Knock Knock, Whose Home? at The Acorn Gallery

Unfortunately, I write this as the show has already closed, because it would have been recommended if it were still open. The group show, curated by Nancy Buchanan, gathers works that find their nexus in politics and home. The show though petite in floor space was dense with works. Unlike so many gallery experiences where you feel like you could walk out the door a few seconds after walking in, Knock, Knock demands your time, with an emphasis on time based pieces. The works are not entirely activist oriented; from the personal remembrances of Amar Ravva about the implications on the physical structure of the home in a family stuck in the middle of two cultures, to the playful book of suggestions of how the US-Mexican border can be reimagined by Evelyn Serrano. There were also direct statements such as the video Lincoln Place by Laura Silagi and David Ewing, covering the evictions of the residents of a long-standing affordable housing development in Venice. The combination of these approaches left me with a reinforced sense of community activism as well as questions of what importance of home in the average life. Which for tiny little gallery crammed full to the gills of art, speaks mountains for the quality of the work included.

Four Eyed Monsters

I went to see Four Eyed Monsters this last Thursday. It is a video that fits the category that my husband and I like to call "where film should be"; meaning film/video trying something a little different and not producing the same recycled crud that has been created for the last 100 years. This doesn't always require avant guard abstraction; sometimes it is a simple as pushing the narrative structure a little bit, which is the case with Four Eyed Monsters. Directed and created by Susan Buice and Arin Crumley, this video that lives somewhere between fiction and documentary follows their real (though recreated) meet cute story of artists in love who have taken control of how to structure their relationship.
The video is not perfect, but it is charming, and in the end leaves you wanting more of them, which can be partially fulfilled with their ongoing podcasts. Some of the cinematography is lovely and the animations emotive while maintaining a hip roughness to them. It is only when they really seem to follow the Hollywood norms, does the visuals and the storytelling loose a little of it's luster.
The screenings are port of a homespun distribution push by the filmmakers. Each Thursday in September in 6 cities around the country they are producing a showing of their work (plus an additional short film). Having become acquainted with the concept of the films through their series of podcasts which are extremely well done, I wonder why the filmmakers still feel the to show their video in theaters and not just continue with a web distribution which would could garner a much larger audience. One day the world will realize that movies really don't need to be seen on the big screen anymore.
With all of this said, however, I was much happier having spent my time, energy, and money on this film than that of any other film I have ventured out into the theater to see lately. So, good work Arin and Susan. I look forward to continuing to follow your podcasts.

Dangerous Curve and de soto

While everyone was falling over themselves to get to the Banksy show to behold the power of a live elephant and a lot of paint, I took in a couple of smaller shows downtown. Both, by coincidence, were contemplated the art of design and the design of art.

At Dangerous Curve, the featured show was “No point takes up space” by Sky Burchard. The show was really a show in two parts, one an exhibition of faux furniture made from Styrofoam cutouts and basic three-dimensional prints to give the illusion of depth, the other contained small sculptural objects reminiscent of architectural/environmental models. The two separate sections were both fun and contemplative, giving thought to questions of design, scale, the objects being represented, and the life of the materials that are used to create them. However, the artist was still gluing pieces to the works as the show opened, leaving me to wonder how much care the artist had put into the pieces and thus how much I should put in them as well.

The other show that I caught was at the Desoto Gallery of works by Kelly Reemtseen. This was a collection of prints and cutouts, again the emphasis being the art of design with images of chairs, motorcycles, etc… While the craftsmanship was high, I was left feeling a little like the works had just exploded from an ipod or Target ad. The more simplistic abstract work was a little fresher, but at the same time just seemed a perkier version of 70’s abstraction. Which, I suppose, isn’t a horrible thing to be.

Both shows left me with the feeling that style is more important than substance and both contained work that I would buy because it matched a room in my house, but I wouldn’t change a room in the house to match it.