Tallman on Contemporary Understandings of Print

[20 Sept]

Susan Tallman at Universty Galleries – Editor in chief of Art in Print Magazine.

In Tallman's introduction to the publication Art in Print over five years ago, she stated that "historians and curators increasingly look at art objects more as very interesting nodes in a network of cultural exchanges."[1] This was a generative realization for me that print should be acknowledged readily in the contemporary arts. Ms. Tallman has experienced, however, that the mode of its viewing today often contradicts such a presupposition. 

In her juror's statement for this show, Beyond the Norm, Tallman expresses an interest in the "powerful interdependence of material object and immaterial idea." This fundamental rhetoric destabilizes in a fresh way the pureness of the photograph and any of its associated media. She goes on to conclude further that "printing comes with implied claims to objective knowledge: for more than half a millennium it has been the physical substance of learning." Her curation, therefore, is concerned with an interest in the didactic, dialogic, and pedagogic nature of print.

Christiane Baumgartner, Manhattan Transfer–2010, woodcut on kozo paper

Tallman argues largely that print has foundational qualities but is much more expansive than what we normally consider apparent; the term has come to be dismissed and reinstated in the contemporary conversations of viable representation. Her intent was to bring a basic understanding of these attributes to the fore. 

Early on in the lecture, Tallman complicated even the early and notable users of print technology by revealing that, "For Degas, etchings were a reference point to come back to." Edgar Degas' use of Mary Cassatt's image as muse was further enhanced by the accessibility of reproduction. 

Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Etruscan Gallery, 

1879–1880, softground etching, drypoint, aquatint, and etching

retouched with red chalk, The Art Institute of Chicago, Albert Roullier

Memorial Collection. Photography © The Art Institute of Chicago

She went on to question Richter's envisioning of image in his strip 'paintings'; these were digital renderings of previous works' colors layered one of top of another. While this makes for a compelling discussion of reuse in art, Richter still holds fast to his inclination to a painterly aura: "In painting, we rearrange ourselves, as the art wraps around us and is static in this sense." Tallman points out here that viewers of prints are allowed much more flexibility in seeing. We are free to move and arrange the pieces in front of us, such as a library with catalogues of prints.

As to be expected, then, "Richter's work are the most painterly paintings." In this instance, Richter has a goal in mind of operating both within a print dynamic through copying painted matter; however, in its function as a piece mounted to the wall, this series is experienced very much as a painting and not as a print.

Gerhad Richter, Installation view “Gerhard Richter, “ Marian Goodman Gallery,
London, 2014. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery

Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Paintings Gallery, 1885, pastel over softground etching, drypoint, aquatint, and etching, The Art Institute of Chicago, Bequest of Kate L. Brewster. Photography © The Art Institute of Chicago

Mehretu and Guyton were both used as examples of syntax and connection, two of the most impactful conversations brought to light. As for Mehretu's large, highly detailed aquatint, the way that she extends skilled labor with the evocation of line is nothing short of exemplary. Tallman posits that print "engages us in the illusion of line and dots." Meilan's Veil of Veronica also prompts this discussion to a relation with drawing, although the mechanized process of transferring images is very much unique. The inherency of a 'series' further develops our understanding of art as process or trials, and challenges our ideal of a single masterwork. The example of Guyton finally brings out the irony of commercial art sales that largely adheres to the marketing strategy of masterwork. When this clashes with the world of printmaking, however, Wade Guyton was able to point to the powers of social media sharing and mass reproduction that is so crucially ubiquitous today. If the art 'industry' and contemporary scenes are to embrace the craft steeped in history and tradition of learning and depicting, Tallman asserts that we must abandon painterly rhetoric and recognize the current parallel worlds of digital and print.

Julie Mehretu's Auguries 2010, 12-panel aquatint with spit bite (from 48 plates) 

Wade Guyton Untitled (Fire, Red/Black U), 2005–reprinted by artist

Concept/Focus-The Luminary St. Louis

[10 Sept]

View of exhibition's layout in the main corridor; a wide range of sculpture,
interactive environments, and paintings–sometimes all at once.

The Luminary's Concept/Focus triennial exhibition represented a variety of works from St. Louis artists and partnered with the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition to showcase four artists from the Sooner State.[1] The show encompassed many pieces that were explicitly designed to be interactive. If you like art about IPads, domesticity, headphones, and citizenship, this is definitely the place to be. Foster's sculptures pictured here even depict some larger than life common objects in a crooked way. Altogether the show seems to present more thoughts about communing than it does viewing. Materiality is another significant force, combining common objects of both technology and nature. Many artists did employ the use of popular paint media, or in some cases, the allure of such materials. Passing by Ouyang's female sarcophagus figure Ophelia reminded me of the sense that "larger than life" works speak very directly to the soul; as Newman said, "It is human scale that counts."[2] Now, the content in question here may differ greatly from Newman's zip paintings, but on the whole the show seems to denote such an interest. 

