I'm a multi-disciplinary artist living and working in Brooklyn. Posting what I make and what I see. Also: manbartlett.com
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Clement Valla
Blank Process (Areas of interest on the studio wall as determined by a computer vision algorithm)
High resolution digital scan, Open CV software, archival pigment on canvas, plywood 30 inches by 40 inches each.
2012
Images courtesy of the artist
***
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Friday Studio Visit, but man did I pick a good week to return! Valla’s Greenpoint studio was such a joy to visit. He is making the type of work I’ve really been seeking out recently: Smart, sophisticated, non-pretentious, contemporary. But most refreshingly, the conceptual components of the work are not compromised by their creative use of technology/ technological themes.
For example one piece in particular during the visit jumped out at me (pictured above). Valla photographed his blank studio wall extremely close up, and allowed the camera to use its built-in “interesting detector” to highlight areas it thought worth highlighting. These were then printed large scale and re-installed on the studio wall. So simple, so good! And just the best kind of smart-funny. I found myself thinking about art and artistic process in relationship to technology in ways I rarely do. Namely, in a way more abstract/existential way. Which might all sound kind of lofty were it not saved by the inherent humor of the whole thing.
Despite the technologies that seem to be the inspiration for much of Valla’s work, it somehow always maintains a distinct relationship to “humanness.” It’s deceptively simple in the best possible way. And, to be honest, deserves a more thorough critical analysis than I have the ability to give it. In the meantime, it was a blast visiting his studio, and I encourage you to check out his site.
Friday Studio Visit!
Ryan Mrozowksi!
Ryan and I were in residency together up at Wassaic Project. I can’t stop thinking about his work. From the “found” pages above to more traditional painting to a video that moves forward and backwards at once, the work persists in my brain.
I visited his studio a few weeks ago and I still haven’t quite found the right words to put down. But needless to say he has a show opening tonight at Pierogi Gallery in Brooklyn which promises to be worth your time.
Oh, and Ryan is also one of the nicest artists I’ve ever met.
Friday Studio Visit - Ryan Frank
I first remember meeting Ryan Frank at Winkleman Gallery for an exhibition he curated there called Used Books.* That show “pair[ed] the work of five visual artists with the books that played a role in each artwork’s creation.” Super tight and memorable to say the least. I still think about it, in fact.
Ryan is also involved with The Wassaic Project, which is where we met up the other day for the first part of our visit.
We talked for a while about his background in the theater and Artaud and how he came to where he is today. He described his transition into the visual arts as a result of essentially writing the actors out of the sets. Which, as a former theater major myself, I found fascinating. This background provides a well informed approach to Frank’s work, which straddles the playful yet conceptually rigorous line quite effectively. It also often blurs the lines between art, architecture and props (for lack of a better word). To put it simply, I enjoy looking at his work and thinking about its more formalist aspects. It functions effectively on multiple levels that way.
As the barn was getting chilly, we left Wassaic with some of Ryan’s work for an upcoming show in tow, and made it to the winter studio (aka his basement). But what a basement!
We talked about form and function, and his desire to create functional art (like the stool-in-progress above). Ryan embraces that functional fuzzy area much more than I am willing to.
In maybe a related example, the below piece utilizes the plastic found in fluorescent light casings:
One of the highlights was the below mailbox piece, which I took the liberty of animating (though you may have to click it/here to see?).
Anyhoo the last names of the tenants are the places where their photos were taken (FIELD, CLIFF, GLACIER, BEACH). It’s an fun reveal, to say the least. But there’s also something almost sad about it; the characters are all kind of marginal and forlorn. Yet there is still a simple joy in their discovery, which is somehow not overwrought at all.
Ok! I could go on, but think that’s it for now. I’m still getting adjusted to being back in the city and getting over a cold and have a million things piling up (gratefully). Struggling to find a witty conclusion to this one. But yeah, you’ll be able to see his work at Recession Art in a couple weeks. Do.
Seriously. Wins all around.
And thanks to Ryan for taking the time!
*We may have met before that during #class, also at Winkleman Gallery, though my recollection of that is vague.
