OnTheCusp.org

Tweet

The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art is looking for three artists or teams of artists to participate in Spike-a-Delic ‘06, iMOCA’s annual fundraiser. Focusing this year on assemblage and found object art, the three teams will compete from an equal playing field of 8’ x 8’ x 8’ cubes. The event will take place on September 29th in the Car Gallery on the second Floor of the Stutz Business Center.

The three artists or teams of artists selected will all receive a $500 cash prize with an additional $500 prize given to the winner selected by our jury. Jury members include:

- Steve Campbell, Deputy Mayor of the City of Indianapolis
- Cathleen Nevin, Katz & Korin PC
- Mark Ruschman, owner, Ruschman Art Gallery and President of Indianapolis Downtown Art and Dealers Association (IDADA)

An additional award of five cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon will be given to the crowd favorite.

The artists or teams of artists will be given access to the venue on Thursday, September 28th and Friday, September 29th to work on their projects. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, sculpture, painting, video, photography and drawing. Materials used will only be limited to the restrictions given to us from the facility and will be announced later. Use of electricity, video monitors, dvd players, etc. will need to be arranged ahead of time. During the event, the artists or teams of artists will be presented with found objects given to them by the audience in which to incorporate into their artwork.

Submissions can include a preliminary outline of proposed project, along with examples of previous work and may be submitted no later than September 1, 2006 to:

iMOCA
Spike-A-Delic Artist Submissions
340 North Senate Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Submissions may also be emailed to cwest@indymoca.org with the subject line Spike-A-Delic Artist Submissions.

Submission Deadline – September 1, 2006

*** UPDATE - if you sent an email before Thursday, August 3rd at noon it is lost in cyberspace. Please resend.

Tweet

Jamie Pawlus, Don’t Be Afraid of the Space Rays/Don’t Be Afraid of the Space Race

I apologize for the unpunctuality of this review, but it is certainly still worth noting.

Peripheral View, the aptly titled exhibition at iMOCA featuring sculpture/installation by Jamie Pawlus and Ryan Wolfe, confronts us with objects and processes which are typically seen without being observed.

Pawlus’ work, cleverly placed throughout the exhibition space, lends the viewer to reexamine the idioms of information and signs in public, if not urban, settings. There is something of a tradition of art that “disappears”, Damien Hirst and recent iMOCA alumnus Conrad Bakker among the proponents. This distinction is not entirely appropriate in regards to the work of Ms. Pawlus, however the affinity seems undeniable. The dynamic presented by her half of this show is a little more complex. In what I would consider the most successful of the works, the initial viewing of the object is an inattentive one. The viewer casually recognizes a ‘sign’ (in some cases literally) not as the message or information it signifies, but as the presence of an all too familiar urban medium for example Merge/Escape takes the places of the more familiar Entrance/Exit, The Other Side Sign, and Don’t Be Afraid of the Space Rays/Don’t Be Afraid of the Space Race are detourned street signs which are encountered daily, at least in form. At first we don’t even read it. In this way they signify signage and little else. We think, “A sign”, and not whatever is printed on it. (The best piece in the show, The Other Side Sign, has nothing printed at all, only two “backsides”, placed quite intelligently, in the corner as to force the viewer to seek the vacant information). Eventually you read it, acknowledge it for what it is, and the whole experience shifts, making the viewer actively aware of its presence. The difference between this experience and our more banal encounters with signs is the effect of an unnerving, and humorous to be sure, awareness of the presence of such signs. We become aware of the power of signs, in a general sense, to inform but also to direct, the latter having a more alienating overtone. This, to acknowledge the conceptual-landscape slant of the show, makes the works something of a psychogeographical critique.

Ryan Wolfe’s computerized grass, mimicking the effects of wind; I am admittedly less excited about, but it appeared to be quite a crowd pleaser at the opening. That isn’t to dismiss its ironic beauty, of which it certainly has, and is. The installations, Sketch of a Field of Grass (Night) and Field (Biaxial), both consisting of modules of motorized blades of grass, mechanize the natural process quite admirably. The effect is at first whimsical, but with time becomes unsettling (and more interesting) as it starts to feel more like a quantized loop than a breezy stroll in the park.

