"Art of the Neighborhood II"

Tastes Like Chicken
2006-02-01

The second installment of the neighborhood survey show curated by Sherry Biddle and Michael Rader suggests that the participating artists share little more than a zip code. Jonathan Schipper’s labor-intensive, mechanical sculpture and Caroline Mak’s delicate, site-specific wall drawing characterize the range of practices found in the show. While there is no obvious center interesting dialogues develop between the artists. Notably, Mak’s interpretation of architectural elements in lines of string echo Colin Keefe’s intricate large-scale drawings of invented cities. Schipper’s pneumatic, mating machine finds parallels in the bizarre construction of Ken Butler’s hybrid musical instruments. The illusionism of Susan Hamburger’s exquisite installation of a paper and foam-core flatware plays off Kristen Jensen’s fragile porcelain bathing caps. The opening also included Mombert and Buckland’s Flush Casino (roulette and computer strip poker) whose celebratory mood and humor played off Lynn Gufeld’s decorative party arrangements including the particularly amusing phrase “It’s no one’s fault,” spelled out in metallic letters and faux flowers. Somehow, Gufeld’s whacky consolation reflects the spirited diversity of the participants and the gallery itself.

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