"Girl in a Black Dress" 2011, 22 x 25 inch, oil on panel

My initial reaction upon entering the studio of the young artist Juliana Romano is that I was struck by how much I like her paintings. I am always a bit leery when it comes to figurative painting, especially portraits that so intimately capture the sitter. However, in Juliana’s case, there is no sitter, only images she has found on the internet or browsing through magazines. As my eyes moved around the space I noticed that the artist has a few different ways of portraying her subjects, up close and in more detail, and further away with more abstracted forms that exist as a sort of “environment” for the people represented. The commonality in all her works, however, is an intense use of color that emphasizes the mood of her paintings and the gestural quality which creates visible brushstrokes; she paints very quickly.

Juliana in her studio

Working in oil on panel and canvas, Juliana uses images and people that she attempts to make unrecognizable by the time a work is completed. I asked her why she does not paint people she knows since I felt that her work emitted such string emotive qualities. And she wisely stated that, “I don’t feel like I am capturing them. I’m not sure portraiture can do that.” She went on to explain that the viewer is experiencing an artist’s rendition of someone and that doesn’t always do them justice. The only artist that Juliana felt could really manage to capture humans was Rembrandt.

"The Escape" 2008, 48 x 60 inch, oil on canvas

At 13 years of age Juliana attended her first figure drawing class and she was hooked, going every week from 8th grade through her senior year of high school. That helped her to really learn a great deal about the human form.  She painted self-portraits and friends but something about those paintings felt cold to her. For her undergraduate thesis at Wesleyan, she painted models. She spent her first year of graduate school at UCLA painting only still lifes but grew to miss the figure. She explained that, she needs the figure to activate meaning for her in the painting. So, her second year, she returned to the figure but struggled with where to find subject matter. While playing around on the computer one night looking at internet fan sites, she decided to paint the young actress Kirsten Dunst. She didn’t consider this a work of art–she was “just blowing off steam.” But this intrigued her and in her quest to find out why, she exclusively painted Kirsten Dunst for an entire year as a way to explore her own style and technique.

Though she moved away from Dunst, she continued to use film stills for inspiration but young, beautiful people (often with blonde hair) continued to be of interest to her. However, due to her use of bright and unnatural colors for the subjects’ skin, hair and clothing, there is something sad and unsettling about the paintings. I was intrigued though and drawn in for a closer look due to their intimate nature.

"Untitled" 2008, 48 x 60 inches, oil on canvas

For her first show at Marvelli Gallery in New York right after grad school, she placed celebrities in Victorian dresses so there was a collage element to these often playful works. Later she completed a residency at Vermont Studio Center where she copied a small Richter painting just to make something beautiful. Her time away seemed to be a turning point for her. There she made small paintings that felt more psychological. She had been looking at a lot of contemporary art and she became inspired by a lighter touch. She also began to explore the use of Matisse-like pattern and space in her compositions.

"Girl in a Patterned Dress" 2011, 11 x 14 inches, oil on panel

Juliana has realized that she needs lots of stimuli in order to paint–the more she is looking at, the better. Some of her work has an Alice Neel feel to it, an inspiration she acknowledges. She mentioned that some of her favorite artists are not just painters but also photographers. Some of her favorites are: the painter and former Turner Prize nominee Gillian Carnegie, David Hockney, Elizabeth Peyton, Fairfield Porter, and Mamma Andersson. She also likes the photos of Rineke Dijkstra.

new works in the studio

When asked why she likes using flat planes of color and loose, undefined brushworks to create backgrounds she explained that, ” figures in natural spaces are a little boring.” She begins her paintings making big shapes of color and then paints over the work often in many layers which can give a very different feel to works depending on what peeks through. There is also impasto and texture to her surfaces which adds depth and interest to the work. She explores a great deal while she works and though she doesn’t know the people she paints, she is interested in conveying emotion through her paintings. I asked her why she only paints the young and pretty and she said the work becomes less personal to her when she moves away from that, and it is very important for the work and the process to be personal- she ends our conversation, “it’s Romantic in that way.”

In the studio

Juliana’s works range from about $3000-12,000. Brand New Gallery in Milan, Italy is having a solo show of Juliana’s called Dark Before the Bright Exit that opens September 22nd. She is represented in New York by Marvelli Gallery. For more information visit: http://www.marvelligallery.com/Romano1.html

Jonathan Prince's Studio

On a perfect day at the end of July the artist Jonathan Prince and his lovely wife, Bridget, invited a handful of people to their home/studio in the Berkshires for a sneak peek at the four pieces that will be included in an upcoming exhibition he is creating for the Sculpture Garden at 590  Madison Avenue (at 56th Street) called “Torn Steel.” It opens on September 15, 2011 and will be up through November 18th, 2011.

Jonathan speaking to our group

Prince had an entirely different and quite successful career in media and the arts before starting his sculptural practice 8 years ago. One of his concerns starting out was that people would not take him seriously as an artist thinking he is only dabbling in the creation of art as a hobby. But after seeing not only the time and energy he has invested, but also the money he has put into the machines necessary to make the sculptures and this venture, it is clear this is a way of life, not a pasttime.

detail of "Broken Torus," 2008, Cambrian Granite, 40 x 80 x 40 in

He began sculpting in black granite and has always been interested in geometric shapes. As time progressed, his interest developed into exploring fractured geometric surfaces. He pushes the limits of precision and then breaks it.

Metalized surface of "Cog,"2009, Granite with Palladium Leaf, 24 x 22 x 22 in

Once that interest manifested itself, he took it a step further, metalizing the broken surface highlighting what to him looked like scar tissue. Tearing a perfect geometric form is fascinating to him.

"Vestigial Block I" 2010, CorTen and Stainless Steel, 38 x 36 x 36 in

In his most recent pieces, the works are much larger and the tear is highlighted through the use of stainless steel, not silver leaf. The “scar tissue” is not always random and accidental looking. Instead, Prince often uses patterns found in nature such as veining or the wing structure of insects to cover the gashes in the works. Although Prince describes his work as non-narrative, he believes that all his works of art have an internal narrative that he chooses not to share so that the viewer will experience their own interpretation of the work.

"Torn Steel" work in progress, "Disk Fragment" 2011, Oxidized and Stainless Steel, 9.5 x 8 x 5 feet

So why the switch from stone to steel? “Carving granite is an extremely tedious task and is a reductive process,” explains Prince. Steel allows him to penetrate space in large volumes with an additive technique. He worked in a foundry as a young man and loves casting, but art is “very much about the material” to him. He wanted to experiment with industrial materials.

