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.