Being Back!

"New York City... the center of the universe." -Angel, Rent

Go ahead, write me off as another crazy New York egomaniac, but honestly there is nowhere I'd rather be than right here in NYC. I've been home for less than a week and I've already wandered through neighborhoods that are homes to various cultural mini-meccas; I've seen some provocative public art like the creations on the Highline, (and arguably the Highline itself); I've explored the parks in a state of bliss inspired by the color green, (which does not exist in Venice,) and the hyperrealistic, dare I say romantic, blooming cherry blossoms; I've gathered my fashion bearings through a hefty amount of window shopping and perhaps a bit of real shopping as well; I've seen types of people I never imagined existed, (man walking another man on a leash?); and I've obtained an internship position at Gagosian Gallery. Need I explain further?

For those of you who don't know of Gagosian Gallery, I urge you to visit the gallery's website at www.gagosian.com, because it is undoubtedly one of the most important galleries in the world with several national and international locations. Gagosian has exhibited countless huge name artists, and I'm talking mega stars: Basquiat, Calder, Fontana, Giacometti, Gorky, Klein, Kline, Koons, Lichtenstein, Manzoni, Murakami, Picasso, Pollock, Serra, Twombly, and Warhol, just to name a few personal favorites. The gallery has always exhibited, represented, and sold art contemporary to the given period, as well the modern masters. In fact, Gagosian often helps to cement artists into the western cannon - think Jeff Koons and Cy Twombly - selling their works for record breaking prices, (see ARTNews, the Economist, and the NYT for details). Speaking of financial success, Wikipidia shared with me that in 2006 Gagosian sold William de Kooning's Woman III for 147.9 million dollars, making it the second most expensive work ever sold. Money aside, one of the qualities that differentiates Gagosian from most galleries is their museum scale exhibitions. In fact, in yesterday's NYT Arts section there is an article by Roberta Smith titled "Artful Way To Expand A Museum," in which she proposes that the Whitney hire Larry Gagosian as a consultant to help them create a successful downtown offshoot. The article ends with a statement on Gagosian's recent Calder exhibition, "It was a heart-stopping, art-loving show that rewired and strengthened both the sense of Calder's greatness and one's own personal ability to see art. Affirmations like that keep people coming back." Now, you can't get a more glowing review than that, eh?

Though all of the exhibitions currently on display at the Gagosian Galleries are notable, there is one artist, Tatiana Trouve, who I'd like to share a bit about. Trouve is an Italian born, Paris-based artist whose work often embodies dualities, namely the interplays between fiction and reality, as well as memory and matter. Her most well-known project Bureau of Implicit Activities (1997-present) is a large scale installation that incorporates forms of art ranging from drawing to architecture. Currently containing 13 modules that have been exhibited both together and separately, the work tells the story of Trouve's path to becoming, and career as, an artist. Her works are eerily absent of any direct depictions of human, mysteriously ambiguous when it comes to time, and magically able to raise an infinite number of questions on everything ranging from science to Trouve's own biography.

While we're on the topic of contemporary female artists, I received word from E-Flux on an exhibition opening in May at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, called Hand+Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft. The exhibition will display works that utilize traditional craft techniques in an innovative way, thereby blurring the boundaries between the once distinct categories of craft and art. The piece to the left by Lauren Kalman called Hard Wear or Tongue Gilding (2006), will be shown in the exhibition and is a prime example of this trend.

1. Lauren Kalman, Hard Wear (Tongue Gilding), 2006. Digital print, laminated on acrylic. On loan from artist to Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.