Art Lies, Volume 31, Summer 2001 Page: 83
84 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
act. The wry inclusion, inside, of Josiah McElheny's Karntner Bar,
Vienna, 1908, Adolf Loos (White), which is based on Loos's screed,
"Ornament and Crime," makes the point by contrast. In McElheny's
bright, scrim-ceilinged room, rows of plain white glassware glow on
the shelves of illuminated cabinets. While all of the works in " Beau
Monde" don't necessarily belong to the category of decoration, in
keeping with Hickey's purpose they were chosen with an eye to
enhancement: of space, of other artworks, and of life in general.
The newly configured exhibition space is introduced by
Jennifer Steinkamp's DVD projection, with sound by her collabo-
rator Jimmy Johnson. Projected on a curved, vaulted wall 26 feet
long and 8 feet high, that arches down from the ceiling, sin(time)
consists of two identical side-by-side moving images of expanding,
concentric ellipses. The colors gradually shift from red to blue,
with ochre outlines on a white ground. Constantly changing, yet
apparently repetitive, and completely without climax, sin(time)
mesmerizes.
The temporal structure of Sarah Morris's 16mm film,AM/PM,
is equally addictive. The pulsing electronic score by Liam Gillick,
with its booming bass line, finally convinced an adult like me of the
adrenaline-pumping effect that kids get out of the bass-heavy car
stereos that rattle your windows as they cruise your street. Named
after the all-night convenience store chain, AM/PM is a rapid-fire
montage of aerial and street-level views of the Las Vegas strip. The
first half of the film luxuriates in Vegas's cliched glitter, lingering on
a couple of dealers engaged in sidewalk conversation. Night is fol-
lowed by daytime and a marvelous scene of a thong-clad nymphet
lounging in a swimming pool, as well as heat-wavy close-ups of
traffic congestion on the strip. Twelve minutes and 36 seconds sim-
ply leave you wanting more of this sexy, beat-driven hustle.
Jessica Stockholder's sculptural installation serves as a
metaphor for the show as a whole. Assembled from locally salvaged
detritus, her rambling tableau is articulated and unified by swaths of
paint and a rough-cut plywood proscenium that reinforces the
sculpture's pictorial nature. Whether viewed from a distance or
walked into, the work renders a multitude of vantage points, pro-
viding unexpected confluences of color, form, and material.Precious few entries mainline narrative into the formal mix. Nic
Nicosia's glorious black-and-white film, Acting America, hilariously
reprises a script from Father Knows Best; Ed Ruscha's 1975 cinemat-
ic tour de force, Miracle, chronicles an imaginary day-in-the-life of
an auto mechanic. Satisfying popular desire for skillful, magic-real-
ist painting, Hickey installed three paintings by Kermit Oliver in a
dark, chapel-like space, which was typically the most crowded
gallery when the show was open to the public.
The show's subtle grounding in French history, reinforced by
"Beau Monde's" Bastille Day opening, has Hickey storming the
prison of identity art, which he has decried in numerous interviews
as " mono-cultural production." Like Abbot Suger's Gothic Abbey
of St. Denis, which gleamed with the divine light of stained glass
and jewel-encrusted metalwork, this curator points the way to
redemption through visions of beauty.
-Frances Colpitt
At first glance "Beau Monde" seems the curatorial equivalent of
Richard Hamilton's pop icon, Just What is it That Makes Today's
Homes So Different, So Appealing? Like Hamilton's tiny collage, it
swarms with conflicting ideologies that cohabit uneasily in a bump-
and-grind of existentialist unease. The more time I spent with "Beau
Monde," however, the more superficial this allusion seemed. The
most successful parts of the exhibition, such as the large room where
Jestis Rafael Soto, Jessica Stockholder, Darryl Montana, and Jorge
Pardo mix it up, are full of florid, quotational gestures. Instead of
competing, however, these individual sensibilities combine to form
an almost seamless sensibility where practical and conceptual inter-
lock like brick and mortar.
"Beau Monde" is not an ideologically charged polemic; neither
is it a succession of sancrosant, museum-quality objects discretely
whispering " rosebud." Josiah McElheny, Jo Baer, Jeff Burton, and
Kermit Oliver do signal the singularity of their visions through
sharply defined, strictly decorated, solo installation, and the six soli-
taires that comprise the very watchable, very introspective film series
stand in notable thematic exception to the rest of the show. ButARTL!ES Summer 2001 I 83
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Kalil, Susie. Art Lies, Volume 31, Summer 2001, periodical, 2001; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth228061/m1/85/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .