inside historic, if somewhat seedy, City Council Chambers, an easy camaraderie prevailed in the midst of testimony which will supposedly decide the fate of the Jets stadium proposal
Crowds of construction union workers, most of whom typically live in the outer boroughs or even the suburbs (including New Jersey), crowded New York City Hall today to reinforce Mayor Bloomberg and his powerful friends in pushing for the building of a monstrous thing the city doesn’t need as the only way to urban economic health. But remember, this project is supposed to be very much about jobs and affordable housing for people who live in New York City – or at least that’s how it’s being sold to us by the wealthy owners of the Jets. It’s certainly not about tailgate parties on the platforms of subway cars.
The words in the headline above are those of Council Member Bill Perkins [on the far left in the picture] as he began questioning the principal Hudson Yards/Jets Stadium backers during today’s combined public hearing of the Finance, Transportation and Economic Development Committees. His words get right to the heart of the matter, but unfortunately in the end the decision will be made by people who have lots of money of their own, but want ours too.
The trio of guests (an impressive entwining of corporate and goverment power) gathered almost as one before the combined Committees while I was in Chambers today were Daniel L. Doctoroff, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding for the City of New York and founder of NYC2012, the organization behind New York City’s Olympic bid; Mark Page, director of the New York City Office of Management and Budget and a member of the MTA Board; and Jay Cross, President of the New York Jets. What a tangled web they have woven. Have they no shame? And a Manhattan football stadium as New York City’s last, best hope?
I was there only for some of their testimony, and while most of it was devoted to financing issues, at least one commitee member brought up the subject of traffic congestion. I didn’t hear anything about how we were to deal with the consequences of an enormous football stadium being dropped into the middle of a Manhattan already at a traffic standstill evenings and weekends, but one of the high-powered boondogglers repeatedly used the phrase “traffic mitigation” in his testimony, as if he were talking about condolences.
Actually I was unable to get into the room until very late in the morning. I arrived after 9:30, when the hearing was scheduled to begin. At that time I couldn’t even get inside the park surrounding City Hall (locked behind gates now , but it once belonged to the people, two Republican mayors back), to say nothing of getting near the building itself.
I waited with a small dedicated group of anti-stadium people outside on the sidewalk in the cold, beyond the tank traps and metal detectors, for most of the morning. The construction trade unions had sent huge numbers of their members to pack the floor of the hearing and I was told that there had been only a few rows of seats available in the rear for those who weren’t on their bandwagon. It’s sad to see trade unions manipulated by corporations intent on destroying working-class neighborhoods for their own huge short-term gains.
Bloomberg and his corporate allies are trying to rush through an approval of the stadium project so it can be displayed with the city’s proposal for the 2012 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee will be in New York for four days beginning February 21 as part of its round of formal visits to contending cities. But where is Bloomberg’s head? If New York’s bid ever had a chance after the beginning of Bush’s “war on terror,” it finally died when the Mayor’s party decided to invade Iraq.
Interestingly, this photograph shows how the current City Council makeup pretty much reflects the demographics of New York, if not of much of the entire world, although here it does look like an entirely male world. The image is very misleading however. I was sitting in the second row and had to point my camera between two large suited gentlemen in front of me, so I didn’t have much choice in deciding what was in the viewfinder. In fact, Council members Quinn, Sears, Gonzales and James, arguably some of the strongest and most articulate members, were seated on the dais just to the left and the right of the men pictured here.
If I can now be forgiven for going even further off-message, I want to admit that I’m finding myself compelled to keep looking back at the photograph above. I really, really like the gold needlepoint star with its red field on the back of the Speaker’s chair; I now remember that even while I was sitting before a fairly animated group of committee members I was staring at the empty chair much of the time. I think everyone should have a chair with a star.
no need to wait for spring
(perpetual garden found in front of an old house on Berry St. in Williamsburg today)
Texas pick-me-up
parked outside Pierogi 2000 this afternoon:
on this museum and its stash
Howard Hodgkin In Bed in Venice oil on wood in artist’s frame 38.5″ x 49″
[not promised]
Susan Rothenberg Dogs killing Rabbit oil on canvas 87″ x 141″
[promised]
Anselm Kiefer dem unbekannten Maler (To the Unknown Painter) watercolor & graphite on paper, three sheets 25″ x 52.25″
[promised]
I went to the Museum of Modern Art yesterday for a preview of the temporary exhibition of works from the UBS/PaineWebber/Donald Marron collection. It was only my second visit to the museum’s new quarters; the first was also under the circumstances of a preview, that of the new building itself, but in the end I hadn’t made it to the two floors which housed the core of the prmanent collection before having to leave to make way for a reception being laid for serious patrons.
