Your Polly Ann

Here at last, pictures from the opening of "The Axe & The Spade" at Ruby Green Gallery in Nashville.

The show of photography and installations by Adam Davis, John Trobaugh, and myself came together really nicely. It felt good to attach "T-Tower" to a gallery ceiling once more and I met a feisty older woman who said she use to own a lacy slip just like this one and it reminded her "of all the good times she had in it".... best compliment ever.

I managed to coerce some folks into making the drive up from Aht-Lanta.

Like Cassie 'n Hassie

Davis had a grouping of photographs documenting his series "Take Out Your Hammers and Loosen Their Belts." A brilliant series involving billboards, bumper stickers, and voice mails dealing with the reaction of rural southern towns towards homosexuality and the virility of John Henry. It's worth the read!

And bumper stickers planted across Nashville. Apply to bumper and find yer own Polly Ann.

Trobaugh plays with dolls and creates surprisingly controversial works.

Davis showed the installation "Just Another Dear John Letter"

And had a new karaoke piece in which he changed the words to popular songs to emphasize sexual and racial stereotypes. I'm the last person you'd want as a partner when playing the "hum-dinger" challenge in Cranium and so I had trouble picking up on the melodies and original lyrics but it elicited much laughter from the slightly sharper crowd.

My wall. Decided to rehang the entire thing the afternoon of the opening but it was worth every stressful minute.

This photograph is brand spankin new, too new for a frame. I think I am really anti-frames these days. Let it be called "Yellow Hair."

Here is another rump spankin newbie called "Bag of Snakes", oh wait no, this is Daniel, the man behind the ruby curtain. He took us on a tour of the town later that night - that post still to come.

John Trobaugh "Aerron Outside"

This is one of my favorites. Trobaugh's use of light and perspective makes these eerily real.

Christopher 'n Ken.

John Trobaugh right, Cinque (find out what he's thinking here) left.

John Trobaugh "Coincedence: They Just Happened to Meet in Front of the Library"

The three of us put our heads together when preparing this show to put into words our common link, this is what we came up with: "[The artists take] different approaches towards an exploration of the disconnect between idealized masculinities and the reality of human nature. Through the appropriation of gender signifiers and the creation of alternate spaces, these artists attempt to reshape the cultural context in which they exist. The artworks are intended catalyst for a change in perception, imbued with the artists' own yearning and discontent with waiting."

Beth the birthday girl.

John Trobaugh "Take My Jacket Please"

The show is up through May 24th 2008. Go check it out

(and treat yourself to a weekend of all that Nashvegas has to offer.)

Open Book

(Update: wasn't sure what to think of this quote outside of Aurora- smarmy? sarcastic? real? But it's taken from a Sylvie Fortin quote in an AJC article. Funny I ran into it on my way to check out some art. Thanks Eggtooth for the heads up)

Coffee shops have to be one of the purest venues for showing art. You get a crowd that is not necessarily there intending to see art but if it's good, they will look and respond. There is no pretension, no expectation, its a "what you see is what you get" deal, with a colored dot pricing system and baristas who look genuinely surprised if someone wants to buy something.

I went by Aurora Coffee in Little Five Points to see the showing of 99 drawings by Joe Tsambiras entitled "Make Room in the Life Raft."

The show is excellent and worth the three buck coffee for an excuse to linger. The 99 drawings are pages from Tsambiras's sketch books, each one a considered moment, a funny memory, a nagging fear, the world through someone else's eyes. Tsambiras said the sketchbook often became "his lifeboat."

The layout of the pages worked well within the space of Aurora and considering it was 99 solid drawings, none coming across as filler or unfinished, it was tricky to avoid overcrowding the work on the narrow walls. There is also something about the intimacy of sketch book pages that seems so right at home on display in an amiable coffee shop, the works read like an amusing conversation with a familiar stranger, drawing the viewer down the length of the wall.

The comforting nostalgic feel of the drawings reminds me of Ryan Lincicome and his lastest show at Young Blood except these drawings are less like snapshots and more meandering, envisaged daydreams and curious observations on life.