Ouyang's kittytuna (Ophelia) – the location of this piece was moved by
curator after printing of the program to the front of the gallery

Catalina Ouyang's kittytuna (Ophelia) – 2016, Extruded Polystrene,
Fiberglass, Aqua Resin, Gypsum, Resin, MDF, Spray Paint, Acrylic Paint

Glenn Herbert Davis' broods – 2016, mixed media

The titling of the show certainly leaves much to the viewer to interpret an overriding question, and even the program itself has no detailed curator's statement. Davis's broods is one of a few outliers on display, reinforcing the sheer variety and apparent ambiguity of choice. A meticulous construction for some type of large bird house sat atop wheels in the main window toward the sidewalk. Even the description of the piece does not provide a list of materials. Both the interior and exterior of the work invites viewers to stick their head inside or view into, even through its openings. Whatever the purpose of this illustration's relation to nature, wood, and animals, Dzegede's installation on the adjacent wall strangely complements its form. 

A view of one interior from Davis' broods

Addoley Dzegede's Everybody You Know is Here – 2016, mixed media

View of same interior hanging, Davis' broods

*note in program: Please touch and look through the books,
but not the other items. Please use the headphones for the video.

Everybody You Know is Here presents a dynamic view of home life, and gives us the feeling that we are sifting through someone's personal belongings. The experience is quite intimate, although the content on the IPad has somehow been removed. Some failures of interactive pieces normally create unexpected questions, and in this case I simply turned to what other inanimate objects I was allowed to touch.

Side view of Foster's Neither Here Nor There – 
2016, Digital Prints mounted on Lumber

Detail of Foster's Neither Here Nor There

Partial view of exhibition's layout in the main corridor.

Foster's digital prints and Ouyang's paintings were a practice in illusory images from distance. Particular angles in relation to the pieces or the lighting gave each series a unique intimacy unlike the perceived intimacy through commercial devices. Each of these artists also represented a breadth of work through their sculptures. While Ouyang seems to have an inclination for enlarging and distorting recognizable things, Foster on the other hand neutralizes material into gradations of color and patterns distinguishable only from far away. Both of her pieces depict a landscape, either through a mimicked topographic model or by pixelated photograph. Drift seems to allude opaquely to some political or social issue by evoking the "remains from prairie burns," a common sight in Midwest agriculture. What remains to be determined, though, is the artists' intent to create a representational field or a conceptual one; is this a pile of sifted material or a miniature terrain? 

Detail of Catalina Ouyang's Character Exercises–2016, Acrylic

Paint, Cotton Duck Canvas, Enamel Paint, Resin

Catalina Ouyang's Blue Boys–2015-2016, Extruded Polystyrene, Gypsum,
Resin, Plaster, Steel, Enamel Paint, Spray Paint, Pastel

Meredith Foster's Drift (MO/OK)–2016, Sifted Ash and Charcoal (made from
invasive woody plant material and the remains from prairie burns), Flour

The show's sole "performance" piece was, in fact, the only apparent political commentary to be found. What's more, the performing was to be carried out by the willing viewer; instead of performance this may have been more accurately labeled a participation, census, or survey piece. I think that the simple choice of words has much to say for this continued work by Nguyen; performance matters greatly when a person comes to take a citizenship test. In this setting it is assumed that viewers have never seen an official version of the exam before, and so the progression in the series seeks to inform each person with a method for achieving citizen status. Whether or not it is satirical or strictly factual as a social experiment remains to be seen. The setup acknowledges the physicality of taking such significant tests but also includes a way to make it your own by emailing the artist. Viewing the pass-fail ID cards is enjoyable and yet provokes us to think about the rhetoric of our country's immigration policies; is this a wall of shame, fame or something else?

Anh-Thuy Nguyen's Citinzenship–2016, Installation and Performance

Anh-Thuy Nguyen's Citinzenship–2016,
Dye-Sublimation Print and Plastic

Anh-Thuy Nguyen's Civics Questions–2016,
Screen Print (set of 5, edition of 4)

The final series of outliers on the day was Lu's neon 'signs.' While it may have been a signal for our long walk back down Cherokee Street, Lu brought Odds and Ends an interesting fixture for fluorescent light installations. Once again we experience a piece that thwarts commercial use of materials, and depicts an intimacy through cartoon illustration, casualness through its relation to the ground. Although not inviting you to grab the work itself, its revealed power source makes one feel as if it could be contained in our home as well, that it is meant to reside in something beside a gallery. In fact, much of the show is an invitation to step into an environment and disenchants the viewer's expectation.

