Photo By Gail
John Giorno (1936 – 2019) had a rare gift for turning language into a visual event. In We Gave a Party for the Gods and the Gods All Came (2015), words don’t sit quietly on the canvas — they announce themselves. Rendered in stark black and white, the poem painting reads like a proclamation, part invitation, part cosmic punchline.
Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: John Giorno, We Gave a Party for the Gods and the Gods All Came
All Photos By Gail
When you set out to peruse large volumes of Contemporary Art, it is always a good idea to have an open-minded partner in crime along for the ride. Geoffrey was in LA last weekend, so I attended Frieze 2015 with a new friend, Scott, who, back in the mid-to-late-90s played guitar in one of the most notorious American Rock bands to find commercial success since the seventies, when the band called Alice Cooper staged mock-executions as part of its live show. But that story is, perhaps, for another time, because today I want to share photos with you of select pieces of art that Scott and I enjoyed at the Frieze Art Fair, which took place on Randall’s Island from May 14th to 17th.
Continue reading Favorite Art from Frieze 2015
All Photos By Gail (Click on Any Image to Enlarge for Detail)
I think I can safely say that every single time I’ve stumbled across a cool exhibit at Elizabeth Dee Gallery, located just off 11th Avenue on 20th Street, it’s not only because I’m on my way to a gallery located a bit further east, but because I recognize a piece of art in the window as one I’ve seen at Frieze Art Fair. This indicates that the artists they represent are truly memorable, because Frieze is massive. My point being, I stopped in to Elizabeth Dee on Saturday because I recognized the artwork of John Giorno, who creates text-based paintings of bold, thought provoking slogans originally sourced from poetry that the artist has written, or lines that never made it into a final poem. It’s amazing to see that, at age 79, John Giorno continues to create works that speak so poignantly to a contemporary audience.
In this series, entitled Space Forgets You, Giorno presents his paintings in three different styles: in vibrant, rainbow-hued paints, as pastel water colors, and earth-toned graphite drawings. Although many of the sayings are repeated over the various groups, the method by which each was created definitely affects ones perception of the message.
One gallery room is dedicated to the water colors.
Another displays all of the smaller, graphite drawings.
My favorites in this series are the rainbow colored paintings. This one I’ve seen at Frieze, but done with black paint on a white canvas.
It always gives me great satisfaction to use this phrase, for some reason.
This one is great. It should be on a T-Shirt.
So true.
John Giorno’s Space Forgets You will be on Exhibit Through May 9th, 2015, at Elizabeth Dee Gallery, Located at 545 West 20th Street at Eleventh Avenue (West Side Highway), in the Chelsea Gallery District.
Art! (All Photos By Gail)
I went to the Frieze Art Fair last Sunday and took over 125 photos of rad contemporary art! What a rush! Here are my Top Ten favorite artworks with a message — literally!
Continue reading Favorite Word Art from Frieze Art Fair 2013