Sunday, May 11, 2008

AOM

Heather over at DCist has a terrific overview of Artomatic and one that gets it: it's not just about the art. Read it here.

It will take several visits to digest this massive show, but I am already hearing the usual mix of kudos and complaints about the show.

It is also easy to predict what the press and writers think: if you never liked AOM because it was free, open, unjuried and democratic, then you won't like it this time or 100 times from now, regardless of what the actual art or artists do. This is called being "close minded" and it is an integral part of being a human being. Some people prefer controlled, juried or curated exhibitions only, and that's OK, even though sometimes -- often times -- they can yield silly shows like the most recent Whitney Biennials. Others are OK with both environments.

Having been to and seen every single AOM since it started, for me the fun part -- other that breathing in all the artistic good karma and energy that it releases upon the Greater DC area -- is trying to figure out who the emerging new art stars will be.

The past AOMs have yielded artistic finds such as the Dumbacher brothers, Tim Tate, Frank Warren, Kelly Towles, Kathryn Cornelius, Laurel Lukaszewski and many others.

I look forward to visiting AOM and this year I will focus strictly on artists who are new to me.

More later...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi Lenny,
thanks for being a supporter of Artomatic.
i'll be on a panel discussing 'art pricing' on the 22nd at artomatic... 7pm.
be sure to check out my wall on the 8th floor if you get a chance.
my best,

Unknown said...

Artomatic will always be what it is: a pay to play, massive, loud, "art" event. It has it's negatives and it's positives, like anything else.

I thought it interesting that you feel that someone who considers the AOM "bad" is "close minded" but at the same time you feel that most juried shows bring "silly" results. Doesn't this make you "close minded" as well?

"Close minded" is not a term I would use to describe someone who disagrees with me about art. They are just different. Some are just inexperienced or unfamiliar, or perhaps intimidated. I see it as an insulting thing to say and I assume that you don't. Viva la difference! And honestly, some critics seem as if they will never accept anything artful that happens in the DC area.

At the same time, folks have to admit that Artomatic isn't a high brow thing, it is what it is. And that's what makes it fun AND unique IMO. "Like a box of chocolates" and all.

Lenny said...

LG...

Tks for making good points. I never said "always" and OK... I'll stick to "sometimes" as far as producing silly shows. I never meant to imply that all curated shows deliver silly results.

I would never describe as "close minded" someone who disagrees about art with me - but I would describe as "close minded" someone who thinks - having visited one AOM - that all AOMs are worthless and base their opinion on their first initial reaction to AOM.

The last couple of Whitney Biennials have been - in my opinion - basically junk - but I still look forward to the next one and will come to it with an open mind.

Hope this makes it clearer...

Be careful though... AOM may not be a "highbrow" thing in all of its present incarnations, but be ready for parts of AOM to be raising the brow a little.

Anonymous said...

See review of Artomatic on Salt Mine blog at www.markpowerblog.com.

My "top ten":

Matt Smith: photography. Curiously radial self portraits in one plus triptych form.

Jennifer Coster: Framed baseball jerseys which have been deconstructed. Macho when seen in sport bars but here a sensitive homage to the pathos of passing time and baseball.

Janet Gohres: Sculpture: a flock of grazing crows ignore the city outside.

Paul Walters: Somber photographs of walls rich with suggestive texture and color.

Susan Gow: Paintings, surreal and somewhat unsettling, particularly the meat fish.

Brian Lusher: Paintings, maybe velvet?: Jesus as a drag queen.

Krissy Downing: Caricatural painting of a dentist’s nightmare.

Kevin Mitchell: Paintings, quotidian moments, well seen.

Roberta Staat: Drawings, a nice touch with pencil or pen.

No name: Portrait paintings. Search as I might I could not find a name. ( illustration on blog)

Images of the above on the blog.

Mark Power

Unknown said...

Haha! Brows up indeed! :) Every year I find something new and unexpected at AOM. It's like treasure hunting really. To me at least.

I definitely agree with your take on someone "dissing" AOM based on one visit, or perhaps one critics review. Why would anyone do that? If someone hated Hershey chocolate that doesn't mean they hate all chocolate. That would make them "close minded" in my book too.

Mark, Brian Lusher is on my top ten list as well, good stuff!