Biting Remarks about The Artist Project
A disparaging review of The Artist Project by the Chicago Sun Times. To read the article in its entirety, go to the link otherwise, here are the biting remarks...
True, the Artist Project, expanded from 50 unagented artists last year to 300 this year, needs tweaking. There was too much mediocre work -- too much intermediate-level painting in particular -- and too little evidence of real discernment in the jurying. (You know you're in trouble when you feel the need to explain yourself, as some of the Artist Project exhibitors did, with booth labels like "Contemporary Myth" and "Where Dreams and Reality Converge.")
There was some excellent stuff in the Artist Project. I was blown away, for example, by the jauntily mysterious collages of Chicago's Kass Copeland (see more at www.kasscopeland.com). I also loved the work of Canada's Lee Henderson, whose photographs of condom-draped Bodhisattva statues were eerily beautiful meditations on the resilience of culture in the path of globalism. (See more of his work at www.noattainment.com.) These were the exceptions, sadly, not the rule. And late this week, in response to criticism from dealers who thought the Artist Project diluted or detracted from the big shows, the Mart announced plans to detach the Artist Project from Artropolis. But I'd hate to see the Artist Project go away completely, partly because of Mart president Chris Kennedy's original impulse to provide an option for lower-income art-lovers who can't afford to buy anything at the higher-priced shows.
My impression when i first saw the work was that it was a higher quality than i expected which pleased me. I guess i had lower expectations than Kevin Nance. I agreed with him and others that there was too much to see. I didn't really get the connection to antiques either.
True, the Artist Project, expanded from 50 unagented artists last year to 300 this year, needs tweaking. There was too much mediocre work -- too much intermediate-level painting in particular -- and too little evidence of real discernment in the jurying. (You know you're in trouble when you feel the need to explain yourself, as some of the Artist Project exhibitors did, with booth labels like "Contemporary Myth" and "Where Dreams and Reality Converge.")
There was some excellent stuff in the Artist Project. I was blown away, for example, by the jauntily mysterious collages of Chicago's Kass Copeland (see more at www.kasscopeland.com). I also loved the work of Canada's Lee Henderson, whose photographs of condom-draped Bodhisattva statues were eerily beautiful meditations on the resilience of culture in the path of globalism. (See more of his work at www.noattainment.com.) These were the exceptions, sadly, not the rule. And late this week, in response to criticism from dealers who thought the Artist Project diluted or detracted from the big shows, the Mart announced plans to detach the Artist Project from Artropolis. But I'd hate to see the Artist Project go away completely, partly because of Mart president Chris Kennedy's original impulse to provide an option for lower-income art-lovers who can't afford to buy anything at the higher-priced shows.
My impression when i first saw the work was that it was a higher quality than i expected which pleased me. I guess i had lower expectations than Kevin Nance. I agreed with him and others that there was too much to see. I didn't really get the connection to antiques either.
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