~’IT’S AN INVASION’ . . YOU’RE IN !!
‘IT’S AN INVASION’ – CURATED BY JOSH HUBBARD, KELSEY BENNETT & LELE SAVERI
PHILLIP SPRADLEY, NATIONAL ARTS CLUB – PROGRAM DIRECTOR
APRIL 29 – MAY 10, 2014
NATIONAL ARTS CLUB – 15 GRAMERCY PARK SOUTH, NYC
EXHIBITION PIX – PART I
no doubt about it – this rough and tumble group show at the National Arts Club – was the best thing to happen, as in . . pop-up !! FRIEZE ART FAIR WEEK, NYC 2014.
it was the perfect storm.
the perfect ‘invasion’.
the perfect clash between posh (the venue) and . . what’s happening – heavy !!
the perfect antidote vs. the mostly academia-driven . . art fairs.
except, for maybe the MARIE LORENZ hand-made rowboat, a nice inclusion . .
picturesque.
but, wake up – this is work from over a decade ago, not exactly cutting edge.
well, maybe that is .. cutting edge – to the status quo ?
though still, a nice . . ‘island’ theme – touch.
but, ‘It’s An Invasion’ . . stood for something, and lived up to it.
that being: the big ‘challenge’.
as in . . ‘throw-down, baby’ !! to the otherwise absolutely stifling status quo – here in NYC.
the fact that it happened at the otherwise staid National Arts Club – was just, a happy riot of competing visual signals – on the corner of what was – and what . . is !!
bringing back the – grit !!
you went up a short staircase, in a very over-decorated but gorgeous ornate old-school clubby building, and once you caught a glimpse of the hallway beyond the velvet rope – you knew you were in the right place.
and, you’re . . in !!
look at the . . ‘blue sq.’ at center – in that entry hallway – in photo above.
yes, that is . .
JACK GREER, ‘Urine’, 2014. color pencil on paper over wood support.
18 x 18 in.
lucky timing, two of the 3 curators were manning the show, JOSH HUBBARD, above – and KELSEY BENNETT. all of the curators are artists, and all 3 had work in the show.
right on.
JOSH HUBBARD, ‘Do You Believe That?’, 2014.
felt on vintage fabric, 55 x 34.5 in.
($1,000,000 / open to offers)
so fun. okay so the room was dark, or at least the walls were. and the lighting didn’t ‘absolutely’ suit all the pieces, esp this one, but that was half the fun, taking the posh . . and going over-the-top. looking back, I’m liking this presentation, a lot.
just get that art, up.
pop-up vs white box vs tent, you gotta shake things up, sometimes.
like I said bring back . . the grit !!
I asked JOSH HUBBARD if he did all the that hand-stitching, and he said: yes.
nice job, from one hand stitcher, I re-store vintage quilts – to another.
funny thing, when he answered . . I got a ‘London calling’ kind of feeling.
the accent, the grace, duh.
sure enough, besides being artist & curator – he is also a Brit guitarist, he used to play with DIRTY PRETTY THINGS, one of our recently departed music reviewer Simon Cerigo’s faves . . oh well, c’est la vie. no words possible on that score, anymore.
anyways, seems JOSH HUBBARD recently joined forces with singer MICHAEL IAN CUMMINGS to form the New York City based-band . . SKATERS.
CHECK OUT: SKATERS – ‘DEADBOLT’, published OCT 16, 2013, YouTube
just to show you, how it goes in NYC, the band also just scored a really nice interview with – INTERVIEW, last week or so, actually APRIL 29, 2014 – and where you can find their pretty nice cover of THE SMITHS – ‘THIS CHARMING MAN’.
see: SKATERS – EXCLUSIVE SONG PREMIERE/INTERVIEW
this: is their official website – SKATERS
KELSEY BENNETT. a co-curator of the show, she has 2 color photos in the ad hoc exhibit.
apparently it’s through her connections, TONY BENNETT, the famous crooner, and . . loves-to-paint guy – is her uncle, that this show happened.
good move, National Arts Club. thanks.
KELSEY BENNETT, ‘Crypt Keep in the Sun’, 2013.
digital c-print, 12 x 18 in.
($350)
KELSEY BENNETT, ‘Raw Thrills’, 2013.
digital c-print, 12 x 18 in.
($350)
LELE SAVERI, a selection of his monotone xerox photograph / collages.
Lele Saveri . . the final, and third co-curator of ‘It’s An Invasion’ . . was not around the day I passed by, but he has a pretty big, and mighty ‘hip’ presence on the web, just google him.
and, re: the dark walls.
in fact, as I look back at the installation pix, I’m liking more and more – the look of those dark walls, so – party-time, club time . . feels very, immediate.
contrarian !! low-fi. just – happening.
so, grit.
LELE SAVERI . .
left: ‘Untitled (Invasion No. 8)’, 2014. xerox, 8.5 x 11 in. ($100 edition of 10).
right: ‘Untitled (Invasion No. 9)’, 2014, xerox, 8.5 x 11 in. ($100 edition of 10).
RYAN McGINLEY, ‘Shane (Flashlight)’, 2013.
c-print, 45 x 30 in.
($14,000 + frame)
actually there were quite a lot of photographs in the show, prob the most famous contributor being – McGINLEY.
and it was a . . beaut, and I bet that is a good price, too.
detail, RYAN McGINLEY, ‘Shane (Flashlight)’.
it was a treat to see it, in person. very . . raw.
TODD JORDAN, ‘Aiden, New York City, September 2011.’
digital c-print, 32 x 22 in.
($1,500)
maybe not quite as mainstream famous as McGINLEY, TOOD JORDAN – still has quite a following of his own, and . . you can see why.
it’s hard to put into words, what’s so drop-dead stunning about this work, and maybe that’s why – it is so fascinating.
I bet at that price, it’s a steal – though no edition number is given.
MORE PIX – TO FOLLOW.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH