Size can create competition in some shows, larger works demanding more attention than small, but these more typical relationships were somehow absent from this show. Holes were drilled into the sides of display armatures, perfectly framing a small Fishman sculpture covered in paint, encouraging the viewer to look. You did not get the sense that you were supposed to spend less time looking at the smaller things.
Read MoreBe respectful when a space has “success” in your city. Be proud of them, if that’s what they wanted. Call them out if they still use the word “alternative” to describe themselves, especially if they don’t talk about their stake in our community and society in general. Understand that “artist-run” does not mean anti-institution or DIY. We are being tricked by capitalism, which makes us believe that we are providing alternatives, that we are allies to social movements, while we are actually mirroring society’s systems of oppression. Work by yourself in your basement because, according to everybody, it is impossible to avoid capitalism. If we do participate at all, though, we need to own up to the fact that we are perpetuating deep-rooted systems.
Read MoreGary Johnson is the performance artist candidate we’ve been waiting for. Or, more specifically, he sometimes utilizes performance to communicate his ideas. Often, it is read as “class-clown” humor (which is a fair observation) but there is a part of me that respects his acknowledgment of non-traditional forms of communication. Unfortunately for Johnson, however, when you are running for president these performances are only effective when they articulate a nuanced understanding of complex issues rather than deflect or derail the conversation at hand.
Read MoreInspired by cultural icon Ulises Carrion and unwittingly ushered in by cultural icon Jeff Bezos, Ulises brings Philadelphia a much-needed art bookshop and a one-of-a-kind culture center to add to the rich mix of cultural spaces in North Philly. Welcome, Ulises.
Read MoreIn the cut and paste art world, perhaps the single most influential artist was the German Kurt Schwitters. Galerie Zlotowski, a small Rive Gauche gallery, has brought together 13 small collage and assemblage works, dating from 1918 through 1947, that offer a range of Schwitters’ poetic investigations.
Read MoreFor this week’s Reader Advisor, I was thinking a lot about creating and sharing space and content, and what it feels like for any marginalized group to see yourself represented and acknowledged within those contexts.
Read MoreJOG turns Ten – Congratulations! James Oliver Gallery (JOG) is celebrating their 10th Anniversary! Their celebratory exhibit, JOG10 (up to Nov. 19) features gallery favorites Thomas Paul Raggio, John Wind, Cheryl Harper, Nadine Rovner, Steven Mogck, Dennis Daly, Steven Earl Weber and Mathew Davis, as well as new folks they will be working with: Emily White, and Ira Upin.
Others they will be working with in future are papercuts artist Rosa Leff, featured in Evan Laudenslager’s write-up, Michael Grimaldi, and Kevin Bourgois.
