There's been a lot of discussion about Michelle Grabner's show at James Cohan after Ken Johnson's review in the NY Times. Links to some of the debate are below and they're worth reading. The debate is primarily about the language used to frame or critique the show, and its a worthy debate, check it out here.
Ken Johnson's Review
Jillian Steinhauer, On Ken Johnson and the Question of Sexism
Corinna Kirsch, Not Just a 'Soccer Mom"
About the work - I found the paintings to be beautiful objects, the sculpture and paperworks uninteresting. I brushed past the video pretty quickly, I'm not a fan of watching videos to validate work, I feel the same way about audio tours. I was reminded in the show about a retired colleague of mine who frequently advised our graduate students that there is some work that's yours, its important to make, it necessary to your thinking, but you don't have to show it. That was how the sculpture and paperwork felt, necessary to the artist but not to the viewer. The paintings while not groundbreaking were rich and vibrant and deserve more attention.
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Ken Johnson's Review
Jillian Steinhauer, On Ken Johnson and the Question of Sexism
Corinna Kirsch, Not Just a 'Soccer Mom"
About the work - I found the paintings to be beautiful objects, the sculpture and paperworks uninteresting. I brushed past the video pretty quickly, I'm not a fan of watching videos to validate work, I feel the same way about audio tours. I was reminded in the show about a retired colleague of mine who frequently advised our graduate students that there is some work that's yours, its important to make, it necessary to your thinking, but you don't have to show it. That was how the sculpture and paperwork felt, necessary to the artist but not to the viewer. The paintings while not groundbreaking were rich and vibrant and deserve more attention.
