AND / OR by Bruno David Gallery

AND / OR

bruno david gallery

AND / OR May 1 - June 27, 2015 Bruno David Gallery 3721 Washington Boulevard Saint Louis, 63108 Missouri, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition AND / OR Editor: Bruno L. David Catalog Designer: Christina Lu and Peter Finley Design Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Bruno David Gallery Photographs by Bruno David Gallery Cover image: AND / OR (Installation view-detail) Bruno David Gallery, 2015 First Edition Copyright ÂŠ 2015 Bruno David Gallery, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery, Inc.

CONTENTS

ANDO, AND/OR by BUZZ SPECTOR AFTERWORD by BRUNO L. DAVID CHECKLIST AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION

ANDO, AND/OR by Buzz Spector

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation opened in 2001 in a building designed by the internationally renowned architect, Tadao Ando. The Pulitzer has several neighbors in the 3700 block of Washington Avenue, including, immediately to the west, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and, a few parking lots to the east, the Sheldon Galleries. The Bruno David Gallery opened across the street from the Pulitzer in 2005 and, in the eleven years since, some artists who have exhibited in the Gallery have also had one role or another in the activities of the Pulitzer, whether by virtue of having shown their work there or else participating in public panels or performances. The essence of this curatorial project, though, isn’t in the ways in which its participating artists have shown their work or shared their thoughts in Ando’s marvelous building. Rather, it is a summary gathering of artists whose work is in dialogue with one or another aspect of its design. From its conception the Pulitzer building was a collaboration between the architect and two similarly distinguished artists; Ellsworth Kelly and Richard Serra. Ando and his team developed a plan whose asymmetry accounted for the presence of Serra’s torque steel spiral, Joe, 2004, named for Joseph Pulitzer, Jr., and commissioned by the Pulitzer Foundation for installation next to the building. Inside, Kelly’s 28-foot high painted aluminum Blue Black, 2000, brings qualities both of painting and sculpture to its siting at the far end of the building’s atrium gallery, the largest viewing space in the Pulitzer. The artist and writer Walter Robinson has described Blue Black as “vertical mural,” and the proportions of the space are keyed to those of the Kelly. The Pulitzer’s concrete surfaces are of the subtly warm gray “Ando concrete” that characterizes all the architect’s mature buildings. The strategically placed slotlike windows let the sunlight rake across the upper interior spaces. On the recently renovated lower level the lighting shifts in intensity from room to room; the lower ceilings adding a sense of spatial compression to the passage through the galleries. Everywhere in the building a play of spiritual geometry can be felt, in line with Ando’s intent to reflect a Zen state of mind.

The artists in and/or each refer to visual and spatial geometries. The paintings, works on paper, and sculptures installed in the gallery are preponderantly abstract or, where figurative elements are employed, show how the crafted figure or landscape can be read in terms of materials as much as in depiction. Bruno David’s curatorship here makes of the total ensemble something of a paean to Ando’s architecture. The material and gestural interweaving in and/or makes a viewer’s passage through the gallery spaces one of exciting the emotions as well as intuiting geometric design language. Those visiting the gallery after time spent in the Pulitzer will find resonances of line, plane, and poetry of substance. Those viewers who walk from the gallery to the museum will discover a structure that seems to grow out of a sympathetic relationship to the artworks they have just viewed. The exhibit makes us aware of art’s capacity to organize an architectonic field of experience while also showing how much architecture’s liminal zones—the “and/or” aspect of being in spaces—is in dialog with the properties of art.

Buzz Spector is an artist, critic, and professor of art in the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Spector is the author of numerous essays on art and artists. Buzzwords, a book of interviews with Spector, plus page art, was published in 2012 by Sara Ranchouse Publishing, Chicago. Spector received his M.F.A. from the University of Chicago in 1978, combining studies in art and philosophy, and studied design and art at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he received his B.A. in 1972. Spector has exhibited his art in such museums as the Art Institute of Chicago, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV, Mattress Factory Art Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Luigi Pecci Centre, Prato, Italy.. This text is one in a series of the gallery’s exhibition written by fellow gallery artists and friends.

AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID

Bruno David is pleased to present a group exhibition “And / OR” of works by Laura Beard, Heather Bennett, Bunny Burson, Michael Byron, Carmon Colangelo, Alex Couwenberg, William Conger, Jill Downen, Michelle Grabner, Yvette Drury Dubinsky, Beverly Fishman, Ann Hamilton, Ellen Jantzen, Kelley Johnson, Michael Jantzen, Chris Kahler, Leslie Laskey, Patricia Olynyk, Gary Passanise, Judy Pfaff, Robert Pettus, Daniel Raedeke, Chip Reay, Tom Reed, Jennifer Reeves, Thomas Sleet, Buzz Spector, Max Starkloff, Shane Simmons, Mary Ann Strandell, Frank Schwaiger, Ken Worley, Monika Wulfers. The reopening of the renovated Tadao Ando-designed building that is home to the Pulitzer Arts Foundation is also the occasion for this selection of works by artists from St. Louis and beyond who have been involved in one way or another with the Pulitzer’s diverse range of artistic and community activities over the years. The exhibit’s title, “and/or,” incorporates the architect’s name while the typographic slash evokes the physical proximity of Bruno David Gallery and the Pulitzer, diagonally across the street. What of the “or”? It connects the alternative terms for artmaking that both the institution and the gallery endeavor to explore. Support for the creation of significant new works of art has been the core to the mission and program of the Bruno David Gallery since its founding in 2005. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Buzz Spector for his thoughtful essay. I am deeply grateful to Christina Lu and Peter Finley who gave much time, talent, and expertise to the production of this catalogue. Invaluable gallery staff support for the exhibition was provided by Cleo Azariadis, Ashley Lee, Orianna Montenegro, Christina Lu, Alex DeRosa and Ryan Eckert.

CHECKLIST & IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION

Buzz Spector About the Author 2, 2014 Photo and text on museum board and aluminum 14 x 47.5 x 5 inches (35.6 x 120.6 x 12.7 cm)

Buzz Spector About the Author 1, 2014 Photo and text on museum board and aluminum 14 x 47.5 x 5 inches (35.6 x 120.6 x 12.7 cm)

Michelle Grabner Untitled., 2015 Flashe and black gesso on canvas 40 inches diameter (101.6 cm)

Carmon Coangelo Airmail #2 (Post Storms series), 2014 Digital printing on paper 45.5 x 33.5 inches (115.6 x 85.1 cm)

Carmon Coangelo Airmail #7 (Post Storm series), 2014 Digital printing on paper 45.5 x 33.5 inches (115.6 x 85.1 cm)

Mary Ann Strandell Megan Draperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LA with a Port, 2015 3D Lenticular print on Sintra 16 x 16 inches (40.6 x 40.6 cm)

Mary Ann Strandell Megan Draperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LA with Drones, 2015 3D Lenticular print on Sintra 16 x 16 inches (40.6 x 40.6 cm)

Judy Pfaff Untitled, 2008 Mixed media and cut paper on paper 13.75 x 38.25 x 1.5 inches (34.9 x 97.2 x 3.8 cm)

Chris Kahler Dialumens 16A, 2014 Acrylic on mixed media panel 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 76.2 cm)

Buzz Spector About the Author 1, 2014 Photo and text on museum board and aluminum 14 x 47.5 x 5 inches (35.6 x 120.6 x 12.7 cm)

Michael Bryon Constellation: T.B.A., 2014 Oil on canvas 80 x 70 inches (203.2 x 177.8 cm)

Jill Downen Spine, 2015 Plaster on paper 36.5 x 8.5 inches (92.7 x 21.6 cm) Edition of 3

Ann Hamilton near-away, 2013 Paperback book slices, cheesecloth, string, bookbinders glue, methyl cellulose, steel wire 23.5 x 18.5 x 4 inches (59.7 x 47.0 x 10.2 cm)

Kelly Johnson Untitled 10, 2015 Mixed media on wood, wall, floor 78 x 34 x 39 inches (198.1 x 86.4 x 99.1 cm)

Yvette Drury Dubinsky Nothing on the Horizon, 2015 Mixed media on watercolor and Japanese paper 22.5 inches diameter (57.2 cm diameter)

Daniel Raedeke Analogues, 2015 Acrylic on wood panel 30 x 30 inches (76.2 x 76.2 cm)

Michael Byron Grisaille: Robt. Fulton, 1999 Oil on canvas 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)

Heather Bennett On the Road, 2013 Digital print on premium luster 42 x 42 inches (106.7 x 106.7 cm)

Tom Reed look out, 2014 Mixed media and collage on panel 53.25 x 53.25 inches (135.3 x 135.3 cm)

Laura Beard Green + Pale Yellow (Series V [RS]), 2014 Acrylic on paper 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm)

Beverly Fishman Untitled (Anxiety, Depression, Panic), 2014 Urethane paint on wood 30 x 82 x 3 inches (76.2x 208.3 x 7.6 cm)

