A R T L E T T E R
The Timely Magazine of Art
#38 | <!>previous/ next>!> Artletter index | October 1, 1996 |
Eric Swenson at Diversework's Subspace 10/6 I've said it before and I'll say it again: art should be sexier. Or at least, like Erick Swenson's motion-detector-equipped sculpture, happy to see me. The fuzzy pink Untitled hovers near Diversework's entrance like a pet, a PR flack or a Jungian blob. But don't touch! That piece, and the cheery Welcome-to-the- Vulva-Diner installation A Lovely Place are tufted with Fiberglas insulation, and will tempt you into more trouble than your average vagina dentata. Have a Vodka Gimlet, but don't relax on the Death of the Universe range top recliner. The social fabric of this exhibit is a minefield- just as you slip into a conversational stupor, a cigarette-lit explosion rips out loud enough to be heard over the punk ripoffs outside. Swenson's lesson: flick your ashes with care. Danger lurks in the lounge, folks. This is space age bachelor, mad.- Shaila Dewan Incredible Shrinking Art Show Small projects Gallery, U of H art barn. 10/24 Odd hours: call ahead 743-2835. Despite a conscious effort to take these miniature bits of melted plastic seriously, the overall effect is unimpressive. The pieces seem like novelties made specifically for this show. One memorable piece, playing on the shrinking process itself, was a mini-postcard; the tiny, incredibly crisp handwriting exaggerating the crowding of a long letter onto the back of a card to a friend.-B.D. Fred Tomaselli at Rice 11/3 "It's that guy who makes the paintings with drugs". It's an attention grabbing gimmick, a necessity in today's crowded, media-driven artworld. It's vaguely retro reference to the drug culture of the 60's and 70's is not so explicit that it confines the works to mere nostalgia. 49 Palms Oasis superimposes a hexagonal array of pills on a silhouette of palm trees at sunset, creating the impression of a chemical oasis reminiscent of the Eagles' Hotel California album cover. Other works remind one of rainy day collage activities carried out on an ambitious scale. A link is made between the repetitive, soothing activity of arranging tiny objects and the effects of the drugs themselves. The Rice show is disappointingly legal, the works lack the illicit punch "controlled substances" would produce. Don't miss Cubic Sky , a goofy surrealist firmament of five cubic lamps; but remember to turn out the stars when you leave the room. -B.D. Rene Yung at the CAM 11/10 A vapid compendium of incredibly trite, oh-so-delicate sentimental cliches. Saccharine, vague, incommunicative, Yung's "whispered dreams" are whispered in the hope that no one will notice that she's got nothing to say. Dreams are not like this. Dreams are complex and irrational, but never insipid. To budding installation artists: see this show to know what to avoid: obscured text, antiqued books, wax coatings, and tracing paper overlays are bad enough, but above all, don't trivialize important issues such as your trans-cultural background and gender identity by using them to justify your superficial works. -B.D. Artletter is available the 1st and 15th of every month at Brazos Bookstore, Lawndale, Glassell School, Inman Gallery, Menil Store, CAM Store, Brazil Cafe, and the MFA bookstore. Mail subscriptions $15/year. Address letters to: Bill Davenport, 801 Tulane St., Houston TX 77007