The show has a dynamic which I value very much in art which is that of a change in perception and object identity over real time. That is, I am confronted with the object, form an assumption about it, and have that assumption discredited.

Tweet

Pretty slim pickins in Indy this weekend. Might I recommend a trip to Chicago's West Loop District where local favs Artur Silva and Judith G. Levy are participating in a show at Navta Schulz Gallery called Site Specific. Opens Friday July 28th, 6 - 8 pm. While there, check out the Jo Jackson show at Kavi Gupta and the Conor McGrady show at Thomas Robertello.

Head back to Indy on Saturday for the Summer Clearence Blowout Sale at Madison Studios. From Doc Murray's email - EVERYTHING MUST GO! 1200 South Madison Ave. 10 am - 5 pm. But don't buy everything before I get there because I haven't had the chance to see the show yet.

Tweet

Here in Indianapolis, this issue of Art vs. Sports seems to never go away. Perhaps it is the fact that we are always bombarded with news coverage and press on every aspect of local sports from the Colts, the Pacers, the Indy 500, the Brickyard, all the way down to highschool sports coverage. Seriously, do we really need to cover high school sports? What's the point? And I know it gets frustrating to the art lovers in town when every team starts threatening to leave town if we don't build them a brand new stadium or a new arena, always costing millions of dollars. Each threat make me wonder about the teams loyalty to the city to start with. Now, it is no secret that I am not a sports fan. It is not that I dislike sports it is simply not what I am interested in watching, well, except for the occasional boxing match. Something pure about boxing that I like. Man vs. Man, one on one, a balanced battle. But we must understand that this is not central to Indy, rather it is an international trend. More people prefer sports over art. Thousands of people will go to a single sporting event where only a few hundred may attend a gallery opening. Why? Will things change? Can they change?

We often discuss the lack of art education in schools when we debate why more people are not into art. And while I do feel that we need to increase the art education in all schools I recently started to question whether that would solve all the problems. If kids were to study and understand some art history while in school would they be more inclined to go to art events? Would we have more art fans? Of course I think that the numbers would shift some, but I do not think we will ever be on the same ground as those who are sports fans. Sports will always draw more fans than art. Why do I now think this? What is to blame? Art. Artists. The Art World. We must take some of that blame on ourselves.

Here is my theory on this. Art and sports each have a set of rules that are specific to their area. In sports, let us say football, once you know the rules of football you can follow the game. Same with baseball, tennis, boxing, basketball, etc. Once you know the rules of the game in a sport you can follow it. As years go by, teams may change, players will change, but the rules will be the same. Someone who once learned about baseball as a kid can come back and watch a game 30 years later and instantly understand the game. Now, in art we have set things into motion that prevents this. Art has always attempted to revise the rules. To push the envelope forward, as we say. To try and make something new and different. This is what makes art great. But it is also what makes us lose our public. The speed in which things currently change in the art world prevents the general public to keep up with how to view and understand art. Let's say you studied art history in the sixties, lost contact with the current art world but wanted to hop back into it now. Instantly you have lost all conception of the movements and styles that have taken place over the past 30+ years. Of course you would be confused. Can artist continue to make art that is "contemporary" or "avant guard" and still be welcomed and enjoyed by the general public? Can art museums help in this education of the public and still put on shows that are relevant and exciting to artists and those already in the know? Though I do not think art can ever compete with sports in a numbers game, I do believe that we can greatly increase the publics interest and love of contemporary art and all that is stands for. What's your thoughts?

Tweet

Since the Met raised their suggested donation for admission to the museum to $20 from $15, the blogosphere has exploded. In today's NYT, Roberta Smith weighs in with a great article on museums reaching out to their audience. Culture Grrl has been covering this extensively too.

Tweet

Julie Pitman at Big Car Gallery North (Invoke Studio) 970 Fort Wayne Ave.

From Big Car's web site,
"Good, Bad, Indifferent: Reflecting on Life
An illustrated series studying character-building events beginning early in childhood. The artist looks at her relationship with food, sex, friends, bad haircuts and more with sets of watercolor paintings showing what happened, and either the immediate result or resonating impact it had in her life."