Thomas Sleet Vocanoa, 2015 Mixed media on wood 50 x 16 x 22 inches (127 x 40.6 x 55.9 cm)

Alex Couwenberg Axiom, 2013 Acrylic on canvas mounted on panel 32 x 36 inches (81.3 x 91.4 cm)

Robert Pettus Untitled, 2013 C-print 31 x 27 inches (78.7 x 68.6 cm)

Yvette Drury Dubinsky Dual Casualties, 2015 Cyanotypes on watercolor paper 19.5 inches diameter (49.5 cm diameter)

Bunny Burson Her Hand, 2014 Woodblock embossment 25.25 x 29.25 inches (64.1 x 74.3 cm)

Jill Downen Breast Block, 2012 Concrete 19 x 8.5 x 8.5 inches (48.3 x 21.6 x 21.6 cm)

William Conger The Prisoner, 2014 Oil on canvas 56 x 36 inches (142.2 x 91.4 cm)

Jennifer Reeves Place (5 - 16), 1998 Acrylic on birch hardwood 31.5 x 21.5 inches (80 x 54.6 cm diameter)

Kelly Johnson Untitled 13, 2012 Acrylic on canvas 47.5 x 36.5 x 2.5 inches (120.7 x 92.7 x 6.4 cm) 50

Frank Schwaiger Under the Influence, 2015 Acrylic on cheesecloth 25.75 x 27.5 inches (65.4 x 69.9 cm)

Gary Passanise Untitled, 2015 Mixed media on paper 11 x 10 x 4 inches (27.9 x 25.4 x 10.2 cm)

Ellen Jantzen A Resonant Chill, 2013 C-print mounted on cintra 30 x 34 inches (76.2 x 86.4 cm)

Leslie Laskey The Fates, 2015 Mixed media on board 20.25 x 25.25 inches (51.4 x 64.1 cm)

Chris Kahler Untitled, 2015 Digital print on paper 25.5 x 20.5 inches (64.8 x 52.1 cm) Edition of 25

Buzz Spector 17 Books About Marcel Broodtaers, 1999 Interior dye diffusion print (polaroid) 31 x 23 inches (78.7 x 58.4 cm) Edition of 10

Patricia Olynyk Dynamic Extension III, 2014 C-Print 22.25 x 61.25 inches (56.5 x 155.6 cm)

Michael Jantzen M-velope (Maquette), 2014 Painted plastic 12 x 12 x 20 inches (30.5 x 30.5 x 50.8 cm)

Chip Reay Tricycle Wheel, 2013 Molded plastic, steel, vinyl 31 x 16 x 15 inches (78.7 x 40.6 x 38.1 cm)

Monica Wulfers Random 3314 3315, 2008 Acrylic and oil on canvas 64 x 96 inches (162.6 x 243.8 cm)

Monica Wulfers Six Equal Lines, Not a Hexagon, 2015 Glass tubes, argon, transformer, wiring, monofilament Size variable (6 elements) Eight Equal Lines, Not an Octagon, 2015 Glass tubes, argon, transformer, wiring, monofilament Size variable (8 elements)

Ken Worley Rockwoods VII.19., 2012 Oil stick on canvas 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 76.2 cm)

Shane Simmons Mushroom Clouds and Candy Skulls, 2010 Acrylic on panel 24 x 24 inches (61 x 61 cm)

Tom Reed the source, 2013 Mixed media and collage on panel 19.5 x 20.75 inches (24.1 x 12.7 cm)

Max Starkloff The Assassination, 2015 Digital print on paper 22 x 17 inches (55.9 x 43.2 cm)

Max Starkloff Runners, 2015 Digital print on paper 17 x 22 inches (43.2 x 55.9 cm)

Carmon Coangelo Jose & Joyce (Storms Series), 2014 Intaglio, digital, relief printing, and chince-colle on paper 22.25 x 36.125 inches (56.5 x 91.8 cm)

AND / OR (instalation view)

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ARTISTS Laura Beard Heather Bennett Lisa K. Blatt Michael Byron Bunny Burson Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Jill Downen Yvette Drury Dubinsky Beverly Fishman Damon Freed

Douglass Freed Ellen Jantzen Michael Jantzen Kelley Johnson Howard Jones (Estate) Chris Kahler Bill Kohn (Estate) Leslie Laskey Patricia Olynyk Gary Passanise Judy Pfaff

Daniel Raedeke Tom Reed Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Shane Simmons Buzz Spector Cindy Tower Ken Worley Monika Wulfers