LOOK INTO MY OWL

“Twenty Paces” from Debra Hampton opened last night at Priska C. Juschka Fine Art in NYC. The exhibit is a mixed media affair with two dimensional collage based works as well as some excellent sculptures.

Debra Hampton, From Profit to Protection, magazine cut out, watercolor and ink on paper on board, 2009.

Our culture has for some time been sprinting toward a technological singularity. The imagery in “Twenty Paces” currently arouses parallels to science fiction but advances in robotics and artificial intelligence may make these pieces, with time, resemble fact.

The very real possibility of being confronted with “living” machines may be frightening but we have proven that we can become accustomed to the most unusual impacts progress has on society. Ten years ago, a person talking alone on a street corner would be cause for alarm. Today we may still check for the earpiece but it is assumed that the conversation is not a solitary exercise.

Debra Hampton, Suit of Armor #2, recyclable plastic containers and lids, glue, spray paint and clear glaze, 2010.

Recycling plays a strong part in the construction of all of Debra Hampton’s work regardless of media. “Suit of Armor” (above) literally gains it’s form from used but not forgotten plastic containers. The collage work recycles advertisements from magazines that adorn her figures with an activated consumerism that reminds the viewer of the future as well as a primitive past.

This is one of those exhibitions that I decided to cover a while back and have since had it recommended to my inbox many times from folks across the globe. Head over to Priska C. Juschka and find out what all the fuss is about for yourself.

Debra Hampton, Gold Rush, magazine cut out, watercolor and ink, 2008.

Debra Hampton
Twenty Paces
25 February – 3 April 2010
Priska C. Juschka Fine Art
NYC

Valentine’s Day marked the opening of “Icons” the latest show from Mr. Brainwash. The line was around the corner for the opening at the 15,000 square foot building in the meat packing district. Special thanks to Alanna Sarti for taking these excellent photographs.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr Brainwash, Icons, NYC, 2010.

Mr. Brainwash
Icons
14 February – 31 March 2010
415 W. 13th Street
NYC

Bay Area artist Deborah Oropallo is bringing a large selection of prints down the California coast for her latest exhibition. “Wild Wild West Show” opens this Friday at Scott White Contemporary Art in San Diego.

Deborah Oropallo, Randi, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

The source material for much of this content is salvaged from online sources for cowgirl costumes. These advertisements have been digitally manipulated and superimposed on familiar Old Western photographs and recent rodeo imagery. The diluted figures blend with the landscapes and take on a frenzy that incites dimensional illusion.

Deborah Oropallo, Drill Team, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

As is the case with viewing most artwork online, scale is lost on these stunning pieces. Some of the works measure nearly seven feet on their long side. At this size, the digital artifacts sear with a saturated color palette that demands attention from a substantial distance.

Deborah Oropallo, Medals, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

Deborah Oropallo
Wild Wild West Show
8 January – 6 March 2010
Scott White Contemporary Art
San Diego, CA

A well deserved mid-career retrospective covering two decades of work by Gabriel Orozco is on display through the end of February at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

Gabriel Orozco, Mobile Matrix (detail), graphite on gray whale skeleton, 2006.

This exhibition marks the first chance to experience “Mobile Matrix” (above) outside of it’s permanent home at the Biblioteca Vasconcelos in Mexico City. The sculpture is a reassembled skeleton of a thirty-five foot gray whale that was drawn on with graphite by the artist and some twenty assistants. The lines fall on the sculpture like a wire frame, at once affirming and denying the three dimensional surface.

Gabriel Orozco, Atomist Making Strides, gouache and ink on newspaper clipping, 1996.

The work of Gabriel Orozco is a celebration of the individual. His ideas flow through a variety of media with no particular specialization. Each concept sets off on it’s own path toward a unique and viable solution. More than eighty artworks have been installed for this exhibit. The museum has put together a solid online presentation that fills in the blanks for those that will not be able to attend the show.

Gabriel Orozco, La DS, modified Citroën DS, 1993.

This is the first stop for the retrospective. The exhibit will travel to Switzerland, France and England with separate installation scenarios designed for each venue.

Gabriel Orozco
13 December 2009 – 1 March 2010
MoMA
NYC

“Dark Doings”, the first solo exhibition in California for Dan Witz is the current show at the Carmichael Gallery in West Hollywood. The imagery is derived largely from a recent visit the artist made to the red light district in Amsterdam.

