LES galleries reaction

The art galleries located in the Lower East Side are quite different from those located in Chelsea.  It is pretty clear that the galleries in Chelsea contain the art of more established artists.  For one thing the spaces are substantially larger in most cases and the environment seems more professional.  Most of the galleries in Chelsea are filled with the art of only one artist.  In contrast, the galleries in the Lower East Side are smaller and have a different vibe.  They seem more underground and the art is certainly more experimental.  The art in Chelsea seemed to me to be more thematic.  For example the art by the Chinese artist which had political themes.  The art in the Lower East Side was different from that.  In the BOSI Contemporary gallery there was an interesting exhibit of art by Tatyana Murray entitled “In The Woods”.  This exhibit did not seem to me to be very thematic.  Rather it seemed to be more sensational and aesthetic. 

Another gallery in the LES was a hybrid gallery/bookstore.  In some cases it was hard to tell where the art stopped and the bookstore began.  Despite this perhaps seeming unprofessional, it lent a certain charm to the space.  The charm of this and other galleries stuck out to me.  Whereas the galleries in Chelsea were clean, ordered, and had shiny floors, the galleries in the Lower East Side seemed more disorganized and dingy which added to their underground vibe.  For example at the Stephan Stoyanov gallery and Untitled gallery the floors where hard wood and appeared to be old and warped.  At the Stephan Stoyanov gallery, the basement was accessible.  This downstairs space epitomized the word dingy.  It had projectors projecting mixed media works of art every which direction and the ceilings where low.  But it added to the feel and gave the gallery a uniqueness that I enjoyed.  The Untitled gallery had a section of the back that was a mix between a storage space for art not on display and pieces that were up for display, along with some folding chairs and other unanimous objects. 

I found the art galleries in the Lower East Side to be more accessible.  This was largely due to the spaces which were maybe less professional but more homely.  I also thought the art in the LES galleries was a little more inventive and maybe didn’t take itself as seriously as the art in Chelsea.  Both of these areas have their positives and negatives and share similarities and differences.  In the end that is maybe why they are able to co-exist in a city that is famous for art.  

Public Art Reaction

The public work of art I found in my neighborhood was located in near the entrance of an upscale apartment building.  It is a statue of an upright human figure next to a column.  It is made of flat pieces of stone, possible granite, stacked upon each other.  The slabs of stone are rough and slightly jagged.  The slabs are of slightly different hues of an earthy gray.  This statue looks almost as if it could be from ancient times.  It clearly has classical influences.  The column appears to be influence by Hellenistic culture.  The human figure has their arms crossed almost like an Egyptian mummy would.  There is no doubt that the artist was influenced by some archaic Mediterranean culture.  The statue looks like something that could be found in the ruins on a remote Greek island.  The form of the human figure is rounded and indistinct like a statue that has suffered from hundreds of years of rain and wind erosion; similar to the Egyptian sphinx.  I believe it was the intention of the artist to create a work of art that reflected its ancient influences. 

The statue is in the garden next to the doorway of a luxury apartment building on 96^th street between Lexington and 3^rd.  Off to the side and behind the statue is a plaza/garden that is very well kept and nice.  The statue seems almost to be a watchman of this quaint garden space.  The statue fits well into its surroundings.  As it stands as a watchman over the garden, it also stands watch over the entrance to the apartment building.  It looks good as part of the garden in which it stands because of the natural look of the statue; its edges are not straight and clean.  They are rough and look as if they were pulled right out of a river. 

I have walked by this statue numerous times but I really noticed it after we vised Moma PS1.  There was a work of art from the same artist which was a part of the same collection of stone figures.  When I used to walk by I didn’t think as much of the statue because, although I liked it, I thought it was maybe some corporate art.  My opinion admittedly changed when I found out that the artist was more renowned in the art world than I would have expected.  I think this piece would have initially turned my head more had I first seen it in a museum or gallery.

Boaz Vaadia

“Yahkin”

Stone sculpture

1993