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It was nice to see a holiday show with weight. The sparkly Fete
exhibition at Locks Gallery not only showcases some of this city’s
best artists but aligns them in high style with some big names like Artschwager.
It has all the elements that signify the season – bad and good –
and all the hallmarks of ironic decorative work that seems distinct to
Philly. Virgil Marti specializes in party pieces of a graveside nature
that shine tackily. His wall installations might serve also to decorate
a hipster haircutters' salon in Chelsea. Jane Irish fits right in with
her crazy combo of delicately painted bourgeois interiors covered with
text of vintage Vietnam War protest. Her vases on the mantel perfectly
mix gaudy ceramics with images that speak for the proletariat –
I don’t often get to use that word but I imagine I am not one of
them. The stalwart Stuart Netsky fits right in as well with spin/splatter
paintings (like Pollock at a funfair) and thrift store mirrors ‘decorated’
for the season. Eileen Neff offers a less festive slice of photography
which offers yet more weight but is easy to miss the first time round.
The snow globes by Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz perhaps catch the mood
best with ominous goings-on in wintery landscapes. They should definitely
be produced as multiples and sold in Wal-Mart to make the joke resonate
fully throughout all levels of society. Very David Lynch. Topping the
show, so to speak, is Donald Baechler’s cast tree, which greets
you as you enter. It is a sure sign that Xmas can be heavy, and in this
case, 6 foot or so of bronze and going for 60 grand. Luckily it is not
in the shape of mistletoe and hanging treacherously over our heads, but
it sets the tone. The other work follows this line more or less.
My first trip to Falling Cow Gallery was well overdue. Situated just below
South Street where you can buy records and get tattoos, it is quite the
opposite from the grandiose Locks. Their aptly titled December exhibition,
The Variety Show, contained 105 smallish works all under 500
bucks by over forty artists. This was a holiday show of another sort,
not as sparkly but there were more than enough styles of work to please
any taste and anybody’s pocketbook at gift giving time. It may be
a test for some work to survive viewing in such a packed set-up but this
is the more common way to showcase Philly talent. The show included both
local, non-local, emerging, and the unemerged, and the caliber of the
pieces varied dramatically. Much of the smaller drawn work surely demanded
closer attention. Standouts were Ellie Brown’s collaged books, beautiful
watercolors by Xiaoqing Ding, and photos by Bob Asman. There were also
nice small paintings by Leah MacDonald and Marc Salz for a snip and little
gems by numerous others. The next show, I’m told, will contain more
installation and make use of the ample floor space. It is great to see
a wholly contemporary space opening (instead of closing) and I wish the
gallery success in navigating the changing scene. If we have a few more
of these spaces (and perhaps another Locks) we could show off our local
talent better and it might start to overshadow a disappointing Old City.
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© 2007 James Rosenthal and InLiquid.com;
image copyright © Locks Gallery
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