C H A R L ES P. R EAY Stats / DADADADA / Complications
bruno david gallery
CHARLES P. REAY
Strats / DADADADA / Complications June 3 - July 30, 2016 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 Charles P. Reay: Strats / DADADADA / Complications Editor: Bruno L. David Catalog Designer: Marisa Drewes, Ashley SeoHyung Lee and Yihuang Lu Design Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Charles P. Reay and Bruno David Gallery Cover image: Charles P. Reay: Strats / DADADADA / Complications, 2016 (Installation view - detail)
Copyright Š 2016 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
ARTPLAY by Bryan A. Hollerbach AFTERWORD by Bruno L. David CHECKLIST AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY
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CHARLES P. REAY: ARTPLAY by Bryan A. Hollerbach 2
Wit, in more than one sense of that word, infuses the artwork of Charles P. Reay, sufficient to tempt one to flirt with a neologism: artplay. That wit recently enjoyed extensive display in three exhibitions, “Strats,” “DADADADA,” and “Complications,” at the Bruno David Gallery. Wit, in the Merriam-Webster sense of “reasoning power: intelligence,” electrifies most if not all the components of those exhibitions. To readers of a certain illiberal liberality, that might seem an observation bordering on nonsense, if not simplism, but for two considerations. First, to resort to historical terminology increasingly discredited, primitivism, or naive art, once exalted work often lacking anything beyond instinct or just dumb luck, elevating the objet trouvé to the level of absurdity. Second, nowadays, at all levels, an element of attaboy exultation discolors and discredits too much bona fide criticism; pop culture has metastasized into the only culture, and ludicrously, the mere act of creation has become, automatically, synonymous with unconditional celebration – a truly virulent landscape. The harshness of the preceding assessment demands an instant disclaimer: Reay, as great-souled an individual as one could hope to meet, may well disagree with everything therein. That said, regarding his intelligence, consider Reay’s “Strats,” whose individual works he confesses to being “strongly referential in their construction” to the breakthrough Synthetic Cubist pieces of Picasso’s 1912–14 “Guitars” series (like Violin Hanging on the Wall) and congruent efforts by Picasso’s confrère Braque (like Guitar and Program). Where the protean Spaniard and his French friend derived their basal inspiration from the look of the classical acoustic guitar and similar devices, though, Reay names the major formal-qua-formal afflatus for “Strats” to be the musical instruments of California inventor Leo Fender. Many of the individual works in the “Strats” exhibition sport a palette gloriously reduced to medium blues and violets, with black, and transform into something like icons the already-curvaceous rock ’n’ roll functionality of Fender’s guitars by, more or less, ridding them of all detail. Stripped of their pegs, for instance, the heads of Evangelion, Tele, and Telecaster and the bodies of Stratocaster and Stratocaster + Martin, sans any indication of a tremolo arm, approximate Platonic absolutes of themselves.
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Perhaps reflecting a degree of jejune latter-day romanticism, one can’t help picturing the shades of Picasso and Braque smiling at Reay’s temerity and talent alike and drinking his health in some celestial café. Reay’s work also brims with wit in the Merriam-Webster sense of “clever or apt humor” or “the ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse.” That grace distinguishes him from any number of other artists — past, present, and, alas, undoubtedly future. Such artists embrace the solemnity of their own endeavors enough to suggest an aesthetic of anhedonia, all but shrieking, “I derived no joy at all from creating this, and I hope the same holds true for you in viewing it.” Not so Reay, thank goodness! His work practically explodes with joie de vivre without devolving to japery (with five-and-dime irony, one of the biggest abiding perceptual grotesqueries of the moment). In that respect, a mixed-media personal favorite from 2011 pays homage to that abiding French bad boy, Duchamp: Ready Made DADA. It centers on a blocky sans serif D and A, the first capital solidly horizontal, the second canting to the right perhaps eight degrees — like the child’s toy Gumby taking a tentative step. At the same time, almost edgewise, a second A angles its right leg through the void of the D, and a second D, almost unrecognizable, fills its own void in a borderline-indecorous fashion with the first A’s left leg. Simple yet elegant, Ready Made DADA (included in an earlier Bruno David Gallery exhibition titled “Metamorphosis”) speaks volumes about Reay’s creations in general; one can’t help imagining him chuckling while creating many of them. “I find the art to be very provocative,” Reay remarks of Duchamp’s long-term inspiration, a position with which one cannot, in general, argue. The present constitutes an almost unspeakable epoch of provocation. For whatever reason or reasons, however, that epochal provocation lacks the charm and cheerfulness not only of “R. Mutt’s” infamous Fountain but also of Reay’s deft (and perhaps daffy) revisitation, in “DADADADA,” of vintage Parisian pissoirs. Similarly, those burdened with a surfeit of solemnity likely went totally postal over a delightful untitled installation central to “DADADADA,” centered on faux geese studying tubes of paint — all things considered, a honkin’ funny piece.
