District 9

Film critics all over the place have been raving about District 9, and the trailers and storyline behind the film really sounded and looked good, and thus I made some time last week and saw the film in a packed theater in Germantown, MD.

Let me reveal a secret, not about the film itself, but a little secret code that us geeks who have always enjoyed science fiction, since childhood, through the demise, rebirth, re-demise and re-rebirths of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, etc. have devised since the mid 1960s.

This code lets true SF insiders know immediately who really knows what Science Fiction is all about, besides the usual drivel that Hollywood pumps out, with the occasional gem thrown in the mix, almost like a visual arts group show.

Whenever you read or listen to anyone writing or talking about science fiction, listen or read closely. If they say "SF" or "science fiction," then they are part of the brotherhood; if they say "sci-fi" then you immediately know that they're outsiders peeking in.

"Sci-fi" is politically incorrect and word suicide in the world of the genre's true aficionados and followers. Nerd code for "has no idea."

And what film critics all over have been raving about, is the interesting and (to them) unusual storyline in this "sci-fi film" about the tried and true "man meets alien" storyline.

The D9 storyline stands out not because SF hasn't got a rich and diverse set of ideas and novels about the subject, but because when dealing with aliens, Hollywood has repeatedly followed one road when giving us a movie about us meeting them. There are some exceptions, of course, but generally speaking... well you know what I mean.

District 9 will be the blockbuster of the summer season. This is by itself an unusual thing, since the movie has no stars in it, and was made by a 29-year-old South African director whom nobody ever heard of (Neill Blomkamp), and was filmed mostly in a garbage dump/landfill in that ghastly and ugly city that is Johannesburg.

The back story is that decades ago a massive alien ship appeared over Johannesburg and just sat there motionless. They didn't attack, or make contact, or anything. They just floated there, above the city. Once humans got curious enough, we broke into the ship and found a million starving aliens, apparently helpless and clueless.

First contact is not a pretty or as impressive as we expect it to be, and soon humans lose patience with the ravenous and violent aliens and segregate them into a ghetto outside Johannesburg which is called District 9.

As the present day storyline in the movie begins, a multinational corporation, seeking to profit from the alien war technology, assigns a geeky employee (Sharlton Copley, who does a spectacular job in the part, even though this was his first acting job, ever) the task to begin a massive re-location of the aliens to a refugee camp far from the city.

Geeks will be geeks, and my first issue with the movie storyline began as soon as I learned that the aliens had much more advanced technology that humans.

And yes, I do understand the interesting facets of the film addressing social issues through metaphor (although it is by far not the first time that SF has addressed social issues, often ahead of all other genres). The aliens are segregated, humans refer to them in a derogatory (racist?) manner as "prawns" because of their appearance, and everyone dislikes them, and they have no rights, etc.

But technology rules every time that two civilizations meet. In 1571, Don Juan de Austria led the Spanish Armada and ships from the Holy League against superior numbers from the Ottoman Empire. Outnumbered by almost 50 ships, Don Juan had superior technology and new tactics on his side, and the defeat of the Turks probably saved Europe from force conversion to Islam.

Just a handful of years later, in 1588, as an aging Armada approached England, it was English technology (better cannons, faster, smaller ships) and new tactics (run instead of fight, fireships) that saved the day for the British.

And it was technology that allowed a handful of Europeans to conquer much larger Native American empires, as Cortez in Mexico and Pisarro in South America did.

And it was technology and tactics that allowed the evil Nazi war machinery to sweep across Europe in the early years of WWII. Never mind the brave Polish horse cavalry charging against German tanks.

In D9, the aliens have ass-kicking war technology that only the aliens can operate, as the weapons are genetically matched to them. Humans can pull the trigger, but nothing happens.

So, how did we humans manage to corral a million technologically superior, often-violent and definitely ravenous aliens into a ghetto? The movie doesn't address this key point. We just fenced them all inside a nasty, ugly ghetto outside Johannesburg.

In the alien ghetto, Nigerians are depicted as evil profiteers who trade in alien weaponry for cat food, which apparently is a delicacy for the aliens. The Nigerians mistreat and insult, kill at random and even eat the aliens. Meanwhile the aliens just walk in and trade superior weaponry that only they can trigger, for canned cat food.

In a real life scenario: point, shoot, kill, take the canned food.

Makes my head hurt.

I'm sorry, but I am pedantic and this issue really blows the storyline for me.

Anyway, once we get past this, the main character goes to the alien ghetto to inform them that they are being relocated, runs into an alien scientist-type and his son, gets sprayed with some alien technology matter and things begin to change for him real fast.

It is an entertaining, fast paced movie full of great special effects and action. As such it is a good SF movie, but definitely not worth all the unusal accolades that it is receiving as a high brow, spectacularly intelligent, different "sci-fi movie."

You want intelligent, socially-relevant SF? Start making movies out of the stories by Harlan Ellison, Phillip Jose Farmer, etc.

By the way, at the end, the aliens do get moved, by then there are almost 3 million of them, and they now live in District 10.

Sequel en route.

Lee-Lange on In the Flesh II and thoughts on Cazón

The current show at Alexandria's Target Gallery is getting good critical attention. I reviewed it here, and Kevin Mellema reviewed it here.

And now Shauna Lee-Lange pops in with a new review here.

A nice thing to do this Sunday: go see this show at Target Gallery, then wander around the Torpedo Factory and get your own impression of the range of work being done there, and then walk up to La Tasca for some really good tapas (try the gambas al ajillo and their Buey al Jerez).

Speaking of Spanish tapas, I've noticed that my all time favorite tapa (Cazón) seems to have dissapperaed from Spanish restaurants in the Greater DC area.

I recently asked one the bartenders at Jaleo why Cazón was no longer on the menu and was told that it was removed because the owners were receiving some complaints about having shark on the menu.

Deep breathing...

I'm not going to get into a diatribe here about caving in to the squeaky wheel of possibly misinformed do-gooders (I can't figure out from some quick Googling if dogfish is on the endangered species), but, having lived in Andalucia, while Cazón is usually made with dogfish, a kind of shark, any solid-fleshed fish, such as monkfish, is also quite good. It's the marinating in garlic, olive oil and vinegar that gives the fish that really good flavor.

So if either monkfish or dogfish are endangered or possibly endangered, then switch to another abundant solid-fleshed fish and give me my Cazón back!

I'm going to cook some tonight. The Andalucian recipe is here.

What happens in Vegas

Other than the hell known as Navy bootcamp, I've had a moustache since High School (and from 1974-1983 a full beard).

When you've had face hair most of your life, it sort of defines you in a way that no other "thing" in your body or clothing does.

It also sort of defines the way that one conducts their daily routine.


Last month when I was returning from the California desert via a weekend in Las Vegas, the moustache came off.


More big news later... my upper lip is cold.

Mellema on the Torpedo Factory

My good friend Kevin Mellema, the art critic for the Falls Church News-Press, and one art critic who really gets around all the galleries in the DC area, has the following to say on the issues discussed here.

... As for the Torpedo Factory situation... All I know about it is what I just read on your blog. So I can't make any definitive comments about what has, or is likely to happen based on any inside info, etc.

I must say, that I'm hesitant to speak up at all. This is one of those thankless situations where you can make few friends, and a lot of enemies fast. Having said that I'll toss in my two cents worth on a general level. Maybe some of this will help the process..

I whole heartily agree with you on your comments about the Target Gallery within the Torpedo Factory. My beat being based in Northern Virginia, Target Gallery is one of five or six key venues that I try to cover on a regular basis. After that I get to travel around the area and cover other venues.

The Target Gallery regularly hosts international open call shows. Due to shipping costs and the like, they're functionally national shows with maybe one or two small international pieces thrown in. I don't know of anybody else in the entire DC metro area who is doing this. Virtually every other open call show in the area concentrates on the DC metro area, or if they get really open minded about it, the Mid-Atlantic region. Which is fine, but you know that there is valid art being made outside of a 200 mile radius from the Capitol Building. It seems to me that the art world in DC has taken on a bit of that 'inside the Beltway' blinkered viewpoint that DC is known for politically.

DC regularly gets sandpapered when some journalist writes about the fashion vacuum in DC. They stop just short of saying we're all dressed by LL Bean, or J. Crew. You could say DC is intellectually, and stylistically, a 'safe' town. People who work for the government don't particularly like having their political view points known. Keeping in mind that the government, traditionally speaking, has been the main employer in town. Some days I look around while driving, and it seems like they don't make vinyl siding in any color besides beige.

In short, DC can in many ways create it's own beige bubble. I may be alone in this view point, but I see some of that in the arts community around town as well. The one absolute exception being the Target Gallery. If you get around town enough you'll see the same 100 or 200 folks reconfigured in show after show after show. You walk into the Target Gallery and if you're really up on everybody in town you might pick up on one or two local artists, and the rest will be completely new to you... and likely never to be seen again.

For what is essentially a tiny gallery space, the Target Gallery is doing a magnificent job.

What goes on around the Target Gallery, within the Torpedo Factory, is the polar opposite of that. The Art League puts on an endless series of member shows, with the core room dedicated to featured solo exhibitions.

The artists out in the studio spaces seem to never change at all. I know they change, but for the most part it's imperceptible. The artists at the Torpedo Factory are in effect running small stores. In many ways the facility has more in common with Tyson's Corner Mall than probably any of us would be comfortable admitting to.