I think I wasn’t expecting any epiphany this time, and I found none, but I did find at least some of the same excitement which a visit had always promised before, and rewarded, during the years when the artists represented in this collection were first being adopted by the Modern.
It only took a few minutes in the first of the rooms partitioning the enormous spaces of the top floor temporary-exhibition galleries before I had to stop, step back and just wonder at the quality of the art which had just taken my breath away.
There was a Rauschenberg, two Oldenburgs (one a delightful proposal for replacing the Nelson Monument in busy trafalgar Square with an enormous gearshift), one each for Richter, Lichtenstein (a perfectly-simple round bevelled mirror) and Ruscha, two Johns, a Warhol and a large Artschwager which should make almost anyone a worshipper – of Artschwager. Oh, and behind the first partition, the most magnificent Howard Hodgkin I had ever seen. (and then the artist went one step further and titled it “In Bed in Venice” – forever guaranteeing its beauty as far as I’m concerned)
Where had these paintings and drawings been all my life? (well, at least much of my life) Everything was new to me. Where will they be next year? Some of these works are promised corporate gifts to MoMA, but not all.
In my circumstances at least, their individual quality (I leave the discussion of the collection as a whole, how it got to 53rd Street and the fundamental subject of corporate art to Roberta Smith) was the perfect introduction to my descent downstairs to the fifth and fourth floors not yet visited. By this time however the reality of the museum’s scheduled closing time forced me to do something like a run-through. It was still just enough to remind me how much had been missed during the five years the museum had been closed.
I still think the building is a disappointment for anyone who has survived into the 21st century, but I’ll admit I was certainly able to enjoy the stash from the last century hanging on its walls. Some of the views were pretty neat too (see the images below).
Even a museum of modern art is still a museum, a place where we go to see things that have already been done, or things that are already known, but maybe that’s okay. If we’re really interested, we’ll always head for the smaller, sometimes less clean and less well-lighted spaces (see most of this blog’s other posts) to see the things that are happening now, the things that aren’t really known yet.
the less grand staircase
Cisitalia in the garden
layers of art
[the three images at the top from UBS]
torture? it’s apparently no problem for US
The Democrats have decided they’ll let Gonzales become the chief law-enforcement officer of the world’s only superpower rogue state.
If, after the November 2004 election, there might still have been any doubts around the world about how many Americans actually support the regime which has reinvented their homeland as a dangerous rogue nation, this will finally squelch them. The only “opposition party” in the country says it’s pretty cool with the guy who was largely responsible for legitimizing our use of torture anywhere in the world as a device for protecting our very exclusive national security.
What are these privileged politicos waiting for? Where will they take a stand? I think we know the answer already.
But maybe this torturing rogue state thing is actually okay, even estimable, because, like Gonzales’s own tale, it’s such a great immigrant success story, the U.S. having come from such a humble background to finally emerge the most powerful and most violent nation on earth.
So perhaps you should give us a big hand and a warm pat on the back, world, although you’d better have a smile on your face.
the Swiss Cory Arcangel – “live”
Cory’s PowerPoint presentation begins: “this is awesome”
Cory Arcangel hosted a lecture cum performance cum master class at the Swiss Institute this evening. You really had to be there to understand what it looked and sounded like, but while seated on the aisle in the eighth row, in between the laughs and the breaths swept away by his happy genius, I managed to capture a few visual stills and a few excerpts from some deathless remarks.
You’ll soon be able to find the sounds, and much more, on his site (at the moment down for a rebuilding).
the pretty one
The evening was essentially an expansion of and a commentary on the “stuff” (he said he’s been asked to stop calling it “crap”) Cory has currently installed at Team and Deitch. He began with an explanation of how he created his mega jam, “the coolest” iPod CD (soon to be available free everywhere) and then he played the composed piece straight through.
