ELECTRIC WORKS - JANCAR JONES - PING PONG

ADOBE BACKROOM - CRIS TCHEYAN PROJECTS

31 RAUSCH - GALLERY 1988 - FREEGOLDWATCH

CANDYSTORE COLLECTIVE - OXENROSE SALON

07.16.10

(with assistance from RWM)

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Electric Works: It Is Right To Draw Their Fur - Drawings by Dave Eggers; Arboretum - Drawings by David Byrne.

Review by RWM: Wildlife can bring us joy. Wildlife can have personalities. Our relationship with these animals does not need to be somber, though they may think otherwise. Nice to see our wild neighbors in the spotlight especially here where the theme is not the typical sad man/nature encounter. We learn from these wild creatures who at times can become our muses and inspirations. It is nice to see them appreciated artfully as well.

Comment by AB: In the anteroom, enjoy cryptic word diagrams by David Byrne. Sidle on by; worth a visit.

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Jancar Jones Gallery: Chadwick Rantanen.

Comment by AB: Los Angeles artist Chadwick Rantanen here focuses on the dispassionate neutrality of corporate design via sandblasted wall-mounted sheets of colored glass, telescoping poles, and indeterminate black and white photographs.

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Ping Pong Gallery: Erik Scollon - The Urge.

Comment by AB: Erik Scollon riffs on a quote from Austrian modernist architect Adolf Loos' essay, Ornament and Crime, which goes something like this... "The urge to ornament one's face, and everything within one's reach, is the origin of fine art. It is the babble of painting. All art is erotic." Well, when I look at Scollon's entertaining display of kitschy contemporized painted porcelains executed in classic Chinese style, I'm thinking more like, "All art is amusing." Good show; check it out.

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Adopbe Books Backroom Gallery: Portraits - Kyle Ranson. Review by RWM: Good to see acknowledgment of traditional manners of portraiture here which harken back to olden days. The paintings without impressive technology exemplify an heirloom-like essence. One might wonder whether these are from the salons of Paris or some American equivalent. Rich in character and style, despite their varying degrees of detail.

Comment by AB: Kyle Ranson's moody personifications of friends and acquaintances makes for a most contemplative show.

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Cris Tcheyan Projects: Simon Pyle - Midden City.

Comment by AB: According to the preamble, "Cris Tcheyan Projects produces one-night art exhibitions in converted and re-purposed gallery spaces. By displaying art in non-traditional environments for a limited time, the pop-up shows hope to challenge and enhance the viewing experience by pushing the interaction between art and viewer toward one of intimacy and spontaneity." Mission accomplished; this endeavor held at a surprisingly large space on Church near 15th Street certainly challenges my viewing experience.

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Gallery 1988: Nature Preserve - Leontine Greenberg & Lawrence Yang.

Review by RWM: Delightful cartoon-like works from Leontine Greenberg with animals, but also phonographs and TVs. Are we rabbits, mice and birds captives of the mass media? Seems so. Lawrence Yang's art is beautiful with colors and symbols. People are cast here against large symbolic trees cosmic landscapes, portrayed by Yang as notably insignificant. Beautiful skies and color schemes abound, dwarfing the human inhabitants in this, the bigger picture.

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Addendum:

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