On the Bout Route this past weekend:
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reviews
This past weekend I set out to do something new.
I know some folks that provide super short yet richly engrossing critiques, like the inimitable Andy Campbell’s 5 word reviews on FB.
And since I finally have a smartyphone, I’ve been playing around with some apps.
I present #BoutFace for your consideration:
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Object/ Type/ Transform – Gallery 3 at the COOP
It was a design show. I wasn’t blown away, as most of the work felt like assignments. But there was play evident. NOT BAD?
Austin Green Art: Keep Austin Beautiful, Clean Sweep 2007 – Waterloo Park
I found out about it a day later. I realized the remnants were still viewable too late.
Eastern European Painting Now – Lora Reynolds
It was nice to see this painting show counter the image that everyone in Eastern Europe was doing video. (That idea came from the Arthouse show by Hamza Walker, Stanikas @ Volitant, etc.) But I think the language of the images was lost on me. NOT BAD
Coda (MFA 1) – CRL
There was something very still, very anti-climactic about this show. I liked some of the ideas, though. NOT BAD
Michael Sieben: New Work – Art Palace
I like Mr. Sieben. I think he’s a very cool guy. But how much of that should factor into my reaction to his show? I know he’s successful and has accolade on the west coast and across the globe, but I’ve never seen his work as more than illustrations (and little more than commercially interested illustrations, no matter how personal). His drawings walk a very narrow path, but I don’t see them discussing that focus. This show expanded that view a little. Did it pull him out of the niche I have mentally cubby-holed him in? I’d say its just a step. I want further proof in order to say he’s operating on a different platform. NOT BAD
I’ll tell you ’bout what I sees.
Animations – Arthouse
Even though I was in the building every Saturday, I never sat down (or stood up) to watch the videos.
From Marfa To Sudari – Flatbed Press
I didn’t catch the show until after its stated closing. So I’m not sure I have a good opinion ’bout it.
Panopticon – Mass Gallery
Peculiar pairing of artists. There was an alleyway/ Big Brother/ film noir/ Communist regime/ prison feel to Dustin Kilgore’s installation. It would have been creepy if the layout wasn’t so fun exploring. Jaime Zuverza’s paintings were weird in surreal image-making, but they didn’t attract me. NOT BAD
Word Play -Scanlan Gallery @ St. Stephen’s
Never made it out.
Testimonio – La Pena
This extended exhibit was a posthumous show. There were numerous variations of this one goddess figure. That lent to the altar feeling the space had. I feel weird rating it, so I won’t.
Voces De Fuego – La Pena
It would have been nice if it was in the gallery and not on a restaurant wall. NOT BAD
The Gathering – Courtney DiSabato & Sean Gaulager
I always thought it was a good idea to try and merge an empty house for sale and an art show. Now I’m not so sure. Not that the work was sub par or anything. Instead, there was something false about seeing the work on the walls without any other signs of life. The works themselves were okay. They were polished but had a stale air about them. But I blame the empty house for that. NOT BAD
I’ll tell you ’bout what I sees.
Measured Strokes-Spontaneous Beasts – Fine Arts Gallery, Sarofim School of Fine Arts, Southwestern University
I wanted to see this. I couldn’t make it up the I35 parking lot, though.
In My Stairwell – Fielding Lecht
This was a SXSW publicity stunt. The gallery claims to show Vietnamese art, but here an American photographer is exhibited. Of course the photos are portraits of celebrities that might visit Austin during this week. Clearly commercial work, I have no interest. BAD
Existence Is Elsewhere – Else Madsen Gallery
Another Berryhill & Yount show. This time joined by Cecelia Phillips. Maybe because I wasn’t familiar with the works, but Phillips’ misty, glowing light made me happy. There was confusion about the title of the show, as originally it said something about surrealism? Light is what spoke to me. Berryhill’s laser lines, Yount’s mechanical/ spotlights, and Phillips’ atmospheric glow. GOOD
Draw – Gallery Lombardi
There was such a wide variety of drawings. The sense of camaraderie in the curating really elevated the show. GOOD
SXartspoken – Artspoken Gallery
Never made it out.
