ELI RIDGWAY - MERIDIAN

WHITE WALLS - MODERN EDEN

03.16.13

(with assistance from RWM)



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Eli Ridgway Gallery: Cuts and Splits - Christopher Taggart.

Review by RWM: Great use of detail in works which show a fair degree of effort. Nice attention to elements creating larger images from pieces and parts. Close observations are rewarded. Sort of like looking into a microscope sometimes. The pieces add up only to abstractions, but you are along for the process.

Comment by AB: Christopher Taggart slices, dices and reconfigures photographs, playing cards, and government data into exceptionally intricate and orderly compositions. Also for your viewing edification and enjoyment, watch a video interpretation of Duchamp's Armory Show icon, Nude Descending a Staircase; a rotating kinetic sculpture mounted on a wood post; abstracted big game trophy heads engraved onto sheets of colored metal; and a wild sculptural potpourri starring a receiver from a classic black rotary phone. Good art and eminently pinkie-worthy; go see.

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Meridian Gallery: Lucidity, A Retrospective - Fariba Bogzaran. Curated by Peter Selz and Anne Brodzky.

Review by RWM: Interesting to become part of the dreamscape on display, but rather than surrealism or obvious symbols, the work borders on the abstract. There may be some recognizable elements like horizons, water, waves and moon, but the flowing colors are not contained in subjects. Nice to see the beautiful blues, some edged with gold in wavy melting designs. Almost at times like looking at hallucinations. Captivating and rare or altered frames of mind for those who seek something unusual or different.

Comment by AB: Granted this is a retrospective, but sometimes it's possible to inundate an audience with art. A retrospective does not automatically require an artist to haul out practically everything they've ever created and then pack multiple floors of a gallery chock-a-block with it. A little more selectivity in the curatorial department, and perhaps a half to a third as many works would have been more than adequate. Having said all that, the show is not without high points.

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White Walls & Shooting Gallery: Flotsam's Harvest - Mike Shine.

Review by RWM: Fun to visit with such a variety of works on display, with corners and crannies showcasing all manner of art, now at the gallery's new location, and the visit is like going to a museum rather than a gallery with a theme and artist for the night. Nice large formal white walls. Interesting to see the vitality and action. Terrific at times, but heartfelt and beautiful in its own way and place.

Comment by AB: Mike Shine creates the perfect installation not only for his art, but also his performance and for the bohemian Boliners (people from Bolinas and environs) who've trundled on down from the North Country for this entertaining event. Too bad I don't have time to stay for the show-- my loss.

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Modern Eden Gallery: Tarot - Art of Fortune. Curated by Warholian's Michael Cuffe.

Artists: Chris Blackstock, Sandra Yagi, Sergio Lopez, Casey Gray, Trevor Young, Michael Ryan, Rachel Moseley, Jena Rockwood, Eve Skylar, Christopher Charles Curtis, Ben Walker, Carly Ivan Garcia, Melissa Morgan, Leilani Bustamante, Josh Ellingson, Lee Harvey Roswell, Mia Christopher, Lauren Napolitano, Cory Benhatzel, Joshua Coffy, Evan Venegas, Kim Larson, Mab Graves, Sidharth Chaturvedi, Brian Greif, Gregory Siff, Aaron Bo Heimlich, Robert Harris, Ryan de la Hoz, Vahge, Peter Adamyan, Steve Javiel, Catherine Moore, Adam Caldwell, Helen Bayly, John Wentz, Sherry DeLorme, Adam Caldwell, Brenton Bostwick, Brett Flanigan, Alec Huxley, Lisa Alonzo, Chor Boogie, Lyrica Glory, Bradley Platz, Nick Flatt, Ivan Grianti, Brianna Angelakis, Daniel J. Valadez, Daisy Church, Ahren Hertel, Olivia Chen, Shawn Kawa, Chelsea Brown, Aleksandra Zee, Brandi Lee, Meryl Pataky, Marcos LaFarga, Jake Kobrin, Peat Wollaeger, Leon Loucheur, Jane Kenoyer, Xiau-Fong Wee, Aoi Yamaguchi, Calvin Wong, Gwen Rosewater, Renee Castro, Peter Gronquist, John Felix Arnold, Anne Herrero, Kim Frohsin, GILF, Akira Beard, Heart Twain, Charmaine Olivia, Craig Larotonda, Michael Cuffe.

Comment by AB: Devine your creative future via myriad artistic perspectives on the mystical and occult medium of Tarot. From portentious to preposterous to wry, you'll find it all here.

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