He devoted a good deal of time to a discussion of his special take on the Simon and Garfunkel phenomenon 1967-1984 (see his video, “Sans Simon” at Team), starting with the question, “How hot is Garfunkel?”
Cory’s DVD projection/human performance piece
“Simon sucks,” reads one of his PowerPoints, so Cory thought he should try to block out the offending half of the duo – for visual aesthetic reasons (he allowed that Simon had all the musical talent).
Cory narrating what he called a “post-MoMA” scene from his “Super Mario Movie”
Arcangel, who had graduated from Oberlin not strictly with a degree in the visual arts (no one’s complaining), but one in Technology in Music and the Related Arts, pretended to explain some of the work shown at Team Gallery with the claim that while working on the complexities of his “Super Mario Movie” he had decided he absolutely had to find simpler art forms. I think his words were something like, “I’m trying to figure out the least amount of work required to make a viable work of art. Is that formalism?” Ouch.
The formal part of the evening ended with Cory performing the role of director delivering a live narration over his own creation, that same wonderful wall-projected, altered Nintendo cartridge movie created by himself and the collaborative Paper Rad and now installed at Deitch. Before starting, he told the enthusiastic audience that he felt like the guy who sits in the easy chair to introduce public television’s “Masterpiece Theatre.” Returning to character, Cory quickly added, “No, just kidding.”
weekend New York gallery visits
Some highlights from a weekend of visits to galleries in Chelsea and Williamsburg:
Kota Ezawa The Simpson Verdict 2001 DVD still in installation view
Murray Guy (unfortunately the site hasn’t been updated) has a very smart group show, “in words and pictures,” which includes several of the gallery’s own artists. The wrapper refers to the common thread of various dramatic texts, whether printed or spoken, which runs through the two exhibition spaces.
Dasha Shishkin Ham Inspector 2005 acrylic and marker on wall dimensions variable [pretty large – ed.] detail
Mike Paré Together We Can Do This 2002 graphite and egg tempera on paper 22″ x 30″
Cohan and Leslie has quietly become more and more a gallery which just can’t be ignored. The current show. “Much Madness is Divinest Sense,” is a knockout, distinguished by work both subtle and definitely not-so-subtle.
Tony Feher Super Happy Special Group II (Green Bow) 2004 mixed media 11.5″ x 13″ installation view
D’Amelio Terras has hit something of a jackpot with “One-Armed Bandit,” which uses the conceit of the eponymous gaming robot to feature work by Polly Apfelbaum, Tony Feher and Joanne Greenbaum, three of the gallery’s artists. Once again I found it hard to look at anything else when Feher has is showing his stuff.
Don Doe Three Friends 2004 oil on linen 60″ x 48″ large detail
Oliver Kamm (Gallery 5BE) is showing the work of Don Doe. Don’t let the scary drama of the images in (any) reproduction put you off. If you get up to the second floor of the gallery you’ll find these outrageous pirates have real staying power. The effect is somewhere between Rubens and Mad Magazine, with the Antwerp master holding the balance. When you get there, look at those gorgeous highlights, especially on the prominent gelatinous telescopes.
Betty Woodman Aztec Vase #1 (V.B) 2004 glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer and paint 35″ x 28″ x 20″
Max Protetch is showing new work by the magnificent sculptor Betty Woodman. Nothing I can show here can do justice to the quality of what you will see in the gallery. I think this is the best work she has ever shown, and the timing is perfect, since I understand the Metropolitan has scheduled an important retrospective for 2006.
James Hyde Equivalent 2004 wood on chromed steel 49″ x 68″ x 4.5″ installation view
Rachel Berwick Lonesome George 2005 still from video in installation
Brent Sikkema is showing James Hyde in the space recently vacated by American Fine Arts, thus doubling the gallery’s exhibition area. Hyde continues to confound whatever boundary might still exist between painting and sculpture, and he always does it with a smile. With her own sculptural installations in the space to the west, Rachel Berwick and Lonesome George encourage the sober contemplation of great loss.
