat. Particularly since we have both
just turned 65. We compared notes on Social Security and Medicaid. I
showed him my brand new senior’s pass for the T and he wondered
how he might get one for the New York metro. Truth is
the opening was sparsely attended. There was strong competition from
the “Drawing Show” at
the Boston Center for the Arts and a homecoming for
Miroslav Antic at Kidder Smith. I snuck out to
say hello to Miro, up from Florida, and to arrange a
phoner next week. Some folks trickled in and moved
down the hall for the Andrew Tavarelli
show of digital prints conflating water colors and Far
Eastern photography. Later, Andy sat on the couch for
a chin wag with his fellow artist.
They compared travel notes and later we all adjourned
for take out Thai food in the home of a remarkable
collector of Far Eastern tribal art.
Roger Dashow and Andy have trekked together in the out
back. Over breakfast this morning, Abraham and Astrid compared memories of
World War Two, experiences of refuges camps, and the psyche of being
immigrants to America, with its needs for survival. This is a topic
that Abraham and I had engaged in and she added insights to the dialogue.
Basically, I was trying to understand what drives him and motivates
his eccentric and confrontational style that is embedded not just in
conceptual performances, such as that he staged in Boston, but that
informs virtually all of his many and diverse projects and passions.
Just what is the root of the mayhem; the controlled chaos that is NY
Arts, and all of its tributaries? So much of what he does defies logic.
Which only makes him smile like the Cheshire Cat. The grin remaining
as the face fades away. Truth is
he defies logic. Like most artists, if he sat down and figured out
answers as
to how and why he is doing what he does, well, he probably
wouldn’t do it. Because it doesn’t make any sense. Basically,
how do you execute a business plan that has no business being a business?
Or, as NY gallerist Stefan Stux told him, “Running a magazine
(two actually and a website as well as galleries in Germany, New York
and China) is even crazier than running a gallery.” And Stefan,
who has proved to have nine lives in the art business,
knows what he is talking about. As we walked along the streets of Boston he seemed to press uncomfortably
close to my left side. It invaded my space and I found ways to dodge
away. It was only later I found the reason. He is deaf on one side.
Seems he fell out of a cattle car of humanity as a refugee from Siberia
during the war. His father, a Polish partisan, died in Russia just months
after his birth. Somehow or other his mother managed to keep him alive
under the harshest conditions imaginable. She got to America and remarried
so he has a step sibling. He describes trying to break away and find
his own identity. Eventually, a BA degree from Hunter College was followed
by off and on years teaching English in NY public schools. Marriage,
family and the usual ensued until he got fed up but mostly just bored.
He describes that as his most terrible curse. For example, if he planned
the Boston project months prior to its execution this would have bored
him. Better, he says, to plunge in and deal with what results; to explore
limitless possibilities, and not be tied down to the predictable. Ten years ago, almost simultaneously, he started the NYarts website
and print magazine. The monthly nut started at about $5,000 and is now
more like $60,000. This includes the mortgage on the 5,000 sq ft loft
space on Broadway in Lower Manhattan which houses the magazine, gallery,
living space for himself, as well as separate quarters for his wife,
Anna Maria, an architect, and some space he rents. Today, he states
that the website gets a million hits each month or about 50,000 hits
a day. He claims a readership of 65,000 for the magazine which he states
he prints because he has to. He claims than anyone in the print business
is loosing money from the New York Times to Art Forum. But that it is
part of the credibility that is demanded to keep all the other projects
up and running. Including a presence at the major art fairs like Basel
Miami where he will exhibit in a couple of weeks. Because
of the range of his activity he states that he can stay in his NY
arts office and
receive a constant stream of visitors from writers
and artists to curators and other dignitaries. He gets
out and about socially to sense what is going on but
states that he spends perhaps
too much time doing so. As to his status in the art world
that’s
hard to evaluate. He started NYarts precisely because
there was no such vehicle out there that was fresh
and open to dialogue. In ten years
it has found its niche but Abraham goes out of his way
to keep it edgy and unpredictable. There has been a
steady rotation of writers, editors
and staff. Some of his ideas, like chopping off articles
in the magazine to be continued on the web site, are
just plain idiotic. I have made
that point to him endlessly to no avail. He will drive
you into the ground with his counter arguments. Abraham
is mendacious to a fault.
But perhaps we come back to him precisely because of
the madness. If you want something that makes sense
read Art Forum or Art in America.
Problem is that they are boring. NYarts, arguably, has
its share of mediocre writing about second rate artists.
Abraham counters questioning
my right and authority to make that judgment. He also
confided frustration that despite the freedom he offers
to writers they are overly cautious.
They are inhibited by career ambitions and strategies.
He tries to find writers willing to take chances that
share his vision, irony and urge
for anarchy. So I view
him as the Pied Piper of the art world. Luring us out of the city
while dancing
to his merry tune. Leading us on to what and
where? It is about desperation, the need to be loved
and accepted. To get published, seen, endorsed and
recognized. Abraham is a conveyor
of hope for many. With him anything is possible. He says, “I keep
trying, putting ideas out there, engaging in dialogue.” This morning,
after breakfast with Astrid, I offered to show him around Boston’s SOWA or alternative gallery scene. Everywhere we visited
he engaged in dialogues with the artists and gallerists. Exchanged cards
and information. Promised to follow up on connections. Made arrangements
to meet and talk further in Miami. At Samson Projects the young gallerist,
Camilo Alvarez, needed no introduction. “I used to work for Exit
Art,” he explained. Ah yes, of course. Then Camillo mentioned
that Abraham’s daughter had recently shown in Boston. That was
news to me. Perhaps
the most fascinating interaction came when I introduced him to Steve
Zevitas
the publisher of New American Painting and owner of
OSP Gallery. They seemed to glom onto each other engaging
in a dialogue about printing, binding, chopping, mailing,
cost per unit, and other
shop talk that had me as an attentive listener. Rarely
do you get insights on that level. Abraham suggested
that they meet again in NY or Miami
and further explore possibilities. Walking back to the
car he repeated a refrain heard frequently in the past
few days “It
is better to collaborate than compete. ” After such
intense dialogue it was a relief to drop him off at the bus stop.
But I came
away energized. As is always the case when I interact
with him, lots of mixed thoughts and emotions. But with
a tremendous upside for future projects, hopes and
dreams. How to explain that to
the boss, come Monday morning, when he views the empty
gallery with nothing but a raw text written on the
wall? Perhaps we’ll
just cancel the show. |
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