The exceptionally curated pop-up ArtMarket is possibly one of the cities best art shows if you’re looking for spiritual longing, political commentary or a vehicle for metamorphic transformation. Yes, it’s that good. I believe the true enduring mission of Art is to incite an internal knowing, an understanding of that which is hardly measurable but you know you have experienced it. This curated collection of Artists spoke to the temporary, the vanishing and the painfully passionate system of our world. I loved every minute of it and hope you will enjoy some of this art as I enjoyed it.
1. My absolute favorite piece by Frank Demulder was a commentary of sexuality, voyeurism and sexism. I couldn’t help myself – I found the work beautiful and pornographically interesting. To be honest, I often find it difficult to reconcile objectification and expression of sexuality. What is ok? You decide.
2. I enjoyed the mysterious effable charm of the subjects in these pieces by Jay Kelly. The visible luxurious items littered around the beautiful woman create nostalgia of an era where a common woman wed a King. She is Grace Kelly, the exquisite woman who became Queen. I think this piece captures the essence of what made this woman who she was.
3. The other subject matter I tend to gravitate to is books. I was saddened and excited at the same time to see that books have now become a subject matter. In any case, Max Steven -Grossmen does a great job by using the medium of photography to capture what may disappear from our daily lives. The temporary is echoed in so many ways here in Steven-Grossmen’s work, the picture itself, the words in the books, the actual books that will soon be obsolete. For me, this subject matter is drenched in bittersweet nostalgia; I want libraries to be ever-present and a true focus in our lives for generations to come…but alas..they are now art.
4. The art below was probably one of my favorite politically charged pieces. The problem? I didn’t get the artist’s name (if you know who this is, please send it to me). I loved this beautiful haunting, risky and deathward leaning piece. The woman is decorated in shells of bullets. She has henna on her face that looks tribal and could even pass for scars. This spoke to violence, women as objects of beauty and art, death, life and all the things that plunge you into a deep existential crisis.
5. Jhina Alvarado’s art very fascinating in a open, playfully light way. The female figures all display a warm invitation, caught mysteriously a tentative moment or a graceful posture. I also found the balance of body and face very interesting, each image was cut at the eyes yet seemed full of life. At first glance I wasn’t sure what the artist’s intention was to cut off the eyes. It seemed like a running theme and pushes one to question the importance of an entire face and the ‘window to the soul’. If you can’t see the eyes, do you feel disconnected from the subject?
Every single time I attend ArtMarket, I am glad to see the incredible artists that are liberating the formless from their minds into the substance of the world.