Aaron Spangler The Sniper’s Home 2004-2005 carved maple, black gesso, graphite 32″ x 36″ x 4″ detail
Ryan Johnson Ghosting 2004 paper, acrylic paint, epoxy, color-aid, matte medium, aluminum rod, wire 74″ x 22″ x 22″ detail of installation
The Zach Feuer Gallery opened two shows on Saturday. Zach mentioned to us that it was his “war show.” At first I didn’t understand what he meant. Sure, there was violence in the imagery shown by both of these artists, but it seemed to be pretty much a homemade violence. Then I managed to remember that in democracies wars are always homemade by definition. So there we are.
Aaron Spangler shows elaborate faux-naive carved-wood dioramas which have been totally blackened, suggesting, at least to me, monumental bronze castings. They reward a thorough inspection, both for their details and their larger significance.
In the gallery’s other space Ryan Johnson has assembled three amazing sculptures composed largely of colored paper. At least two of these painfully frail and incredibly exacting forms describe the fragmentation of physical time.
William Lamson Irving Pointing to God 2003 digital C-print 24″ x 36″
Pierogi 2000 is presenting large photographs by William Lamson in the smaller gallery space. I’ve seen examples of Lamson’s work one at a time in various venues for a year or more. My early interest is reinforced by this strong show of images of what can still best be described as the American heartland. Lamson’s camera seems to love this world, even if it refuses to accept it on its terms alone.
THE SOUTHFIRST SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED AND CORRECTED [February 3]
Ellen Takata Sleeper 2005 fabric sculpture, aproximately 20″ x 14″ x 11″
At Southfirst Maika Pollack and Florian Altenburg are showing paintings and drawings by Rebecca Bird and new sculpture and watercolors by Ellen Takata.
When I first posted this item there was very little information available about either artist, on the site or in the gallery, but I was intrigued by a number of small, soft works by Takata, a larger example of which appears in the image above. Maika had been suffering both from the flu and her exceptional absence from this excellent gallery – and its data manufactory – but today (Thursday) she wrote that she is now fully recovered. The show can be seen until February 13.
Excerpts from Maika’s intriguing notes on these sculptures:
[The show, “Winter Indoors,” is named] for an artists book by Takata that features the adventures of a sock cat and an ex-samurai in a New England home during the wintertime coupled with haikus . . . .
Ellen Takatas soft sculpture figures are small creatures conjured from scraps of fabric taken from the artists own closet. The Scholars Rocks refer to the Chinese meditation tool and status symbol of the literari; other sculptures resemble animals (Octopus on Rock, Fox, Spiderbaby) or human-ish figures (Aristocrat, Topknot, Ghost). These gently animate things seem to refer to the Shinto belief that nature is littered with small gods; they might be the population of a childs winter toy chest, or a collection of imaginary companions made real. A series of eight companion watercolors evoke natural scenes and creatures. The exhibition seems to create a family of slight, somewhat ephemeral beings.
Lisa DiLillo This Call May be Monitored 2004 still from video installation
Finally, I confess to being more charmed than ever by repeated visits to Lisa DiLillo’s sensitive little video, “This Call May Be Monitored,” currently installed at Momenta Art. Barry and I had first seen it at Fish Tank Gallery last summer where we thought we had the basic conceit down, but it was during the opening reception so we missed much of the audio. It’s those recorded sounds which really put the piece over the top.
[Paré image from Chan and Leslie; Woodman image from Max Protetch; Berwick image from Brent SIikkema; Lamson image from Pierogi 200; DiLillo image from Momenta Art]
left on 10th Avenue today
untitled (paint table) 2005
the honest George
Juan Cole has written a speech George Bush could have actually delivered in the fall of 2002, but only to his real base (most interestingly, it’s actually an outline of the administration’s entire domestic agenda as much as it’s about one ruinous war).
The rest of us would never hear these words from his lips, but there’s nothing new there for those with eyes, ears, ordinary intelligence and perhaps some love for this world. Very sorry, America; most of you don’t make that cut, but unfortunately we will all continue to pay for your fear and stupidity.
Meanwhile, although the Bushites want to continue to undo the New Deal, will they do an FDR in one area and go for a third term, or more? And it may be no problem, since amending the Constitution seems to be no big deal for this crowd.
[thanks to George Carter for the Juan Cole post tip; image of anti-FDR button from authentichistory.com]
sepiae
untitled (parlor wall) 2005
I was sleepy and didn’t feel much like moving, but I picked up the little camera as I lay on the couch late last night. This is roughly what I saw in the light available there.