Jonathan explaining his process, "Torus 340" in progress, Oxidized and Stainless Steel, 13.5 x 12 x 8'

The process of creation is labor intensive considering that every work is fabricated, nothing is cast. He has four studio assistants but also executes himself. He wants the hand of others in the process so that there is an element of chaos and randomness created after the precision of the geometry is set.

Maquettes

He draws, puts the work onto a computer and makes maquettes before the fabrication begins though maquettes are not made for every piece. And all maquettes made are not actualized, they are simply a means to work out issues during the creation process that can’t happen in a two-dimensional drawing.

"Red" 2007 South African Granite, 66 x 64 x 16 in

He recognizes that some of his work explores similar themes that other artists have investigated. He doesn’t worry about it though; he just does what he loves and feels like the work is totally reflective of him. One of my favorite works is an earlier stone work that reminds me of Anish Kapoor in its organic disc-like shape. The indentation reminds me of watching a raindrop fall into a puddle of water, though the work actually stands on its end.

The outer oxidized steel surfaces reminded me of Richard Serra’s work; however, Prince does not always let gravity control the patina on the pieces. We saw them in a rarer form; they will be sandblasted and patinaed before they are ready for the show. It was very interesting to see how much time and planning goes into a show where the works weigh up to 10,000 pounds. It is truly an architectural project.

"Space Between B1" 2009, Digital C-print, 50 x 40 in

Photography is another medium of interest to Prince. He investigates the notion of liminal space in between forms. In his “Split Nude” series, a body is photographed and separated into the geomteric forms that serve as the basis for sculptural pieces. The work is sexy but not sexual as it doesn’t really show anatomy–even though one is looking at nude forms.

Part of what makes creating fun for Prince is that the viewer brings his/her own experience to the work. They complete the form in their own mind and see what they want to see. As long as they are engaged as possible, Prince is satisfied. Western society looks at broken objects as worthless; Jonathan Prince wants us to give them a second look and see their value and beauty.

Prince is represented by five galleries: Cynthia Reeves in NYC, 212 Gallery in Aspen, Elaine Baker Gallery in Boca Raton, Morrison Gallery in Kent, CT and Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe.

For more information visit: http://www.jonathanprince.com/

Lovely sculpture along Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM

But I was actually pleasantly surprised by a number of shows I saw. Good thing I know where to go on my visits.

My first stop was a small museum just off the Plaza called the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Maybe it is because I often end up in Santa Fe during Indian Market weekend which is the biggest tourist draw of the year. Or maybe the museum simply puts on terrific exhibitions, but I have always been impressed by the shows I have seen there. The Director’s mission is to “explore and present the values, histories, aesthetics and contemporary stories that make contemporary Native art unique.” Counting Coup is the title of the current exhibition on view through December 31, 2011. An expression that originated with the Plains Indians, it is meant to intimidate and refers to an act of bravery during “personal victories in non-violent battle exploits.” There is work in a variety of media on view by eighteen artists from the US, Canada and Australia. (I was previously unfamiliar with the artists in the show.)  By honoring their past legacy while paying homage to the present, the artists voice an indigenous presence in contemporary art.

C Maxx Stevens, Last Supper, site-specific installation

While I thoroughly enjoyed this show, the piece I thought was excellent and the one that stayed with me was an installation by C. Maxx Stevens called “Last Supper.” As the viewer enters the space she is confronted with posters of donuts, burgers, and other junk foods along with nutritional information and stats on Native American communities consumption of these food products. In the center of the space is a table filled with resin food items of the same ilk. With no color to help one identify things, close examination is necessary. Small shoes line the floor beneath the table. I took it to be a commentary on the future of Native people’s young populations. Diabetes rates vary among Alaska Natives (5.5%) to American Indians in southern Arizona (33.5%). Based on the artist’s own experience as well as statistical information, her work points to the devastating effect diabetes has had on indigenous peoples. The information provided also broadens our scope of the disease across the entire country. In fact, visitors were encouraged to fill out a form at the end with information about their ethnicity and diabetic or pre-diabetic state. On the back of the form is information about diabetes. It states: “Diabetes is a self-managed disease. People with diabetes must take responsibility for their day-to-day care and have to learn to make healthier food choices with limited amount of calories and fat in their diet. The artist is a professor at the University of Colorado. I really loved this piece and found it incredibly powerful.

Installation view of Steinkamp's The Vanquished

At Dwight Hackett Projects there was a terrific show, The Vanquished, by LA-artist Jennifer Steinkamp in the main gallery and work by emerging artist Tyler Adams in the front space. Not to worry if you missed it. There is a chance to see it again at the Prospect.2 biennial this October when the New Orleans Museum of Art will temporarily remove Auguste Rodin’s The Age of Bronze to make way for The Vanquished.

Steinkamp creates other worlds for viewers to enter, altering the architecture and space of a gallery with her video projections. I have previously only encountered moving flowers in her work. In this installation, trees are shown in the different seasons with undulating branches and changing colors as leaves blow and fall in the wind, just as one experiences foliage in real life.

Tyler Adams, Interstitial, 2011

All of Adams work has to do with sound. “Interstitial” is an installation with 7 speakers and cylindrical resonators. Speakers hang from the ceiling as pendulums. Each speaker softly emits a specific frequency which is tuned to the resonance of the tube below. As the speaker passes over the tube, the sound is amplified through its resonant encounter with the tube. There was also a corner work with speakers and a loop of videos in which the viewer listened to the sounds made by placing various items such as packing peanuts and marbles into a speaker and letting them vibrate. To listen visit: http://www.t-adams.com/in.php.

Pae White, "Still, Untitled" 2010, cotton and polyester, 366 x 1219 cm, Photo: Peter Selin

After attending a lecture about an upcoming exhibition linked to Pacific Standard Time in Los Angeles, I quickly cruised through the Pae White exhibition, Material Mutters, at SITE Santa Fe. SITE is the only US venue for this show. There are a number of her large-scale tapestries on view and as viewers wind their way through the space, they get to glimpse both sides of the tapestries in an attempt to identify what the subjects are. Monumental tapestries have been an important part of her oeuvre for the past seven years.

