Monday, October 20, 2008 I went to an art event this weekend at the multi-gallery complex located at 4411 Montrose Boulevard. I went to the opening at Barbara Davis, Anya Tish, Peel Gallery, and Wade Wilson Fine Art Galleries.
At the Barbara Davis Galley I enjoyed the work of the big league players she has to offer. In addition to being a very formidable lady, Barbara Davis brings a lot of the New York big boys and girls we don’t generally get a chance to see in the industrial backwater. However, being Houston one gets the feeling the artists aren’t giving our town first dibs on there best works. Barbara certainly has a keen eye for art and tends to bring decent works to Houston. Personally I hate this bullshit myth that New York City is the only city of any importance. Innovation and evolution happens on the fringes of populations. I frankly don’t see how any young artist can afford to live, create, and innovate in a city like New York, unless they are already rich and fuck those rich bastards. In some ways I regard New York as a giant art flee market where you only go to sell your goods. As odd as this might sound I think Houston is a great town to create art, or at least it was over the last fifteen years that I’ve been here. You had cheap rents on big spaces (if you looked hard enough), art galleries (where they actually talk to new artists), cafes, museums and bars with decent art communities (if you dig hard enough) and the city is big enough to offer a wide range of art buyers (if you work it) I’m not saying its easy to make it in Houston, but the fundamentals have been there for artists. And it’s best that things not be too easy, creative people need a bit of grit to try and smooth over. I liked the works of Kiki and Chuck Close.
At the Barbara Davis Galley I enjoyed the work of the big league players she has to offer. In addition to being a very formidable lady, Barbara Davis brings a lot of the New York big boys and girls we don’t generally get a chance to see in the industrial backwater. However, being Houston one gets the feeling the artists aren’t giving our town first dibs on there best works. Barbara certainly has a keen eye for art and tends to bring decent works to Houston. Personally I hate this bullshit myth that New York City is the only city of any importance. Innovation and evolution happens on the fringes of populations. I frankly don’t see how any young artist can afford to live, create, and innovate in a city like New York, unless they are already rich and fuck those rich bastards. In some ways I regard New York as a giant art flee market where you only go to sell your goods. As odd as this might sound I think Houston is a great town to create art, or at least it was over the last fifteen years that I’ve been here. You had cheap rents on big spaces (if you looked hard enough), art galleries (where they actually talk to new artists), cafes, museums and bars with decent art communities (if you dig hard enough) and the city is big enough to offer a wide range of art buyers (if you work it) I’m not saying its easy to make it in Houston, but the fundamentals have been there for artists. And it’s best that things not be too easy, creative people need a bit of grit to try and smooth over. I liked the works of Kiki and Chuck Close.
The evening was full of fun and colorful people, but I was sad to hear that Anya was not present for heath reasons. I hope to see her back in the gallery soon, she is on my mind and I am sending her positive energies. I tried to speak with Barbara Davis as usual, but even after all these years she doesn’t remember my name or me for that matter. I know that she is a very busy and sought after art dealer. And I have never really been in the position to be a real art buyer in her class. I do not begrudge her my anonymity. I found the exhibition to be very pleasant and interesting. Nothing stood out as especially spectacular or terrible.
Both photograph are by Begoña Egurgide, shown here without Lenticular effects.
In Anya Tish gallery I found artist Begoña Egurgide doing fun work with Lenticular Photographic Prints: those images we all remember from childhood cereal boxes where the surface of a plastic image is ruffled in a way so that when you look at it from a different angles you see another image, creating the illusion of motion. I’ve been waiting for artists to do something with this simple technology. I recommend seeing Egurbide’s large photograph panels. In one large image I felt a great shock as I crossed the room to find a young child pointing a gun in my direction. I can’t say I love these works, but was amused and enjoyed seeing how she handles this medium. As the image reveal different things from varying angles of perspective, its worth going back to have a closer look without the throngs of people crowding the gallery on such a busy night.I thought the painted glass by Lucinda Cobley of Wade Wilson Fine Art Gallery was pretty and nice to look at, but it’s gimmicky crap that would be more interesting if it was executed with strictly paint on canvas. I’m just tired of tricks using glass pains and layers, blah, blah, blay. Why are you painting on glass? What does the medium reveal about whatever it is you’re getting at? It just feels like another gimmick where the best reaction you get from the audience is: How did they do that? Is just not very interesting, and if your content is pricking my mind, the raw skill and craft should be bang! Not to say the works suck, but dull and pretty. Joan Wich & Co. Gallery across the way had works on paper that were up my alley in terms of enjoying roughly rendered painting. But Floyd Newsum’s imagery just didn’t grab me. Certainly not dull, but failed to engage me. Getting out to the galleries at 4411 Montrose is worth a trip out of the house, they should come up with a name of the gallery complex; it’s a great group of spaces.
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