LOOK INTO MY OWL

The most recent photographic series from Susan Bozic, “The Dating Portfolio” is on display at the Joel Soroka Gallery in Aspen.

Susan Bozic, He’s so thoughtful, it wasn’t even my birthday, 2006.

Susan Bozic’s latest effort is a farcical examination into the perception of the perfect man. In these prints, the artist is seen living the high life with her idyllic other. The temptation is to laugh; however, the sardonic overtone cannot be ignored.

Susan Bozic, He let me pick the movie, 2005.

On some level Bozic may be living out a virtual fantasy but the plastic man and the rented life expose obligation in utopia. When the absolute becomes less than human it may be time for a reevaluation of personal criteria. A completely controlled existence forms a hollow shell without memories that graduate to experience. The lesson from the artist is learned with that initial instinct to laugh.

Susan Bozic, Finally, some time to ourselves, 2006.

Susan Bozic
The Dating Portfolio
1 July – 1 August 2009
Joel Soroka Gallery
Aspen, Colorado

An exhibit of sculpture and photographs from Roman Signer is on view at Häusler Contemporary in Munich. “Der Letzte Schnee” (The Last Snow) is comprised of work created in 2009 specifically for this show.

Roman Signer, Beim Chef (With the Boss), 2009.

Water in it’s many forms has been a reoccurring theme in the Signer’s work over the past four decades. Following the physics of fluid his artwork is intended to take the shape of it’s container. These boundaries have been set like a science experiment with the results firmly established as art.

Roman Signer, Fenster (Window), 2009.

Room is left for variables in these investigations. More than simply proving a hypothesis, the artist is interested in data that falls beside success. Hit or miss the denouement always entertains the unpredictable. The detachment involved in calculated performance is at once broken when the artist hand delivers a small box of snow to the doorstep of a participant.

Roman Signer, Schnee (Snow) 3, 2009.

Roman Signer
Der Letzte Schnee
25 June – 5 September 2009
Häusler Contemporary
Munich, Germany

“Habitat Machines”, a new series of photographs by David Trautrimas is on display at the photo-eye Gallery in Santa Fe.

David Trautrimas, Oil Can Residence, 2008.

The artist disassembles common household items and photographs the individual parts. The collected imagery is reconstructed digitally to form peculiar feats of architecture. The addition of dramatic skies and landscape elements root the structures and thoroughly complete the illusion.

David Trautrimas, The Measurement District, 2008.

The selection of appliances from the middle part of the last century enhances the industrial feel of the constructs. There is a sensation that the buildings are quite old due to the rusting wear inherited from the source material. These photographs exhibit the playful imagination of the artist while presenting to the viewer a future that never materialized.

David Trautrimas, Space Heater Place, 2008.

David Trautrimas
Habitat Machines
10 July – 12 September 2009
photo-eye Gallery
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Yesterday Maggie Ross transformed the front display window of our gallery, NOWhere Limited into a camera obscura. “Imposing Views” was a one day event in which visitors were offered the rare opportunity to have their portrait taken inside a camera.

Maggie Ross, Imposing Views, 2009.

The front window was blocked off except for a small hole which was covered with a lens. The inverted image of our town was projected through the pinhole to a screen inside the gallery. Participants interacted with the camera inside and out with interesting results.

Maggie Ross, Imposing Views, 2009.

Our models showed excellent poise as exposure time for some of these photos was more than two minutes. Thanks to everyone that came out to bear their souls as part of this interactive installation.

Maggie Ross, Imposing Views, 2009.

Maggie Ross
Imposing Views
8 July 2009
NOWhere Limited
Nederland, Colorado

More photos after the jump.
(more…)

The first retrospective on U.S. soil for the legendary Dan Graham is currently on view at the Whitney Museum in NYC. The museum has a rich program of exhibitions for the summer including Sadie Benning, Claes & Coosje and Photoconceptualism. I’ll be in the city for a few days in August and the Whitney is a guaranteed stop.

Dan Graham, Figurative, 1965.

Dan Graham has exhibited extensively since the 1960’s pioneering some now fundamental concepts that are in play through every conscious mode of expression. He was among the few that understood that it was conceivable to mash minimalism with rock music, high art and tract housing. The practice of contrasting opposing cultural preferences was unusual and even regarded with apprehension. Brave experimenters like Graham nudged us all a bit into the future.

Dan Graham, Detail from Homes for America, 1966-67.

Graham has enjoyed success in many media including print, film, performance and architecture. The artist has imbued each aesthetic with a flow of heady notions cooked down to simple principles.

Dan Graham, Performer/Audience/Mirror, 1977.

In keeping with the spirit of their subject for this retrospect, the Whitney is hosting a wide array of events. The show opened with an acoustic concert by the Feelies with more music planned through July. There are also film screenings, discussions, and a conversation with Dan Graham and Glenn Branca on tap. Check the schedule as you may want to plan several trips.

Dan Graham, Skateboard Pavilion, 1989.

This is the second leg of the tour for “Beyond”, the exhibit was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles earlier this year and continues on to the Walker Art Center in the Fall.

Dan Graham
Beyond
25 June – 11 October 2009
Whitney Museum of American Art
NYC

Current photographs from Jonah Samson are on display at G. Gibson Gallery in Seattle. The work is being shown as part of the exhibit, “View Master” along with Lori Nix and Grace Weston. The group show is very strong so be sure to see the gallery website for details.

Jonah Samson, Peeping Tom, 2008.

Samson creates dioramas in miniature and photographs the arrangements. The viewer is often the only witness to the moments the artist produces. The audience turns accomplice through their inability to act in the virtual world of “Pleasantville”. We become guilty bystanders helpless to alter events for better or worse.

Jonah Samson, Grave Digger, 2008.

All of the scenarios put forth in the exhibited series are plausible, save one. “Giant Octopus” (below) could be interpreted as an homage to Ray Harryhausen the special effects legend of “Clash of the Titans” and “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” fame.

Jonah Samson, Giant Octopus, 2008.

Jonah Samson
Pleasantville
4 June – 11 July 2009
G. Gibson Gallery
Seattle

Elke Krystufek’s “The Sex is in the Text” is open at Galerie Nicola von Senger in Zürich. The show features paintings created this year alongside works dating back as far as 1992.

Elke Krystufek, Your Dream is Real, 2009.

Krystufek is entrenched in the idiosyncratic struggle between sex, art and money. Her work warns that when a portion of the triad breaks down the remnants are left to fend for themselves. When communication lines are severed new words arise to bridge the gap. The thoughtful determination of these relevant idioms delineates the path to growth. Krustufek eloquently reminds us, “We need to talk again.”

Elke Krystufek, This is Hardcore, 1998.

I enjoyed the statement by the artist that serves also as the press release for the exhibition. Contact with the media is by necessity dry and to the point but the extravagance displayed in this document caught my attention. It reduces a boundary that exists merely to comfort the participants.

“…No, this sort of thing doesn’t actually belong in a press release, I just wanted to seduce you to buy one of my works. With my charm, my evening gown and my biography, I wanted to seduce you into buying a painting from me. You can google me and you can see just how much I’ve accomplished in the last 20 years, what I’m still accomplishing and how much I’ll accomplish next year. I’m a good investment because I work for you. In my evening gown. The price of the evening gown is included in the painting, one evening gown per painting…”

Elke Krystufek

Elke Krystufek, Liquid Logic + Atlant, 2007.

Elke Krystufek
The Sex is in the Text
16 May – 11 July 2009
Galerie Nicola von Senger
Zürich

Read the complete press release after the jump.
(more…)