Thursday, July 28, 2011

Note on Under the Big Top at McClain

by Robert Boyd

This conceptually weak show is like a lot of shows one sees in summer at the galleries--various odds and ends from the storeroom. For example, a wall full of paintings and prints by a variety of blue chip artists.

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On the wall, left to right: untitled, 5.06 by Rob Reasoner, (untitled) by Victor Vasarely, Target-660 by Stephan Dean, Five by Donald Baechler, Trytophan by Damien Hirst, Blue by Ellsworth Kelly, Mandala 03 by Alexander Haas, Untitled Spin Painting by Damien Hirst. Far right--Dream by Sylvia Fleury. Foreground, hanging from the ceiling--A Piece of Infinity #13, Jonathan Borofsky

It's hard to see where the circus theme comes in with most of these pieces. At the very least, I associate circuses with stimulation (over-stimulation, actually); this weird grouping, on the other hand, is really kind of boring. Except for the Jonathan Borofsky piece. Whatever happened to Jonathan Borofsky? It seems like in the late 80s/early 90s, you couldn't turn around without seeing his work. Now he seems largely forgotten. Personally, I always liked his work and I like this piece. It appeals to the math geek in me.

I don't mind that McClain wants to clear out its overstock--lots of retail establishments do this. I just wish that instead of creating a fake-ass theme like "Under the Big Top," they had called it something like "Summer Clearance Extravaganza." The whole "circus" thing feels like an afterthought. There are a few clown paintings (I always wonder who hangs pictures of clowns in their homes) and there's this piece by the Art Guys that actually made me laugh.

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The Art Guys, Clown Noses (Double Self-Portrait), clown noses on broken concrete, variable dimensions, 2011

They also had a kinetic piece, Pretty as a Picture.


The Art Guys, Pretty As a Picture, cut plywood lettters, gear motors, wood, wire, 2009

I guess it's obvious that in this exhibit, I liked the things that made me laugh. And nothing made me laugh more than this piece Dennis Oppenheim.

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

A gallerina told me that she thought this was a model for a larger public piece, which seems extremely unlikely. That said, I would have preferred a giant mouth with books for teeth than his Radiant Fountains sculpture at the airport. But there are two reasons why I doubt that this was meant to be a model for a large public piece. First, it's part of an edition (9 of 27). Second, the book titles are nasty, funny and quite personal. Oppenheim is doing a little score settling.

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

I thought it was particularly funny that Hirst and Baechler both also had pieces in this show.

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000

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Dennis Oppenheim, Upper Cut detail, plywood, steel, enamel paint, silkscreen on books, 2000


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2 comments:

  1. Hmmm, an "Art and Mathematics" show might be interesting. Bochner, Borofsky, certainly Roman Opalka and maybe even certain Twombly's. Some conceptualists. Who else...?

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  2. Bernar Venet did a bunch of "equation paintings."

    ReplyDelete