Pae White "Hollywood Crinkle" 2010, cotton and polyester

White takes close-up photographs of everyday objects like smoke and aluminum foil and translates those into tapestries that encourage a new way of seeing. The common and overlooked become beautiful abstractions. In an adjacent room are a number of colorful works on paper from her “Smoke Studies” series. These were gorgeous and while they at first appear to be drawings of smoke, I didn’t realize until I read the press release that they are actually laser carvings on paper. I am a huge fan of White’s work and though local critics were a bit harsh in their reviews, I enjoyed the work immensely.

Installation view

While in Taos for the day I visited the exhibition Nod Nod Wink Wink: Conceptual Art in New Mexico and Its Influences at the Harwood Art Museum. Afterwards, I ritualistically stepped into the Agnes Martin room where her seven paintings including horizontal bands of different widths in muted, ethereal shades of blue, grey, and cream allowed me, even with only eight minutes till the closing of the museum, to pause and soak in the silence of the environment that also includes stools designed by Donald Judd.

Chika Matsuda, "Unraveling My Strained Thought-175 feet of Jute Twine" 2009, jute twine, 60 x 60 x 60"

I enjoyed the works on view in the main exhibition but I did feel like it was a stretch to link them all to “Conceptual Art.” It would have been better just to label it as selected works from the Baumeister Collection which is really what it was. Included in the show were works by Peter Sarkisian, Richard Tuttle, Fred Wilson, Kiki Smith, Larry Bell, Donald Judd, Eric Orr, Peter Liversidge, Damien Hirst, Iran Do Espirito Santo, Nate Lowman, Roxy Paine, Matt Mullican, Susan York, Peregrine Honig, Chika Matsuda, Bruce, Nauman, Rachel Whiteread, Katharina Fritsch, Nicola Bolla, Erwin Wurm, Tom Friedman, Tom Sachs, Tony Feher, Gavin Turk, Richard Artschwager, Susan Collis, Carl Andre, Assume Vivid Astro Focus, Los Carpinteros, Gardar Eide Einarsson, Wade Guyton, james Hydem Kris MArtin, Kate Shepherd, Kay Rosen. Here are some highlights:

Susan Collis, "and so on" 2010, linen, hand woven cloth on Jacquard loom, 20 x 20 x 20"

Upon initial glance, Susan Collis’s “and so on” looks like a rag tacked up to the wall. But like her jeweled work in the Armory fair from two years ago, what appears to be one thing is, in fact, something more precious. This “rag” is actually a beautifully handwoven Jacquard loom piece.

Matt Mullican, "8 Dead 2's" 2007, etching, 23 x 19 3/4" each

Matt Mullican’s “8 dead 2’s” from 2007 are etchings obviously influenced by the work of Jasper Johns.

Roxy Paine, "Scumak 1" 2007, low density polyethylene, 24 x 30 x 22"

I first thought Roxy Paine’s polyethylene sculpture “Scumak 1″ was a work by Lynda Benglis.

Nate Lowman, "Imitation Diptych" 2005, LED lights, 52 x 6 x 2"

And Nate Lowman’s “Imitation Diptych” can easily be mistaken for a Jenny Holzer LED work.

Peter Liveridge, "11 Elements" 2011, cast silver and acrylic, various sizes

Peter Liveridge’s “11 Elements” showcases cast silver and acrylic rubber bands in a vitrine along with a typed statement explaining that these bands were collected from the artist’s doorstep while on a residency in upstate New York.

Peregrine Honig, "Frame" 2010, cast bayberry wax and candle wick, 16 x 14 x 2"

The scent of Honig’s wax frame draws one to the piece.

Carl Andre, "Small Glarus Copper Square Sum 4" 2007, copper, 12 x 12 x 5"

A wonderful small Andre work.

Rachel Whiteread, "Switch" 1994, object, plaster, brass, 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 1 1/2 "

Tony Feher, "Eye" 2003, glitter on flattened camera box, 8 x 6"

And Whiteread and Feher had two small gems in the show.

Cannupa Hanska Luger installation, detail

Ostalgia Installation view, image courtesy of Benoit Pailley and the New Museum

I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition “Ostalgia.” And it’s about time the New Museum finally got some kudos for a show. Stemming from a term that came about in the 1990s, the title describes “a sense of longing and nostalgia for the era before the collapse of the Communist Bloc.” In the struggle for people to figure out their identity and place in history in this new era, artists emerged who created work dealing with their own personal experience.

David Ter Oganyan, "This is Not a Bomb" 2011

The first work I encountered was in the corner of the elevator where one of David Ter Oganyan’s “This is not a Bomb” was placed. Influenced by the Moscow bombings of the 1990s, the artist turned everyday objects, such as bags of popcorn and bottles of soda, into terrorist devices and placed them throughout the exhibition in corners and obsucre locations.

Andrei Monastyrski banner

Andrei Monastyrski’s work is currently on view at Governor’s Island. A banner that states in Russian, “I do not complain about anything and I almost like it here, Although I have never been here before and know nothing about this place.” faces the Statue of Liberty as perhaps a symbol of displacement and the promise or at least hope of a better future. There is a photograph of the work in situ on view in the gallery.

Petrit Halilaj, "Cleopatra" 2011, image courtesy of Benoit Pailley and the New Museum

I very much liked the installation by Petrit Halilaj which consisted of three slide projectors facing three separate walls. The slides switch intermittently showing images of butterflies and other objects from the Natural History Museum in Kosovo that was displaced during the war. Not only are the photographs beautiful, but the room has a peaceful quality to it with one lone lightbulb dangling above the projectors. The artist is finding beauty in destruction. This work can be found in the room off the stairwell between the 4th and 3rd floors.

Edward Krasinski, Untitled, 2001/03, mirrors and blue tape, Image courtesy of Benoit Pailley and the New Museum

Edward Krasinski is a legendary Polish avant-garde artist who is known for using blue Scotch tape much the way that Daniel Buren uses his stripes. In fact, the two knew each other and had frequent exchanges. The horizontal band is always at the height of 130 cm and “investigates the tension of borders and boundaries.” The installation in the show is made up of mirrors suspended from the ceiling. They hang at eye level interrupting the viewer’s experience with the space. Instead of turning the corner and seeing artwork, thier own image is reflected back at them.