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“Complications,” the third of Reay’s latest Bruno David Gallery interconnected exhibitions, comprises a number of admittedly smaller pieces inspired by watchmaking. (As an aside to youngsters, before smartphones allowed everyone to lay claim to being overclocked and thereby dispense with the tedious niceties of punctuality, men, women, and even children told time with quaint contraptions called watches.) From last April, the initial press release on the gallery’s tripartite offering characterized “Complications” as “a collection of modest impressions that grow increasingly complex,” and if we can judiciously ignore fussbudget distinctions between the terms complicated and complex, that, in context, seems cheerily apt. After all, in a certain light, a gear from a $30K Cartier resembles nothing so much as a common-or-garden washer with goose bumps. Again, one can’t help imagining Reay chuckling while creating many if not all of the pieces included in “Strats,” “DADADADA,” and “Complications.” Artwork? Indisputably. But also something a bit more — arguably, something incorporating an element of joyous playfulness. Artplay? Shall we go with that? Sure — why not? So: artplay — yes!
Bryan A. Hollerbach has been writing and editing professionally on many subjects, including art, since the early 1980s, lately at the Ladue News. This text is one in a series of the gallery’s exhibitions written by fellow gallery artists and friends.
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AFTERWORD by Bruno L. David 6
Marking the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery, Chip Reay presents a new series of collages. A plurality of conjectures, “Strats, DADADADA and Complications” summarizes several small groups of works produced, primarily in simple collage form, over the last two years. Strats riffs on the influence that the forms of Fender’s electrical Telecasters and Evangelons might have had on the guitar works of Picasso and Braque. DADADADA: exemplifications of the Dadaistes while oblique references illuminate a cacophony. Should DADA be heard and not seen? Should art be seen and not heard? Should DADA be? Should DADA!?! DADADADA! Complications: a collection of modest impressions that grow increasingly complex. In a horological sense, by adding complications they have moved beyond the simple display of minutes and hours to become more elaborate and grander. While sharing a common genesis, their evolution reflects a fuller picture of time. When in Rome all roads lead elsewhere. Charles P. Reay lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri. 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 Bryan A. Hollerbach for his thoughtful essay. I am deeply grateful to Marisa Drewes, Ashley SeoHyung Lee and Yihuang Lu, 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, Alex DeRosa, Marisa Drewes, and Ryan Eckert. -Bruno L. David
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CHECKLIST & IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION
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CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 10
Stats / Guitars Series Martins Martin 11
Stats / Guitars Series Strat + Martin Martin + Strat Strat + Hauser 12
Martin + Ivy Evangelions Stratocaster + Martin
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Stats / Guitars Series Tele Telecaster Evangelion 14
Evangelion Study Stratocaster Hauser
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DADADADA / Fountains of Paris Series Carte Postale No. 4 Fountains of Paris Carte Postale No. 3 Fountains of Paris 16
Carte Postale No. 1 Fountains of Paris Carte Postale No. 2 Fountains of Paris
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DADADADA / Fountains of Paris Series The Fountains of Paris No. 2 The Fountains of Paris No. 6 18
The Fountains of Paris No. 1 The Fountains of Paris No. 7 The Fountains of Paris No. 5
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DADADADA / Fountains of Paris Series The Fountains of Paris No. 4 The Fountains of Paris No. 3 20
CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 21