I poke my head into some of the stalls from time to time. It often seems as though I've seen it all before. Painting the same picture over and over again, as you said. Which is not to say that some of these folks aren't doing fabulously skilled work. However it is commercial work almost universally geared to sell to tourists, and I would imagine interior decorators. 'Blood and Guts' art it is not.

I can distinctly recall asking one artist if they showed anywhere else. The response was a rather gruff no. Elaborated on by pointing out that to do so would mean having to give up half their profit to someone else. Valid point taken. Distinct disinclination to experiment, expand their horizons, etc. also duly noted.

The Torpedo Factory is a very safe environment for artists, who generally speaking turn out safe art which anyone would be comfortable hanging on their dining room wall. All fine to a point. But too much of one thing makes for a boring scene.

I'm a big believer in artistic cross pollination. I think the process feeds on new ideas and view points. I don't see that happening there.

I'd support some degree of shake up at the Torpedo Factory. I think it would be good for them, and good for the DC arts community at large. I don't want to see people tossed out on their can, but some middle ground seems worth seeking out. Old Town Alexandria isn't exactly the edgiest part of the Metro area. Can they really hack having 'blood and guts' artists in there?? As you've pointed out, it's a can of worms.

Art Whino seemed to be doing OK on St. Asaph Street a dozen or so blocks a way, before they moved. Then again, that was safely away from the waterfront area.

People who seek out pithy art tend to avoid the Torpedo Factory. It's one reason I keep hammering on the notion that the Target Gallery really is one of the best gallery venues in town.

As for ink jet prints, by whatever name... I must say that when it comes to color photography, in many ways the computer prints exceed the quality of traditional wet bath prints.

A) Color prints have a notoriously short life span. You hear all sorts of numbers thrown around, and it always depends on light exposure, humidity, and temperature... but 20 years is about it for a C print. Archival computer prints are now claiming 100+ years.

B) Photo images tend to get nastier and nastier the bigger you make them. Where as computer interpolation software can hold resolution as the print size grows. Suddenly big prints have the crispness of smaller ones.

C) I have an intuitive sense that the tonal range and color intensity is now better on digital prints. C-prints can often come out dark and muddy where a digital print would retain the snap of say a transparency. While I always loved the look of transparencies on a light box, I was almost universally disappointed in the print versions. Color photographic images always seemed to suffer an unacceptable degree of degradation when they went to print.

Early Iris Inkjet prints had a nasty D-Max problem with their blacks. You could see through them to the paper support underneath the ink. To my eye those things were a visual version of fingernails run across a blackboard. But once that problem was solved, it was as if those light box images could finally be seen on paper, and hung on the wall.

On the other hand, I'm not a great fan of digital reproductions of prior art work. It can be done well, but befitting its cheaper price tag, often isn't.

What you really don't want to see at the Torpedo Factory is digital print sales making the place even more commercial and safe than it already is. The Thomas Kinkade-ing of the Torpedo Factory. Shudder the thought.

In short, an edgy component thrown into the mix at the Torpedo Factory would be a welcome relief to many of us. And hopefully expand the viewer base that comes to see work there. Win-Win. How you go about doing that fairly is a political maze someone else will have to run.

- Kevin Mellema

And then a second set of thoughts from Kevin:

Given a couple of days to think about it....

I think that if the Torpedo Factory took a block of say three studio stalls on the ground floor (high visibility spots), and turned them into artist in residence stalls, it would go a long way towards changing the flavor of the place.

Figuring that each stall houses two artists, as it pretty much does now.... three stalls would give you room for six artists in residence spots at any one time. If you rotate out one studio stall a month... artists in residence would be there three months. Enough time to settle down, make some art, show it, and sell it. Also give the general art hopping crowd a three month window to see the work.

On a yearly basis, you're talking about bringing in 24 new artists a year... hopefully many from around the country, and even internationally.

Rotating them once a month should cut down on a mass exodus chaos scene if you rotated them all out at once... not to mention that the folks who have already been there a month or two could help orient the newcomers in a way the natives would find difficult.

Then you get into housing issues and the like.... everything has its complications.

As for the 'studio space for life' situation that currently seems to exist... I suppose you could implement a policy for new arrivals, which would have them as a sort of underclass status. It would take decades for the new order to be the prevailing one.

I imagine even talking about changing the status quo will stir up a lot of bad blood.

I do think that the place needs a vital influx element thrown into the mix. For Washingtonians there isn't a lot there drawing you in past the Target Gallery. How many times would you go to the National Gallery, the Corcoran, or the Phillips, if they displayed nothing but the permanent collections? We all know it's the traveling shows that draw us in there. Once in the house, we'll wander around given enough time, and see the permanent stuff as well. But the permanent stuff doesn't, generally speaking, draw us in. Same goes for the Torpedo Factory.

I also think the local DC art scene desperately needs more connection to the hubs in LA, NY, and Chicago. An artist in residency program at the Torpedo Factory could be a key part of that. We're all a little too comfortable here in DC.

