Art shows you should see (whether you live anywhere near Boston or not)

1. Resa Blatman : Ultimate Whorl at Ellen Miller Gallery in Boston.

I’ve been wanting to feature this picture for a long time. Not just because it’s a fairly incredible piece of art (which it is), but because that’s the back of my head. Although I now consider Resa a good friend, at the time this photo was taken, we hadn’t yet met. Although we were about to. But it quite literally captures the moment I first saw her work in person, and although you obviously can’t see my face (making it the kind of picture of me I prefer), trust me: I’m suitably impressed. Amusingly enough, Resa has occasionally used this picture for press purposes, so every once in a while I’ll get an email from a gallery or museum I’m not that familiar with, open it, and immediately see the back of my head.

Resa’s work, in case you can’t tell from the picture, is fucking ambitious. And I don’t say that lightly. They’re on massive panels cut into the shape of animals and plants and spiders (which I’m not counting as an animal) and Rococo inspired curls. They are then painted on, in a variety of media, thick with representational flora and fauna cavorting with loops, glittery spirals, and other flat design elements. My first thought upon seeing her work was “Shit, I wish I had thought of that,” followed immediately by my second thought, which was: “Shit, there is no way I could have pulled that off.”

Artists here in Boston have a curious relationship with our local galleries and museums. There are not enough of the former to foster the kind of work you need to fill the latter. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons and tons of talented artists in this city (more of whom I hope to introduce to you soon). But there are a relatively small number of galleries, and many are torn between sponsoring local work (which most do) and bringing in the big guns from out of town (which a lot also do). But galleries having been going in and out of business so fast that it’s hard for artists to build up their audience, raise their prices, and increase the size and scope of their work (necessarily – as opposed to just making big shitty paintings). I myself haven’t made a painting larger than 18 x 24 inches in probably close to 3 years. Why should I? My work is popular as ever, but I haven’t been fielding calls from the Guggenheim with 10,000 square feet of gallery space to fill.

Contrary to the downsizing everyone else is doing, Resa Blatman makes big, bold, ambitious art that is exactly the type of work you should see in a museum. But for a short time you can go look at it in a gallery on Newbury Street in Boston. What are you waiting for? The exhibition is up from Sep 9 – Oct 18, 2011 with the  reception on Saturday, September 17th, 3-5pm. Learn more about Resa at her website: www.resablatman.com

2. We Still See The Black at the New Art Center in Newton, MA.

Almost five years ago I had the opportunity to curate my own show at the New Art Center. It’s an old converted church with high ceilings and stained glass, and a truly unique program that allows curators or artists to propose their own shows. I’ll probably dedicate a later blog post to go more into detail about this really unique opportunity (you should apply!), but for now I’ll gloss over the details. A little while after my show, the director of exhibitions at the New Art Center asked me to serve on their exhibitions committee and help choose which, of the many proposals they receive each year, would get one of the 2 or 3 open slots. Its a role I’ve enjoyed these last few years. I’ve read some good proposals and, unsurprisingly, some not so good ones. But few got me as excited as “We Still See The Black.”

This is an entire art show about METAL. Not Aluminum. Heavy Metal. Danzig, Motorhead, Guns n’ Roses, Metallica (eh), and AC/DC (that’s better). Making the sign of the horns with your hands. Umlauts! THAT kind of metal. And it’s in a church. Why on earth would you not go see this show? Seriously, Why?

Much to my eternal despair, I will be out of town attending the opening of my own show at Rutgers at precisely the instant this show is opening up here in Massachusetts. I desperately wanted to break out a Motorhead T-shirt and maybe some eyeliner. Alas. You should definitely go in my place. We Still See The Black is at the New Art Center in Newton, MA, Sept 12 – Oct 14, 2011. Opening reception and gallery talk: Thursday, Sept. 15 starting at 4:30 p.m.

 

3. FLUX. Offline Show at Voltage Coffee & Art in Cambridge, MA

In this day and age, every art town (both big & small) needs at least one good blogger. Boston has certainly had a few over the years, but with Big, Red & Shiny closing down a couple years ago (which still makes me sad), and the great My Love for You is a Stampede of Horses relocating back to San Francisco around the same time, things were suddenly a bit thin. Coverage of the art scene by local papers is spotty at best, so without someone writing about what’s going on, it often feels like your shows go unnoticed. Which is sad. Step in Liz Devlin of FLUX Boston. I’ve been a fan of her blog for a while now, as she tirelessly, weekend after weekend, hits open studios, publishes listings of gallery shows, and writes great profiles of artists and movements (both local and not).

Liz, along with the folks at Voltage Coffee (in Cambridge, near Kendall Square, right down the street from my day job), will be shortly unveiling a new offline show called, appropriately enough, Offline Show. It features a number of up and coming Boston artists, and should be well worth your time. As I mentioned previously in this post, there are a number of gaps in the Boston art scene, and another of them is that all the bright and talented young artists that come pouring out of the many art schools and graduate programs in town have few places to show their work. Galleries often won’t return their calls, and alternative spaces in this economy are few and far between. Places like Voltage Coffee & Art help fill that void. Sure, there are a thousand other coffee shops that show art, and some of them are pretty good (I got my start at Diesel Cafe in Davis Square). But a lot of them are not. Voltage has Art in the name of their business. They sell coffee, but clearly art is high on their priority list. Even though I kind of see them as my competition, and hence want to crush them, it’s important to nurture up and coming artists and give them a venue to show their art. This is a great chance to see some great young artists. And maybe get a really good espresso, too.

For full details and links to participating artists, check out Flux Boston.