Sergey Zarva, #22 from the "OGONYOK" series, 2001, mixed mediums, 13 x 9 5/8 in

I like Sergey Zarvas’ work from the OGONYOK series in which he painted glum and grim portraits using a non-natural color palette on magazine covers. The fact that the magazine was a popular one that depicted smiling happy faces on its covers made it the perfect way for the artist to attempt to capture images that reflect how people really felt under Soviet rule at a particular time.

Immediately upon seeing Andro Wekua’s work I knew I had seen it before at this year’s Venice Biennale.  The artist recreates edifices reminiscent of his home town in Soviet Sochumi, Georgia in wax and steel. After fleeing the town in the 1990s during a period of conflict, the artist can only rely on his memory and some photographs to make his three-dimensional models…the buildings no longer exist in reality.

I spent a good deal of time watching Anri Sala’s “Dammi i Colori” from 2003. The video shows the artist’s hometown in Albania and focuses on a redevelopment project that his friend, who happens to be the mayor, initiated after his election. The facades of housing structures were painted bright reds, yellow, blues, greens and purples without the residents’ permission in hopes that it would bind together the people of the town. The imagery Sala captures is sad but beautiful: a man in a suit combs his hair using a broken mirror hanging on an exterior wall of a building. The camera pans out to show the dirt and filth he stands in. This “utopian art project” as the wall text states, attempted to change the outlook of the people from a city where one is doomed to live by fate into a city one chooses to live in.

Tibor Hajas’s 1976 “Self Fashion Show” was also an interesting work. As a performance artist, he asked passersby to pose in a manner they wanted while he recorded them. He later added a soundtrack that made it sound as if he was directing their movements.

Installation view Boris Mikhailov,Suzi Et Cetera, 1960s-70s, 84 chromogenic color prints from slides, Image courtesy of Benoit Pailley and the New Museum

Boris Mikhailov, who has a solo show at MoMA right now, has 84 prints on view. The photos are not as grim as the large scale ones on view at MoMA. Here, candid representations of life under Communism as experienced by him are shown. He deals with the “shabby and vital, erotic and unidealized,” showing humans and their flaws. This is the opposite of what the Soviet culture wanted us to believe about Communist society.

Vladimir Arkipov, image from "Contemporary Russian Folk Artifacts" 1960s/2011, Image courtesy of Benoit Pailley and the New Museum

As a large group I think Vladimire Arkhipov’s photographs are successful and interesting. Growing up in Russia under Soviet rule people used found objects to fashion new utilitarian objects such as the old handle of a toothbrush used as a coatrack. As a young boy the artist thought only his family did this until on one visit to a friend’s house, he saw similar contraptions. Reflecting on the scarcity of objects we take for granted when living under Soviet rule, he now travels throughout Russia collecting and photographing these objects.

Andra Ursuta, "Man From the Internet 2" 2007, 11 x 14 inches, ink on paper

I was blown away by three drawings by Andra Ursuta. They are masterfully drafted but once one looks closer, you see that the subject is the decomposing body of a Chechen rebel soldier.

Aneta Grzeszykowska, "Album" 2006, 201 photos in an album

In the same gallery Aneta Grzeszykowska displays a photo album with all of the figures removed, thus erasing her presence from the past. This gesture is a statement on the censorship that occurred in Warsaw when she was growing up as well as the impermanence of life and also of memory–a hauntingly beautiful work.

There is also work by Pavel Pepperstein, Simon Starling, Susan Philpsz and many others in this extensive but thoughtful exhibition.

“Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities” at MAD is an entertaining exhibition. It investigates how technology changes viewers’ perception of images. The focus is international artists who make miniature worlds through the use of models akin to the dioramas people of my generation grew up making for their book reports. But these are much more sophisticated than shoe boxes turned on their sides with Play Doh figures and landscapes. Some of these small worlds are sculptures on their own while others are the subjects of photographs or videos which become the final works. When this occurs, the viewer is often manipulated into believing that what they are seeing is real. Even if the viewer is aware of the lack of reality when viewing these miniscule environments, he/she suspends their belief so they can be transported into a world of fantasy.

Oddly enough it was Jacques Mande Daguerre who gave the world its first modern diorama. This is the same man who created the Daguerreotype. His dioramas consisted of hyperrealistic scenes painted and displayed in a proscenium framed stage.

Amy Bennett, "Dr's Office Model" 2010

Bennett, "Hypochondriac" 2010, 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches

I was surprised at how many of the works were devoid of humans. Abandoned spaces seemed to be the norm when looking at fantasy, memory, dreams and nature. One exception to this rule were small paintings by Amy Bennett that were “meant to elicit specific feelings and to provoke the viewer to consider the moment before or after the one presented in the painting.” She built a multi-room miniature model of a doctor’s office and then painted each room on 2 1/4 in square canvases. We can all relate to being up on the examination table in a paper gown and feeling anxious while we wait for a doctor’s diagnosis.

Michael C. MacMillen, "The Studio" 2004

I also liked “The Studio” by Michael C. McMillen. In this work he uses a vintage suitcase as the shell the viewer looks into through a peephole. One finds a red tile floor in the narrow hallway leading to a metal door. It is a little run down and reminds me of a typical NYC walkup. He alters scale to trigger something in the viewer.

Joe Fig, "Jackson Pollock" 2008

The artist Joe Fig’s work explores the studio space as sacred. At first he created miniature sculptures of historical artists in their studios. Now his focus is contemporary artists. He does a studio visit with a formal interview, records and transcribes it, photographs and measures everything, and then works on the sculpture down to every last detail. One inch equals one foot in his works. While my initial reaction to this work was, “Does it get cheesier?” I really like why Fig creates the works. In his words, it “allows me to bring the viewer into the artists’ studio and to present a glimpse of the creative process and the space where art is created.” That’s the same thing I am attempting to achieve!

One artist, Didier Massard, explained that he created his own sets to photograph because he feared reality might be a disappointment whereas he could control his imagination. Some artists focus on what can be inferred from the bits of evidence in view. The fascination lies in what is not seen. There is the tension of something about to happen or something that has just occurred.

Lori Nix, "Beauty Shop Model" 2010

Lori Nix, "Beauty Shop" 2010, photograph

The artist Lori Nix considers herself a “faux landscape photographer.” She is interested in the ruins left in the wake of humans so all of her work is devoid of humans. The models for her photographs are amazing and it is so cool to see how the use of lighting can completely transform the model into an alternate reality.

