PAULE ANGLIM - WENDI NORRIS

IAN ROSS - HOTEL BIRON

03.14.13

(with assistance from RWM)



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Gallery Paule Anglim: Lynn Hershman Leeson - Present Tense; Bruno Fazzolari - Lampblack.

Review by RWM: Interesting introspection and personality on the wall. Held up here for public examination, but at the same time exerting the power of self and expression. I'm surprised by this unusual take on artistic autobiography which, though representational, verges on abstract. The work leaves you with questions and not a lot of answers.

Comment by AB: In the main gallery, Lynn Hershman Leeson essays on the body, aging, physical appearance, and on sundry means of temporarily altering or staying the inevitable such as diet, nutrition and plastic surgery. In the vestibule, Bruno Fazzolari paints up a series of works unified by the selective application of a thick extra-black type of India ink, and then complements the art by creating an original perfume, Lampblack, based on one of the ingredients in that ink. Smell and see all rolled into one. Good show on both counts; go see.

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Gallery Wendi Norris: Amir H. Fallah - The Collected.

Comment by AB: A modern push on classic portraiture by Amir H. Fallah features each sitter covered by a blanket and surrounded with possessions that hold personal meaning. Blazing colors and abstract flourishes heighten the mystery and fascination of it all. Also on display are vibrant starburst florals that practically explode off the canvas. Worth a visit.

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Ian Ross Gallery: Ian Ross - Natural Addiction.

Review by RWM: An abstract show with all sorts of directional templates going on. Kind of like the rain going in strange directions in a foreign country. Nice colors sometimes. Paint and color as freeform magic, but not a lot of attention to detail.

Comment by AB: Every once in a long while I find myself lost in the far remote reaches of the art-o-sphere where hardly anything makes any sense at all, like here at Ian Ross Gallery where Ian Ross is curating an exhibition of art by Ian Ross. I recognize almost no one at this lively well-attended event (I'm told they're primarily involved with technology and the tech industry, so that explains that). The uninspiring art appears to be selling inexplicably well, which recalls the age-old adage that there's no accounting for taste (however there is definitely an accounting for the ability to discriminate based on dedicated attention to one's aesthetic sensibilities, like maybe checking out more than one gallery on at least an occasional basis). So much for art appreciation in the twilight zone. On the way back to the car, I notice the emperor's clothes sticking of a discarded trash bag on the sidewalk. Next.

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Hotel Biron: Calixto Robles and Ali Blum.

Comment by AB: This husband/wife show features eminently affordable mixed-media works by Ali Blum, and lithographic prints by Calixto Robles.

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