Cole Lu's Odds and Ends–2016, Three Pieces of Neon Tubing
with Metal Suspension Frame

Gabbie did not seem to enjoy the other show on view. In the far right
backgrounded is Cole Lu's Thinking the word "somewhere" meditatively
as both placeholder and ends (self-portrait)– 2016, Digital printed fabric,
c-print in light box, "wooden" ionic column, marble Lazy Susan, fortune
cookies, bamboo chair.

Next day's breakfast at Blueprint Coffee in Delmar Loop.

Catch Analysis – Claire Ashley

[14 Sept 2016]

Catch (2016) by Claire Ashley; Spray paint on PVC-coated canvas tarpaulin, fan, and nylon rope[1]

University Galleries – from Claire Ashley's show Cawt, Taut, Hot.... Not

            Claire Ashley's installation pieces envelop multiple rooms of the gallery through layers of color and space. They push the physical boundary of the space and seek to acknowledge what lies beyond it. Through walking the entirety of the show, it became apparent that Ashley is very interested in engaging viewers with the structures at play in the building. In the lobby a mural framing Gabe's desk refuses to distinguish any work or fixture as replicable. We may first conceive the arrangements as oversized metaphors for playfulness, youthfulness, or mockery, but each work or grouping responds to a significant characteristic of its situation. Thus, the entire selection at once comments on the expectations of a viewer, questions common classification sought by critics, and finally turns our eyes upward to the concerns of the gallery itself.

            In the center of the main room lies one of the most complicated and concentrated groupings of all. Its suspended nylon rope radiates bright yellow and amasses some relatively smaller masses. Catch is a floor to ceiling work that contains multiple inflatables as inhabitants; at some points people even have to bend underneath a protruding edge to pass by whilst in observation. You can hear and even feel the breath of the work as the fan vibrates the stretched tarpaulin. At every step there is a new concavity or convexity revealed about the structures. As Ashley took multiple preexisting pieces and piled them together, at certain points it seems as though you could reach, even climb into the amorphous center.

                        Catch's aesthetic comes from several layers of paint and structures. The conglomerate has a softer balance of gray scale and bright colors compared to the excesses of color evident in pieces such as Bugs. In this sense there is some implied texture where lighter gradations of color make the appearance of thinner material, whereas the actual texture is very much like the original material. Overlapping forms and constricted parts of these forms reinforce our perception of being caught, held, or strung up. An imbalance and asymmetry altogether can be disorienting but also generative in making associations for what each piece could represent. The perceived mass of each item can also be misinterpreted along with its actual volume; these suspended objects convey weightlessness, but Bugs is estimated to weigh ~150 pounds.[2] Ultimately the entirety of Catch is based upon a principle of looking inward, and then zooming out to acknowledge a larger context or some other layer. In terms of color, each individual piece appears bright at first, until we realize that the tarps are a variety of gray scale underneath. For form, the arrangement is a case of intriguing juxtapositions; that is, until we step back and look at the conditions of the rigging and what it may imply about process, title meaning, and mood. For shape, size, and volume, it is easy to gloss over the observation that Claire Ashley employs conflicting strategies in order to achieve an audience's sense of lightheartedness and simultaneous thoughtfulness.

            The pieces' sheer size and configuration certainly blurs the distance between a viewer and an intruder. We are instructed, like any good museum-goer might be, to refrain from touching the display. After all, these bloated canvases reveal stretch marks, patches, and therefore a sense of delicacy. Nonetheless, there is an evident pattern of interface with the work, as it actually encroaches on our territory before we can even violate its own. In Catch, the rope entangles and smartly conceals the sole support within the room. It transforms and expands the place from support and divider to accumulator. Individually, the works can all be distributed and function on their own terms. In this installation, though, Ashley emphasizes objects en masse, not only in terms of density, but also by concealing the lone figure in the architectural landscape of the gallery's room. Just as we see in much post-modern sentiment today, Ashley desires works to mirror the reality of our own beings by participating with or alongside us. Sometimes we even get the chance to be within the art itself. Whatever her commentary might have been intended for in Catch, she certainly aims to enrapture us through encapsulating her art.

Image courtesy of University Galleries webpage for exhibitions.

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[1] University Galleries program's List of Works–Claire Ashley

[2] Jason Judd: Walkthrough of University Galleries; 9 Sept. 2016.