Chelsea January 2009 Part 1 Group Shows

It's a new year and I have a new camera. I recently made the rounds in Chelsea and saw too many shows for one post. I decided to break them up into different parts, so be on the look out for part 2 and a post on the LES.

"Half Colors of Quarter Things" starring Chris Gentile, Zohar Lazar and Joshua Marsh at Jeff Bailey go together like peas, carrots and mashed potatoes. The selection of these three artists was a smart one. I was delighted to see how each work played into the others.






"Born in the morning dead by night" curated by Tony Matelli at Leo Koenig Inc. This show explores the persistance of what amounts to all the failures that occur in each day that passes. Ultimately it's an optimistic idea because at the close of each day brings a new one. Artists include Wayne Atkins, Mathew Brannon, Olaf Breuning, Tom Costa, Ceal Floyer, Dana Hoey, Matt Johnson, Peter Land, Kris Martin, Cristina Lei Rodriguez, David Shrigley, Sleep, Guy Richards Smit

"Linear Abstraction" is a group show at McKenzie Fine Art INC that explores the range to which line can be used to make art. Process, hard edge, op and installation are means by which this art is made. The linear abstractionists are Mark Dagley, Gilbert Hsiao, Maureen McQuillan, Gelah Penn, Gary Petersen and Mary Temple.


"Scratching at the Surface" is James Busby and Miki Carmi at Stux Gallery. Both artists use plenty of white in their work to remarkably different ends. While spending time with the show I enjoyed how the quietness of the work amplified the differences. The play between the differences in surfaces and touch also make for pleasurable viewing.