So it should be fitting to start my blog after seeing the Tim Hawkinson show at the Getty. I knew I was into something with the Uber-organ that greeting me in the plaza lobby. A large, industrial organic floating plastic bladder organ with tubing that read sheet music, it played a "song" every hour. And, as a security guard pointed out, kind of sounded like a boat horn. After hearing a tune, I was ready for the rest of the show.
You really have to stand in front of the Octopus piece to appreciate it. Even though there are banners all around town showing off its striking color and composition, can you tell what the little suction cups are made from? I couldn't until I stood in front of it, and I won't tell you because I think it's a spoiler. My boyfriend loved the Leviathon piece. It was made largely of super sculpy. Which is very funny for me because I just threw out a big box of it because I was so "over it" and didn't know what to do with it. I should have given it to Tim! My personal favorite however was the bat made out of radio shack bags and around a twist-tie skeleton. The black plastic skin had an unusual texture on the wings, almost transparent in some areas, while the body had fur. I can't get over the little jaw and teeth too. Yes, all out of the black plastic bags courtesy of Radio Shack. I'm glad they are good for something.
As I was in New York recently, I darted in to 
MOMA to check out the "Comic Abstraction" exhibit. The empty speech bubbles with colored backgrounds by Rivane Neuenshwander were printed individually, largely and brightly, and bannered around the city...VERY appealing, luring me right in like a moth to a flame.
I was particularly fond of Ellen Gallagher’s pieces, seemingly earthy, even decorative, abstract textures from a safe distance, but if you got closer the texture was actually a pattern of repeating eyes or lips taken from early racist cartoons. Put a whole other spin on the work.
Very fun to behold was the installation of 
“Speech Bubbles” by Philippe Parreno, and I realized as I stood underneath it, with empty plastic speech bubbles hovering above me, that I had nothing to say. And “Blossom” inspired by the Powerpuff Girls was deliciously colorful and nice to take in...and so many others (okay I’ll stop listing). The web images on the site don’t necessarily do justice but you get the idea. The Security Guards had fun inviting people to go see Jerry in “Waiting for Jerry” who, of course, never arrived.
:: bogna ::
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