From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 02/25/02-10:35:50 PM Z
On Mon, 25 Feb 2002, Cactus Cowboy wrote:
> Dear Judy,
>
> This is what Dave Barry wrote in his 17 Feb 2002 column:
> http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/2679614.ht
> m
>
> What Christopher actually posted on 24 Feb 2002 was Christopher's own
> attempt at humor - his rewriting/revision of Barry's column. I hope this
> helps to clear things up.
>
> Dave in Wyoming
Well thank you for restoring my faith in Dave Barry... who does play the
yokel, but so cleverly we know he's sending up yokel and slicker at same
time. I'm not desperate enough to try to make Netscape Ex-communicator
take me there, but mayhap the column will turn up analog one fine day.
Meanwhile, since this topic is declared officially kosher, I report on the
so-called Armory Show, this year at piers 88 & 90 NYC. I began at 2:30 PM
today & by 6 PM had barely covered one pier (stretching half way to New
Jersey). The other pier may have had the video... of which there was
mercifully little on 88. Must have been hundreds of dealers worldwide, &
any artist could have been from anywhere, most seemingly began one place,
now living and working other place(s).
There was a wall of splended gravures by Tacita someone, printed in
Denmark, and one platinum print by someone else, but I did not see (or
notice) any other photograph in a medium we'd call alt. (Unless you count
"pigment prints" of which there were several, presumably inkjet & VERY
large).
The best art (IMO) was some form of dada-inspired or related painting,
collage, assemblage, found objects, free association, "art povera," mess,
mixed media, scribble, pastiche, oddball stretch of materials, etc. The
photography (of which there was a lot) tended to be humongous color prints
ala Thomas Struth, every blade of grass in the forest life size. Or people
standing or sitting or squatting around being naked and staring at camera
life size. Neither of which genres speak to me.
My major point, though, is that the smearing with the pizza sauce is
ordinary, normal, everywhere, routine. To quote Hilton Kramer (even a
stopped clock is right twice a day), in art, timing is everything. When
Duchamp & company were bad boys & found "found art," it was unprecedented
and avant-garde. Now it is expected & hardly controversial.
I note, BTW, that the show was at Javits center last year, much smaller,
tho seemed impossibly large then. Next year??? Just the thought is
exhausting.
Judy
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : 03/08/02-09:45:22 AM Z CST