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Monday, November 23, 2009

cranky

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Wanted to go to Boston last week after reading on a blog! about the RHQ show at the Boston ICA. Was going to go to the opening for fun and then go back to the gallery again the next day to see the show without all the people... but after two e-mails to the ICA to ask what time the opening would be (couldn't find any info on-line) was told that it was a private event not open to the public. Oh well, bummer, but I'm into her work and it would be nice to see what else is showing in Boston... but then I doublechecked and was told no photography is permitted in the ICA galleries.

ME - "i would still love to see the show even though i missed the reception, but i don't want to come all that way if i can't take photographs."

ICA - "Unfortunately photography is not allowed in the galleries…but you can take photos of the building and the art wall in the lobby. And share them in our Flickr group!"

What the hell? Are you serious? Why does a museum that doesn't allow photography in the galleries have a Flickr group? Who joins? Are there even bigger suckers than me?, cause I'm not joining your stupid flickr group of lobby photographers! How many photos of your lobby do you NEED?

Oh yeah did I mention that between my two initial e-mails to the ICA trying to find out when the opening was I coincidentally got an e-mail from a different ICA employee requesting permission to use one of my RHQ photos for their lobby kiosk? So sad. Do they even get that I must have taken them at a place that DID allow photography?

Compound this with trying to see the one-week RHQ show on my last visit to NYC: I went in the gallery - well before the usual closing time - Miguel Abreu was arranging chairs for a Zizek talk later that evening and told me I couldn't look at the RHQ work. Don't remember his exact words but he was rude. Like the gallery but that guy was an ass.

UPDATE: they said it couldn't be done...

10 comments:

zipthwung said...

You need a press pass or something.

JS is cheerleading in long form for the top artists in the same way you cheerlead in short form for the underdogs. What gives? It seems like he's giving up criticality to speed his last dash towards irrelevance and oblivion. Does Richter need more words?

dubz said...

martin, sounds like you and RHQ aren't meant to be...

i really disagreed with JS's GR review. i thought the show blew big time. 9/11 images obliterated with a squeegee? c'mon.

Martin said...

rhq had two of my favorite shows last year, at orchard and abreu. might end up going to the ica anyways. probably should not have made that post but i had to vent.

haven't read the js review yet.

my word verification for this comment is: crockera

Anonymous said...

miguel is a cool guy. sounds like a bad day or something. always been very open with his time and knowledge with me.

marc said...

Grrr. It took me a while to figure out "RHQ" is an abbreviation for Quatyman. (Did they give a reason for no photo?) I feel your crank, but when I get angry like that, my wife consoles me by saying "grow a thicker skin". I'm jelous, I have not seen RHQ show in years and in my little part of the world the museums seldom haul his pieces outta the perm. collections.

marc said...

O.K.
Different Quatyman, still looks good on the web and am still jelous of your proximity.

Martin said...

hey marc, RH is his daughter. i really like Q senior too, and have never seen a whole show. most of what i have seen has been in reproduction. i used the initials because i did not want this bitching post to come up in a google search of her name.

she is having another museum show at the neuberger museum i think next year(?) which i will try to see. still mad at myself for not going to see "Fugitive Artist" there.

anonymous - yes he's cool like in the french asshole style. but yeah it is definitely a cool space with some cool shows.

Joanne Mattera said...

The Quaytman show is interesting. I brought my Mass Art class to see it, and we got to hear the curator, Jen Mergel, talk about the artist, the work, and the installation. The artist referenced the old ICA and the new ICA, as well as her own work, to make new paintings and silk-screened works for the show. Everyone in the class made different visual connections and liked different elements of the show. So I'm happy to tell you that the educational component of the ICA is wonderfully in place.

I liked the pieces that reminded me of Ken Weathersby's painting--the eye-activating stripes and the elements of inside/outside; in Quaytman's work, it's the stacked plywood of the beveled edge that appears, painted, in the painting itself.

Alas, I'm not writing about the show because of the museum's no-photo policy. But one of these days I'll write about Weathersby's work.

Martin said...

ken weatherby's work looks good. haven't seen any for real yet but just checked his resume and he has 2010 shows listed at pierogi and the painting center.

Kai said...

Oops!
I just took a bunch of photos. Nobody said a word.
pentiven's mine