~NICK KUSZYK/JAMMER SLAMMER !!/again !!
NICK KUSZYK – ‘JAMMER SLAMMER’
MARCH 6 – MARCH 29, 2009
McCAIG WELLES – 129 ROEBLING ST. – WILLIAMSBURG – BROOKLYN
. . . while in BROOKLYN, decided to have another look at the NICK KUSZYK show.
curious to see if it held up to the initial excitement of the opening. and, guess what – yes – it did !!
a beautiful, intriguing – how about: entrancing !! show, of over 100, mostly small but highly detailed, carefully painted canvases of various sizes. over 40 had already sold, in the short of span of days that had passed since the opening last weekend. Prices range from $9,800 for ‘Jammer Slammer’ the largest and most detailed work, a horizontal piece which rests on a platform against the wall; to $3,000 for ‘Interdimensional Preritualscape Assemblage Moment’; onto a couple in the $1,400 range; on thru $700 and down thru $450 to a whole bunch of really great, really small ones for $40, $50 and $60. There is even one for $20 !! They are all storytelling in nature, color saturated, and strangely haunting. Not one repeats. The big ones just tell more complex stories and have more details, within larger overall compositions. The little ones can still pack a punch.
And, they are all – futuristic or imaginary landscapes – peopled by worker Robots !! Though the scale of the works vary, the scale of the Robots themselves pretty much remains the same. There’s whole cities, or communities, usually at war !! within the more complex narratives & landscapes of the bigger ones; and single robots – in the smaller ones. What’s also so interesting about the assortment on the wall, giving it an animated quality, apart from the animated tableaux – is that the depth of the individual canvases varies, some are shallow flat boards, others are on wooden stretcherbars – a couple of inches in depth.
Several aspects of the work absolutely captured my attention. Starting with capital C – Color. the intensity and variety of hues is amazing. Another capital C – Composition, esp. of the large pieces was riveting. The details were delightful. And best of all, a sense of storytelling – even in the small single frames – animates the visual goings-on. What’s with these little Robot guys, anyways ? they aren’t quite the hi-tech predator hardware of a scary sci-fi future. what’s so neat about these little worker guys, is that – they are like the loser tribe of robots !! pretty much just like us humans. at the mercy of both their degenerating, often garbage dump surroundings, and the bigger scarier meaner smarter guys from some other galaxy, who spaceship has just landed !! They scavenge among the garbage, they explode in the hands of their tormentors, they shield their children, and they spill their inner guts.
wow, . . . . looks just like Planet Earth. and real time, coming up fast, not the future, dude.
. . . at first I saw this as a Victory dance !!
but, now I’m thinking – maybe its a – surrender ?!!
say what – about: c-o-l-o-r !!
say what, about c-o-m-p-o-s-i-t-i-o-n !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
see: PIX FROM THE VIP OPENING !!
see: more works/gallery website
check out: Rrobots !!