Charles Matton, "Rhinoceros: Tribute to Eigene Ionesco" mixed media

I liked Charles Matton’s dioramas. A writer, painter, sculptor and photographer, he made “boxes” that he referred to as sculptures. They reminded me of larger scale Cornell boxes.

Mat Collishaw, "Garden of Unearthly Delights" 2009, zoetrope

Probably the coolest work in the show is Mat Collishaw’s zoetrope (an animated image made from actual physical objects), “Garden of Unearthly Delights” from 2009. The objects are created in each stage of animation and as they spin, much like a flip book, they appear to be moving. Larger than life butterflies hover as a bird flaps its wings and small figures beat its eggs in a nest, and a boy with a club swings at a jumping fish.

June Bum Park, "Parking" video

June Bum Park’s work “Parking” is clever. The artist set up a camera on a rooftop and placed his hands in front of the camera so that it appeared that he was placing cars in the spots in the parking lot. Filmed in real time and in one take, the video was only sped up in the editing process.

Frank Kunert creates über realistic models in extreme detail focusing on architecture and interiors to make statements about the human condition. I loved being able to see the model and then turning the corner and seeing the photograph of it that is the actual work. Kunert’s work “says a lot about society, history, dreams, and fears as well as how people treat each other” but doesn’t take things too seriously.

Martin and Muñoz "Traveler 46 at Night"-image not from show at request of Museum

I was very familiar with the work of Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz. Walter is the model maker and Paloma decides the atmosphere and lighting. The snowglobe “Traveler Series” 2009-2011 is on view. The duo create open-ended narratives that are not meant to teach anything to the viewer; the viewer is solely meant to experience the work. The theme that connects all of their work is the “frozen  world in which they occur.”

Liliana Porter, "Man with Axe" 2011

One of my favorite artists whom I have written about before is Liliana Porter. She finds figurines at flea markets, antique stores, etc. “Man with Axe” from 2011 includes a scene on a low plinth. An extremely small man is charged with the task of destroying everything before him. Broken items as well as whole objects are laid out in a trail along the plinth. In true Porter fashion, she has hidden other narratives within the work if the viewer looks closely.

Porter, detail "Man with Axe"

James Casebere, "Landscape with Houses 1"-image not from show at request of Museum

James Casebere builds architectural models and photographs them under controlled lighting. His most recent series and the work on view in this exhibition stems from a trip to Dutchess County, NY. Showing suburbia, it is his commentary on the reckless housing market boom, an unsustainable lifestyle, and the loss of the “American Dream” of home ownership. Humans are absent but there is evidence of their existence. Lights shine in windows and fires burn. The photographs are fairly large in scale allowing the viewers to “place themselves within the image, playing an active part in completing the work.”

“Otherworldly” is on view through September 18th, 2011.

The Girl Who Lived in the Tree, autumn/winter 2008-9, coat of red silk satin dress of ivory silk chiffon embroidered with crystal beads

If you are in New York, there is no escaping talk of the McQueen show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And for good reason. The exhibition includes work by the infamous designer from his postgraduate show in 1992 to his final collection that graced the runway after his sudden, tragic February 2010 suicide. McQueen’s ability to broaden the public’s scope of what constitutes fashion forever changed the industry and his impact will continue to influence generations to come.

Alexander McQueen from Voss Collection Spring/Summer 2001, razor clam shells

Over 100 outfits and 70 accessories are on view from his short 19 year career. Some of his signature designs such as the “bumster” trouser, kimono jacket, and “origami” frock coat can be seen. Part of his genius lay in his ability to combine elements from previous eras of fashion and giving them a contemporary twist. Also innovative were the materials he used in his creations such as shells, skulls, metal, etc. He took fashion and made it an art form.

House of Givenchy Couture, Eclect Dissect, autumn/winter 1997-98, black leather, red pheasant feathers and vulture skulls

But the real reason I loved this show was due to the fact that the Met completely transformed the space. I actually forgot where I was while walking through the show. Each room was its own unique environment pulling elements from McQueen’s varied collections. Hard to pick a favorite, but the wood paneled room showcasing accessories and outfits with videos of the runway shows playing along the ceiling in a frieze was spectacular.

"Coiled Corset" from The Overlook, autumn/winter 1999-2000

The most shocking thing to me about this show is not the fact that McQueen was so inspired by raw human sexual desire that often included elements of violence but it is the fact that EVERYONE has been praising this show. I saw men from all walks of life (I assume many of them were tourists from other places) telling their wives how fantastic this dress or this accessory was. How is it that as a nation we can come together to appreciate genius that is a bit avant-garde but we can’t come together as a nation to support an issue such as same sex marriage? I’m just saying.

“Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective”

Richard Serra, Solid #13, 2008, paintstick on handmade paper

Born in 1939, Serra has become prolific. Most people are familiar with his large steel sculptures. Perhaps lesser known are his beautiful works on paper and wall drawings. Not only do the works in the exhibition clearly have an impact on Serra’s sculptural practice, but they also stand as independent works. Up until the 1970s the artist worked on paper in traditional mediums, but by the mid 70s Serra began to use black paintstick which resulted in large scale extreme textured pieces. He saw black not as a color, but as a “material that contains weight.” There is an emphasis on process, weight and gravity in these drawings. The works became larger, covering walls in über thick black impastoed surfaces. Seeing these drawings is like seeing his sculptures, in some cases each gallery has one large work.

Serra, "Notebook: Tilted Arc, " 1988

I liked seeing the drawings from his notebook which include studies for his controversial work “Tilted Arc.” This was the work he installed in 1981 at the Federal Plaza in NYC and after much controversy, the work was taken down in 1989. Instead of placing it somewhere else, Serra demanded that the work be destroyed. In the 1980s Serra began to play with leaving small areas of the work uncovered. By the early 2000s concentric circles made up smaller compositions. This is a fabulous show that is easy to see in a short amount of time. You can easily pop into it after the McQueen as it’s on the same floor.

“Anthony Caro on the Roof”

Anthony Caro, "After Summer", 1968

This is the 50th anniversary of the first showing of Sir Anthony Caro’s steel sculpture. The roof of the Met provides the perfect venue to see abstract forms in space in dialogue with the surrounding architecture. Caro got his start as an assistant to the British sculptor, Henry Moore. He was influenced by the work of David Smith and the writings of the art critic Clement Greenberg. Caro’s visit to the United States changed his work because he began to put sculptures on the ground versus plinths and bases.