DC's claim to semi-fame is a small disjointed band of artists who played with color 30-50 years ago.... That should make us all squirm in our seats a bit. There's resting on your laurels, but this is getting to be a case of basking in the glory of your forefathers.... they aren't even our laurels any more....

Artists in residency program at the Torpedo Factory.....not the final word on the topic, but it's my best idea.

- Kevin Mellema

Narrative is in

I've been shouting this forever; read about it here.

Staycations

WaPo art critic Michael O'Sullivan pops in with a very cool article in today's Post on "staycations."

The article is made even cooler by the fact that he recommends "Finding Beauty in a Broken World: In the Spirit of Frida Kahlo." Art inspired by the life, writings and imagery of the late Mexican painter. Now through Aug. 29 at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Farm Center, 1632 U St. NW. 202-483-8600 and curated by yours truly.

Read the article here.

Saturday: 100 Artists to Paint DC's Largest Public Art Mural

The capital’s largest public art event is happening this Saturday, from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM with over 100 muralists, artists, and the public painting a wall larger than a football field in the Edgewood neighborhood in Northeast.

The Edgewood Mural Jam is sponsored by the public art non-profit Albus Cavus and the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities, the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program, Liquitex, Beacon House, District Department of Transportation, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and the Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center.

The event is for all ages and will feature activities for children, good food, a community area for everyone who comes to pick up a brush and paint, and there will be DJs with music for entertainment.

What: Edgewood Mural Jam
Who: 100 public artists and the community painting a wall bigger than a football field
Where: Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center, 680 Rhode Island Ave NE (behind the stores), next to Rhode Island WMATA Station on Red Line
When: Saturday, August 15, 10:00 am to 8:00 PM

The DC community is invited to participate in the largest interactive public art event of the summer by meeting the artists, watching them work, and picking up a paintbrush to join in.

Over the last eight weeks in DC, artists Decoy, Quest Skinner, Pose 2, Chor Boogie and Joshua Mays have been leading a group of young people from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Summer Youth Employment Program to develop, design, and create a mural for the DC community. "From Edgewood to the Edge of the World" is the anchor art piece that reflects the souls of the artists and invites the public to imagine a new world. The Edgewood Mural Jam will nearly double the size of public art piece in one day as 100 artists have been invited to contribute their art. The mural walls are visible from the Rhode Island WMATA metro station on the Red Line and along the new Metropolitan Branch Trail.

Details here.

For the Torpedo Factory: The Star Trek Effect

One of the most unusual things that one notices as a gallerist, especially if the gallery is lucky enough to be able to afford a street level storefront and to have a large window or glass front to the street, is what I've previously called "the Star Trek effect."

In Star Trek, humans have developed the force field technology, which in most cases obviates the need for glass or some sort of transparent physical protection in a window or opening. Instead they have transparent force fields that allows the ship to have a window or door to the beauties of space, but without glass or plastic, and instead using an invisible force field to keep the vacuum of space out and Trekkers in. They also use it instead of jail bars, etc.

In the gallery world, sometimes an invisible force field envelops the gallery as well.

For example, in the case of either of my two former galleries, both the one in Georgetown and the one in Bethesda, there was ample viewing space from the outside, as both galleries have a large glass front, in Bethesda's case, wrapped all around the gallery space.

This gives the gallerist inside a perfect view of everything going on outside the gallery. And it gives people outside the gallery a decent view of the art inside the space. Quickly one notices a pattern: people will cup their hands to block out out the sun's glint and then look inside. They do this rather than stepping into the gallery and looking at the work directly. If it was a shoe store, they'd walk in; a gallery is more of a challenge.

Another example: In Bethesda the gallery is in a plaza surrounded by other businesses. Once a month or so, our neighbor, formerly Discovery Channel and now Comcast, would have a fire drill and hundreds of people would be milling around the gallery in the plaza. Dozens and dozens of them would have their hands cupped and peering inside from the outside.

I would then get up and prop open the gallery doors, and an even more curious thing would happen. Someone would stand just at the door, and lean forward into the gallery and look in, without actually stepping in. The Star Trek field is in full effect now.

Realizing that I had forgotten to turn the force field off, I would then walk in and out of the gallery a couple of times. This has the magical effect of turning off the field from the inside, and suddenly dozens of persons, seeing an actual human come in and out of the gallery unharmed, would pour in.

Last weekend I walked around the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, brought there to look at the exceptional show at the Target Gallery. While I was there I spoke to various artists about the troubles that are facing the TF these days.

I also walked around the TF itself, trying to see if anything stood out to my eye as one potential and easy improvement.

As soon as I walked outside to look at the beauty of the Potomac River, it jumped out at me.

The beautiful plaza outside the TF and around the river was crawling with people, entertainers, families, tourists, etc. It was packed!

