CCA WATTIS - 836M

01.21.15



Good writing makes good art better. Click Here.

***

CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts: Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys. Curated by Anthony Huberman; Off Broadway. Curated by Nairy Baghramian.

Off Broadway artists: Katarina Burin, Michaela Eichwald, Vincent Fecteau and Diane Simpson, Frieda Grafe, Margaret Harrison, Heinz-Peter Knes, Janette Laverrière, Adam Linder, Shahryar Nashat, Paulina Olowska, Provence, and Danh Võ, others.

Comment by AB: In the main gallery, Belgian artists Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys show stark white-coated steel sculptures and graphite drawings. Mounted at the top of each sculpture are portrait sketches of people with expressions ranging from deadpan and nonplussed to wild-eyed and emotive, "traced from anonymous images found online." Along the walls are drawings mainly of everyday people in ordinary urban situations. In the adjacent gallery is a video with strange captions and starring uncomfortable looking players. In the rear gallery, Nairy Baghramian presents a group show that's a sculptural installation in and of itself, with art displayed horizontally on platforms and shelves, leaning against walls, sandwiched in plexiglas, and otherwise positioned about the premises.

***

836M: Banksy's "Haight Street Rat" Comes Home to San Francisco.

Comment by AB: In May 2010, Banksy stenciled and sprayed his way through San Francisco. His ouvres are mere memories now, having been painted over or defaced, and remembered only in photos, but thanks to the prodigious efforts of Brian Greif, a sole surviving example was saved from being painted over and is now preserved intact in its entirety. Originally painted on the side of The Red Victorian on Haight Street, Grief made arrangements to have the piece removed from the building and restored. Now here it is back on display in San Francisco for the first time since it was created. Also on display are photographs of Banksy's San Francisco outdoor work as well as other outdoor artworks from around the world.

***