by Eric Sutphin
Installation view (Richard Schur, Don Voisine and Kasarian Dane), 2011
Brooklyn Artist's Gym is a 10,000 sq. foot studio and exhibition space situated on an industrial block between Gowanus and Park Slope in Brooklyn. Artists of all disciples can rent studio space, take classes and exhibit in the on site gallery. I went out to BAG early on a Saturday to see the current exhibition "A Romance of Many Dimensions" curated by Brent Hallard on view through December 1, 2011. I brought my drawing pad and sketch box to the space because I heard there was a figure drawing session in the gallery so I decided to flex my life drawing skills while taking in some art. Sure enough a model was situated in the middle of the gallery, flanked on both sides by hard edged geometric abstraction. To the model's left hung Kasarian Dane's series of six 8x12 panels of pure, unbroken color squares, simple color studies reminiscent of naval flags. Dane puts together oddball color harmonies in his panel groupings exploring color interactions and awaiting a magic moment of resplendent unity.
As I smudged my way toward a vague likeness of the model I scanned the gallery, my eyes resting on the prevailance of geometry and pattern. Henriette van't Hoog's surprising fabricated sculptural zinc paintings were delights. Painted in bright stripes of orange and origami-like in form these works were hung at the entrance of the show, standing alone from the other paintings and the first work visible upon entering the Artist's Gym. Like playful sconces, her constructions appeared to be illuminated by some internal light source. The orange painted reverse side of the zinc cast a cheeky glow against the white gallery wall.
Painters working within the Minimalist idiom often fall into a trance of repetition, rehashing old tropes without a fully actualized set of personal directives. Although chance and improvisation are not attributes inherent in this kind of non representational painting, there was a sense that the narrow parameters within which the artists are working are too stringent, that somehow there lies beneath some impulse that is sacrificed for the sake of "neo-reductive minimal" painting. Within the context of this show Clary Stolte's small square white painting stood out after several passes through the gallery. While the painting certainly fits into the curatorial framework of this show (reduction, geometry, relationship) the unassuming painting acts in the service of the other works in that it forces the viewer to bend his mind around its pure white surface and to shift her expectation of how much interference must occur to the thing before it is considered a painting. Rather than another series of hard edges and bright colors the viewer is presented with a pristine uninterrupted surface with the physical structure of the support defining the painting from it's surroundings.
Unlike stepping into a mainstream commercial gallery a venue like the Brooklyn Artist’s Gym provides more opportunity for engagement and interaction with artists and curators. A three hour figure drawing session, good conversation with fellow artists, a solid exhibition and a cup of coffee for a quarter make to my estimation, a successful day. Overall, the curation of "A Romance of Many Dimensions" is fairly conventional with few surprises. The inclusion of Don Voisine gives the exhibition street-cred as do Linda Francis' electron-microscope inspired mixed media paintings of crystal formations. The Brooklyn Artist's Gym has a great mission and is most definitely a hub for the Gowanus/Slope art scene. I am optimistic for their exhibition program as we head into the new year.
Linda Francis Interference #4, mixed media on wood, 2011
"A Romance of Many Dimensions" Curated by Brent Hallard is on view at Brooklyn Artist's Gym unitl December 1, 2011
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