The doors that connect the Torpedo Factory to this plaza were closed. Not locked, but closed and need to be pulled/pushed to be opened in order for people from the outside to step into the Factory. Not only that, but they certainly could use a paint job.

The simplest solution sometimes stares us in the face. You want more people to come inside the TF? Then open the doors to the outside during the milder months! That alone won't solve the problem, but it will help. Trust me!

Try this next weekend and see what wonders it makes in improving the traffic flow to the Factory.

Oh yeah... if you forget to turn the force field off, just send a couple of artists to walk in and out of the Factory every couple of hours or so.

Wanna go to a DC opening this Friday?

"My Space on 7th" opens at Touchstone Gallery with an opening reception on Friday, August 14, from 6-8:30pm with an open exhibition featuring 90 local artists:

Sangeeta Agrawal, Nataliya Andreyeva, Neyla Arnas, Keith Arnold, Olu Babalola, Crystal Banks, David Barr, Mark Behme, Pat Bennett, Gary Bergel, Olga Berman, Carl Bettenhausen, Harmon Biddle, Wendy Bridges, Marsha Brown, Kirstin L Bruner, Alza Burd, Pierre Cartier, August ShowAdam Chamy, Zhee Chatmon, Anne Cherubim, Rob Chester, Mark S. Chevalier, James Coates, Ceci Cole McInturff, Michele Cormier, Charlie Dale, Anthony Dortch, Matt Dunn, Derran Eaddy, Linda Elliff, Michelle Fatovic, Alex Feshenko, Isabelle Spicer, Kim Frietze, Kent Gay, Eric M. Ginsburg, Marcia Green, JoAnne Growney, Jackie Hoysted, Sandra Humphrey, Carin A. Jackson, Jessica Jastrzebski, jodi, Linda Keller, David Korte, David A. Kosar, Radha Krishnakumar, Mary D. Lambert, Paula Lantz, Emery J. Lewis, Mary Mallia, Frank M. Mancino, Amy Marshall, JoAnn McInnis, Ivan Mendizabal, Mark Mennie, Anita Merina, David Mills, Del Moran, Kiran Mukunda, Carlos Munoz, Natalie Oguara, Mary D. Ott, Samuel Pastore, Wendy Plotkin-Mates, Keith Ramsey, Juvale Regala, Marina Reiter, Neil Rogers, Pam Rogers, Julia Rosenbaum, Deborah Saks, Zakhar Sasim, Peter Schechter, Charles A. Sessoms, Amelia Shachoy, Paul Sharratt, Janathel Shaw, Raju Singh, John Sislin, Destry Sparks, Aaron Spindler, Ulrich Stein, Elena Tchernomazova, Dana Thompson, Sally ShangMing Tsou, Caroline Urbania, Susan Van Pool and Monica Wise.

Details here.

Glassing the gallery

One of the nation’s leading warm glass studios, our area's own Washington Glass School, has joined forces with the area’s largest hot glass studio DC GlassWorks. This collaboration has delivered an outstanding sculptural exhibition of work by the member artists and instructors.

The Washington Glass School is known for narrative and content-driven glass work, and DC GlassWorks has become an area favorite for sculptural blown glass artwork, and together they represent everything that has made the region one of the planet's hottest spots for contemporary art glass.

And now artDC hosts a hot exhibition at their new gallery at the Lustine Center in Hyattsville, MD, showcasing the collaborative spirit of the two studios in a show titled The Common Element: Glass and Sculpture.

The Common Element: Glass and Sculpture
ARTDC Gallery
5710 Baltimore Avenue
Hyattsville, MD 20781
301-209-0116
August 15 - September 6, 2009
Reception August 15, 2009, 4-6 pm

Artists include: Patrick Burke, David Cook, Joe Corcoran, Cheryl P. Derricotte, Nancy Donnelly, Sean Hennessey, Michael Janis, Steven Jones, Brendan Kager, Jennifer Lindstrom, David D'Orio, Anne Plant, Ragan Sheridan, Erwin Timmers, Megan Van Wagoner and Sue Weisenburger.

Preview here.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: August 31, 2009

Baltimore's Galerie Myrtis will host “Picture a World without Cancer”, a fundraising event in support of the Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, a nonprofit health, education and creative arts organization which serves individuals, families and communities affected by cancer and other serious illnesses.

Galerie Myrtis is seeking works of art (ceramics, painting, photography, sculpture and textiles) to be sold in support of the event. The sales proceed will be divided as follows: fifty percent to the artist and the remaining fifty percent (50%) will be donated to the Smith Farm Center.

The proceeds will support Smith Farms Center’s project to expand their facilities and services to the community. These plans will enhance their programs, increase participation, make programs accessible and increase their visibility in the community.

