Rob Pruitt’s “Pattern and Degradation,” at Gavin Brown’s enterprise and Maccarone

by Paddy Johnson on September 28, 2010 · 6 comments Reviews

View of "Rob Pruitt: Pattern and Degradation," 2010 at Gavin Brown enterprise

I reviewed Rob Pruitt’s exhibition at Gavin Brown’s enterprise and Maccarone for Art Agenda this week. Here’s what I said:

Rob Pruitt’s joint exhibition at Gavin Brown’s enterprise and Maccarone, “Pattern and Degradation,” presses a few of my buttons. Even before stepping into the gallery I had some concerns—the notion of filling over 8,200 square feet with two years of new work without compromising quality seems a stretch, so naturally the show’s theme is about excess. According to the press release, the work is informed by the Amish tradition of Rumspringa, a two year right of passage in which Amish teenagers are allowed to indulge in all the excesses of modern life before returning to a more modest existence. Pruitt’s exhibition posits a world in which he lives in a “Permanent Rumspringa,” a concept that sounds suspiciously like a marketing ploy to explain over-production.

Seeing as how only two rooms of eight directly deal with Amish culture, there’s not much reason to think otherwise even if indulging in contemporary excess is likely to occasionally exclude a lot of the religion. At the far end of Gavin Brown, rows of both modernist and traditional Amish chairs coated in silver weakly gesture to the religion, as do a number of large patterned paintings referencing traditional Amish quilting. The basic gist of these pieces seems to be “What if my tablecloth could be large and bold enough to create optical vibrations?”

To read the full piece click here.

{ 6 comments }

royston September 28, 2010 at 9:24 pm

Does the path of excess really lead to the palace of wisdom? this show is both inspirational and depressing…like a hungry man gorging himself at a free buffet…sure there’s some “nutrition” here but at what cost? shallow can be okay once in a while but so much eyecandy to be bought and sold by ironic hipsters is disturbing…i agree the googly-eyed sculptures are the best…thanks for your insights…

royston September 28, 2010 at 5:24 pm

Does the path of excess really lead to the palace of wisdom? this show is both inspirational and depressing…like a hungry man gorging himself at a free buffet…sure there’s some “nutrition” here but at what cost? shallow can be okay once in a while but so much eyecandy to be bought and sold by ironic hipsters is disturbing…i agree the googly-eyed sculptures are the best…thanks for your insights…

c-mon September 29, 2010 at 4:52 pm

my favorite part of this show was watching art types trying to namecheck themselves on pruitt’s e-mail inbox piece. at one point i overheard: “wow, rob pruitt and i are on the same e-mail blast lists.” it was enough to make me snort-laugh.

c-mon September 29, 2010 at 12:52 pm

my favorite part of this show was watching art types trying to namecheck themselves on pruitt’s e-mail inbox piece. at one point i overheard: “wow, rob pruitt and i are on the same e-mail blast lists.” it was enough to make me snort-laugh.

ernstwhere September 30, 2010 at 3:57 am

The show unfolded for me like an Austin Powers movie: an impressive array of splashy sets with catchy, hey baby humor. The plus, the artist achieves a high point of exuberance. The minus, I haven’t thought about the show since. Except perhaps those odd oily paintings shown with the cardboard sculptures, an anomaly in the greater production and my only ‘what is this really about?’ moment in the show.

ernstwhere September 29, 2010 at 11:57 pm

The show unfolded for me like an Austin Powers movie: an impressive array of splashy sets with catchy, hey baby humor. The plus, the artist achieves a high point of exuberance. The minus, I haven’t thought about the show since. Except perhaps those odd oily paintings shown with the cardboard sculptures, an anomaly in the greater production and my only ‘what is this really about?’ moment in the show.

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