DECADENCE CURATED BY JOHN O’HERN
01 july 2011
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
1
Eric Wert | Deluge Oil on canvas 48” x 60” $38,000
W
hen I think of “decadence” I think of things sinful – such is the power of early training to continue to stifle thought, experience, and enjoyment throughout life.
The first definition of “decadence” in most dictionaries refers to “moral or cultural decline.” In the 1880s the word was used to describe disparagingly a group of French poets who espoused art for art’s sake in opposition to the moral and social concerns of European realists. Another definition is “luxurious indulgence.” “Sensuous pleasure” is another. Oscar Wilde comes closest to describing my intention for this exhibition. “Classicism is the subordination of the parts to the whole; decadence is the subordination of the whole to the parts.” We live in a time of peril where the parts are subordinated to the whole, when many parts of life are denigrated because they are parts of the classical whole that the classical whole folks would rather weren’t there. The whole, after all, is whole. It contains everything, not just what we want it to contain. Wilde would have us look at all the parts. Several artists invited to participate in this exhibition questioned the theme and why I thought their art fit it. Perhaps looking at a few pieces in the exhibition will flesh out the many emotionally charged definitions of “decadence.” The first piece that came to mind is Eric Wert’s Deluge because it was hanging right in front of me as Kathrine Erickson and I began planning. A deluge of water after the vase broke, a deluge of flowers falling from the broken vase. Often the vases in Eric’s paintings are tipped onto the table top, flowers, petals, and water spreading everywhere. The opulence of the embroidered silk background, the abundance of flowers, and the insouciance of the owner to the mess, said “decadence.” Michael Bergt’s sculpture Worship was inspired by an ancient gold horse he saw in a museum in Japan.
page
1
EvokeContemporary.com
Another sculptor forms and casts parts of the body into sculptures of great sexual power – echoing prehistoric fetishes and upsetting contemporary mores. Yuri Nishimura continues the tradition of erotic art that has existed for centuries in her native Japan. Daniel Barkley’s Apparition is either discomfiting or comforting. Those of the classical whole might declare, “My god, he’s naked and all covered with mud. How depraved!” Those with a broader view will find the painting rich with allusions from stories of our creation out of breath-enlivened dust to theories of our emerging from a primordial soup. The twinkle in the model’s eye suggests he may have emerged from romping with abandon in the mud. Perhaps decadence is simply romping with abandon through the vastness of life. John O’Hern
............................................................................................................................................................................................
It’s possible to deny the sensuous nature of a horse’s form, but Michael’s sculpture make’s that impossible. It’s erotic volumes are made precious, plated with gold. At another level, who is worshiping whom?
daniel barkley luigi benedicenti michael bergt david michael bowers braldt bralds sean cheetham marc dennis carl dobsky phillip dvorak teresa elliott sergio garval mikel glass scott goodwillie laurie hogin cheryl kelley heidi loewen cheryl anne lorance catherine lucas heather neill yuriko nishimura charles pfahl clayton porter christopher pugliese lee price jeffrey ripple christopher rote jorge santos ian troxell debb vandelinder eric wert pamela wilson iris vazquez irina zaytceva
Yuriko Nishimura | Lilies, bronze, 11 x 3.5 x 1.5 each ( nine pieces shown) courtesy Yuriko Nishimura
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
2
Pamela Wilson | The Superlative Muse, oil on canvas 42 x 72 courtesy Evoke Contemporary
page
3
EvokeContemporary.com
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
4