Fundraising Event:
Location: Galerie Myrtis, 2224 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
Date: Sunday, September 27, 2009
Time: 2:00 – 7:00 pm

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: August 31, 2009 (There are no submission fees)

JURORS: Alvah Beander, Appraiser of African, African American and African Diaspora art; Tim Davis, International Visions Gallery; Phylicia Ghee, Photographer; and Julia Keller, The Walters Art Museum.

ELIGIBITY: This opportunity is open to artists residing in the Washington Metropolitan and Baltimore areas. Artists working in the following disciplines are invited to participate: ceramics, painting, photography, sculpture and
textile. All works must be original creations made by the artist within the last 2 years.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: CD's are preferred and should provide: images of the artworks, current artist's statement, biography and resume. A list which includes the following information must accompany the CD: title, dimensions, medium, year and price of featured works. 35mm plastic slide mounts must be labeled with the name of artist, title, and labeled “top” on correct viewing side of slide. A list which includes the following information must accompany the slides: corresponding number, title, dimensions, medium, year and price. Please include a Self-addressed stamped envelope for return of your slides.

Artist may submit no more than five (5) artworks for consideration.

Please send materials to:

Galerie Myrtis
2224 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218

For additional information please contact Galerie Myrtis at 410/235-3711 or phyliciag@galeriemyrtis.com.

In the Flesh II at the Target Gallery

Prompted by this Kevin Mellema review, I dropped by Alexandria's Target Gallery last weekend to see the exhibition In The Flesh II (through August 30 with an Opening Reception: August 13 – 6-8pm, and a Gallery talk with curator Andrea Pollan at 7pm).

Target Gallery has been consistently one of the Greater DC area's best, and many times, only art venues to routinely showcase artwork by artists outside the Greater DC region, as their national calls are usually well responded to by artists all over the nation and even internationally.

Under the skilled guidance of gallery director Mary Cook, the gallery has refined its presence, thanks in part to the superb set of jurors that Cook has been able to bring to the gallery, such as Andrea Pollan for In The Flesh II. Pollan writes in her juror statement:

Figurative art has had a resurgence in recent years, no doubt brought on by the barrier-breaking internet and its promise of access to all kinds of social information - including things previously kept private – that emphasize what strange and fascinating creatures we are. Witness the popularity of YouTube.com, where the more extreme the videotaped image or behavior is by social consensus, the more frequently a link goes viral and gets viewed. Our self-absorption knows no bounds. Our bodies are endlessly fascinating.

Concurrent with this technological phenomenon is an international spate of important survey exhibitions of such figurative artists as Willem De Kooning, Francis Bacon, and Alice Neel. The Hirshhorn currently has its “Strange Bodies” exhibition on view with works in all media that span the 20th and 21st centuries, and The Phillips Collection is presenting the historic survey “Painting Made Flesh.” Clearly there is something in the wind.

The organizing premise of this juried exhibition is figurative work. From over 800 submissions, it was extremely difficult to cull an exhibition of only 27 works. Many very fine works were sacrificed in the final few rounds of jurying. My primary criterion was to select works of artistic quality, sometimes traditional and sometimes not. Clearly the poetic, the mysterious, the contemplative, the whimsical, the political, and sometimes the dark side of humanity characterize many of the works on view. This may be attributed to my juror’s bias that includes a predilection for a good imagined story.

Figurative work in general encompasses a broad range of genre and technique. For the works at the Target Gallery, I aimed to assemble a collection of art that reveals the power the figure has to engage the viewer whether realistic, expressionistic, surrealistic, documentary or mediated by another medium. As an audience we more easily identify with figuration as we already have an entrée into the work of art by virtue of the subject. Given the depicted content, we then by nature project narratives onto the work, so we become an active participant in the interpretation of the work. These stories are the deeply seated human connection that binds us to each other and to the art on view.

Many thanks to the astounding number of artists who submitted from around the country and to the staff at the Target Gallery, especially Mary Cook, for providing a wonderful opportunity to get to know work of so many artists in far-flung areas.

As soon as one enters the gallery, the first thing that we notice is the very interesting installation by Stephanie Liner, which in a sense dominates at first sight, in part because of its scope, and in part because of the size and fascinating sculptural ideas delivered by the artist.


Stephanie Liner – Momentos of a Doomed Construct. Full view Installation.


Stephanie Liner – Momentos of a Doomed Construct. Full view Installation (side view).


Stephanie Liner – Momentos of a Doomed Construct. Large form with door open.


Stephanie Liner – Momentos of a Doomed Construct, detail (inside large form).
It is also clear that Momentos of a Doomed Construct (is it Momentos or Mementos?) would have shown better by itself in a larger space, kudos to Pollan for selecting it and kudos to Target for showcasing it as well as they did.

This show is full of great work, and there are several artists here who should really be seen by our local collectors and by my fellow art dealers. Pollan's experienced eye has delivered a winner and this show is by far one of the best figurative shows that I have seen in years.

