Armory Fair Highlights

by Art Fag City on March 6, 2009 · 20 comments Events

Kris Martin, Art Fag City, The Amory
Kris Martin, After All, 2009, Sies + Hoke

“Did you just get here?” a friend asked me at around 7:45 pm Wednesday night at the Armory, “Yes!” I replied definitively, though I’m not sure what I thought I was responding to.  I’d been looking at art for close to four hours at that point and it literally took me 15 minutes to get around to explaining that I’d actually seen the show.

As it happens, I had just seen a Kris Martin piece at Sies + Hoke, which I, perhaps unfairly, was beginning to interpret as a parallel to my own art viewing experience; but for the one hour of clarity in the day when my posts are published, or the clock hands in Martin’s piece spell out After All,  all seems chaotic.  As such, the following is a small summation of some of the art seen at the Armory.

Most “Within the Realm of Possibility” Art

Tony Matelli, Art Fag City, The Amory
Tony Matelli, Double Meat Head, 2008, Cast aluminum, cast bronze, urethane and paint, Leo Koenig

Tony Matelli, Art Fag City, The Amory
Tony Matelli, Double Meat Head, 2008, Cast aluminum, cast bronze, urethane and paint, Leo Koenig

I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but the cast bronze maggot piece above may not be wholly dismissible.  Perhaps the sausage nose, bacon lipped piece beside it soften me a little — other sentiments I’m surprised write — but I think this diptych might be okay.  It’s a little too self knowingly ridiculous to be a one liner.

Object Most Resembling Contemporary Art.

Art Fag City, shopping cart
Michael Delucia, Transcendence of Form, 2009, grocery cart and tinsel garland, 43 x 26 x 23 inches,

Transcendence of form indeed.  One shiny thing on top of another shiny thing.  A whole new object…

Best in Show

Art Fag City, Claudia Wieser
Claudia Wieser, Untitled, 2009, at Sies + Hoke

I’d like to have a better installation shot of this work, since it includes more pieces than just this detail, but such is life.  Hung on a metallic background, subtle gold angular lines accent the pictured reeds.   The work unapologetically asserts a classic modernist aesthetic, while employing contemporary installation techniques so the work feels neither dated or derivative. It’s lovely.

Worst in Show

Art Fag City, Gyan Panchal
Gyan Panchal at Galerie Frank Elbaz.

My favorite: Scrap-off-the-floor-in-my-studio art making.  Had the work been installed even remotely well, it might not seem so awful.  But it would still be bad.

Most Obviously Inspired by The Economic Crisis

Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Art Fag City, The Armory
Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Galleria Massimo De Carlo

Please tell me something I don’t already know in a less predicable font. Refrain from obvious puns.

Best/Worst Renewed Interest

Kenny Scharf, Art Fag City, The Armory
Kenny Scharf, Hurdy Gurdy, 2008, Oil, acrylic, enamel, silkscreen ink and glitter on linen, 48 x 60 inches, Paul Kasmin Gallery

To quote my intern Karen Archey, “When did people start liking Kenny Scharf again?”  Who knows, but perhaps this combined with his site specific installation at the Armory will remind a few of us why we don’t need to think about this work a second time.

Julian Opie

Julian Opie, Art Fag City, The Armory
Julian Opie, Antonia with Evening Dress, 2008, computer film on 52 inch LCD screen, Lisson Gallery

Try attending an art fair without spotting a Julian Opie; it’s almost impossible. As such, he receives his own catagory on AFC with the hope he will eventually make work worth discussing.  The above animated masterpiece features a twinkling of earrings and blinking eyes.  Draw your own conclusions.

{ 19 comments }

Jax March 6, 2009 at 6:13 pm

I thought the meat sculptures were ridiculous, but at least they evoked a reaction. I would much rather be trying to suppress the combo of laughter and horror on my face than the total apathy the rest of the fair created…

On another note, didn’t you think there was an unusual amount of really, really bad collage this year?

Jax March 6, 2009 at 6:13 pm

I thought the meat sculptures were ridiculous, but at least they evoked a reaction. I would much rather be trying to suppress the combo of laughter and horror on my face than the total apathy the rest of the fair created…

On another note, didn’t you think there was an unusual amount of really, really bad collage this year?

Jax March 6, 2009 at 1:13 pm

I thought the meat sculptures were ridiculous, but at least they evoked a reaction. I would much rather be trying to suppress the combo of laughter and horror on my face than the total apathy the rest of the fair created…

On another note, didn’t you think there was an unusual amount of really, really bad collage this year?

b.s. March 6, 2009 at 7:02 pm

That Double Meat Head is fucking hilarious.

b.s. March 6, 2009 at 7:02 pm

That Double Meat Head is fucking hilarious.

b.s. March 6, 2009 at 2:02 pm

That Double Meat Head is fucking hilarious.

C-Monster March 6, 2009 at 7:38 pm

that julian opie piece creeped me the hell out.

C-Monster March 6, 2009 at 2:38 pm

that julian opie piece creeped me the hell out.

L.M. March 6, 2009 at 9:57 pm

Manipulated by a meat puppet? Shame on you. (I really love that sort of shit)

L.M. March 6, 2009 at 9:57 pm

Manipulated by a meat puppet? Shame on you. (I really love that sort of shit)

L.M. March 6, 2009 at 4:57 pm

Manipulated by a meat puppet? Shame on you. (I really love that sort of shit)

MATTHEW ROSE March 8, 2009 at 6:46 pm

Maybe you should start a new category : Food Art. Kaprow did in fact start this whole thing off with EAT. But then there was also Archimboldo…

MATTHEW ROSE March 8, 2009 at 6:46 pm

Maybe you should start a new category : Food Art. Kaprow did in fact start this whole thing off with EAT. But then there was also Archimboldo…

MATTHEW ROSE March 8, 2009 at 6:46 pm

Maybe you should start a new category : Food Art. Kaprow did in fact start this whole thing off with EAT. But then there was also Archimboldo…

MATTHEW ROSE March 8, 2009 at 1:46 pm

Maybe you should start a new category : Food Art. Kaprow did in fact start this whole thing off with EAT. But then there was also Archimboldo…

Drankpee March 10, 2009 at 5:07 pm

ACK! the Gyan Panchal was such a wonderful relief! Funny to see it, really.

Drankpee March 10, 2009 at 5:07 pm

ACK! the Gyan Panchal was such a wonderful relief! Funny to see it, really.

Drankpee March 10, 2009 at 5:07 pm

ACK! the Gyan Panchal was such a wonderful relief! Funny to see it, really.

Drankpee March 10, 2009 at 12:07 pm

ACK! the Gyan Panchal was such a wonderful relief! Funny to see it, really.

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