The Funnel Blog: Gaudy Details

First Friday reviews by Matthew Parrish
Bridgette Mayer Gallery: Build Up, through May 24th
The Clay Studio: Small Favors III, through May 18th
Artists' House: Group Show, through June 1

The auras of Ivan Stojakovic's pieces (this concept in the artistic context is taken from Walter Benjamin) in his show "Build Up" at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery radiate virulence of the most pleasing kind (depending on your perspective). Stojakovic squeezes "toxic paint" (his words) from its tube, leaving its consumerish purity intact, directly onto the canvas populating cityscapes with fat rows and squished spots. The following pictures can only intrigue and tease you because they don't come close to reproducing (in another word, dissipating) the authority of the original work.

Before the Storm, 2008 Oil, Alkyd and Spray Paint on raw Canvas, 60 x 43"

Before the Storm -Detail

Whenever I usually catch bright colors through a gallery window I prefer to send a stunt double in to withstand the attack but in this case, Stojakovic uses a nifty technique in which he interjects a warm neutral in between neon to mildly and effectively offset the impact and balance the compositions. Another surprising facet is that, despite the artwork's initial punch, there's actually more to see and understand in the particulars: Maze-like textures rest on harsh silvers made from means that are hard to pin down ("alkyd?" It's apparently a polyester coating), company icons are mixed with buildings that seem familiar but remain deceptive (Is that San Francisco or Chicago?), and the ominous clouds hang so clear and yet so hidden.

The press release says, "His current process of creating work stems from an internalization of dramatic events and turning points from around the world, such as: climate change, terrorism and breakthroughs in genetic science." These issues may be important to the artist and political elements are seemingly essential (if one goes by most gallery statements) to making artwork seem relevant today but Stojakovic's work is damn pretty and that's all I (want to?) see. Those three aspects (climate change, terrorism, and genetic science), as far as I'm concerned, are lost in transmission. The deliberate garishness of the paintings gives one an opportunity to argue that this intention conveys a societal critique (Stojakovic hinted towards this reading) but that's as far as I'll budge. A general societal critique is far from a problem-specific argument (and I recognize that descriptive words like "balanced composition" and "garishness" are contradictory but I would argue that this contrariness is fitting).

In Stojakovic's oeuvre, these new works represent a shift that is more positive than negative towards a streamlined vocabulary. Previously, our Serbian artist dabbled in Kandinskian space and Kiefer-thick abstraction with light references to recognizable forms. Now, cityscapes dominate, forcing Stojakovic to handle pre-established complex details which add depth to his platform and outcome, with a flavor that is still Expressionist through and through. Read: SEE THIS SHOW (and I dare you to tell me I'm wrong about the political aspect).

Other galleries to check out in Philly this month: The Clay Studio has a deep but overwhelming exhibit titled "Small Favors III" that includes tiny works of over 120 artists.

Zack Hamilton Wounded Ceramic, Platinum

The encasing of these works seduces the viewer into a retinal dissection of the eye-level "specimens." The only way to make sense of a show like this, especially when there's that good ol' First Friday crowd wrestling (stop stepping on my eye!), is to play favorites based on instant impressions. I looked at the above work more than any other, at first, simply because it was so odd. There's more than enough here to interest any aesthetic, so, you are sure to be satisfied by something (if you intuitively establish a hierarchy and then put blinders on).

Continuing the Honey I Shrunk the Artwork theme from the Clay Studio: Gregory Halili's watercolors, at the Artists' House Gallery, are delightfully miniscule (delicate and focused) with wide mattes that fit like clown shoes (strictly in terms of proportion...otherwise they're normal). I openly admit that my enjoyment of this work comes from the novelty of the miniature and the unbalanced presentation and not from the content. If you don't mind seeing bananas in a basket then maybe you'll appreciate the work too.