Anthony Caro, "Blazon," 1987-90

Fawad Khan, Photo: Alfred Maskeroni for Popcycle Magazine

Born in Tripoli, Fawad Khan has lived in Pakistan, Baltimore, and now New York. His environs tremendously impact his artwork; his oeuvre includes drawings with ink and gouache, paintings, wall drawings that incorporate video and installations.

"Fractured Reverie" show at Lu Magnus, installation view

His powerful work, which has most often included subject matter related to suicide bombings and the violence that has become prevalent and associated with the area he and his family are from, provides a cathartic release for the artist. We are bombarded with this violent imagery every day in the media and Fawad’s art provides a meditation on violence. I first encountered (and wrote about) his work at a group show at Smack Mellon in DUMBO. I loved the energy and the innovation of the wall drawing combined with a video element. Here is a link to a video/wall work called “Fractured Reverie” from his last show at Lu Magnus. http://vimeo.com/26705463 Part of the beauty of his work, to me, is that it reaches viewers on multiple levels. I get sheer enjoyment out of his colorful palette and the dynamism of his compositions.

Two-Thousand-Two Striped, 2007, gouache and ink on paper, 30in x 22in

I bring my own personal experience to his work. One drawing with a 2002 BMW makes me nostalgic for my first car. But the work is so much more than its aesthetics. Fawad brings his own personal experiences to his art. Repeated imagery such as chili peppers (from his mother’s cooking), fatigues and camouflage (familiar images from his youth), and orange construction cones (prevalent in his current home) find their way into his work. The work is a real combination of personal memory and political commentary. He puts it all out there, perhaps some of that has to do with his training as an illustrator. This is something he is moving away from. He is experimenting with using a little more restraint and not giving everything away to the viewer.

Anxieties of Catastrophic Proportions, 2011, gouache and ink on paper, 60in x 40in

Anxieties of Catastrophic Proportion detail

Though cars are shown in various stages of destruction, Fawad takes away the macabre elements of car bombings like flames, leaving the essentials. He then deconstructs a lot of the imagery playing on his love of color and passion for making line look like form. The vehicles he uses are often based on photos from his travels adding another personal layer to his work. Fawad began working on a small scale because of the size of his studio but as his desire to work larger grew, he began to envision site-specific projects. This is how the first wall drawings came to be.

Sindh Super Highway, 2009, etching, archival inkjet, spit bite, screenprint, and collage, 17.75" x 23.75" plate, 24.25" x 29.5". Edition: 8

In 2008 Fawad completed a Lower East Side Printshop residency and made a suite of four works, each one representing the four geographic locations he has lived in. He was anxious to do work that echoed his drawings but was also somehow different; he decided on copperplate etchings and aquatint. The subjects are a Peugeot in Tripoli –his birthplace, a collage of appropriated imagery combined to make a military truck with cargo from his time in Pakistan, a Ford pickup truck to represent suburban Maryland, and two Vespas with construction area symbols such as orange cones and netting that symbolized his experience of NY in August of 2001, when he arrived. The collaged military truck creation spurred an interest in the medium and what were originally studies for larger works became “little meditations” and works in their own right.

Cone Collision I and II, 2010, collage and ink on paper, 11in x 13in each

Fawad now has a desire to take just a couple of elements and have them dialogue with each other. He continues to grow as an artist and he is concerned with producing a body of work that has longevity. He surrounds himself with art he loves by those who have most influenced him: Leon Golub, Amy Sillman, Nancy Spero, and Ryan McGuiness.

In Soldier Years, 2011, gouache and ink on paper, 60in x 40in

Fawad Khan is represented by Lu Magnus in New York. To learn more about his work visit his website at:

Ai Wei Wei

When he was 24, Ai Wei Wei left China and moved to Brooklyn, the East Village  and the Lower East Side in New York City. Though he was unknown in the States, he had already had his now infamous 1979 Stars exhibition in Beijing. He took over 10,000 photographs during his ten years in New York. This is the first exhibition in the United States showing this relatively unknown work. Ai Wei Wei’s apartment became a meeting place for many Chinese artists who had come to the States including Xu Bing, and composers and film directors.

In 1993 the artist’s father became ill and he moved back to Beijing and became an important figure in the avant garde art scene there. He curated, wrote books and designed architecture (including the bird’s nest for the 2008 Summer Olympics). He is now as well known for his protests against the government’s civil rights injustices as he is for his artwork. And with his recent arrest, “Free Ai Wei Wei” became a common utterance globally.

friend of Ai Wei Wei

The works in the show are quite beautiful. They show the underbelly of New York juxtaposed with the sparse tranquility of people’s apartments during what at times was a tumultuous period in certain parts of New York. Many of the black and white photos are blown up and some images are in sets of 2, 3, or 4 as strips from contact sheets on a larger scale. My favorites were the images of Ai Wei Wei at home and also in various locations in the city such as subway stations and standing in front of works by Duchamp and Warhol at MoMA.

The beauty of this show is in the simplicity of the work. They are not computer altered or super large scale with staged imagery. These are real photos of real people that have a grit to them. Viewers are touched by the intimate views we are afforded. With all the craziness that has gone on with Ai Wei Wei recently, this brings it back to the art. Refreshing.

In case you didn’t get enough of the Biennale through still images and my writing….

Here are two links to video footage of works I found interesting. It’s just like being there yourself. Enjoy!

Arsenale footage on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwAMBHk2vmg

Giardini footage on You Tube:

I recently unearthed some footage of me checking out art and food in Santa Fe last summer. If you are interested the link is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j4pUTDh3xE

Zilvinas Kempinas, Fountain, 2011, magnetic tape, fan

These shows are from late May and early June that I didn’t want to get lost in the immensity of the Venice information. Though they are no longer up I wanted to share the work with you.

Walking in to a group show at Yvon Lambert I was pleasantly surprised to find a work by Zilvinas Kempinas whose work I recognized from the 53^rd Venice Biennale. In an old church in Venice, a tunnel of recording tape paved the way through the collateral space. Fragile yet seemingly never-ending, the work struck a chord. The work in the show at Yvon Lambert is made up of a fan placed face down appearing to spew out strands of magnetic tape almost like water (hence its title “Fountain”). But the constant sound like rustling leaves that is soothing is part of the experience and to miss out on that is missing a key component of the piece.

