LOOK INTO MY OWL

KAWS has opened a solo show on Fifth Avenue. An exhibition of sculptures and paintings is on view at the Gering & López Gallery.

I gave up on television years ago, so much of the inspiration for these works is lost to me. My approach to the pieces is based primarily on color and form and that seems to be enough as the art is successful on these merits. I searched for spongebob on youtube and found that I could not persevere more than a few seconds. But I like the paintings. Curiosity demands to know if the TV savvy public are really entering the works or merely humming a theme song. It is fair to suppose that it doesn’t really matter because with KAWS you can’t have one without the other.

The highlight of the show can be found in the beautifully installed bronze severed head self-portraits of the artist. There are 33 unique colors in all. Usually bronze is not painted because if an artist works in the medium they want it to be evident in the final product. The “candy coating” that has been applied forces the viewer to realize that there is more to KAWS than surface appearance.

KAWS
6 November - 23 December 2008
Gering & López Gallery
NYC

There is always something new coming from Dick Frizzell. His latest style has been introduced as the show “Walking Back to Happiness” at the Gow Langsford Gallery in New Zealand.

This work represents a return to the artist’s self proclaimed “misspent comic book youth”. There is nothing new about enlarging old comic imagery and placing it in a gallery setting; however, Frizzell has an interesting take. Normally “low” sources are used to make a statement on the external but in this case, the artist considers these images to be full of personal irony. Beyond this, I admit, they are fun for the eyes.

Dick Frizzell
Walking Back to Happiness
11 November - 5 December 2008
Gow Langsford Gallery
Aukland, New Zealand

Sophia Schama has opened her fifth solo exhibition with the Hamish Morrison gallery in Berlin. The exhibit, entitled “Urban Jungle” contains Schama’s largest paintings to date.

City scenes are barely present as organic forms have reclaimed the surface of these oil paintings. Roots and vines have merged with graffiti like arms to entangle and deny the three dimensions present in the under painting. These works are contemporary coups led by mother nature.

Sophia Schama
Urban Jungle
31 October - 6 December 2008
Hamish Morrison Gallery
Berlin

“Put on a Happy Face” is an exhibition of recent figurative acrylic paintings from Nate Frizzell. This show is a part of the second round from the newly merged Cerasoli-LeBasse Gallery.

The bulk of the work involves masked figures which present ambiguous content. The contrasting elements of environment, subject and the mask they choose leave room for interpretation based on individual filters. The techniques employed are proficient but these paintings are not about paint. They are provocations of emotional response.

Historically, disguises have represented the entire spectrum from demon to god. The characters may be camouflaging identity or they might be rising above their station.

The gallery also recently started the blog daily DuJour promoting the Los Angeles art scene. Have a look.

Nate Frizzell
Put on a Happy Face
8-29 November 2008
Cerasoli LeBasse Gallery
Culver City, CA

Lazarides Gallery has caught our attention with another brilliant off site exhibition. This time, they have requisitioned an old school house to shelter “Lost in Glimmering Shadows” a display of recent work from Faile.

The duo that constitutes the Faile collective were raised in the American southwest. The Native American influence in these new pieces is evident and makes for a stunning juxtaposition with the hyper commercialized surfaces that they create. Faile is known for the torn paste-ups that simulate the partially ripped collages that arise anywhere that wheat paste is in use. It’s a powerful symbol that portrays the temporary nature of the new through the archeology of the street.

If you find yourself in or around London take some time to see this show.

Faile
Lost in Glimmering Shadows
7-16 November 2008
Lazarides Gallery Offsite
Lilian Baylis Old School
London

LewAllen Galleries is holding an exhibition of recent works from Jeanette Pasin Sloan. These paintings blur the line that is normally associated with still life.

Anyone that has taken an advanced painting course has run into the challenges of the reflective surface. The exercise forces the artist to break down the forms into pieces and to deny associations with the objects. In other words, you have to paint what you see and disavow what you know. That is the essence of effective representational painting.

A student confronted with the challenge of setups like these would declare their instructor a masochist. Sloan approaches them as dares.

Jeanette Pasin Sloan
Illusion
7 November - 5 December 2008
LewAllen Galleries
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Hundreds of artists have flocked to NOWhere Limited since we opened our doors. This show represents some of our favorite locals. As usual, we will be updating the progress with photos of the exhibition. There will be an opening reception with the artists this Saturday, November 8th from 4-6 pm. See you there.

