Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Field Trip #2 (Chelsea Galleries)


DAVID ZWIRNER EXHIBIT

"Hustlers" by Philip - Lorca Dicorcia

I personally enjoyed this artwork as i did not understand the premise until after I left the exhibit. This artwork is a series of photographs taken in 1990-1992 in the Hollywood area of California. The subjects of the photos are male prostitutes who are captured posing. The appeal of the photo is that the subjects are captured in the same way they view themselves. According to the press release, the author payed the subjects the same amount that they would have charged a customer. The intent was to highlight the way the subjects carry themselves, as products to be enjoyed. The art is further  emphasized by its location as Hollywood has always been a place where people seek fantasy. The photos themselves were greatly done as the lighting and quality of the shots make them seem as if they were screen shots from an 80's pop culture film.

"Best Seen, Not Heard" by Philip - Lorca Dicorcia

This artwork takes the series of photos from "Hustlers" and presents them in a new light. The photos are mixed and edited with old pornographic video intros and outros. The inspiration behind this clip was Edward Hopper's style as the author states that this artwork was meant to imply what the men do as opposed to directly revealing their occupations. The artwork was displayed next to several of Hopper's paintings in France.


"To Wit" by Raymond Pettibon

I enjoyed most illustrations and texts presented in this exhibit as they all tied in with one another (although not apparent o myself at the time). Several artworks included pop culture icons and others were very graphic (phallic). I personally liked the phrases written across the walls of the white room which immediately capture one's attention as you come in. The phallic artworks were a little off putting because usually i associate art which has large quantities of penises as something merely intended for "shock value" but as I try (and fail) to find meaning in that particular subject matter I realize that to dismiss it is extremely close minded. Perhaps the male pieces were littered around the room to confuse or make the audience uncomfortable with such graphic imagery. Eventually the "shock" of the images set a higher standard of tolerance in me for art..

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