Heidi Loewen + Braldt Bralds | Construction, 26 diameter smoked porcelain platter by Heidi Loewen + oil painting by Braldt Bralds courtesy Heidi Loewen + Braldt Bralds
Teresa Elliott | Deliverance, 36 x 36, oil on canvas courtesy Evoke Contemporary page
5
EvokeContemporary.com
Daniel Barkley | l’Apparition Redux 48 x 40, acrylic on canvas courtesy Daniel Barkley
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
6
Michael Bergt | Worship, 16 x 12 x 5, wood carving with gold leaf courtesy Jane Sauer Gallery | Santa Fe, NM
Michael Bergt | Europa, 11.5 x 16.5 x .75, bronze, edition of 25 courtesy Jane Sauer Gallery | Santa Fe, NM
page
7
EvokeContemporary.com
Laurie Hogin | Myth and Empire, 48 x 60, oil on canvas courtesy Koplin Del Rio Gallery | Culver City, CA
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
8
Heather Neill | One Night Stand, 36 x 24, oil on panel courtesy Heather Neill
page
9
EvokeContemporary.com
Luigi Benedicenti | Solitario 33.5 x 41.25, oil on panel courtesy Bernarducci Meisel Gallery | New York, NY
Lee Price | Strawberry Shortcake, 30 x 60, oil on linen courtesy Evoke Contemporary
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
10
Jeffrey Ripple | Life in September, 19 x 16, oil on paper courtesy Skotia Gallery | Culver City, CA
page
11
EvokeContemporary.com
David Michael Bowers | Flaming Cock, 40 x 32, oil on canvas courtesy 101 Exhibit | Miami, FL
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
12
Jorge Santos | Mail Order Bride, 60 x 68, oil on canvas courtesy 101 Exhibit | Miami, FL
page
13
Cheryl Kelley | Cadillac, 30 x 40, oil on aluminum panel courtesy Bernarducci Meissel Gallery | New York, NY
EvokeContemporary.com
Ian Troxell | Daniel, 74 x 48, oil on canvas courtesy Ian Troxell
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
14
Charles Pfahl | Terror, 30 x 48, charcoal + graphite on paper courtesy Charles Pfahl
Clayton Porter | Untitled (menage รก trois) 60 x 48, acrylic + graphite on panel courtesy Launchprojects | Santa Fe, NM
page
15
EvokeContemporary.com
Debb VanDelinder | Binding Temptation, 30 x 20, digital image on aluminum courtesy Debb VanDelinder
Carl Dobsky | The Lotus Eater, 24 x 60, oil on linen courtesy John Pence Gallery | San Francisco, CA
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
16
Catherine Lucas | Materia Prima, 36 x 60, oil on linen courtesy Catherine Lucas
............................................................................................................................................................................
Phillip Dvorak | Voluptuary. 9 x 6, etching with gouache + watercolor, edition of 25 courtesy Phillip Dvorak
page
17
Phillip Dvorak | Rrose is a Rose 8.5 x 5.5, photomontage courtesy Phillip Dvorak
Phillip Dvorak | Red, 9 x 6 etching with gouache + watercolor edition of 25 courtesy Phillip Dvorak
EvokeContemporary.com
Debb VanDelinder | Georgia’s Lament 36 x 20, digital image on aluminum edition of 5 courtesy Debb VanDelinder
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
18
Iris Graham Vazquez | Friends, 2.5 x 7 x 7 each, bronze courtesy Iris Graham Vazquez
Christopher Rote | Armageddon, 54 x 52, oil on canvas courtesy Christopher Rote
page
19
Cheryl Anne Lorance | S.S. Crocus 14 x 16 x 8, bronze, edition of 12 courtesy Shidoni Gallery | Tesuque, NM
EvokeContemporary.com
Scott Goodwillie | Nikki’s Demons, 66 x 44, oil on canvas courtesy Jane Sauer Gallery | Santa Fe, NM
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
20
Marc Dennis | Kiss, 30 x 40, oil on canvas courtesy Marc Dennis
Marc Dennis | Boing Boing, 30 x 40, oil on canvas courtesy Marc Dennis page
21
EvokeContemporary.com
Sean Cheetham | TLM’s, 45 x 30, oil on panel courtesy Sean Cheetham
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
22
Mikel Glass | I Wanna Be a Ballerina 2, 92.5 x 48, oil on canvas courtesy Mikel Glass page
23
EvokeContemporary.com
David Michael Bowers | Genesis, 36 x 40, oil on canvas courtesy 101 Exhibit | Miami, FL
David Michael Bowers | The Last Angel, 20 x 27, oil on canvas courtesy 101 Exhibit | Miami, FL
To inquire please call us at: 505.995.9902 or email: info@evokecontemporary.com EvokeContemporary.com
page
24
DECADENCE