From LEFT TO RIGHT: Jose Lerma, Laura Parnes, Julie Voyce
Prompted by a Jerry Saltz facebook thread a while back, this week at The L Magazine I name 10 artists who I think deserve shows at The New Museum. Some notes on my criteria:
I omitted all artists under the age of 35. Younger artists typically don’t have enough work to produce the varied shows I’d like to see, and with the pervasive hype of youth culture these days, it’s mid-career artists who need the support. I also excluded artists who I assume will receive a solo museum show within the next five years with or without my mention; Dana Schutz and R.H. Quaytman fit this bill. For the rest, I looked for good work that I’d like to see receive more attention.
Who’s on the list? A few artists you know, a few you don’t. A teaser:
1. Laura Parnes
I’ve been saying this for two years now, but video artist Laura Parnes deserves more attention. Born in 1968, Parnes creates nuanced narrative videos, often with a hint of macabre humor. The New Museum would easily hit the ball out of the park if they launched an exhibition of her work.2. Julie Voyce
Known in the Toronto art community as one of the great underrated artists in the city, this 53-year-old abstract printmaker is still un-represented. Voyce has 35 years worth of work ready for curation. I’m ready to be overwhelmed.3. Julieta Aranda
Julieta Aranda’s efforts to re-map economic relationships within the art world merit recognition. HerPawnshop, a small space on the Lower East Side where artists could trade their work, effectively eliminated cash as currency, as did e-flux video rental, which offered free rentals and screenings. It’s hard to imagine what Aranda would do to fill the New Museum given her practice, but that’s part of her appeal. That Bowery real estate is worth a lot and I’m sure she’d create art intended to subvert that value.
To read the full piece click here.
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The full piece link goes to Saltz’ facebook profile. Here’s the correct link: http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/10-artists-who-deserve-solo-shows-at-the-new-museum/Content?oid=1905484
YES! It is so infuriating to see some of the artists who get attention instead of the ones you have named. I was fortunate enough to see Lerma’s rugs installed in Berlin, and it was one of the most amazing shows I’ve ever seen. I’ve really not seen anything like it. But today I was at the MoMA and it was just the same Ab Ex and Pop stuff that they’ve reshuffled since the museum opened, and the ‘contemporary’ photography show is just well-polished overloaded, boring bullshit. I’ve mostly stopped paying attention to what goes in the New Museum these days, they’ve lost all credibility with me.
Great initiative except that museum shows at places like the New Museum tend to go to people with great galleries and more exposure. This highlights a problem in New York: the lack of support for artists without galleries. There are very few, if none, reputable (as in, people will go see the shows and will take the shows seriously) non-profit spaces where artists who are not necessarily hip can show. Sculpture center? Ok. White Columns? England/curator’s chums. Artists space? German/European artists. It’s difficult to get any kind of exposure in New York in these terms, let alone be considered for a solo show at the New Museum…just sayin’. I moved out of New York:)
Really agree with the Inka Essenhigh selection. Amazing image-maker.
Funny that the link to Marcin Ramocki’s 8bit video on the artist’s site takes you to the parked domain girl (and not a riff/meme-based art piece based on her either).
If the New Museum really wanted to upend the Art World they would give Liz-N-Val a show.
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