In Brief: The Independent and Volta

POST BY PADDY JOHNSON

Johann Konig and Andrew Kreps Gallery, installation view.

I’m in the midst of writing up longer posts for the fairs, but for those wondering whether The Independent is one of the fairs they can skip this weekend, the answer is no. The fair has a much more open and airy feel to it because it does away with traditional cubicle spaces. The most immediately obvious effect of this decision is that exhibitors are displaying more large scale sculpture. I’m generally a fan, though the downside to less walls is that most galleries haven’t labeled their works at all.

Also: A brief run through of Volta yesterday left a bad impression.  A video of artist Chris Burden Todd Pavliso at Samson Gallery hammering his foot onto a nail, leaving it there for several minutes and then pulling it off nearly made me vomit, and that was the first work I saw! I don’t subscribe to the notion that simply evoking a strong visceral reaction from the viewer is characteristic of good art work.