Over all I enjoyed the drawings in this show, always diptychs playing on similar themes and each accompanied by its own paragraph long narrative about the artists life and experiences in numerous situations. To be honest, after reading the first few paragraphs that belonged to each image, I gave up on the reading. Well, all except the titles of each narrative, which for me was enough in the context of a gallery show. There were a lot of images and way to much text for a single round of art viewing. At least for me. I am a slow reader. I did spy many people attempting to read as many as they could though and from what I did read they were interesting enough. The drawings each had a loose, comfortable feel and I think I would enjoy these pieces more in the confines of an illustrated book. Where I can sit down comfortably, flip through the pages, view the art and read the text. Yes, a book would be nice.

[no image available]
Jason Zickler: "Grow", at the Stutz Art Gallery, 1005 N. Senate Ave.

This exhibition is of several new abstract paintings by artist Jason Zickler. In short, I think this show is much better than his previous exhibitionon. Many of the paintings feel more nuanced and complex, and have a hint of influence from artists like Jules Olitski and Larry Poons; both artists I am a fan of. The play of color, luminosity, surface, and movement seem to be more prevalent in this body of work.

I would love to see a handful of these pieces in a different context though. Often artists are interested in showing what all they have done over a period of time that they decide to exhibit all the work they have, which often makes for a crowded show. In such a show the weaker works end up hurting the great ones. I think this show suffers a bit from this. Fewer pieces and more severe editing as to what works should have been shown, could have made this work even more powerful. In all fairness, this does not fall onto the artist completely, but, the space as well. The Stutz proves once again to be one of the hardest spaces to exhibit a body of work. Does this make the Stutz space the worst in the city? Well, I would have to think about that more. Those zig-zag walls cutting through a print studio, hmmmm. I enjoy their mission and I like the fact they are willing to show art of all sorts but as far as the final product, the presentation, it always leaves something to be desired. Oh, and for the past couple months the Stutz has not had a web site up. I hope that they plan on getting it back.

Tweet

Julian Opie, Sara Walking, Bruce Walking, Installation view from exhibition sponsored by The Public Art Fund in New York

The Arts Council of Indianapolis announced this morning a public exhibition by British artist Julian Opie. This is the second of what will hopefully by many major public exhibitions hosted by the city and the Arts Council. Last year Tom Otterness kicked off the series and was widely embraced by the city. Opie will have 10 installations, four of which are never before seen pieces that will debut in Indy.

I like this quote by Opie in the Arts Council press release linked above:

Indianapolis has offered me a great opportunity to make an outdoor exhibition in the downtown area.” said Julian Opie. “I will be showing some older works and a lot of new projects especially made for this venue. While I am familiar with the East and West coasts of the United States, the Midwest has remained a mythical unknown territory for me. It’s a classic America only known to me through film and TV - a big sky, long rivers, basketball, rock stadiums, corn fields and pioneers. I feel I come to Indianapolis as a welcome stranger driving into town where both my work and I are still anonymous and undefined. I hope this will allow the art to take on new meanings brought to them from the particular character of Indianapolis and the reactions of the people who live and visit there.

I'll post more on Opie later but let me start by saying this is a huge step for Indy. I find Julian's work as accessible as Otterness yet much more challenging. The perfect segue to bigger and better things for our little town.

Scroll down to read the announcement in the New York Times here (but don't skip the part about the Art and Nature Park at the IMA).

And the Star gave this front page coverage this morning as well (also includes the IMA).

Tweet

What would the world look like without the letter R? It would p obably look at lot diffe ent. At least that's what one person thought in cosmopolitan Greencastle, Indiana. Apparently, someone has gone throughout the city removing all of the Rs from those hideous signs that populate the Midwest landscape. Childish prank? Someone making a political statement by drawing attention to these eyesores? Or part of an artists larger plan to transform a city? I'm not sure how many conceptual artists live in Greencastle, but my hope is that there is one that keeps pushing buttons.

My favorite quote from the article came from the president of Headley Hardware: "We've lost our Rs. And we want them back."

Tweet

[image is of the William Kentridge video installation]

Sometimes you just need to. It's summer. Take a road trip. Go out and explore surrounding cities and see some art. Yesterday, that is exactly what I did. Hopped in a car with a friend and went to Columbus, Ohio. Why? That is where the Wexner Center for the Arts is located. I have for sometime now been aware of the Wexner but had never taken the time to go see what the talk was about. Well, I now wish I had gone there sooner. The programing at the Wexner is superb. Currently showing there was a very nice show called Diptych; a two person show of works by the artists Jockum Nordstrom and Mindy Shapero. I must say that this was a much better show than I had expected and I must give props to the folks at the Wexner for printing a really nice little catalog for the show, or do you call it a brochure? Either way, it was really nicely put together, lots of images of the works, and FREE.