Complications / Still Life Series Still Life Cicada + Obelisk Still Life Cicada Still Life Guinea Fowl 22
Still Life Still Life 2
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Complications / Still Life Series Still Life + Tulip Still Life Parrot Tulip Still Life Tobasco 24
Still Life Pineapple + Asparagus Still Life Apple + Pear Still Life Lemons
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CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 26
CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 27
Complications / Still Life Series Still Life No Still Life 88771 28
Still Life Juida Still Life Perruches ala Carte
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CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 30
CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 31
DADADADA / Dadaistes Series Dadaistes 32
Marcel et nu Marcel et nu
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DADADADA / Dadaistes Series Andre Mona Henri at Marcel’s Jean Arp 34
Pere Man Andre Breton Max Ernst
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DADADADA / Dadaistes Series Leonardo Marcel Rene Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich Francis Picaba Marcel Duchamp Hugo Ball 36
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DADADADA / Dadaistes Series 38
Man Ray Mondrian Man Ray
I have always been a pencil Emmy Hennings Jean Cocteau Tristan Tarza
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CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 40
CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 41
Complications / Faces Series Art is... Panade Forget the fifth 42
Whimsey Rabelais and Jarry
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Complications / Oysters Series Oyster 0943 Baby Oyster 1026 Oyster Sea of Japan 44
Oysters Blue Points Clear Oyster 439
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Complications / Nature Series Nature Stick Insect Nature Stick Insects 46
Nature Ernst + Bluefin Nature Fifteen Minutes of Grace Nature Homard Art is a Habit Forming Drug
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Complications / Nature Series Nature Parrot Pie (Italian Recipe) 48
Nature Cicada upon Oak
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CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 51
Complications / Denizens Series Denizen No. 1 Denizen No. 2 Denizen No. 3 52
Denizen No. 4 Denizen No. 5 Denizen No. 6
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Complications / Denizens Series Denizen No. 7 Denizen No. 8 54
CHARLES P. REAY: SATRATS/ DADADADA/ Complications. at Bruno David Gallery, 2016 (installation view - detail) 55
Complications / Stamps Series
Complications / Collages Series
Stamps King + Scorpion Stamps Ginko + Mole + Frog Stamps Venus + Ginko
One Hour
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Complications / Collages Series Ginko Lucky Bell TBD Pass at Rte. 2 Mass 58
Fill the grid Suspicion Red Blue Blue
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Complications / Collages Series
Complications / Jardin du Luxembourg Series
in principo Blue Square No 7
Jardin de Luxembourg Faith Jardin de Luxembourg Emmie Jardin de Luxembourg Sasha
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Complications / It’s Always the Art Es is immer die kunst 62
E sempre l ‘ art ll est toujours l ‘ art
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Society of Independent Artists, 2016 Molded resin/fibergalss 7 elements (Size Variable) Edition of 3 64
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ARTISTS Laura Beard Heather Bennett Lisa K. Blatt Michael Byron Bunny Burson Judy Child Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Jill Downen Yvette Drury Dubinsky Damon Freed Douglass Freed Ellen Jantzen
Michael Jantzen Kelley Johnson Howard Jones (Estate) Chris Kahler Xizi Liu Kahlil Irving Bill Kohn (Estate) Leslie Laskey Yvonne Osei Patricia Olynyk Gary Passanise Judy Pfaff
Charles P. Reay Daniel Raedeke Tom Reed Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Shane Simmons Buzz Spector Cindy Tower Ann Wimsatt Monika Wulfers
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