Shinique Smith installation

Also on view is a large installation in the front gallery visible from the street by Shinique Smith called “ From the Pieces to Her.” Smith’s work continues to be influenced by street art and her materials still include cloth bundles but the raw pigment dripping from cloths into buckets was a new element. And I could not help but be reminded of Yves Klein’s body paintings when viewing the wall work that clearly included marks made by body parts.

And I also liked Joseph Havel “Night” made of fabric, thread, and needles. White stars with blue outlines were precariously and delicately held together with a few strands of thread hung like a tapestry on the wall. An interesting work by an artist whom I was unfamiliar with.

Clifford Ross

I didn’t know what to expect regarding the Clifford Ross show at Sonnabend. I was initially turned off by the brightly colored rectangles covering his beautiful photographs, but my mind was swayed a bit by the 5 minute video, “Harmonium Mountain,” showing these same rectangles dancing upon the screen accompanied by a brilliant Phillip Glass score. These rectangles are really just sections Ross has taken from his still imagery, stripping the natural color and adding bright pinks, blues, yellows, and greens. I am still not completely sold on this new series but I like that Ross is not just giving his viewer the same old thing. He seems to be pushing himself a bit which is always a good thing.

Robert Mapplethorpe installation view

I love the idea of the public curating a show. Sean Kelly Gallery had a terrific idea when it came to putting together their most recent Mapplethorpe exhibition. A call went out to 50 Americans, some who were completely unfamiliar with the work of Robert Mapplethorpe. People selected images and thoughtfully wrote why they made their selections. Considering that accessibility is paramount to me as far as art is concerned, I loved that everyday people were given a chance to express themselves and prove that art can have an impact on even the most novice viewer. I wish I had had more time to read every person’s reasoning; it is fascinating to see what draws someone to an image. And it was also quite nice to be immersed in the images of Mapplethorpe, many which I had never seen before.

Simon Evans, Shitty Heaven installation view

I adore the work of Simon Evans and have ever since I first saw his work at the SECA exhibition at SFMoMA in 200?. Biting, relevant, and thought-provoking, Evan’s use of text is imaginative and creative with s strong element of wit. Though many other artists use text in their work, Simon’s use of words is innovative in his use of pattern and repetition. Be it mapping and anecdotal quips about various people or layers of words adding up to innovative poetry, his work is extremely varied—made of woven paper, tape, and often mixed-media.

Gillian Wearing, "Snapshot"

I did not love all of the work by Gillian Wearing in her solo show at Tonya Bonakdar; however, “Snapshot,” a multi-channel video installation was a very cool work. What at first glance appeared to be still photos morphed into barely noticeable live action videos upon closer examination. “Seven different women at various stages of life….are depicted on seven monitors corresponding to eras in the 20^th century.” There was audio that accompanied the work which I unfortunately did not have time to listen to. Wearing’s work is very much an investigation of identity—female, personal and other.

Gillian Wearing, "Secrets and Lies"

I was also intrigued by “Secrets and Lies,” a video work in which Wearing places prosthetic masks on the faces of participants who have agreed to share theirn innermost secrets and be documented on film. They are extremely eerie because the people’s eyes show through the masks creating an odd almost Halloween-like presence. Presented in a confessional box, it felt intrusive and awkward to listen to their stories, yet like an attraction to a car wreck, I had trouble walking away.

Keith Haring drawings

Ikeda: "The Transfinite"

I continue to be impressed by the programming at the Park Avenue Armory. I made it to see this show by the skin of my teeth on the last day, June 11th. Previously unfamiliar with the artist, I was mesmerized by the hypnotic imagery and sounds of his installation. An electronic composer and video artist, Ikeda states that, “the purest beauty is the world of mathematics….The aesthetic experience of the sublime in mathematics is awe inspiring. It is similar to the experience we have when we confront the vast magnitude of the universe.” This work is impossible to describe. I took video in the hopes of sharing my experience with my readers for those who did not see it.

Click on this link to watch:

The Cone Sisters in Paris

From a family of 13 children, Dr. Claribel Cone (1864-1929) and Miss Etta Cone (1870-1949) were old-fashioned in appearance but embraced radical art, their collection included 3000 objects, over 100 works by Picasso alone. It all began in 1898 when after her father’s death Etta was given $300 to spruce up the family home. Instead of buying drapes, she bought five paintings by the American Impressionist Theodore Robinson.

Henri Matisse, "Interior, Flowers, and Parakeets", 1924

This led to trip to Paris where the sisters first saw Matisse’s works at the Salon d’Automne in 1905. It is amazing that this work, not appreciated at the time by most Europeans or Americans was sought after by the Cone Sisters. In fact, by the time the Armory Show came to NY in 1913, introducing Americans to the European avant garde, the Cone Sisters had been purchasing works out of the artists’ studios for a decade. Claribel bought so much art at one point that she took an additional apartment to sleep in. They had gatherings in their home similar to the salons that occurred in Paris. The women lived with all of their work much like the famous collector outside of Philadelphia, Dr. Albert Barnes.

Installation view

Henri Matisse, "Large Reclining Nude", 1935

Claribel unexpectedly died in 1929. Etta returned to Baltimore and maintained her sister’s adjoining apartment for the next twenty years and she continued to collect. Artists included in their collection are Matisse, Picasso, Gauguin, Cassatt, Modiglianai, Chagall, Delacroix, de Chirico, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Renoir, Courbet, etc. I enjoyed the fact that in the middle of the exhibition, there is a room showcasing other works such as textiles and decorative arts the ladies acquired on their world travels from 1906. All of their collection was donated to the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Hugo Boss Prize 2010: Hans-Peter Feldmann

Hans-Peter Feldmann received the $100,000 2010 Biennal Hugo Boss honorarium for his outstanding contributions to the contemporary art world. The eighth artist to win the award, the 70-year-old Feldmann has bucked the art world system for years by refusing to sign works, creating unlimited editions, and stopping his creative output for a ten year period. Continuing this trend, Feldmann decided to take his honorarium and pin it to the gallery walls in dollar bills (this process took nearly 14 days to complete). I am sure there are many visitors who say, “well, I could do this…why is this art?” I’ll tell you why, because these bills, previously in circulation, are something we see and use every day. But Feldmann has given them an entirely new context; we see them in a completely new way.

detail

Like art, the bank notes as the press release states, “have no inherent worth beyond what society agrees to invest them with, and in using them as his medium, Feldmann raises questions about our notions of value in art.” The bills overlap and there does not appear to be a pattern as to how they are displayed, as far as selecting whether the front or back is showing. “The smell of money” which society purports to be a great thing, is actually a stale, dirty smell–I mean think how many hands have touched these bills. And the best part of this work is that it will exist for the length of the exhibition and then will return to circulation–no one can buy the piece. Another jab at the current art system by Feldmann.