Dan Witz, Sarah (Bloody Fingers), mixed media on digital print on plastic, 2009.

Unauthorized artwork in public places has gone through many advances over the past several decades. It used to be the goal of graffiti bombers to to go large and loud with the intent of being seen. This attitude has by no means died but a subtler, perhaps more sublime aesthetic has begun to creep in affected considerably by the work of Dan Witz. His inventive urban treasures are reward for staying alert despite the daily grind.

Dan Witz, Mean Monkey, mixed media on digital print on plastic, 2009.

In the past, Witz has voiced an apprehension about showing his work in a gallery setting. Much of the pleasure that he derives from creating art comes from street level interventions in unusual places. “Dark Doings” seeks to integrate the power of the work in its accustomed habitat with the necessities of a proper exhibition space. Many of the prints are mounted on plastic, some have been marked and otherwise disturbed. The pieces have been either framed or mounted to unhinged doors. Photographic images of the prints in situ are also on view, extending the virtual sensation of “being there.”

Dan Witz, Scott (Photo), digital print on photo paper, 2009.

Dan Witz
Dark Doings
5 November – 3 December 2009
Carmichael Gallery
West Hollywood, CA

That’s right, thirty years of collage work from Genesis Breyer P-Orridge can now be seen at Invisible-Exports on the Lower East Side.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, English Breakfast, mixed media, 2002-2009.

P-Orridge has been operating on the fringe since the late 1960’s. H/er creative operations have become manifest in many media including performance, music, writing and art. Consistently on the edge of rational thought and living life under h/er own terms.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Electric Newspaper, Issue Two, mixed media, 1995.

These collages display the irreverent nature that has become the artist’s mainstay. The snarling middle finger has always been pointed somewhere, any other course for P-Orridge would have been unnatural. Don’t let h/er disdain for the status quo fool you, the production is based in an intellectualism that few have dared to tread. Should the name conjure little more than a blinking stare, please read up on this incredible life/career.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Untitled (mail art to Ana Banana, mixed media, 1977.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge
30 Years of Being Cut Up
9 September – 18 October 2009
Invisible-Exports
NYC

The current exhibition at London’s Pilar Corrias Gallery is mixed media works from Benjamin Saurer. There is only one week left so if you are in the area, make tracks.

Benjamin Saurer, Onament und Verbrechen (Ornament and Crime), mixed media on fabric, 2009.

The bulk of the exhibition is accented with small black and white collaged characters. The little people seem to inhabit each painting as a world existing in solitude. The use of internal framing devices and repetitive ornamentation serve also to keep these “terrariums” enclosed.

Benjamin Saurer, Das Wasser immer saurer (The water is becoming increasingly sour), mixed media on fabric, 2009.

The subjects of these works are comfortable in their confines. Leaving their brightly colored world would lead to a dark corner. This contrast of beauty and horror is another great theme in these pieces.

Benjamin Saurer, Der Himmel voller Arschlöcher (Heaven full of assholes), mixed media on fabric, 2009.

Benjamin Saurer
8 July – 5 September 2009
Pilar Corrias Gallery
London

“Intricacies”, an eleven artist group show is in it’s last weeks at the Lohin Geduld Gallery in NYC. The exhibit was curated by Emily Sessions.

Sarah Lutz, Burst, oil on canvas, 2009.

The show is comprised of artworks that highlight small details that draw together into larger forms. Works of this character tend to change dependent on the distance of the viewer from the surface. Approach an unassuming abstract shape and vanish into the microcosm.

Adam Fowler, Untitled (7 Layers), graphite on paper hand cut and layered, 2009.

The world we inhabit and the vessels that contain us exist from the same construct seen in this exhibit. On some level, this show could be considered naturalistic. Experiencing this art in person will accurately edify the senses. If possible stop in at the gallery and indulge in the particulars.

Olalekan Jeyifous, The Cyclical-Cities of Impact-Craters, digital print on watercolor paper, 2009.

Laura Battle, Josephine Durkin, Matthias Düwel, Margaret Farmer, León Ferrari, Adam Fowler, Robert Jack, Olalekan Jeyifous, Sarah Lutz, Anne Neely, Mayumi Sarai
Intricacies
23 July – 4 September 2009
Lohin Geduld Gallery
NYC