Bizzlehoff premieres selections from “Project Perfect,” the artist’s new series based on the idea that everything that exists now is perfect just as it is. “Project Perfect’s” main component consists of photographs taken on Boulder’s famed Pearl Street Mall, where strangers were asked to stop in their tracks and pose with a reflective sign reading “PERFECT.” The series also includes ink drawings and temporary displays installed and documented around the city of Boulder. Originally from New York, Bizzlehoff has been a resident of Boulder, Colorado for the past few years. His “Project Perfect” series can be viewed in full: here

Amy Fleckinger’s new paintings and mixed media works on canvas are playful and colorful, with many layers of collage. The artist’s most recent imagery features segments from her dreams, including an appearance by the infamous Richard Simmons as well as visions of octopi, Neanderthals and love. Ms. Fleckinger’s figurative fabric creations were recently included in Nonpareil, a group show of sculpture at NOWhere Limited Gallery and are currently featured in our limited editions shop: here

With his new body of work “Inner Realities,” Chris Huang reveals his findings from the subconscious realm in the form of lush and contemplative paintings on wood. The artist’s themes focus on nature, animal life and the supernatural. He executes his imagery with colored pencil and ink. The gallery at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado recently hosted a solo exhibit of Mr. Huang’s paintings. More information about Chris Huang can be found at his web site: Yellow Lotus Designs

Bizzlehoff: Project Perfect
Amy Fleckinger: New Mixed Media
Chris Huang: Inner Realities
8 November - 14 December 2008
NOWhere Limited
Nederland, Colorado

For more than forty years, Sigmar Polke has been pushing the idea of what painting can be. His current body of work “Lens Pictures” on view at Julius Werner Berlin is a continuation of this effort.

The inspiration for these paintings came from a book that Polke found dating from 1685. The research of the author, Johann Zahn is considered imperative to the production of the modern telephoto lens. Zahn realized that objects seen through a lens changed in shape and luminescence depending on the viewers angle of vision.

On a personal note, the paintings of Sigmar Polke had a profound effect on me as a young artist. Before the internet it took a huge effort to learn about art and artists. I was up all night, painting and feeling frustrated by the lack of books easily available to artists beyond Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and the like. I new nothing about Sigmar Polke but decided to head over to the MCA Chicago (in their old building) to check out a retrospective.

The exterior of the museum was decorated with polka dots which required me to hesitate outside for some time trying to determine if I should kick over the cash to enter. Once inside I was overwhelmed by the layers of paint and the lack of fear that Polke displayed in each piece. The museum staff had to request I leave at closing time. Later that week I returned with some friends. To this day, when confronted by the paintings of Sigmar Polke, it inspires a special pause.

Sigmar Polke
Linsenbilder
1 November - 20 December 2008
Julius Werner Berlin

Galerie Max Hetzler is kicking off November with an intriguing display of paintings from Alber Oehlen. Two distinctly different bodies of work produced seventeen years apart will be on view.

The paintings from 2008 (above) are composed of large collage elements with flashes of fluid paint applied to the surface whereas the offerings dating back to 1991 (below) could be categorized as traditional abstraction.

Here’s the thing that makes this exhibit special. Move through the gallery in one direction and witness the recent work from 2008.

When you get to the end of the gallery, simply turn around and the 1991 exhibit is on display. Brilliant!

Alber Oehlen
1 November - 20 December 2008
Galerie Max Hetzler
Berlin

New York transplants from the former Soviet Union Alina and Jeff Bliumis are enjoying their first solo exhibition in the United States. “Dam Lines” opened this week at the Andrea Meislin Gallery.

The couple are interested in language and the verbal and physical barriers that are inherent in translation. The show features photography, painting and an installation conceived by the duo. In an effort to extend the reach of their work beyond the confines of the gallery space, the artists have set up site specific installations throughout lower Manhattan. They also installed more of their “Language Barriers” in the rural setting of their home in the Catskills. Photographs documenting both areas are on display at the show.

Alina and Jeff Bliumis
Dam Lines
23 October - 20 December 2008
Andrea Meislin Gallery
NYC

Rodney Graham has assembled an excellent show for the Rüdiger Schöttle Gallery. “It’s All Black and White” is a cross section of media ranging the gamut including drawing, painting, photography, prints, sculpture and interactive installation.

The nucleus of the exhibit is the “Mini Rotary Psycho Opticon” which is a replica of a device used by the legendary band Black Sabbath during an early 1970’s Belgian television appearance. Guests of the gallery are welcome to pedal themselves into optic bliss.

Rodney Graham
It’s All Black and White
21 October - 19 November 2008
Rüdiger Schöttle Gallery
Munich

Elms Lesters continues to pound the art world with one great show after another. “Adaptation/Translation”, the latest exhibition from José Parlá is no exception.

Parlá is a student of wildstyle and focuses on how tags incorporate visually into urban decay. The paintings are on canvas but feel as though they were removed from a graffiti dream wall.

The gallery has produced a stunning book to commemorate the exhibition. In addition to covering “Adaptation/Translation” it documents José Parlá’s travels as well as previously unpublished works.

“As our society moves forward through time, ever faster and in ever more complex patterns of living, we forget our spirit - our inner growth. We believe ourselves to be on the cusp of evolution but perhaps we are only experiencing an involution. The marks on the walls of our cities are perhaps a testimonial, like scars of a wounded civilization.”
- José Parlá

José Parlá
Adaptation / Translation
10 October - 8 November 2008
Elms Lesters Painting Rooms
London