early 2010 january

for those who are reading this blog for the first time, you should refer to the very first
post entitled 'letter of intent'. it helps this all make sense.
the first sunday in january was very cold and i decided to warm up at the modern and
check out gabriel orozco- an artist i have always liked. everybody had the same idea, so
there was the crowds to deal with but i did get to see the show. overall i have always
appreciated the early work,as in the back space on the top floor. the zipcode ?
scroll and the other small, delicate items are my favorites. otherwise i think he has gotten
lost in the cleverness and the show lacks a substantiality. the circular color paintings/drawings
etc. -all with the same concept - do not fit, and i could never figure out where they came from
to begin with. way too much real estate was devoted to this idea.

the best moment was discovering a few beautiful jos beuys drawings in the rothschild
collection. it made the visit worth the while.

one other day i went to PS1 to see '1969' and it is a very good show. never thought i would
have found so impressive a helen frankenthaler (yesss). the building itself
is such an amazing place, almost like being somewhere in germany. the mood etc., and
on a crystal clear very cold day in the winter the light coming through the windows
makes it all the more special.
really enjoyed also the 'between spaces' as a comprehensive overview of whats up.
i am following a number of these artists that are in this show and will comment on
them in a later blog, particularly heather rowe

other than that, it was with great difficulty that i tried to find something to grasp on
to in the work by helmut federle. i know his early work well and he has had a bit of a
journey- read the brooklyn rail interview- and i wanted to be enthusiastic about
this work but it was like pulling teeth.

discovered anthony mccall both at sean kelly and the margulies collection in miami.
all the credit he is now getting- years after- he deserves.

i was in paris once and the modern museum had a robert irwin retrospective and
i was floored by most of it. the curtain walls of light. same here at zwirner.

why did mary boone cram 20 years worth of jos beuys into her gallery that way? this arrangement did not do this work the justice it deserves. it boggles the mind, the extent of it.
this needed a museum like show on par with the manzoni show at G.

in miami briefly, the miami museum had a 'high brow' show entitled 'space as
medium' and it explores 'space oriented artistic strategies'. the small catalogue
is a treasure, the work does not nec re-inforce and the show needs to be in new york
to be taken seriously- as it should. sorry miami.
in another set of galleries,there was a painted cardboard environment by carlos bunga that
is worth noting here.

back in ny, there were two shows on drawings: helio oiticica and xenakis (drawing ctr)
that are credit worthy on all counts.

and' look again'- at the marlborough on re-appropriation and context. i always try and
follow the work of tony feher and this show had one of his signature pieces strewn
about as is the intent. i am an admirer of feher for many years and -generally-
like his work, but particularly when he stays simple and clear. there were some
other pleasant surprises here.

this has the feel of a journal , so far, and the serious critique will come later, trust me!