Where to Begin?

Image from Friedrich Kunath's exhibit "Lacan's Haircut" exibited at Blum & Poe (9/8-10/27, 2012)

Well, I've been writing and creatively involved, but, sadly, not doing much blogging. I have a kazillion photos to share with you all, from too many places, too many exhibits and shows, too many whimsical moments to count. So, I'll just randomly select images from over the past four months to give a sample of the fantastic things that I experienced in the world around me. Yeah, it's the "Image of the Day" concept that I keep on promising.

Hopefully, I'll also start regular posts again, but let's not get too ambitious. ;-)

Image of Friedrich Kunath's "Lacan's Haircut" in Blum & Poe's parking lot


Get ready for some fun stuff!!!

Sights to Delight

Sculpture of a Feathered Serpent from the Mayan civilization at Chichen Itza, AD 850-1100, on view in LACMA's "Children of the Plumed Serpent" exhibit.

I have been fortunate over the past few weeks in being able to visit various art venues, museums and galleries. Although I plan on writing about a few of them individually, I figured that sharing a few images would make for a fun post.

So, I have recently gone viewing in four of the city's cultural centers: the Miracle Mile, Culver City, Bergamot Station, and Long Beach. It's been a great start to the Summer.

Midnight Ride (2006) by Deborah Kupinsky, on view at the Long Beach Museum of Art


Lots on interesting works on display. I'm especially happy to have visited some venues down in Long Beach, an area that I enjoy but rarely visit.

Delineation Through Pixelization

Detail of Self-Portrait II (2011) by Chuck Close


Because of his expressed distrust of those who attempt to convey through words the experience and significance of art, as though such endeavors are either "spin jobs" and charlatanism, or, at least, verging close to such chicanery, even if the critic has no vested interest in the work under review, which puts up a filter between the reader and their ability to experience the art in an unbiased and authentic manner, writing a blog post about Chuck Close's solo exhibition at Blum & Poe feels presumptuous, even disrespectful towards an artist to whom I have the greatest of respect and admiration.

So, to ablate this feeling, I'll use simple declarative sentences for the remainder of this post.

Chuck Close is a portraitist. Some of the works in this show utilize a technique of grid-based "pixelization." Within each "pixel" shape, colors are layered in a manner that may be perceived as abstract when viewed up close. When viewed from a distance, the colors may be perceived as "blended" into a neutral and contextual pattern. Therefore, the experience of these works may be highly variant depending upon the vantage point.

Kara (2010) by Chuck Close

On view are large paintings, small stamp works, and two Jacquard tapestries.

Thus Shall You Think of This Fleeting World

Nuked Buddha (2011) by Matt Johnson

Blum & Poe are exhibiting six sculptures by Matt Johnson in a solo show. Known for his humor and quirky choice of materials, Johnson's work in this show feels a bit more subdued and introspective. Certainly, there is a light-heartedness that underlies the sculptures and the materials are as diverse as expected, but I feel that this is the most contemplative and profound display of Johnson's work that I've seen. There is a paradoxical sense of complex simplicity and expressive quiet to this show.

The easiest work to examine is the Nuked Buddha. It is a bronze statue, nine feet tall, which presents a warped and ruined surface to a traditional pose of serenity and transcendence. How does one view this image? Is it the triumph of the instant, in which a moment of violence defaces the beauty of human achievement? Or is it the exaltation of the enduring, wherein the serenity persists beyond the inessential results of the transient present?

This juxtaposition of the eternal and the ephemeral is also displayed in Touch the Void. Upon a granite boulder, Johnson has carved his handprint. It is not an obvious mark, but well integrated into the blended color and rugged surface of the rock. But despite the artful matching, the hand represents the fleeting presence of human life, which contrasts with the geologic ages of the stone. Yet, by carving his presence into the granite, this mark of mortality has gained lasting durability. Like early aniconic depictions of the Buddha as footprints, the handprint becomes a signifier of transcendence.

Detail of Touch the Void (2011) by Matt Johnson

But the reverse message is delivered in Pyramid of Dust, in which Johnson has created a four-sided pyramid of collected dust. This form is geometrically stable and associated with human structures noted for endurance. But it is crafted out of dust. It could crumble into a shapeless pile with a single jarring shake!