• May Picks – Christopher Chambers

    Date posted: April 30, 2006 Author: jolanta

    May Picks

    Christopher Chambers

    Lots of picks this month. First, the art fairs: From Scope I remember Jason Clay
    Lewis’ fuzzy white blob, which turned out to be a rabbit fur encrusted Buddha,
    in Max Henry’s curated room. Max is curating a show for Stefan Stux this
    May, and there should be more of Lewis’ creations for our perusal among
    other choice items. According to Mr. Henry, the artist is also involved in something
    or other at 31 Grand in Williamsburg. From the Armory Show on the piers two things
    stand out: One of only a few abstract paintings in the fair was a fairly large,
    lovely paint and collage presentation of rectangular afro-perm sheets by Mark
    Bradford in the Lombard-Freid booth, and the butterfly umbrella 9/11 memorial
    installation by Victor Mathews that was curated by Ombretta Agrò.

    In the galleries
    William Wegman’s works at Sperone Westwater were amusingly witty, as one
    by now expects from the hounded fellow. He continues with his vignette theme
    of several years standing; this time by pasting postcards to his canvases and
    painting in connecting areas so that a jumbled landscape takes form. It’s
    kind of a “one-liner,” but a good one.

    Thomas Erben Gallery
    showcased noteworthy youngster Sarah Emerson’s first solo in NYC. She paints
    in the undisputed paint-by-the-numbers cliché of the moment of hard edges
    w/cutesy subject matter. She exhibited four acrylic paintings of wildlife enhanced
    with little accents of glitter stuff and one floral piece largely composed of
    sparkles. I thought the two endearing bucks were only sleeping, but looking back,
    I guess they wuz dead. This month the gallery is doing a tandem showing of subtly
    textured minimalist paintings by Paul Pagk and sculptures of abstracted fire
    escapes, gas stations and other things arté povera. ~ Andrea Rosen Gallery
    had absolutely gorgeous paintings by Gillian Carnegie. Now, this was surprising
    for this gallery, because the only conceptual bent was in application and technique,
    which ran the paint lover’s gamut of lean to fat and back again. Basically
    they were figures in landscapes, and one portrait of a juicy hominid ass.

    Universal Concepts
    Unlimited is putting on an elaborate installation of sight and sound this month
    of May; something about the catacombs of a derelict, obsolete luxury ocean liner
    – this by New York man Robert Wogan.

    May Pick of the
    Month goes to Carlo Ferarris at Florence Lynch Gallery. Ferraris makes conceptual
    art objects and videos imbued with wry humor and genuinely touching sentimentality.
    Two examples (more of the wry varietal than the other) from his exhibition are
    a flashlight that somehow shines darkness on lit areas and a microwave oven that
    conversely acts as a flash freezer. He has a simultaneous one man show in Paris
    at Galerie Corinne Caminade.

    -Christopher Chambersimage:

    Sarah Emerson

    FLATLAND SHADOWS, 2002

    Acrylic and rhinestones on canvas

    52” x 84”, 132 x 213cm

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