LOOK INTO MY OWL

“Tian’anmen” is the first solo exhibition in Los Angeles from Ma Yanling. LA Contemporary is hosting the show of recent mixed media paintings.

Ma Yanling, Tian’anmen-B, 2007.

Ma Yanling extends her expression through painting, photography and performance. These painted canvas giclées demonstrate facets of each approach. Yanling photographs her suicide performances and prints them on canvas. The reproduction is then hand painted utilizing a traditional Chinese technique that is composed of eighteen distinct strokes. The fine brushwork is weaved on the surface actualizing a veiled conclusion.

Ma Yanling, Tian’anmen-Gray-A, 2007.

The Tian’anmen Square is a cultural center with a checkered past of protest. The government is concerned with the actions of citizens in the Square and maintains a close control over the area.

The essence of these works satisfy established convention and topical concerns. The statements are not a lionization of violence. The artist makes a call for political change with her display of the paramount in personal freedom.

Ma Yanling, Migrant Worker, 2008.

Ma Yanling
Tian’anmen
23 May – 20 June 2009
LA Contemporary
Los Angeles

A potent mixture of media from Nathaniel Mellors is on display at Lombard-Freid Projects in NYC. The installation “Giantbum” was produced for the 2009 Tate Britain Triennial and incorporates performance,video, sculpture and prints.

The story of “Giantbum” follows an absurdist script that chronicles the adventures of medieval explorers that have been ingested by a giant. Themes of language, religion, cannibalism and coprophagia are all fair game in this world. The content draws on tales from the past coupled with a contemporary sense of humor.

Two versions of the performance are projected in the gallery. The “theater” version parallels the “rehearsal” video drawing attention to alterations that occur throughout the creative process.

The highlight of the installation might be the three animatronic heads cast in the likeness of the lead character. They intone excerpts from the script and chant encouraging phrases that interact with the projected performances. You can see a short video of the trio in action right here.

Nathaniel Mellors
Giantbum
17 April – 16 May 2009
Lombard-Freid Projects
NYC

The brilliant minds behind Improv Everywhere are at it again. Following in the theme of “Best Ever”, the agents descended on the funeral for a man with few surviving relatives. The eight people that attended the burial were joined by thirty agents from IE making for a truly memorable inhumation.

The actors arrived a bit late but put on their best grieving faces and joined the mourners graveside. The family of the deceased were baffled by the turnout for a man that few cared about while he was alive.

Eventually the priest noticed the camera and the gig was up. Apparently the presence of a video camera is frowned upon at such occasions. Unfortunately the real mourners failed to recognize the thoughtfulness of the gesture and things turned ugly.

Improv Everywhere dropped this video yesterday, April 1. Everyone involved in the prank were actors and the funeral was fake. It was a nice prank and an amazing sociological experiment. Just check out the hundreds of comments this mission received on their website. Usually IE aims to confuse and delight people on the street, this time they went after the online public with great success. Get in on the next mission by joining the Urban Prankster Network.

Improv Everywhere
Best Funeral Ever
1 April 2009

A.L. Steiner & robbinschilds brought their collective talents to the New Museum for a multimedia exhibition. Although I was a bit late in posting (the show ended last week) it is still worth a look.

C.L.U.E. or color location ultimate experience is an ongoing project that reacts to and becomes part of the environment that it inhabits. The exhibit at the New Museum featured original performances, interventions and a multichannel video installation. Each evening at sunset an outdoor video projection of C.L.U.E. was visible outside. This street installation was a commendable move by the New Museum encouraging pedestrians to begin a dialog with the work even if it was unlikely that they would step inside.

It is difficult to comprehend the weight of the performances from the still imagery. Check this link for video of the pair in action. Each exploit is unique with an underlying sense that the human element has been transformed into color. The movements of robbinschilds decode the body into furniture and the duo often treat each other as such.

The collaborative effort also included work from AJ Blandford and the Seattle based band Kinski.

C.L.U.E.
A.L. Steiner and robbinschilds
8 October 2008 – 11 January 2009
New Museum
NYC

Corin Hewitt has set up his rather unusual studio in the Anne & Joel Ehrenkranz Lobby Gallery at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Each weekend since October Hewitt has entertained museum visitors with a glimpse into his process as it happens.

The corners of the room are open so that the actions of the artist are visible from four perspectives. The studio lighting and food processing are reminiscent of a cooking show but there are complex systems at work on and in every surface. Worms are at busy digesting polaroids in the root cellar, food is growing, cooking and decaying throughout the space.

The effort that Hewitt puts into these systems award him with materials that he arranges into still lifes. These results are photographed, printed and framed within the “Seed Stage”. The finished works are displayed on the exterior walls of the studio for public consumption. If you have already seen this exhibit it may be a good plan to have another look to complete the experience. This is a living piece and an excellent means to understanding motive and method.

Corin Hewitt
Seed Stage
3 October 2008 – 4 January 2009
Whitney Museum of American Art
NYC

Kate Gilmore is showing four videos at Smith-Stewart. Three were created this year and the fourth was made from a site specific performance in the gallery.

Gilmore sets the stage for her temerarious performances and lets the camera roll as the action occurs in one take. The work is centered on ideas of breaking down barriers that either confine or support. Denouement occurs through the search for freedom along the path to self destruction.

Each performance is highlighted with wardrobe choices that are at odds with the violent behavior. The artist wears construction yellow high heels in “Between a Hard Place” (below) and proceeds to use them to kick large holes through five layers of gray drywall. Gilmore continues through each wall along a twenty four foot corridor until she exposes a final surface that has been painted yellow to match the heels.

Be sure to head over to Kate Gilmore’s website to watch clips from her videos.

Kate Gilmore
21 November 2008 – 18 January 2009
Smith-Stewart
NYC

“Hostage”, an outing of the collaborative work of Allan D. Hasty and Parker Wolf is currently riding the walls at The Proposition.

The theme of these canvases is constraint. Animal, vegetable and mineral are treated in a similar manner to varying effect. The “rope” that holds the subjects presents itself as manipulator and in some cases, savior. A restricted set of mouths may lend themselves to freedom of speech issues whereas a bound Marilyn Monroe stirs up thoughts of a different sort entirely.

Two days before the opening, visitors were treated to a tree tying performance by The Walking Man Army. The crew, founded by Parker Wolf, wears all white with black goggles and “exists only to create visual spectacles in real time/space.”

Allan D. Hasty & Parker Wolf
Hostage
16 December 2008 – 24 January 2009
The Proposition
NYC