The first piece that attracted my attention was Anna Kipervaser's Inunion (3), an oil painting on shaped panel that immediately brought to my mind the similarly shaped panels of Cuban artist Aimee Garcia Marrero that we showed in Georgetown and also in Bethesda several years ago.

Anna Kipervaser, Inunion (3). Oil on Shaped Panel
In either case, both artists' technical facility translates superbly to the shaping of the panel, which then delivers a piece that somewhat marries painting with sculpture and that does well in either case.


Ann Piper, Censored.Oil on Canvas
Ann Piper's Censored is just a good painting, period. This is an obviously skilled painter with enviable painting skills and a talented brush, and she flexes those abilities in a rather simple but sexy painting with a hint of playfulness and a load of seriousness attached to it via its title.

Jason John's mastery of the genre of hyper-realism blew me away. This is hyper-realism at its best with a hint of surrealism, or is it?


Jason John, Conversation of a Paranormal Event, Oil on Board
Has the child's magical flick of the wrist lifted the object in the upper left in a gravity-defying act? or is the object a helium filled balloon orbiting the painting of its own accord? The answer lies in the way that the man responds to the scene and under John's talented hand, the painting succeeds in grabbing our attention through his.

Other works worthy of attention were Colin Asmus' two pieces in the show, which deliver a marriage of social situations with a touch of internet insanity and excellent painting skills. I also liked Jeffrey Haupt's sexy and a little eerie Miss A, a large oil on panel (56'x35") which is a steal at $1,250.

Strong narrative is the key to the success of Jami Nix's 42nd Street Time Square Station, a piece depicting a bunch of NYC cops with canine assistants inspecting the famous subway station.

Rachel Sitkin's graphite titled Under Question represents drawing well in the show, as does Jeff Markowsky's superb charcoal drawing.

Finally, Valerie Patterson's watercolor Woman is the Other has a touch of the magical madness of Gregory Gillespie's work, and leaves us unsure if we're witnessing a macabre act or a depicting of loss of identity or self-esteem.

This show is a winner; almost every piece could have been a Best in Show on its own, and my choice for Best in Show would go to Jason John.

Don't miss the opening on Thursday, August 13, from 6-8pm.

New DC gallery

New (to me anyway) is Momento Gallery at Wisconsin Avenue, NW in DC. They come to the scene already representing some well-known DC area artists such as Andres Tremols, Richard Dana, Joan Belmar, Randall Packer and Patricia Secco.

Visit them online here.

Confirmed

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm President Obama's appointments to chair the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Rocco Landesman, a Broadway producer noted for award-winning productions like Angels in America, Big River and The Producers, was confirmed as the new chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. For twenty years, Landesman has been the president of Jujamcyn Theaters, New York's third largest theater owner.

Jim Leach was also confirmed as the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Leach is a former Republican congressman from Iowa and is a professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Artists' Websites: Jason John

I've just discovered the work of Pennsylvania artist Jason John at the Andrea Pollan juried show at the Target Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia and I was very impressed by John's piece in that very strong show full of gems.

Jason John, Conversation of a Paranormal Event, Oil on Board
And it is not only the amazing technical virtuosity of this hyper-realist artist, but also the intelligent composition and the way that the concept and idea is delivered by John's skilled brushwork. Look at the subtle way that the "paranormal" in the work (in this case the floating balloons) is introduced... we almost miss it as we're enchanted by the brilliant twist of the child's wrist and the terrestial look in the man's face.

Visit his website here.

Factory Statistics

My recent post on the issues facing the Torpedo Factory has been getting a lot of attention. My good friend Margaret Huddy (and a superbly talented artist) pops in with some very enlightening stats and also lets us know that "Mr. Pope got Joan Aldrich's name wrong. I wondered why I had never heard of her. Her correct name is Joan Ulrich and she does have a studio on the first floor. She is a ceramic artist."

Here are some statistics on lease-holding TF artists.

There are currently 143 leaseholders. Of them only 18 are original artists. In the 20 years between 1974 and 1994, 600 artists have been leaseholders. From 1993 to 1003, 113 lease-holding artists left. From 2004 to 2009 33 leaseholding artists left and 41 new artists were added.

From 2007 to 2008, nine more artists became leaseholders. Only 10 artists on the waiting list of juried artists are actually wanting to have studio in the art center. Many of the rest live as far away as Washington state and California. They keep their name on the list "just in case" they ever move back (one is 85, so I doubt she will, but you never know).

We do the best we can to attract new artists for our annual jury but many people find the idea of working in the public eye very daunting. One artist who sublet from me left after three weeks. She said she felt like a monkey in a zoo.

Art Worth the Trip: Ann Arbor’s Art Fair x 4

By Robin Tierney

You can expect an optical deluge at any city art fair. Ann Arbor, Michigan, combines four fairs into one mid-July 1,200-artist ‘palooza, so you really have to pace yourself.

