uncertain americans pt 2

So far the opening of the Uncertain States of America is going pretty darn well. The new Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College is totally amazing- the building is so new that the grass out front hasn’t started growing, but it is an impressive, well-designed space that is perfect for a big, diverse show like this. It is also really nice being away from the city and out in the woods. The Bard campus is about an hour north of NYC on the Hudson River, and is as beautiful and serene as it gets.

The opening kicked off Saturday afternoon with performance artist Rodney McMillian re-delivering Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society speech. This is an incredible speech, and not unlike the Jimmy Carter speeches I referred to in an earlier post, it is a perfect example of a piece of forgotten history that proves that there were visionaries in the past who were trying to proactively solve the problems of today, but were tripped up by lazy and greedy interests who were more interested in quick fixes than long term solutions. Rodney’s performance was an energizing alternative to the usual stuffy talking head speeches that typically open a show like this.

(New Humans / Rodney McMillian)
The day progressed with more performances by The New Humans and Mario Ybarro, a few very interesting panel discussions, and a really nice barbeque. The show is very diverse, and supposedly represents “the cutting edge trends in American art.” I am always a little skeptical of any kind of curated show that is supposed to represent some sort of time or movement, and I can think of a lot of artists who definitely deserve to be in this show more than I do. But I do like the work quite a bit. Paul Chan’s video installation “1st Light” is a beautifully hypnotic mediation on movement and shadow, and Hannah Greely’s sculpture of a dog napping on a doormat entitled “Muddle” is one of my favorite pieces I’ve seen in a long time. I could also watch Aïda Ruilova’s kooky video loops for hours, and might even consider tattooing one of Devendra Banhart’s line drawings on my body. But my favorite piece in the show is Mike Bouchet’s “Top Cruise” where he fills an entire room with 1000 plaster busts of Tom Cruise’s head.

(Hannah Greely’s ‘Muddle’)

(Mike Bouchet’s ‘Top Cruise’)
Curators and art collectors came up from the city by the bus-load (fancy charter buses, that is) and we were all excited to hear that more venues have been added for the show, including stops in Moscow and Beijing. I am realizing that this show is a pretty big deal. People are calling it a younger, more puckish version of the Whitney Biennial. At 33, I think I am one of the older artists in the show, and most of the artists have some pretty big-time galleries representing them. I am still a little out of place, just pushing my 20 dollar DVDs, but if they keep flying all the artists out to each show than I will be more than satisfied. One really cool thing about the show is that the curators are encouraging us to make new work for the future shows so that the show continues to evolve. I know the TM Sisters are already planning a boot-leg version of the show’s catalog and Aaron Young seems to have some gorgeous new painting every five minutes. Maybe I’ll have my ghost town project finished in time for China.
More reports to follow…

(Mario and Karla getting ready to rock the mic. photo by Monica Lopez De Victoria)