[Daniel Silk]

www.perryrubenstein.com/exhibitions/2010-07-01_shred/pressrelease/


PERRY RUBENSTEIN GALLERY
527 WEST 23 STREET
ANNOUNCES

SHRED
Curated by Carlo McCormick

July 1 – August 27, 2010
Opening reception: Thursday July 1, 2010, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Perry Rubenstein Gallery announces SHRED, an exhibition curated by Carlo McCormick, an independent curator and senior editor of Paper magazine, which will feature collage-based works from a diverse group of artists, some who have pioneered collage as fine art and others who are expanding upon the subversive flavor inherent to the medium. Featured are works in myriad media—from simple layered assemblages of newsprint on paper to lively video animations made from cutout paper silhouettes.

The exhibition will include works by Bruce Conner, a prominent member of the Beat community; California-native, Jess, whose oeuvre includes collages based on alchemy, religion and comic strips; downtown darling Dash Snow; Gee Vaucher, who is central to punk visual culture; and Jack Walls, whose self-portraits incorporate photographic imagery taken by his long-time partner Robert Mapplethorpe.

Provocative new works that were specifically created for the exhibition will be included by artists such as: the collective FAILE (represented by Perry Rubenstein) who will show a ripped painting featuring brand new iconography; Shepard Fairey; Leo Fitzpatrick; Mark Flood; Erik Foss; Swoon; and, Judith Supine. Also to be shown are a finely cut paper collage by Brian Douglas (Elbow-Toe) that resembles intricate painting, while Shelter Serra will present three-dimensional work—red roses cast in white silicone. Video works by Martha Colburn, Tessa Hughes-Freeland and Bec Stupac will be featured, with Stupac premiering a new piece.

SHRED is curated by Carlo McCormick, a prominent New York City-based author, curator, critic and champion of the downtown art scene. McCormick has authored numerous books, monographs and catalogues on contemporary art and culture, including The Downtown Book: The New York Art Scene 1974-1984 published by Princeton University Press which he coauthored. He has lectured and taught extensively at universities and colleges around the United States. His writing has appeared in Aperture, Art in America,
Art News, Artforum, Camera Austria, High Times, Paper, Spin, Tokion, Vice and countless other magazines. He has curated exhibitions for the Bronx Museum of Art, New York University, the Queens Museum of Art, and the Woodstock Center for Photography.

An opening reception for the artists will be held on Thursday, July 1st from 6:00–8:00PM and SHRED will be on view through Friday, August 27th, 2010. A small catalogue brochure with an essay by McCormick will accompany the exhibition.

[BK83]

I'll be there.

[snausages]

I'm liking the preview pics. www.perryrubenstein.com/exhibitions/2010-07-01_shred/images/
The new Faile work I'm curious to see but some of the artists included in the show sound like the work will clash with each other. Wait and see...

[jamesreeve5]

Silky, thanks for this heads up. There are a number of artists I am not very happy to see in the lineup, but overall I find this show to be intriguing on multiple levels.

I am particularly interested in shows like this that attempt to combine members of the urban art genre with people outside of it. Obviously people like Kathy Grayson have made a bit of a niche market out of this, but I'll also admit that the separation between the two worlds is more fluid in the US than it is in the UK (you have Mr. Laz to blame for that).

This show however, seems to be suffering an identity crisis of sorts (with the PR declaring the show to be loosely collage based). There just seems to be too much it is trying to focus on at once: urban art, an examination of punk aesthetic, and ... Bruce Conner and Jack Walls (artists who I can only mildly aesthetically relate to Mark Flood). I obviously haven't seen the works in the show yet, but if I myself were the curator, this show would be sliced into two separate shows, and a couple of artists would be added and dropped.

Added:

1. Raymond Pettibon: He has been doing collage now for the past few years. Plus, I would love to see Pettibon, Vaucher, and Flood in one show. Couldn't the gallery find any Pettibons to put in this show?

2. Robert Heinecken: Another great artist that would allow artists like Jack Walls and Bruce Conners to feel as though they fit in a bit better.

3. Leigh LeDare: Again, an artist whose collages would do a great job of bridging the gap between the older artists and the younger ones.

4. Justin Lieberman: Assemblage type sculptural work that would parallel Swoon and Bruce Conner.

5. Wes Lang: His work just seems to fit with nearly everyone they've listed.


Dropped:

1. Elbow Toe: To have him in the same show as Swoon is reductive. Swoon is better at roughly the same game.

2. Shepard Fairey: I am only dropping you because the PR says you will be contributing "new work" to the show. If you were contributing one of your earlier pieces you would have made my cut.