Doing so, I had energy to find love at first sight three times at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, at the far end of my route. Billed “The Original,” the 50-year-old event is also the first juried outdoor art event.

First crush: the meticulous, sensitive portraits of animals in the wild and amusing hand-tinted illustrations that seemed plucked from vintage books. Brief titles such as “Battle of the Naked Bunnies” trigger musings about possible plot lines. Ann Arbor native David Bigelow studied printmaking and drawing nearby at the University of Michigan. Now living in Ozark, Missouri, he captures the overlooked details of life and lives, and especially in his drawings turns humor into a tool.

Animals, vegetables (carrots abound), and minerals convey thoughts on human foibles. David cares that people get his ideas and often solicits onlookers’ reactions.

He got mine, and in return I learned how he re-purposed “the worst paper” by “working with what was there instead of trying to impose my will.” He tore the edges and used the large surfaces to draw achingly detailed large beings, such as this elephant [show pictures]. While taking a photo of his rhino etching, I adopted David’s ethos and tried to make the reflections of fair passersby work. See what you think.

“They are good for your eyes,” smiles Bigelow about his work. A good reason to visit dbigelowstudio.com.

Next, I walked back to the 17th century. With his breath-stopping etchings, Grant Silverstein could have passed as a contemporary of Rembrandt. For 30 years, the Mansfield, Pa.-based artist has sought to preserve “a way of looking at things that is still valuable.” He tells the La Fontaine fable behind “The ears of a hare”: after a lion banned horned animals from his kingdom, a rabbit concludes from a shadow that his ears could get him into deep trouble.

Another Difficult Kiss. Intaglio Etching by Grant Silverstein
“Another Difficult Kiss” started as a tiny study of two figures. Silverstein then made it the center of a large-scale village scene complete with fiddler cycling in a wheeled hammock, an element inspired by a contraption spotted during his own travels. Savor Silverstein’s etched allegories, nudes and landscapes at GrantSilverstein.com.

“Classical alien, mystic surrealism” is how Michael Madzo describes his oeuvre. I’d seen his work at Zenith Gallery in D.C.; he has been at this for 20 years. He layers paper and paint, cuts apart perfectly good paintings, reassembles the pieces, and stitches them back together using a sewing machine. Rather than build the image in the brain or in sketches, Madzo pieces by intuition. “It’s like assembling a jigsaw puzzle without the reference pictures.”

The process is akin to how memory and consciousness work, he says. “We’re always adding pieces to a collage of experiences from every day. We start each day in a new country and as a new person.”

There’s a hint of Marc Chagall, but the content, spirit and subterfuge are pure Madzo.

If you visit Ann Arbor before the 2010 Art Fair, check out the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Reopened March 28 after completion of a new wing, it features an impressive collection, including a warrior sculpted from detonated AK-47s. Catch “Warhol Snapshots” between Aug. 23 and Nov. 1.

Mellema on Target Gallery

This review by Kevin Mellema has really intrigued me and because of it I dropped by Alexandria's Target Gallery (inside the Torpedo Factory, first floor) last weekend to see the show.

To say that I was blown away, as impressed by a gallery group show as I have been in many years, does not even begin to cover how good this show is. It is juried by my good friend Andrea Pollan and I know that Andrea must have been as impressed as I was by the really high quality and intriguing, innovative work by the national and international artists that she selected.

These are nearly all "new" artists in the sense that most of them are not from around the region, and their work is a breath of fresh air on a rather mundane subject/focus for the show. More on the show itself, from my point of view later, but if you can, get yourself to Target and see this show.

And for my fellow dealers: take the time to go see this show, there are 3-4 diamonds in there ready for prime time.

This show reaffirms what I have been thinking for a long time: Target Gallery is easily the leading edge gallery in Alexandria, and I dare say in the region, and sort of the seed for what the Factory itself needs to do (in part) to re-invent/re-vitalize itself.

Read the Mellema review here; mine will be up soonest.

Wind Wasp-aided

Just back from an encounter with an underground nest of wasps or hornets while out in the woods.

Bad news: three very painful stings.

Good news: new world record set in the 200 meter dash uphill.

Bad news: the International Association of Athletics Federation does not recognize world record times set when the runner is being chased by a cloud of angry insects.

Opportunity for Artists and Curators

International Deadline: September 1, 2009

1708 Gallery in Richmond, VA is seeking exhibition proposals from artists and curators for its 2011 exhibition season. 1708 Gallery is a non-profit arts organization founded by artists in 1978. Their mission is to present exceptional new art. Artists and curators may submit proposals for single or group shows of all media.

Download complete Prospectus here or call 804/643-1708, or write:

1708 Gallery
Exhibitions and Programming Committee
P.O. Box 12520
Richmond, VA 23241