THE PANORAMA PROJECT 3 - CURATED BY JORDIN ISIP & RODGER STEVENS
134 ARTISTS - ONE CONTINUOUS PIECE !!
SEPT 6 - OCT 4, 2008
JONATHAN LeVINE GALLERY - 529 West 20th St - 9th FLOOR - CHELSEA - NY
. . . stealing, (ok. borrowing !! -&- to good effect !!) - a page from RICH JACOBS - the curators invited a large number of artists to work on a 7 by 5 in. wood panel - that was sent out to each one of them - with one instruction - “each work had to include some manner of horizontal line or division, set at 1-3/4 in. from the bottom of the board” - “this common visual device will allow each of the separate pieces, when installed together side by side, to cohere into one long contiguous image - a panorama, encircling the gallery.”
The few die-hard & hyper-creative contrarians - and there were some, STO !! - could only push the envelope - 3-dimensionally !! or, in a few cases - managed to ‘break’ through the ‘ceiling’ - by extending their work past - the wooden panel’s top edge. Even though the project was conceived to be exhibited as one piece - in a site specific format - it is a one-time only event !! - the pieces are apparently for sale, individually. So, you gotta catch it - while you still - can !!
it’s well worth the effort to hustle on down there - this weekend.
P.S. a little more info from the curators !!
. . . turns out JORDIN ISIP and RICH JACOBS are great friends, going way back in the day - to the mid 90’s !! so, obviously they’ve shared a rich curatorial dialog. and, equally obvious - neither them had the very first word on ’specified format’ group shows - a genre which must have a long & interesting history - but, anyway - both of them have been producing varied ’specified format’ shows - since at least Feb 2002 !! way back in SAN FRANCISCO. the big difference in their curatorial styles - ? - RICH JACOBS tends to hang his shows - salon-style - while JORDIN ISIP (and ROGER STEVENS) - make a ‘contiguous/singular’ piece out of the many - as in - this panorama.
SOME PIX FROM THE PUBLIC (as opposed to the VIP) OPENING, SAT. SEPT 6, 2008
from left, works by: POLLY BECKER (with a multi-faceted & unique twist/on the format !!), an intense portrait by ROB LEECOCK, a ‘blue world’ by YONG CHOE, and ‘WOULD I?’ by CLAUDIA BRANDENBURG.
the wide range of the works, and the varied ‘take’ on the horizon line - was a pretty good reflection of the intense diversion & high level of creativity - to be found in the art scene today.
a nice contrast of styles, and meeting-up of horizon lines: HIROSHI KIMURA, left, and SAELEE OH, on the right.
from left: ALEX LUCAS, JORDIN ISIP, TAYLOR McKIMENS, and the bold graphic, at right - by GEORGIE STOUT & FENNER WEEKS.
TAYLOR McKIMENS, ‘Charley Stink Bait’, acrylic & acrylic gouache, ($800/SOLD) - that was a total STEAL !!
bet someone from the ‘inside’ - bought it.
CHARLIE BECKER, ‘CA Dreamn’, polymer clay, false teeth & doll eyes, ($300)
KIERSTEN ESSENPREIS, ‘Dipped in Jimmies’, flashe with resin, ($550)
a very good price for this rising star’s work..
JOHN FREEBORN, ‘Untitled (Red Joystick & Green Scorpions)’, cross stitch ($250) - a steal !!
GEOFF ROCKWELL, ‘Knitting’, acrylic & watercolor, ($800)
CLAYTON BROTHERS, ‘Wait for the Blackout’, mixed media, ($1,500)
‘HOT SHIT’ by KEIRA ALEXANDER, tape & mailbox letters, ($49.99) !!
STO !! ‘Landed’, paint & papier mache, ($400) - another steal !!
RICH JACOBS, ‘Try to Slow Down if You Can’, paint marker & ballpoint pen, ($300)
JAMES BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, ‘The Pool’, acrylic, ($500)
ERIK FOSS, ‘Just Because’, mixed media, ($800)
ERIK WHITE, ‘He said’, ballpoint pen’, ($1,200)
. . . the more I see of this guy’s work - the more I like it.
EVAH FAN, ‘Ping Pong Buff’, gouache, ($550) - another steal !!
visiting from Japan - from left: SATORU OHNO, VIVIANE KO, ALAN LEE and FANTASISTA UTAMARO.
. . . turns out - SATORU OHNO and FANTASISTA are both, very interesting, very dynamic - graphic design/comics format and multi-media artists. SATORU OHNO specializes in animation and FANTASISTA’S focus is on comic book format & magazines.
MATT LEINES, ‘A City, Perhaps Not Unlike Mingo City’, acrylic on paper mounted on board, ($2,000)
this is one stubborn guy. kind of just like his hyper-graphic work !!
KELIE BOWMAN, ‘Depth Marker’, watercolor on paper on board, ($150) - a true steal !!
- if I ever did see one !!
SAELEE OH, ‘Arise’, acrylic & graphite, ($500)/SOLD
JEFF QUINN, ‘Book’, paint & plaster, ($450) - I’d buy that in a nano-second.
. . maybe, taking a page from KARA WALKER’s book - but definitely making his own
100% home run !!
(. . come on - paper cut-outs are a long time folk art tradition & a particularly, American - genre !!)
give it up - for this guy - its a great piece.
a very nice - as in - super subtle, but definitely ACE !! - piece by one of the curators - JORDIN ISIP ,
‘Accumulations’, mixed media, ($350) most probably - a steal !!, too.
(nice take on the horizon line requirement, too.)
WILLIAM BUZZELL, ‘Visionary Superstructures’, acrylic house paint, ($300) - a steal !!
GREGORY BENTON, ‘It’s natural to be Afraid’, enamel & acrylic on glass on board, ($250)
CHAD DZIEWIOR, ‘Deluxe’ , metal on metal, ($666)
CHAD DZIEWIOR
one of the show’s 2 curators, as well as a participating artist - JORDIN ISIP.
JONATHAN LeVINE
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH