Kevin Reay's conceptual piece
at Pogo may be in the guise of minimal art in terms of it's visualisation,
but the core of the idea is meant to fake us out. This visualisation,
itself, is complex - being formed by a merger of references - a
sort of melding Sol Lewitt to Lichtenstein, which translates into
"minimal slash pop". However, we are given a heavy hint
as to the concept part in the show's invitation card, which features
a photograph of a womanon a beach. This red herring gave many the
impression that this exhibition was a straight photo show. I feel
sorry for all those who miss the joke. The gallery's name itself
may hold another clue that this is a piece that wants to get "in
yer face." Recalling the punk era and the two fingered salute
favored by Brits, I imagine this to be a wake up call to the intellectually
lazy and the terminally non-hip. Hopefully, Pogo will continue utilizing
this attitude. It does not matter whether this is neo-minimalismor
neo-whatever. Either way, there is a pervading sense of humor that
mocks our pretention as an audience. It's not malicious and that's
a good trick. It also reaches out and points to the experience of
a particular moment. In the context of a warm summer First Friday
evening with the sidewalks packed with the uninitiated seeking pan-Asian
cuisine and arugula, it was a breath of fresh air.
As art has become a common currency that has been inflated, please
remember dear readers, that a seminal piece of conceptual art was
Manzoni's canned artist shit, a not very subtle comment on the cult
of artist celebrity. Manzoni's work pre-dates our present hyper-consumer
culture by over 40 years and it still hits the mark. No painful
ambiguity there. It's the idea that counts.
Welcome Pogo.
©James Rosenthal 2001
See Pogo's
InLiquid Gallery Page
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