LOOK INTO MY OWL

For one week, the Dillon Gallery has opened its beautiful ground floor space in Chelsea to the scent sculptures of internationally recognized perfumer Christophe Laudamiel.

Christophe Laudamiel, Phantosmia, installation view, 2012.

The smell that hits the visitor as they enter the gallery is titled “The Remembrance of Things Lost”. The critical components that went into the production of the rich discharge were inspired by the life of Marlene Dietrich. Each tent cordoned off individual auras with the overall gallery aroma serving as a reference to recalibrate the nose.

Christophe Laudamiel, Phantosmia, installation view, 2012.

I’m quite accustomed to having my senses plucked when encountering artwork but this groundbreaking effort shifted my sensitivities to a variety of pongs encountered elsewhere that evening. Gallery night is a vision quest for me but I was pleased to have Laudamiel open my nose to other possibilities. It was a surprise to feel the wildness of “The Banana and the Monkey” and pure delight to emerge from the face twisting enclosure entitled “Fear.” The installation is only in place for a few more days so move quickly to see… er, smell this one.

Christophe Laudamiel, The Banana and the Monkey, exhibition label, 2012.

Christophe Laudamiel
Phantosmia – all but the smell
25 January – 1 February 2012
Dillon Gallery
NYC

Images courtesy of Dillon Gallery.

Steve Gianakos has again, for the fifth time now, filled Fredericks & Freiser with a wonderful attack on the wholesome. The show runs through February 18th at the Chelsea gallery and I highly recommend seeing the paintings in person.

Steve Gianakos, She Decided to Throw the Party Anyway, acrylic on canvas, 2011.

The opening night was very well attended. Coats came off and it seemed that people wanted to stay. There existed a noticeable boundary between the viewers and the paintings. The glances this work received were short as though it would be psychologically telling to be caught gazing. The minimal approach to the craft is a clever response to this natural behavior. It’s OK now here online, go ahead, peel back those lids and have a good long stare.

Steve Gianakos, It Had An Abrupt Melodramatic Conclusion, acrylic on canvas, 2011.

There is no cause for concern, these disturbances do not leave lasting harm on the psyche. They are retained as clever reminders to genuine diversity. Steve Gianakos has been pricking us for some time now and we can’t get enough.

Steve Gianakos, The Farm Had Been Rescinded Just A Month Earlier, acrylic on canvas, 2011.

Steve Gianakos
New Paintings
19 January – 18 February 2012
Fredericks & Freiser Gallery
NYC

Images courtesy of Fredericks & Freiser Gallery.

The beginning of 2012 marked the end of Dongwook Lee’s six month New York residency. The Doosan Gallery made the extended stay possible and now we get to see some of the work Mr. Lee created during his time in this country. The exhibition is titled “Love Me Tender” and runs in Chelsea through the middle of February.

Dongwook Lee, Mermaid, mixed media, 2004.

Dongwook Lee has put together some very powerful sculptures for his first solo exhibition on U.S. soil. His miniature mixed media figures each have an amazing amount of detail. The facial expressions and body forms were captured with a clarity that commands the viewer move in for close inspection and then to move in for an even closer look.

Dongwook Lee, I Know Everything, mixed media, 2010.

Lee’s characters find themselves hooked, tied, cubed, canned and worse. The countenance of these unfortunate positions linger long after viewing. The size difference between spectator and subject increases the empathic qualities that run through the works. It is a sensation that recalls witnessing childish cruelty to insects, all we can manage to say is, “stop!” before stealing that next licentious glance.

Dongwook Lee, Sailor, mixed media, 2004.

Dongwook Lee
Love Me Tender
19 January – 18 February 2012
Doosan Gallery
NYC

Images courtesy of Doosan Gallery.