Gallery Tour

David took us on a tour of particular galleries, all with a central theme in mind- the portrait. All of the galleries somehow focused on the contemporary interpretation of what a portrait is. I will discuss my favorites below.

Sculpture was interactive and fun. The premise of this gallery were these board things with thousands of little metal plates that would contour to your shadow as you moved towards them. It was really interesting to see the light as well as the metal plates interact to create a portrait of one's self.

Painting was the closest to what one would consider classical art, obviously because it is painting, and we tend to think of painting always as art. Roy Newell's interpretation of art was to wake up each day, and layer on his paintings with new paint, creating a very textured look. In his, I think, somewhat madness, he was never content with any of his paintings and would literally repaint them each day. Over time, the repainting reflects his own personality and character, and could be a considered a portrait of himself.

Photography was my favorite. I found it the most visually appealing too. At first, I looked at the pictures and thought that they were copper canisters that had somewhat eroded when it reacted with some sort of acid or chemical. The curator then approached us and told us what it was. Apparently, these copper canisters were urns of patients from mental institutions. All of them the same, except for the ashes inside of anonymous patients, whose remains had never been reclaimed. With the constant flooding of the institution holding these urns, the urns took on a personality of their own, depending on the remains inside- in a sense, the different photographs- all different colors, but all vivid, took on a presence of the person inside... well at least, that's what the curator said.

I have to say that even though entering the bitter cold that was Sunday was not the thing I most looked forward to, I really looked forward to each new gallery that David brought us too, each one so different, but with complete cohesion- it really made me appreciate certain mediums that I don't tend to pay much attention to.

I very much enjoyed this tour. David provided us with a conceptual category, and then presented us with a very thoughtful selection of works. I found the shows we visited very accessible... they each had an appeal and a visual impact that I was able to immediately enjoy... and yet each also provided a thoughtful and challenging experience in the context of their subject matter. I left each show feeling as though I had considered something unique and that the time had been well spent, as both an enjoyable and a learning experience.

Reflecting on the tour, I still find it difficult to isolate my favorite show. The installation (Anthony McCall's Leaving (with two minute silence) was probably the most immersive and visually absorbing experience. It was beautiful, and maybe overwhelming in the intensity of the experience, but was able to communicate a powerful idea and has left a memory that I think will remain with me for a long time. Interestingly, I initially felt this show was just a "light show" that was conducted in a way that couldn't help but make you lose sight of the point of the work. However, after several days, I am still thinking about this show and its purpose. I found that it has come together for me more after the viewing, and maybe that is the part of the show that I appreciate the most.

My recent walking tour through the Chelsea’s art galleries left me both visually satisfied as well as intellectually inspired. Dodging from building to building we managed to spend just, and only, enough time to appreciate and explore each relevant piece of art. This brevity permitted our group to take in five thought provoking exhibits in a relatively short span of time. Observing the shear volume of bypassed galleries left me with a feeling of gratitude to have an escort capable of navigating the multitude of possibilities to focus on a handful gems.
Our tour began on a slightly dark note. Entering the room we caught the video just before its conclusion, allowing us to take in the film in its entirety. The video was divided into two parts but the second had the greater impact. The audio consisted of an interview with a Berlin woman regarding the post-war/pre-occupation of Berlin following WWII. This transition period permitted Russian soldiers to both rape and pillage, spoils of war so typical of ancient warring factions. The dark accounts of the atrocities visited on the interviewee, her family and friends were made all the more poignant as her discussions of what occurred were so matter-of-fact. The void of emotional response, which likely stems from years of psychological tempering, required the viewer to insert the reasonable and expected emotions empathically – creating a much more personal feeling of hurt.
Leaving the gallery we were reassured that our first stop was chosen because it was disturbing, so we could move on to brighter exhibits. As if to prove the proposition we next viewed some Tech Art. The fairly simple concept gave rise to a fantastic effect. The artist used an array of squares approximately 8 feet tall by 2-3 feet wide. Each square was mounted on an individual motor. The exhibit was lit from above so if a square was angled upwards it would appear bright, if angled downwards - dark. Add a camera capable of capturing a binary image and the array became a monitor, outputting the camera’s captured image dynamically – creating a shadowy image of your silhouette, hand, arm, or whatever you placed in its path.
Arriving at the next exhibit I realized that the artwork was only secondary to the story of the recently deceased artist. More than many artists, this individual lived among his art. Each piece decorated his apartment and represented a work in progress with no intended completion date. From day to day pieces were pulled down from the wall re-colored, rotated, and retouched. Old works became new works revitalized, re-envisioned. This daily dynamic means that the art we currently view is a cross section in time of the works, now permanently frozen in time. The thickness of the paint bore the only testament to the number of iterations that lead to the work’s final state.
The subsequent exhibit showcased photographs of colorful cylinders. It was later explained that each cylinder was an urn. The beautiful patterns and vivid colors were the result of chemical reactions with the copper due to periodic flooding of the below ground area in which the urns were stored. The additional details/story surrounding the canisters’ origins make for an exciting point of reflection for the scientific and spiritually minded alike.
Our final stop was by far my favorite, as it has been a long time point of fascination for me. When I was in high school my bedroom was in an attic. In the attic is a sky light with a retractable shade. Along both sides of the shade was a thin strip of window that remained uncovered. What this allowed was for a thin line of light to bypass the shade. This line of light cut through the dusty air to create the appearance of slice of air that appears somehow solid, an appearance unseen in its unilluminated counterpart. The final exhibit extended this effect to its limit, placing a bright camera along a far wall sitting next to a near continually spouting smoke machine. The effect is a marvel. The black box style room removed distractions as well as added to the overall stark and sharp features created by intersecting planes of light. The illusory surfaces became a game for the observationally exhilarated. Projections of curvy lines became features of a surface, navigable by ducking under, around, through and in particular inside. The partitions create a nearly concrete impression but break before the touch like a holographic image. This exhibit alone would have validated the trek down to Chelsea, but of course the tour itself included so much more. I look forward to the possibility of further explorations someday – hopefully again conducted by an involved and observant guide.