City Folk – 1906
I kicked myself for missing this.
Optophonique – Salvage Vanguard Theater
I missed this too. How the hell….? Oh yeah, this was the weekend I went to Dallas.
Digital Showcase – AMODA @ The Mohawk
I’m sorry. I don’t like going anywhere I’ll be charged to look at art.
I’ll tell you ’bout what I sees.
Take Two – Gallery 3 at the CO-OP
At first glance Christa Mares and Matt Rebholz are an odd pairing. But, both artists have a strong physicality in each of their mediums. The playfulness of material and subtle narratives give the work an almost fairytale/ fable perspective. GOOD maybe even GREAT
TEXAS BIENNIAL – Butridge Gallery @ the DAC
The work appeared to be a grouping of conceptual work? A focus on technical aspects. There was a serious, somber character to this show. Layout of the gallery made it awkward, but that’s nothing new. NOT BAD
TEXAS BIENNIAL – Okay Mountain
Brighter show. Colorful works, a lot that was illustrative. Pretty to look at. GOOD
TEXAS BIENNIAL – Site 1808
It was nice to see sculpture given a more considered venue. I’m thinking the PODs didn’t work out as well as was hoped. The works themselves were fine, I think there was a clumsiness in the flow between the work inside and the freestanding pieces. The PODs created this weird threshold. NOT BAD
The Llamarett show – Darkroom Gallery
I totally missed this. Sorry
Hello My Name Is – Studio 107
This was the more “arty” segment of the graduating class from St Edward’s University, while their “designy”, “get me a job- portfolio” work was on campus. This place was packed with work. But you know photos have to work hard to impress me. Towards the rear, Samantha Gore , Camden Torres and another artist caught my eye. NOT BAD
Elevated – Pump Project Gallery
This was a show of the upper level studios. In that case, it was more like an open studio than a show. Even the works that I did like, felt incomplete. Because they look like school assignments… BAD
DiverseArts – Little Gallery
This new incarnation is located in a very tight space. Considering the gift shop/base of operations/gallery setting NOT BAD Looking at it as a gallery BAD
TEXAS BIENNIAL – Bolm Studios
Of all the participating artists, this location had the largest number of favorites. It also managed to pick the strengths of the other three locations and combine them here. The beauty I found at Okay Mountain, the rigor of the DAC, and the presence of Site 1808 were all accounted for. GREAT
Texas Biennial 2007
As an organization and event representative of Austin and the Texas art scene, I believe there were some missteps. As a curatorial work (here I refer to jurors and artists), there are some questions that should have been addressed. Overall, I think the energy level and commitment pose a serious question mark. There was improvement over the original, though. GOOD
I’ll tell you ’bout what I sees.
Queen of Peace – Volitant
Oy! Where to begin, where to begin? Sensory overload. I know the gallery is a large space, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got to fill it with everything you’ve got. After seeing everything once, my brain kinda just shut down. I didn’t even break it down into groups, it was just one big blur. I know there was a video playing in the back room and the side gallery focused on some very large, very explicit images, but nothing else stands out. I’m not confident if I even understand what was going on. BAD
The Singer Sucks, But… – MASS Gallery
I only caught the second half of the show. But the experience was wonderful. Sitting down, not worried ’bout hogging a set of headphones or standing in someone’s way. Who would’a thought that screening videos in a theater would be so successful? GOOD
Popular Hallucinations for the Home – MASS Gallery
I could see the connection between Michael Berryhill and Virginia Yount. Berryhill’s laser lines zipping around like the Tron lightcycles and objects’ shadowy residue, like a jump in hyper space are kinda sci-fi. As are Yount’s piles of computer trash as they begin to form computer rendering polygons. But Mira Dancy’s still-lives weren’t mixing well. The text in some of the paintings related more to the writing of Karen Davidson. I sez that only as a description, because I can’t remember what was written by either individual. NOT BAD
I’ll tell you ’bout what I sees.