Eldridge Street Synagogue interior

No time like the present to go see something that has been on my list for quite some time, Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans’s window at the Eldridge Street Synagogue. The synagogue opened in 1887 when hundreds of Jewish immigrants flooded the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was the first time in the US that the Jews of Eastern Europe had built a synagogue from the ground up. Beginning in the 1940s the main space was used less and less and fell into disrepair until the building was saved in the 1980s and was designated a National Historic Landmark. The interior is a mix of gorgeous wooden elements, soft lighting and Moorish painted motifs including the painted stars that appear on the dome ceilings. It was this star motif that inspired Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans in their 2010 design to restore the window for the space. The existing painted stars represent a nighttime heaven. Kiki, as my fabulous tour guide told me, wanted to bring some of that heavenly quality to the daytime. I was not sure what to expect but this piece soared way beyond my expectations. It is a wonder to behold. If you are in NYC, you must go see not only the window, but this glorious building and its restored interior.

Kiki Smith window

Interior

Grayson's studio

On a beautiful summer day in June I headed to Grayson Cox’s studio in Bushwick. Originally from Indiana, Grayson moved to New York for a summer residency at SVA about seven years ago. In college he studied Japanese woodblock prints and actually moved to Japan for two years. He also traveled to China, Germany, and Italy for a month before coming to New York. During his first year in New York he worked as a carpenter for a company that did Christmas windows for department stores. Next he built art crates and then worked as an art handler for both Gagosian and Christophe van de Weghe. At one point he decided to take a chance and become a full-time artist. He applied to Columbia’s MFA program and got in. He finished two years ago and will teach there this fall. His experience there was wonderful; he developed great relationships with his teachers and it opened many doors for him. He now has works in important collections like Emily Fisher Landau and Candia Fisher and he had his first solo show at Gasser Grunert (who represent him in NY) this past spring.

Drawing

Initially he made large dot drawings with Sharpie markers. Many were based on Eastern landscapes from Hiroshige prints that he would then plop Midwestern architecture into. He then began to make digital collages and he made dot drawings of them. He collects thousands of photos from online but he also takes his own photographs. The 2005 Greater New York Show at PS1 blew his mind and he increased the size of his dot paintings. However, an unfortunate car accident (he was rear-ended while sitting at a light) prevented him from working on his large scale pieces. He started making small drawings because it was easier for him physically.

1st small drawing by Grayson in a case he designed and built

Core ideas that run as threads through his work involve an interest in coercive structures within religion and society as an architectural framework for the way we live. I was lucky enough to see his first small drawing which includes a Sears home, a ranch home, and a shrine. The Sears home represents the propaganda of the utopia of suburbs while the ranch home holds special importance to Grayson because his grandparents had one. It is the US “dream home” that everyone was promised upon their return from World War II. He believes that the cell phone is today’s ranch house. It is an extortion device we happily buy into—a necessary evil that will most likely cause brain tumors. His first small drawing is meditative and displayed in a vitrine meant to hang on the wall like a case at the Natural History Museum. It is almost devotional because you move your body down to it.

Double chair work

Another work in Grayson’s studio is a structure made of two seats facing each other. It is a conscious decision on the part of the viewer to sit and once there, they are made to feel a bit awkward and uncomfortable because one armrest is higher than another and a slat jabs into the sitter’s back after awhile. This forces the two sitters to interact. If only one person sits, the selections from the Tao Te Ching can be read. There is also a cell phone charger in the center of the structure—one for each device so if you both have iPhones, a negotiation must occur. Grayson built the structure and sewed the cushions himself. He likes being the novice and the way beginner’s luck looks. The works looks finished, but not perfect. He also makes his own stools and frames and this way his personality works its way into his work without him intentionally meaning for that to happen.

There is a performative element to each object. The person who wants to charge their phone becomes the performer. There is something for the people who take part in the object to discuss. Grayson sees himself as the facilitator of intimacy. He does not view these works as participatory objects but as objects that are charged with the potential for participation. This probably stems from the fact that his teachers at Columbia (Fia Backstrom, Liam Gillick, Rirkrit Tiravajina) were interested in relational aesthetics. Grayson believes that no one can make art in this day and age and not be influenced by politics and cooperations. Art has shifted.

Lighthouse bleach painting, "Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen"

But Grayson does not consider himself a “political” artist. Much of his work is contemplative, meditative and introspective. In a recent group show he created a five-sided desk and invited woodblock artists to carve low-reliefs into the desk. Visitors could take paper from the shelf below the seat and make a rubbing of an artist’s woodblock cut. Bleach paintings are another area Grayson explores. He recently took a photograph of an earlier oil painting he made of five lighthouse (five is always the number of things in his work because if a sixth person enters into a group of five, the topic of discussion shifts from one to multiple topics). Called “Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen” it is made using a silkscreen of a mixture of bleach and something called “Thick-it.” The two blended together become ink-like and Grayson silkscreens it using a squeegee. The bleach eventually eats the “Thick-it” and so there is not trace of the materials used; it is as if the canvas had always had the image in it and Grayson unveiled it. He likes the idea that there is a painting in the surface and not on top of it.

It is his fascination with Robert Moses and his toll roads and suburban sprawl propaganda that influence his decorative, silver framing devices. Moses made the toll booths that collected people’s money for his personal use very decorative and beautiful. Grayson likes the idea that the oppressor can be just that, oppressive and beautiful at the same time.

For a show in Tel Aviv where two artists from three esteemed institutions were selected to exhibit art Grayson made an ergonomic teeter totter lectern. It included a fan that put the speaker at ease, a microphone and a speaker that projected behind the person talking. The two lecterns faced each other.

Grayson is very interested in the space between, the gray area that makes people a little uncomfortable. He often uses gray as a color in his work and also uses yellow. Gray can represent steadiness, structure such as at a loading dock, while yellow is about a heightened sense of awareness. That is also how he views religion vs. spirituality. Religion is structure but spirituality is a heightened sense of awareness.

For more information visit his website: www.graysoncox.com