Author Archives: Linnea

Kevin Bourgeois at Causey Contemporary

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The installation of this show is just such a fantastic, seamless background that really shows off the work of Kevin Bourgeois to great effect. I loved it the second I walked in. Here, however, is the rub: the works viewed on their own were something else.

I found it hard to distance my reaction to the (rather horrible) subject matter from the way it was depicted, too distracted by repulsion to judge it as a work of art. Does that mean it failed as a work of art, or conversely that it was successful?

How is one meant to appreciate work that tackles difficult, uncomfortable subjects or, in this case, rather wallows in dark tropes? It’s up at Causey Contemporary in Williamsburg through November 14 in case you want to judge for yourself.

iheart variations upon variations

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This past Friday I had the chance to see this print, along with four other symbol prints in the iheart variation 003 series by Seth Carnes, arranged and re-arranged on the walls of the Roger Smith Hotel. (Check out some of the configurations here.) The artist considers the symbols “volatile and alive.” Seeing other people put the prints into different relationships with each other was fun and intriguing…as was seeing the other artist’s prints that were created in response to this series. How fitting that these prints are available on ArtWeLove, so anyone can take these symbols home and, by putting them together in different ways, contribute to their meaning.

iheart variation 003 by Seth Carnes

Then to add variation upon variation, other artists were invited to respond to these prints. The results were as unique as you might imagine:

iheart variation 003_001, variation by Molly Dilworth
iheart variation 003_007, variation by Changha Hwang

More variations on the work here.

The collaborative nature of the original series, and the further artist variations, celebrates the interlacing of meaning without ego and grows richer for it. If you are in New York and want to do your own remix of the original series, visit the Roger Smith Hotel lobby corridor, which is lined with a grid of 15 framed prints, and re-mix, re-arrange, and re-sequence to your heart’s content every Tuesday, and second and fourth Sundays at 6pm, through January 9.

Freaky Friday: Peace and love abound

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Rather uplifting art news this morning. No masterpieces stolen or drawn on with crayon, no street artist getting arrested or–more likely–selling out, no grotesque fart of a piece going for millions at auction. Instead there was mature dialogue that fostered understanding. Hmmm….I’ll put it down to Freaky Friday.

 Read on:


Last week, I posted about a woman who walked into the Loveland Museum/Gallery and destroyed a piece of artwork by Enrique Chagoya. I questioned at the end of my article whether critiques with the weight and emotional volume of Chagoya’s print – which depicted Jesus in sexual acts (a Christian favourite) and an Islamic prophet kneeling before pigs, among other things.

Under normal circumstances, the immoral act of destroying ones art would likely make an artist completely irate. Chagoya, however, has agreed to work with the pastor of Loveland’s Resurrection Fellowship church to create a piece of artwork depicting Jesus in a positive light. Pastor Jonathan Wiggins wrote Chagoya after opposition to the artwork began asking if Chagoya would be able to “offer [his] artistic ability and compose an image of Christ representing love and understanding, something precious.”

Chagoya agreed, and the project has received overwhelming approval from the 1,400-member congregation, according to the Denver Post, who quoted pastor Wiggins as saying that “we had standing ovations at the end.” Six members of the congregation are said to have walked out in protest of the redemption efforts.

More here at Art Threat.

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