Also on view was a video installation, "William Kentridge: 7 Fragments for Georges Melies". This piece blew me away. It was seductive. I had always found Kentridge's films to be interesting but these pieces were different for me. 9 video projectors all playing a the same time, and all to the same simple musical piece. Everything about this installation worked. Words can not describe these films, I can only hope that one day you too will see them. And Tyler Green would be pleased as they had several comfortable benches in the room for you to sit and enjoy the work.

Everyone we encountered on our short day trip was very plesant and helpful. It was very much a worth while drive. So when you are starting to feel confined and limited by what Indy has to offer, remember that we are just a short drive from other great art viewing opportunities. So, get out of Indy and see some more art. We'll be here when you get back.

Tweet

Checking my email today I received a reminder that the "Elusive Signs: Bruce Nauman Works with Light" exhibition at the IMA is closing August 6th. Along with the email there was a link to a funny little video capturing some of the publics views of the show. I thought it was interesting that the IMA was doing this type of video project and decided it was worth sharing. Plus, it made me smile. Take a look at it here.

Tweet

** If I may make an initial performing arts sidenote, go see Randal Keith in Les Miserables at the Murat this week. The entire cast is strong, but Keith's performance is why I'm giving this a big thumbs up. Hopefully by tonight, the theatre will have their audio/microphone issues worked out.

Now back to the visual arts...

Friday, July 14

• Peripheral View, New Installations by Jamie Pawlus and Ryan Wolfe at iMOCA. 6 to 9 pm. Free.
• Bombing 101, The Graffiti Art Show at Dean Johnson Gallery.
• Julie Pitman at Big Car North.

Saturday, July 15

• Noon - Coffee and Conversation at iMOCA. Come enjoy free coffee and have the chance to hear about and casually talk with Jamie Pawlus and Ryan Wolfe regarding their latest show at iMOCA, Peripheral View.
  

Tweet

From the CBS website:

It's the world's most expensive painting but it's the story behind the picture that's *TRULY* priceless. Tuesday's CBS Evening News.

Tonight, 7:30 pm on CBS

Tweet

Deitch Projects is pleased to announce an open call for our annual art parade.
We are now accepting submissions for the September 9, 2006 parade which invitesartists, performers and designers to create floats, placards spectacles and streetperformances.

Please send submissions to: artparade@deitch.com

DEITCH PROJECTS
76 Grand StreetNew York, NY 10013
212.343.7300
http://www.deitch.com/

Tweet

** Note - I had multiple posts building up over this holiday weekend so please scroll down for the weekend preview.

I'm sure you're asking yourself why in the heck am I posting about Formula 1 on an arts blog. Well, rumor has it Tony George is an OTC addict. But let me start by saying my diverse array of interests include Formula 1, along with baseball and Sudoku puzzles, but I'll save that for another day. I write about F1 because it is unlike any other weekend in this city and gives us, if only for a brief moment, an international stage.

This year was the end of the seven year contract Indy had with Formula 1 and Bernie Ecclestone, F1's chief. Negotiations are underway to decide if the race will stay in Indy, move to Vegas, or leave the US all together. I have heard there might be a possibility of keeping Indy and adding Vegas. That's what I vote for. Listen up Mr. Ecclestone, the US is the third largest country in the world and we have butt-loads of cash. Keep your race at Indy, add a race in Vegas and let them both fall after your weekend in Montreal. That will give you three races in a row during prime time sports viewing and will certainly build your audience and your brand.

Selfishly, I like being able to drive down the street to go to a race instead of flying overseas, but I also like the cache (how do you add the accent on American computers?) of having the race here. Our city is instantly recognized and given legitimacy because of this race, and yes I believe this will trickle down to the arts. Formula 1 is a world wide brand with a huge audience and they like the finer things in life. And ain't nothin' finer then some good ol' contemporary art - hoosier style!

