InLiquid Reviews - Bathhouse Contemporary Art

Tom McCloskey and Benjamin Volta, between

Bathhouse
Contemporary Art

201 Camac Street, Philadelphia
December 7, 2002 - February 2, 2003

reviewed by K. Malcolm Richards

In a culture where technology promises to bridge the space between us, the question of how art addresses our relation to space becomes ever more pressing. At the Bathhouse Contemporary Art Gallery (formerly Reset Art), one can get a glimpse into how several young artists are coming to terms with the issue of space through an exploration of installation work. That such a gallery exists for new artists is of vital importance to the development of our collective artistic future. While all of these artists are struggling to find and found their artistic identity, the opportunity for such a struggle is of the utmost importance. Indeed, out of this struggle one can see several emergent artistic sensibilities that could provide critical insight into the spatial issues opened up through installation.

The work of Alicia Keller engages with space through minimalist installations utilizing materials such as thread and ribbon. While this work does not provide the same analytic poetry of the site specific yarn installations of Fred Sandback, nor the same level of craftsmanship, this may be a somewhat unfair comparison. If examining similar spatial issues as Sandback, Keller also begins to point beyond an analytic approach towards space, opening up to a greater consideration of material and color.

The physical quality of materials is also explored in the work of Hisako Inoue. The forms in Wounds recall the visceral qualities found in the work of Louise Bourgeoise, Lynda Benglis, and Eva Hesse. There are many exquisite moments where metal, thread, and wax meet, and the suspension of this work produces some nice kinetic effects. At the same time, her large installation Drips exposes the difficulty of translating these reiterative forms to a larger scale. Still, the forms themselves show a powerful textural sensibility.

A different artistic sensibility is at work in the installation to yourself by Billy Blaise Dufala. Through the construction of constricting hallways, Dufala activates a dysfunctional bathroom complete with sink, toilet, and shower. Tight corridors make this work a solitary experience physically, while aurally the viewer is inundated by a plethora of haunting and haunted voices, alluding to the space's former function as an infamous public bathhouse. While his installation shows room for growth in craftsmanship, conceptually it points to his potential as a site-specific artist. In addition, Dufala's bronze maquettes reveal a kinship for the uncanny, especially in Dumpster Coffin and Tub and Guillotine.

In terms of technical achievement, the collaborative piece of Tom McCloskey and Benjamin Volta between revels in transforming the tiled space of the Bathhouse into a meditative garden through rock salt and large stones. A ladder and light box displaying a photograph of the sky provide visual metaphors for this installation, while carefully constructed walls of taut plastic complete the redefinition of this interior space. While there are still unrealized conceptual dimensions to this piece, the spatial transformation that is accomplished is nonetheless impressive.

Indeed, while all of the work at the Bathhouse Contemporary Gallery is not fully realized, there is enough on display to make a viewer recognize that this is an important new space featuring artists whose artistic futures are replete with potentialities. The February 7 closing reception will be an excellent opportunity to realize that if the future is not now, it is soon to come.

-K. Malcolm Richards, January 2003

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