On her blog, Felicia Feaster made the great comment "Joe’s images have... a spirit of gentle observation and consideration for the wispy, fragile side of people’s lives and the difficulties of love and work more Daniel Clowes than R. Crumb."

And a dash of Edward Gorey.

A nice description of sketchbooks by Jay Conway was presented with the show: "The pages of a sketchbook evoke the body of the artist in its continual interaction with other bodies. The best of these encounters are comparable to alliances. The artist enters into an alliance with ink, coffee, music, and food. Poetry and protesters. Good friends. Why are these best? Because the emotions they elicit fuel action. Joy breeds creativity."

I think I know that guy.

This might be my favorite, I could see this drawing coming out of the sketchbook and into a much larger, finished, piece.

Or no, this one is my favorite, too. Yeah, the glove of ants is going home with me.

Priced between $15-$50 the drawings are a $teal - vamp up your art collection with one of these babies and a cup of joe to go. Show up through May 1st 2008.

The Neon Lining

As a general rule, I think it's more beneficial to focus on the positive when reporting on a showing of art, shooting for a few new brain wrinkles or some form of inspiration from the gems of good art - no matter how buried, there is always something to be considered. (This does not hold true for the role of the art critic in general but I do not consider this blog a platform for real art criticism.)

But when I trekked over to City Gallery East to see the 4th annual "Pin-Up Show" there was not much other than disappointment to work with.

Considering there are 23 artists invited and each was given a substantial amount of space for their own self-curated "mini-show" located within the belly of City Hall East, the exhibition was vexingly oblivious. The bland work could have just as easily dimmed the walls of the airport, local library, or maternity ward. For so many artists to have access to a building ripe with possibilities for political and social commentary (City Hall East, formerly the Sears Building, was purchased by the city in the 90's for use as an office space with adjoining Police Dept. and is now slated to be completely renovated into a titanic commercial space in cahoots with the impending Belt Line.) it's disappointing that the works did not respond in any way to the dynamic space - a space which serves as a nice microcosm of Atlanta's fast paced growth and renewal.

Now that I've tossed a bit of negative energy into the universe, let me backpedal by saying there were some interesting pieces included - even if they did not seem particularly poignant to the setting.



This guy used the space in an interesting way to spin a personal narrative.

I think these are pastel on paper - pretty incredible craftsmanship

and the placement of Gran really set this piece off.

This artist (Ame Crot-Curott?) covered her 9'x17' space with ink, charcoal, and pastel drawings that ranged from classical copies to sketches and exaggerated Anime forms. The different styles of the drawings pulled from many periods of Asian and Western Art with the concepts of beauty and sexuality compared and contrasted through the varied depictions of the female body.

Maria Lino had an interesting series of printed scans of sketch book pages.

But it was Stan Woodard's installation that really made the trip through the security check worth it. Having no idea what its about, I can only say that it stuck out from the other artwork like a ballsy bout of honest experimentation that placed itself squarely at odds with its environment, threatening late-afternoon confusions and mid-morning curiosities. This is the piece that will actually stop City Hall East workers as they walk the cavernous hallway between one department to another, to scratch their heads and guffaw at the absurdity of art with a twinkle in their eyes for this little schism in the daily grind.

Stonehenge? Alien encounter? Wow, I really begin to wax poetically after midnight... I should stop here.

While I wouldn't say this exhibition is a "drop what you're doing and run for the art" type of show, if you happen to be at Whole Foods buying a raspberry bush for the yard you don't have (they're on sale and seem to be surviving in a flower pot thus far) then you ought to walk over and see Woodard's installation - encounters of this kind aren't available very often in this fair city.

Show up until April 18th 2008.

Mundane Momentos

Russell Maltz "Painted/Stacked (Atlanta Project)" - 2008

Trevor called me in a panic recently, wondering if I had heard anything about construction taking place in the empty metal-framed concrete pad in front of The Contemporary where he likes to photograph naked strippers for his "Man Series." He says it gets good light and "where else can you hang a man from the rafters outside?"