So Tony George, if you need me to give Bernie a call, just let me know.

Tweet

This piece is installed in the 800 block of Mass Ave across from R Bistro. It's subtle, very subtle. I knew where it was and what it was supposed to look like and it still took me a second to find it. And I like it, I like it more than I thought I would. The cardinals are just slightly larger than life, and it wasn't until people noticed us taking pictures of it that they stopped and took a second look. More smart art. God bless America.

** Coming tomorrow, images of Circle Canoe by James Darr.

Tweet

Tweet

Friday, July 7th

Fountain Square and South

• Skateboards Show at Big Car Fountain Square
• Summer Art Show at Dolphin Papers in the Murphy Arts Center.

Downtown and North

• Tangible Mystery by Amy Falstrom at Harrison Center.
• The Last Stand, work by Jack Hartigan (1970 - 2006) at Ruschman Gallery.
  

Tweet

Well, here we are. We have managed to survive the first 6 months on our Indianapolis Arts Blogging venture. And I am sure that Christopher and the others would agree that we have learned a lot during this period. While sitting inside on this very hot Independence Day weekend, I have been reflecting upon our goals, future direction, and wondering what our readership thought about what we are attempting to do. When we set out to begin this site we were hoping to fill a gap in the community where people were allowed to voice their opinions on what was going on in the arts locally, to offer another venue for more critical reviews, and to share information on contemporary arts issues with our local readership. We have attempted to do this and more. I must say that we have had a really good 6 months so far and our readership is greater than I had expected in this amount of time. Not only have we been able to reach our community but we have been able to extend our community to the rest of the art world in some small way or another. This has brought up issues of responsibility at times and how to best use that responsibility. So, I would like to take this moment and open the doors to you, our readership, to give us your feedback. What do you like about On the Cusp? What would you like to see us do more of? What do you think we are doing wrong? Are there things you think we should consider doing? Would you like to see more on local artists? More conversations with artists and arts professionals? Let us know what you think and perhaps we can all enjoy a stronger and better 6 months to come. Thanks for your constructive input.

Tweet

Yesterday I had the chance to go and check out the IMA's newest exhibition, "On the Edge: Contemporary Chinese Artists Encounter the West". While not the most engaging of exhibitions as a whole, it is a wonderful sampling of what all is going on in contemporary Chinese art. This show has everything from paintings, prints, video, sculpture, performance documentation, and installation art. It was nice to see such a variety of styles and works within the show and I have now found a couple new artists to add to my ever growing list of artists to keep my eye on. One of these artists is Sui Jianguo, whose piece is pictured at here. On display, the artist had 5 of these wonderfully playful sculptures of a large red dinosaur toy with the embossed words on its chest "Made in China". Each of these sculptures were a bit more than 2 feet high and each standing on its own pedestal. Giant toys? They speak volumes. Though I have not seen one in person, Sui Jianguo also makes these large painted resin pieces as big as 10 feet tall. Imagine coming across one of those while walking along the Virginia Fairbanks Art and Nature Park. I would just love it.

Another stand out piece for me was a large three paneled airbrush painting of an old WWII era bomber flying over water by the artist Zhou Tiehai. Instantly I connect this image to similar works by Gerhard Richter and Vija Celmins. Like theirs, this piece is beautiful and full of possible narrative and a since of nostalgia and worry, while at the same time tranquil and calm. Of the paintings in the show, I liked this piece the most.

From suits of meat, stamped texts on live mating pigs, and suitcased city views, this show has a bit for everyone. And while some of the works in the show are dealing with issues central to Chinese artists others are dealing with issues of a more personal or broader global nature. It is nice to see this grouping of work and I think it will be worth your time to check it out while it is here. Oh, and does anyone else want to see those stamped pigs in an exhibition with Wim Delvoye's tattooed pigs? What a sight that would be, despite the smell.

Tweet

For those of you who have been wanting to keep track of what is happening at the IMA, David Hopppe in this weeks issue of NUVO has a short write up about Maxwell Anderson. Anderson, has now been the official Director and CEO of the IMA for a week now. Still too early to get a reading of his influence but still worth a quick read. His mention once again of the Virginia Fairbanks Art and Nature Park has me interested in what will take place with acquistions for outdoor pieces. What artists would you all like to see be considered for it?