3. Shelter Serra: I like the work, but it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the artists (Justin Lieberman fits better)

4. Bec Stupak: (or Stupac if you follow the press release): Sort of like Assume Vivid Astro Focus the bigger the better with regards to her art. To try and fit her video work in will just crowd everything. I would rather see her polaroids.

5. Jess: who is this? cut...

[jamesreeve5]

That Dash Snow piece is terrible.

[snausages]

...yeah not the greatest Snow. Someone trying to unload it?

Yeah Carlo McCormick is real hit or miss. This feels like some of the artists pieces will be forced to try and work together, has the potential to look like a plate of messy leftovers. But I'll wait and see how it all holds together.

[jamesreeve5]

Uh-oh: James + Snausages in dialogue = likely death of a thread

[Harveyn]

Keep going guys. I for one can not contribute much but I always enjoy your posts. Just need Lee now and I will be glued.

[Cocteau 101]

Interesting show and interesting to see the comments. I think the Elbowtoe is superb and he is in my view distinctly different from Swoon, who is also a brilliant artist.

[Francis]

the obama guy does not belong. he is not a collage artist. he just collages the background of his pieces. big difference.

[chief]

I'm really excited to see new Supine.

[otomi]

Jun 25, 2010 22:06:07 GMT 1 Francis said:

the obama guy does not belong. he is not a collage artist. he just collages the background of his pieces. big difference.

Are you with the collage usage police? ;D

[Daniel Silk]

Sounds like a really interesting show Cant wait to see a few photos!

[afroken]

If the Faile in Rubenstein's image gallery for the show is indicative of their new body of work then I'm really not impressed at all.

[volvic]

There was a post over at WK which has a look inside failes studio - i agree that preview piece is not overly impressive but some of the other shots which must be new work was incredible

[BK83]

James - I think notably missing from this show is Jacques Villegle.

[meatbag]

Boy I wish I could afford one of those block pieces

[chief]

The show was ok. Some of the stuff was weak. The Dash Snow piece was what it was.

The standouts to me were the Supine piece which looked phenomenal. I think the whole thing was resin coated with beetles on it or something.

Also the Shepard Fairey piece was quality. It was made from an old stencil. I thought it had a really nice presence to it.

the Elbow Toe was impressive to me. Very detailed, really good.

The Faile piece didn't do anything for me that they haven't already done.

Swoon was swoon, everything else was decent to subpar. I'd go just to check out the first three I mentioned

[Guest]

Any photos from the opening? Would love to see the supine.

[Harveyn]

Any shots or links for the opening?

[Guest]

Set here Neil on flickr

www.flickr.com/photos/girlposse/

[James Smith 77]

I think the Shep rocked. And the swoon was very nice. It seemed she put in a little something special to it.

[Daniel Silk]

Jul 3, 2010 13:17:27 GMT 1 @ronhill said:

Set here Neil on flickr

www.flickr.com/photos/girlposse/

Nice Faile

www.flickr.com/photos/girlposse/

[Daniel Silk]

Jul 3, 2010 8:52:27 GMT 1 @ronhill said:

Any photos from the opening? Would love to see the supine.

www.flickr.com/photos/girlposse/4754782943

[mutant]

Agree with James. This show is a bit disjointed. A few hits but the vast majority of works are rather flat. Just my opinion, of course.

[jamesreeve5]

I don't think this is necessarily a survey of collage so I'm not sure that Jacques Villegle really fits either. But then again, I don't think I really know what the show is about anyway (other than an attempt to contextualize their represented artists, Faile, outside of the urban art genre).

Chief, don't know what to make of your review. The "it was what it was" comments confuse me. Care to elaborate?

[oneeye]

I'm actually quite fond of that FAILE piece. Love the imagery on those new tears. Would be very proud to have that painting on my wall.

[snausages]

>>>I don't think I really know what the show is about anyway (other than an attempt to contextualize their represented artists, Faile, outside of the urban art genre).

I don't see how this show is giving a perspective to faile outside of the urban genre. I wouldn't get Carlo Mccormick involved if that was the idea. I don't think the show is doing faile any favors, the other way around. It's ok, although its not the greatest piece ever by them. I didn't see in person but from the pics I thought the Fairey was not very strong. Some of the other work might look good on its own, but it really feels like a standard summer show. (no theme, rhyme or reason) just a number of 'urban' artists who happen to use collage?

[volvic]

I actually really like that faile - it does have a more flat feel to it but in a good way. It almost feels like a stripped down 'summer' piece which is light and airy

as much as i like shep's work i have to say his piece in the show was pretty poor imo

[jamesreeve5]

hey snausages, I said it was an "attempt" not a "successful attempt".