Icon Magazine Interview, Lisbon, Portugal
Why initiate
the conTEMPorary exhibition space, which runs counter
to your past transient curatorial credentials?
The last thing I ever envisioned
was opening a gallery. It was the last thing I ever
wanted to do. However, I felt compelled to create
a conceptual counterpart to the numbing monotony of
exhibition venues. Building a space is probably a
once in a lifetime opportunity for most, however more
often than not the same designs by the same designers
are all too familiar. The most glaring example in
Chelsea is Luhring Augustine and Andrea Rosen galleries
that shared an architect who is largely responsible
for the sterile environment that pervades the district
and simply built a wall to divide the uniform space
into two. The conscious surrendering of the opportunity
for making two distinctive galleries is remarkable.
With the rise of modern
art, galleries changed from a salon setting to stark
white walls in an effort to achieve neutrality and
perhaps confer legitimacy to the nascent world of
new art. The model prior to the white cube was the
interior of a wealthy patron's living room. However,
gallery interiors became weighted down and loaded
with a whole new set of preexisting meanings that
were anything but neutral. The aim of conTEMPorary
was to stand the conventional notion of displaying
art on its head and to create a fluid, morphing space
in which to exhibit art. The idea was to radicalize
the interior to open a dialogue about how venues can
function now and in the future.
What is the idea
behind mixing fashion, architecture, music and dance
along with more conventional content of art spaces
such as painting, sculpture, and video?
With regard to the
program, the intent was also to move away from the
convention of exclusively representing a small stable
of artists and guarding the exposure of those few
as though they were protected species. Without a fixed
group of artists to represent, the programming of
the gallery can remain as nimble and changeable as
the gallery walls (which adjust according to showing
requirements). Lip- service is always being paid to
broadening the spectrum of what is shown within contemporary
art galleries, though we live in a world strictly
defined by niche specialization. Rarely do venues
or audiences hazard beyond parameters having to do
with content, though much is said about cross-pollinating
with other art forms in the contemporary art world.
It is the mission of conTEMPorary to work with architects,
fashion designers, dance groups, musicians and others
to experiment in an eclectic showing space. In the
process, new audiences are exposed to art forms they
would not ordinarily witness. Artists will benefit
as well as gallery-goers from interacting with unexpected
pairings in the arts
Why did you choose
to work with Vito Acconci in the role of architect
rather than artist?
I have always admired
the work of Vito Acconci due to his utilitarian, non-conformist,
chameleon manner in his approach to art and architecture.
I use the word chameleon to describe the ever changing
body of work pursued by Acconci from early body based
photo and video pieces to installation, sculpture,
outdoor art and presently architecture. In fact, at
present, Acconci has eschewed art production altogether
largely due to the exclusionary limited reach of the
fine art world. Acconci has never paid heed to the
art market, a driving force that obsesses so many
artists today, and has always sought to address challenging
conceptual issues usually at the expense of materialistic
needs. When a renegade comes upon a field from outside
the entrenched establishment he/she is usually met
with scorn, as is the case with Acconci and his decade
old studio, and similarly, such is the response I
have met while curating, making art, writing, and
dealing. The art world, like the architecture world,
closes ranks and tries to erect barriers to those
whose only intent is to create unique approaches.
With his art background and deviant approach to architecture,
Acconci was the ideal person sympathetic to the concerns
of an unorthodox gallery. ConTEMPorary was Acconci's
first private commission and first built interior.
What is your
general approach to curating in the past and at present?
For me curating is
an art form similar in nature to painting, sculpture,
video, and installation. It is a form of installation
comprised of pairing disparate artists, while giving
room for the individual participants and artworks
to exist independently of the group. For me the key
is to bring artists and artworks to the fore that
would not otherwise gain a foothold into the system,
and to establish complimentary relations between different
works. Also, an abiding interest is to bring to light
work bypassed, forgotten or underrated by general
consensus. Some artists approach their art making
process oblivious to new art being made, while others
find it exhilarating to actively support the art of
their time. I am inextricably drawn to exhibit and
promote artists as part and parcel of my own art doings.
What role do
art fairs, such as the upcoming Armory in which you
will participate, play in your efforts?
Art fairs in general
are strictly commercial matters and the Armory is
no different. I find them generally disheartening
and practically depressing as a means to see and purchase
art. For me, fairs are not to view art but to view
collectors! As a small purposefully marginal enterprise,
I am not exposed to the usual group of collectors
that lend support to galleries on a regular basis.
As a result, I have no recourse but to participate
in order to expose the artists I work with at any
given time and the gallery itself. In an attempt to
differentiate myself from the pack of purely commercially
minded participants, Vito Acconci will design my booth
in an attempt to undermine the normative quality of
such affairs.