Friday Studio Visit - Breanne Trammell
Artists like Breanne Trammell make me happy to be alive. Seriously. When I first looked through the work on her site, I found myself laughing in the best possible way. And for a long time.
Her work is filled with seeming contradictions: whimsical yet sincere, personal yet universal, funny yet somehow still serious.
I met her via The Wassaic Project. She also did a residency here and became just as enchanted by this little hamlet as I have become. So she moved here. During our visit we talked about community, leaving the city, and the relationship of artist to practice to location. Specifically in a place as small as Wassaic, human connections are forged and nurtured in a different reality. By convention and desire, but also by necessity. It is a reality that exists in its own time, by its own measure. It is neither “slow” nor “fast” it’s just, unique. Anyhoo, as part of a sort of service to the community up here, in addition to her regular practice Breanne has been making posters for various events around town. At the fire station and the bar, for example (which are pretty much the *only* venues in town). The posters are silkscreened using images from the Wassaic Fire House archives. They’re well designed, and made with care and attention.
As was this awesome rainbow Cheeto hanging above her window. I mean, it’s just a Cheeto, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t just make me smile with a sort of reckless joy.
Trammell also made one of my favorite videos that I came across last year, Yves Klein Blue Jeans (2010). It’s really amazing on so many levels. A one-liner with so much more, the piece has stayed with me. Watch it here. It’s so simple yet perfectly executed.
Ok I could go on, instead, head over to her site. There is a lot to dig through, and in my not so humble opinion, it’s well worth your time.
Oh, she’s also great on Twitter.
#FridayStudioVisit [is back!]
Brendan McCarthy was a fellow resident with me at the Wassaic Project last month. He is a super nice, funny and smart guy (important combination) and his practice reflects that.
I had the chance to sit down with him before the Holidays and am so glad I did!
His site is worth the look, and this Lifeguard project (top photo) has been open in my tabs for weeks now. Make sure to read the wall labels. So good.
There is a lot more that I could say about Brendan’s work but I’m still trying to find the best format for this series and trying to keep it short.
Oh, on a side note, he wears purple really well.
—
To see other posts from this series, check out the tag Friday Studio Visit. More to come soon! xx
Angela Washko in her studio at Flux Factory, Long Island City, NY.
I first met Angela when she arrived at Flux Factory from Troy, NY about a year ago-ish. She dove right in and has been one of the busiest bees I know: Organizing panels, exhibitions, creating/exhibiting her own work, working for Flux as the Residency Coordinator, working other odd jobs, and who knows what else I’m forgetting. I find this multi-pronged approach spirited and inspiring. Every time I see another event reminder it lights a little fire under my ass.
I had planned on writing a lot more, and there’s a lot more to say! But in the interest of time, just head over to her site: angelawashko.com. Oh, and I told her to make a Tumblr account to post one of these a day. Here’s to hoping she takes me up on that!
Also of note, one of here videos was recently featured on Rhizome. Win.
P.S. Sorry for the wayyyy belated Studio Visit Friday post! Too much going on in Manland.
Friday Studio Visit
William Powhida
Studio Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
First: It’s been a hectic few weeks. London called, then getting back from London got in the way, and now #OccupyWallStreet has all but taken over my life. But more on all that later.
Second: This post is primarily for you beautiful (mostly younger) strangers who are following me because Tumblr told you to. :) Thx Tumblr! Thx strangers!
Now:
William Powhida is well-read, intelligent and refreshingly friendly in person. In many ways, Bill is the reason I am here. He was one of the first artists I found on Twitter who was savvy and engaged in the contemporary art dialogue in New York. When an open call was put out for an think-tank style exhibition called #class (with his sometime collaborator Jennifer Dalton), I lept at the opportunity to participate. His openness to engage is inspiring, and his tireless quest to expose what he sees as the wrongs of the world is admirable.
His work is often biting, cynical and heady. Which is usually not my thing, at all. But it is masked in friendly draftsmanship, with a color palette that is, to put it bluntly, easy on the eyes. This combination makes Powhida’s work like a masterful pop song, where the melody is sweet but the lyrics are dark and complex.
