Riffs of Commitment
I have been to Chelsea before, but I had never before entered into one of its art galleries. I had always walked past them on my way to Chelsea Piers, but I never even gave them a second glance. Therefore, actually going into and spending time in the art galleries on Wednesday was a completely new experience for me. I was not expecting the intricate and mysterious aura of each and every different gallery, especially since I had always seen the streets of Chelsea as a little run down.
Each different gallery was striking in its own way. One that stood out to me was Michael Cline’s exhibition, folks, although it was not particularly one of my favorites. In fact, when I first entered the gallery, I’m almost sure that a look of disgust passed over my face. In his paintings, he depicts the slums of America, no matter how obscene it is. Many of these show people revealing themselves, or holding placards with “political absurdities” written on them. One that stood out to me was Woman in Doorway, O.K. What stood out to me about this was not the fact that this woman was stark naked, or that she was holding a soda cup, but that rather than paint a perfect body, he painted in severe and specific lines for her tan lines. This, to me, made it seem harshly and unexpectedly realistic, because the way he paints people makes them seem almost like mannequins.
Another gallery, although small, also stood out to me. This was Christian Lemmerz’s The Omen. There were two sculptures in the entire gallery, and the one that affected me the most was the one of a body under a sheet. Although the entire thing, including the sheet, was carved or chiseled out of marble, it all seemed frighteningly realistic. I was almost terrified that at any second, the marble figure under the marble sheet would suddenly sit up. However, I think that my favorite gallery was Stephen Bush’s Fiddleback. This may be because I’ve always loved bright colors, and the way that Stephen Bush uses them is simply beautiful and mystical. Although he uses such vibrant colors, it is not a mess as some might expect. His intricate lines draw your attention to almost everything, while also creating a focus of attention, if that is possible. For example, in his Riffs of Commitment, nothing really seems to make sense. The blotches of color in the background seem to create hot pink, yellow-orange, and green cities in mountains. Cerulean blue plants seem to come out of almost nowhere, while the brown rocks and inky water stream below them. However, what everyone notices is the lime green house that seems to be coming straight out of the green waterfall. It is a simple frame of a house; it may just even be the front porch of a house. Either way, it draws attention to itself while also casting attention to everything else around it. The title, Riffs of Commitment, seems to portray all of this and so much more. Stephen Bush’s exhibition, in my opinion, is a wonderful use of color, and also one of the most thought-provoking.
While Chelsea’s streets may seem run down and full of garbage, I have learned recently that they are anything but. A step into a gallery from the sidewalk seems as if you have entered an entirely new dimension, and it is an experience that I would recommend to anyone. Many of these galleries are truly influential, and I am truly grateful that I was able to experience them.