Chelsea Galleries Reaction

It’s funny to realize that not only is art considered a hobby, a pastime, or an ordinary interest, it is also a luxury to own. There price varies from slightly inexpensive depending on the artist, to hundred thousand dollars if you are very well known.  When visiting The Metro Pictures and the Barbara Gladstone Galleries I found works that as a consumer I would definitely purchase and another that I’d prefer to just look at where they are currently.

The Metro Pictures gallery had work from an artist named Cindy Sherman. Previously I have seen her work and was slightly interested just because I feel that if I was an artist my work would be almost identical, solely portraits of myself. One of her pieces “Untitled” 2010/2011 portrays here in what seems to be the country in a crop field, yet she is dressed semi formal. As a consumer, Cindy’s work would be something I would enjoy having in my home, even if it is of another person. The other artwork i would purchase as a consumer is "Untitled" where she is standing by a tree with a nice nature background and she is yet again dressed formally. Sherman’s work also has a sense of humor in them that makes them even more enjoyable.

The Barbara Gladstone Gallery starred an artist named Anish Kapoor. In the gallery there was a 22 part piece named Ga Gu Ma. They were pretty large in size which automatically made me think I would not want it in my house. Also, as I read, since art is expensive you should choose something you ultimately enjoy looking at, and these sculptures were quite the contrary. The sculptures have a way of making you stare at them to try and figure out what exactly they are. It’s like one of those scenarios in movies where they are scared but are still going toward where the noise is coming from. With the sculptures I was confused but couldn’t look away.

Art is a luxury that not everyone can afford which is why it is available for everyone to see. Because of their prices you must think long and hard if it is something you want to own forever, because you wouldn’t want to sell it cheaper than what you originally paid for. Therefore, a person’s own taste comes strongly, if not the only consideration, when buying a piece of work.

                                                Anish Kooper
                                                "Ga Gu Ma"
                                                 2011-12

Cindy Sherman
"Untitled"
2010/2011
MP# 513

Cindy Sherman
"Untitled"
2010-2011
MP# 514

Sculpture Center Reaction

The space in which an artwork exists can play a huge role on the way it is viewed. As obvious as this seems, the installation of art is under appreciated. It's uncommon, at least for me, to appreciate what the curator does. Of course this changed when I once became the curator. When viewing Bill Bollinger: The Retrospective as strange as I found his artwork, the setting and positions of certain things made it that much more interesting.

My favorite piece was the "Droplight." this piece was as simple as a wire and a lit lightbulb. At first glance I thought it was part of the gallery instead of part of the exhibition. It's placement left an imprint on me. A lightbulb on the floor? I guess that was the point. It grabbed my attention immensely, it wasn't an ordinary sight. When you think of light, you think of hanging from a ceiling, or even a lamp, but never laid across the floor. The placement definitely made this piece more than just a wire and lightbulb.

Another pice that got my attention was the "Rope Piece." This was two ropes against the wall that stretched off to the floor. The way it was placed made this piece rather interesting. In the basement there were two other "Rope Piece" which didn't grasp my attention the way this one did, and one hung from the ceiling while the other lied across the floor. The way the rope connected between the wall and floor at a certain angle called attention to it.

Lastly, in the basement there was an untitled piece of barrel with what looked like dirty water. This piece didn't even look like it was a part of the exhibition because of how perfect it fit in its environment. The basement alone looked like a dungeon, an old creepy place, so this steel barrel with dirty water looked like it belonged there. Great job on the curators part. Placement does have a great effect on how people view things. And even though. I did not understand most of the pieces in this exhibition, I cannot deny that they were pretty interesting.

Bill Bollinger
"Droplight"
1969

Bill Bollinger
"Rope Piece"
1967 (2011)

Bill Bollinger
"untitled"
1970 (steel barrel, water)