His newest work continues his charting of power structures. From three works-in-progress I saw in his studio, they relate to the financial sector, the contemporary art world and ideological institutions. Powhida’s work is especially timely in light of the recent happenings at Liberty Plaza and around the country.
Needless to say, myself and a lot of others will be at his opening Oct 22.
More Powhida: http://williampowhida.com/
LONG LIVE THE 99%!!
#FridayStudioVisit
Jennifer Dalton
Studio View, 2011
Location: Near Cooper Park. What is Cooper Park? Williamsburg? East Williamsburg? West Bushwick?
Jennifer Dalton’s work is biting, topical, and delightfully humorous. She’s also a great human being, and has a show opening tonight at Winkleman Gallery. Go.
This post really could end there. The truth is I don’t know where to start. I was super grateful and humbled that Dalton agreed to meet with me last Saturday, as I knew she was busy getting ready for her show. I couldn’t believe in the year+ that we’d known each other that I hadn’t already been to her studio. I felt guilty! Bad Man!
I’ve always admired her work, her ethics and her commitment to what she believes. But she’s also just really down to earth, and easy to talk to.
There was something that struck me about this drawing. “This Kitty and I Will Continue to Hang in There!” It seems more personal than a lot of the work going into the show. It’s earnest, heartfelt, and well, it just felt really honest. It was refreshing, actually, and a reminder that that’s exactly what I need to do. Hang in there.
During our visit we talked a lot about the difficulty of being an artist, especially over time, artistic legacy, the jobs we do along the way, relationships, ridiculous rules I’m imposing on future lovers, funny anecdotes about Beck… In my mind I kept going back to that kitteh, suspended forever in that drawing, just hanging in there. Right now, that’s exactly what I’m doing. And thank you Jen, for keeping me there!
At the time of our visit it wasn’t clear if this drawing was going in the show. Here’s to hoping it is. :) As far as the rest of the work in the show is concerned, better words about it will be written by people smarter than myself.
And thanks again Jen for opening your studio and mind to my shenanigans.
…Until next week…
Brent Birnbaum
Untitled (Ikea)
2011
image courtesy the artist
Studio Location: Sunset Park (Brooklyn Army Terminal)
I met Brent a few months back after a post I did using one of his works as reference/inspiration point. He contacted me all like “thanks!” and I was like “thanks!” We made plans to swap visits and I finally made it out to his studio a few weeks ago. So glad I did. Super nice guy, and he’s up to a variety colorful things down there in the crazy environs of the Brooklyn Army Terminal.
Maybe it was because of all the visual stimulation (Snuggie Prayer Rugs, luscious pop-porny collage-wheels, cut up Vans…), but this “Ikea” work struck me. I’m also a sucker for minimalism, and this has some great reference points. On the one hand it’s a pretty straight forward found-objects piece, but there is also a formalist logic to the organization of it that keeps it compelling. And kept me thinking about it. There’s a hidden history to it. I found myself wanting to know about each person who had owned their piece of the puzzle. How boring their lives may or may not be. And I loved the idea/image of Brent scavenging these from all over the city. I can’t remember if I asked about taking any bed bug precautions, but either way I didn’t get too close…
His sites are so worth checking out. So much more than I can go into in this short post, but a good start: Ice Ice Maybe, Brent Birnbaums and the Pour Man’s Country Club…
He’ll also be showing at Scope in Miami this year. If I’m down there, you can bet I’ll be looking for him.
Untitled (in progress)
by Stephanie Serpick
2011
(photo courtesy the artist)
I visited Stephanie’s studio in Gowanus a few weeks back and liked what she is up to. These motor machine things that have been spliced for the purpose of the paint. They remind me of a time that I don’t even remember. That part of me is not sure existed. But they’re also fresh. I couldn’t stop looking at them, actually.
Serpick recently moved here from Chicago. You can see her work here. Some of what’s up there is a little too midwestern-y for my taste, but I’m liking the new direction she’s taking.
—
This is the first post in what I hope is a MUCH more regular thing: Studio visits with artists! And then blogging them on Fridays! If you’re an artist in New York and want to me to stop by, let me know. It’s a great way to see what’s going on. And they’re fun!
