24th street... crate on the go to larrys?
“By the time people see it, it all looks easy.”
- Elyse Goldberg, James Cohan Gallery
We will all see large works of art in the galleries this week - do we ever wonder how they get there?
On Friday, August 31st, we spent the afternoon with at James Cohan receiving the works of Ingrid Calame, whose 3rd solo exhibition with the gallery, “Constellations,” opens on the 6th. To get them here safely from California, an abundance of crates, boxes and bubble wrap served well, and were very carefully removed by the able team of Andrew and Adam, in a atmosphere of camaraderie and high spirits, just before the long holiday weekend.
Andrew and Adam at Cohan Gallery
On Tuesday the 4th, the intensity ratcheted up several levels - with the artist present the unpacked works were being placed around the gallery to determine where they would finally be hung. The process would take two days - with Calame having the night to “sleep on it” before finally fixing the works in place on Wednesday.
Ingrid and Elyse
at Cohan Gallery
Gallery Director Elyse Goldberg explained the importance making the correct choices at this time - placing the vivid and detailed works “so they don’t cancel each other out.”
The space has it‘s own characteristics, too, and can interact with the art in unexpected ways. “You never know ’til you get something in” she said,” you have one idea, then you have to change everything.”
As a number of gallery staffers moved about with her pieces and waited for her further instructions, the artist’s focus seemed energetically directed both inward and outward - today it was about a process, and a team, but by Thursday, all eyes would be on her final choices - and Ingrid Calame herself.
By 6:00 on the evening of Thursday September 6th, when you walk into Winkleman Gallery, look around and say, "Oooh…", sculptor Tom Lendvai will have been working there for more than a month. Beginning with the addition of a new wall to support his installation "Between Pain and Boredom", the artist has been busy transforming his materials, including 2 dozen 16-foot-long x 2 foot wide x 10 inch thick pieces of Eastern White Pine, each weighing 40-50 pounds, into his final vision.
Tom Lendvai and his model at Winkleman
A model that gave us a taste of what would come to be was a story in itself - Lendvai does not choose a scale, rather, he bases the model on material that he finds suitable. What he calls a "natural" approach extends to fitting his work to the site - measuring the space with chains and calculating his cuts based upon his findings. The result is work that has an organic relationship, and even at this early stage we felt a liveliness that invited us to play within the emerging structure.
Danese - "before"
Two blocks south at Danese, the scene was quite different - we'd already been informed that neither the works nor the artist were due to arrive until the next day. We took a “before picture” and vowed to return…
Anton Van Dalen at Adam Baumgold Gallery
Uptown, Adam Baumgold worked into Tuesday evening with East Village artist Anton Van Dalen installing his solo exhibition, “The Drawing Room.” A small gallery, many small works hung salon style, close together, a meticulous process that will be, from what we already know of this gallery, seen through to perfection. Prior to delivery, artist and dealer spent about 3 days deciding what they should bring from the studio to the gallery, and how they should be placed - the result being a smooth process, with only 1 or 2 extra pieces left over, that Baumgold told us would be complete by 11 or 11:30 PM, well in advance of Thursday’s opening. Readiness...
Danese - "after"
Back at Danese on Wednesday, where artist Larry Bell had arrived at noon to install his signature glass cubes for his first solo exhibition at the gallery. By the time got there at one, the gallery was already occupied by his works. The result is so vibrant, so alive, we could not shake feeling that the works actually walked in on their own and happily settled in.
Installation view at Danese
Actually, Bell entered the space for the very first time that day. He took a look around, and, after getting a feeling for the light and areas, decided where each piece belonged, on the spot. Which is just where they will be beginning Thursday, ready and waiting for you.
Links
Winkleman Gallery
James Cohan
Adam Baumgold Gallery
Danese Gallery
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