Russell Maltz "Painted/Stacked (Atlanta Project)" - 2008

I assured him the palettes of construction materials were actually an art installation (I mean, isn't it obvious?), though to what means I cannot say except that within a few weeks these materials would be rejoined with the construction site of one retail development or another, returning to their intended industrial purpose, the trendy neon yellow thumbprint of art painted over.

Russell Maltz "54 for Sol" Archival Inkjet Prints - 2008

Therein lies Russell Maltz's interest; "the consideration of events from concept to installation to dispersal...focusing on issues of scale, density, documentation, and systematic progressions." While I struggle to link the installations outside with the installation in the Round Gallery, I do think this is one of the better uses of the curved wall in the presentation of work that I have seen.

The photographs read as being mass produced, they're a crude reminder of the ease of bulk ink-jet printing and IKEA frames, much like the mass produced cinder blocks that are the subject of the photographs and sitting in stacks just outside.

More engaging for me is Laura Noel's series of photographs in Gallery Four. (Previous posts on Noel here & here). Taken in Cuba, these images are of faded playgrounds with a "distinct lack of children."

The Main Gallery houses the show "To Be Sung As A Round": sculpture by Anissa Mack.

Judy Linn "Untitled" - 1980/2000

One of my favorite things about the exhibition was the ingenious pairing of Mack with Judy Linn's show of photographs in the Left Gallery. (Previous post on Linn here). It seems that what Mack accomplishes with sculpture, what seemingly small cultural phenomena the work contemplates, is pondered and scrutinized in a similar vein through a camera lens by Linn. While each artists' work is an offbeat commentary they do not pass judgement, do not attempt to wheedle opinion, they simply offer up observations, anecdotes on life as we know it, with a wry smile.

"Broken Star" Machine and hand stitched denim - 2008

This is a great piece, as with all of Mack's work I feel like there is an inside joke I am not quite getting, but in a moment when female artists and textiles are all the rage, Mack takes the icon of the quilt to another dimension - star warsian monolithic.

"11th Anniversary (here and Now)" Painted Steel - 2008

Mack created this text sculpture to pose a question or poke fun at our culture's celebrating of particular milestone years (i.e. 25th anniversary, 40th birthday, etc) therefore deeming others less important. The show statement: "To make a work in celebration of the 11th year of something is to focus on the less than monumentous times, the everyday business of living."

Another thing about the Contemporary that pleases me to no end is the abundance of name labels and interesting information about various pieces posted on the wall. While this strategy is usually adopted by non-profits and museums (commercial galleries have no real financial incentive for this) it would be a better art viewing experience all round if this type of information were more accessible in all art venues.

"99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" Digital C-Prints - 1996-Present

This is a series of photographs taken of Mack over the past decade as she gets ice out of ice-machines at various hotels across the country. Show statement: "Taken while traveling solo or with friends and family across the United States, the images speak of the loneliness, romance, indulgence, and escape that can accompany such actions."

This piece fell more flat for me as I prefer Mack's handling of a particular three dimensional object and the significance she is able to attach to something seemingly insignificant. In this photo-documentation the act of collecting ice becomes the art object but lacks the same viewer interaction which adds a level of complexity to her sculptures.

"Untitled (Pumpkin Playboy)" Painted bronze and vintage magazines - 2007

Show statement: "...these evocative objects bring to mind the physical and psychological conditions of youth including creative freedom and sexual awareness."

"Our Town" Silkscreen on digital print - 2008

It's interesting here that Mack chose to silkscreen over a digital print instead of simply scanning the original highlighted article and blowing it up.



For me, the subtle gestures in Mack's sculpture brew slowly, becoming more significant the longer they are considered. Mack takes mundane objects (such as the fruit cocktail can above) and recast them in bronze. The artist's decision to immortalize particular objects, to spend so much time musing over the objects and recreate them in more traditional art materials, becomes a riddle for the viewer to solve and an incentive to reconsider something usually overlooked.

And while I would say this show is a must see, it actually came down March 29th 2008 so all you are left with are my foe-toes. I give it a thumbs-up.