Art
It’s hard to know what you’ll find in a group show. Works can
vary wildly in quality and maturity, and often the show’s
only constant is the white of the gallery walls. Despite these challenges,
group shows offer a snapshot of a collective mind. The current exhibition at
A\V provides a glimpse of a community of individuals boldly different yet
unified by a dedication to both their own artwork and to the space itself.
Featuring works by a sampling of A/V’s curatorial brain trust,
the show brings a hodge-podge of media into the confines of the A\V gallery.
Entering the space the viewer’s eyes immediately lock on the pile of
televisions against the opposite wall. “Ode to Brakhage,”
the work of the pseudonymous Dr. Hamburger, shares more aesthetic kinship with
Nam June Paik than the legendary avant-garde filmmaker in the title, and
features a loose three-by-three grid of nine televisions of varying size and
vintage. The mass of the assemblage gives the viewer pause, just long enough to
adopt the passive stare that televisions inevitably inspire. During my visit
the TVs were showing high-contrast patterns and fuzzy network offerings, with
one screen displaying a broadcast reduced to a small sliver. The narrow band of
light flickered with color and motion, and moving around the room caused slight
changes in the image. The effect was reminiscent of playing a theremin, the electronic instrument that produces sounds based
on the proximity and motion of the musician’s hands. While
not obviously a sound piece, a certain musicality was also present in the
high-pitched harmony of the sets, punctuated by popping static.
Joe Tunis’ sculpture provides a palate-cleansing meditation to soothe the eyes after their initial
jolt. Hung on the wall like a painted canvas, his piece features a large,
square sheet of new, smooth plywood with a much longer and weather-beaten 2″x4″
extending beyond the top and bottom of the plywood behind it, attached by a
smaller block of painted wood. Moving around the sculpture reveals alternate
perceptions of depth; a head-on look focuses the viewer more on textures than
dimensionality. There’s much to dwell on here: the tension between purchased
and salvaged materials that could be an oblique criticism of consumerism, and
the meditative effects of letting a person’s eyes get lost in the intricate
patterns of wood grain. In true minimalist fashion, Tunis has inspired a lot of thought and
emotion with very little material.
Occupying the wall space to the immediate right of Tunis is Scott Oliver’s
work. A long and narrow piece of distressed metal — also hung in the style of
a framed canvas — the shape of Oliver’s work provides a visual “minus” to Tunis’ more cross-like
“plus.” At a distance, the chemically burned metal inspired visions of a
roiling sea churning with white-capped waves, while closer viewing reveals
flowing brushstrokes creating supple textures. Rich in color, the piece
features hints of gold, blue, and green emerging from the dominant copper
brown.
The drawings of Andy Gilmore feature intricate images of both
human and animal subjects. Tight, straight red and blue lines compose the flesh
depicted, looking much like the striations of muscle tissue. While a few of the
works feature fully formed creatures, we mostly meet the gaze of skinless
beasts and look upon not bodies, but parts. Since Gilmore uses frames likely
found in grandmother’s attic or at a local thrift store, the viewer cannot help
but remember that they once held images of intimate personal meaning for their
owners. Substituting that portrait of a smiling cousin with these slightly
macabre drawings gives the entire endeavor a pleasingly unsettling feel.
If I were to fault the
A\V for any aspect of this exhibition, it would be the lack of words. Beyond a
small label with the artist’s name, there were few titles and no statements
posted anywhere in the space, and upon asking the gallery attendant I was
informed that no other printed materials were available. To that end, the
pieces are sapped of whatever conceptual power they may posses,
and much of the joy of interacting with contemporary art is lost. Perhaps the
curators are content to let the viewer’s mind wander and create independent interpretations
of the works on display. Whatever the case, it appears that the A\V is in the
hands of several highly creative people dedicated to the exploration a variety
of media.
A/V Curators Show | Through January 27 | A/V Space, 8 Public
Market | Thursday 7-10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. |
www.avspace.org
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2007.
