September 20, 2003
Helen Molesworth on art criticism
In a recent roundtable discussion on the state of art criticism published in October 100, Helen Molesworth, curator of exhibitions at the Wexner Center for the Arts, summarized quite nicely my feelings on the topic. She says:
Perhaps we are back to your idea of collaboration [between artists and critics]. In this model really good criticism is a dialog between texts and objects, and I don't think that happens in the popular press; there I see criticism functioning as an interpretive interlocutor of objects for an audience. In some ways I see my ideal form of criticism as potentially very intimate, with the caveat being that the function of criticism is to render the intimate public. For me it is precisely criticism's publicness that transforms what could potentially be a conversation between persons into a dialogue between texts and objects.
She uses the conversation-turned-public metaphor that I use when speaking to writers I approach concerning Ten Verses. It is inspiring to know that we are of similar mindsets, as I am an enthusiastic fan of Documents, a journal she co-founded in the early 1990s with Miwon Kwon (who wrote the amazing One Place After Another: Site-specific Art and Locational Identity) and Margaret Sundell.
Posted in Art. Found always via this permanent link.
September 19, 2003
A long take on Dia:Beacon
Here is a long, informal take on Dia:Beacon written as a letter to a friend with whom I have a two-person reading group that focuses on art criticism.
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I reread some reviews of Dia:Beacon and, surprisingly enough, found myself agreeing with some of Jed Perl's comments in the September 1 New Republic (the article is no longer accessible online.) (Can you imagine agreeing with him? I couldn't until about half an hour ago.) As I mentioned, I was wary of the almost universal praise heaped upon the museum by critics who often bare their fangs in the face of such huge institutional moves and presentations. Kimmelman devoted about 10,000 words to the museum across two or three articles, contradicting himself several times in the process; Suzaan Boettger set up a field of historical landmines in her comments on Artnet; Saltz made good points in the Voice though I disagree with his assessment of several artists; Hal Foster managed to pen 1,800 words in the London Review without developing an idea in full. (Though I do give him credit for approaching two rather interesting ones at the end of his text.) Time Out and New York no longer register in my mind so I assume their responses were in line with the others. With Perl, I had to do a lot of forest-clearing in his text on Matthew Barney and Beacon, but there are two trees that I wanted to leave standing:
Continue reading "A long take on Dia:Beacon"Posted in Art. Found always via this permanent link.
September 17, 2003
Back to normal
Light Cycle, Monday night's fireworks display above the Central Park Reservoir by Chinese-born artist Cai Guo-Qiang, signalled the completion of the New York art world's rise from late-summer slumber. The last two weeks have been filled with opening receptions, dinners with friends, late-night parties, panel discussions, group tours, benefit events, and catching up with friends who ventured out into the world during the last three months. This has all been set against a backdrop of new art. (Some good, some bad.) Now, while the dust settles, I must begin to sort out my experiences and figure out what needs to be committed to paper. I'm not sure what form this journal will take--or even if it will stay at this location--but I know that, as everything picks up speed, I will need to use it as a way to keep thoughts in front of me. I'll keep you posted.
Posted in Art. Found always via this permanent link.
September 15, 2003
About this site
UPDATED MAY 11, 2005: My name is Brian Sholis. I'm a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, NY. This website originally served as a clearinghouse for information about my published writing for family and friends unable to track down the original publications. It periodically morphs into something more—a running commentary on art and the art world—but I cannot promise consistent posts or consistent quality. I can promise that it will focus primarily on visual art and culture and will occasionally encompass reviews of doom metal records, quotes by my favorite intellectual historians, occasional travel writing, links to architecture and design of note, and whatever else strikes my fancy. My published writing about art is archived at www.BrianSholis.com. Please do not hesitate to contact by e-mail. The address is brian@takeTHISpartOUT.quietindustries.com.
The name In Search of the Miraculous comes from a three-part artwork by the Dutch-born artist Bas Jan Ader. The artwork was never completed: Ader died at sea during a solo transatlantic voyage that was the second part.