MISS or DISS

We decided to spice up our weekly What Did I Miss post with a +/- system for you to gage whether or not you came up with the right answer to the all important winter question: "Is it worth leaving my warm bed to freeze my face off and see some art and people?" What we are reviewing here will be not only about the artwork (because that will probably still be around in the gallery for a few more weeks) but rather the atmosphere, the crowd, the drinks, etc. You know, what really matters. If you know where we got the idea for the points system +2 points for you. And living in New York, you probably do. And if you are still reading this, another +10 points. You, dear reader, are off to a good start, so let’s see how the rest of New York did and where these events stand on our Miss or Diss scale...

DANIEL BUREN: ELECTRICITY PAPER VINYL...
Works in Situ & Situated Works
From 1968 to 2013
(Dedicated to Michael Asher)
ongoing until February 16, 2012
The exhibition spans in two spaces - the other being Bortolami Gallery at 520 West 20th Street; Bortolami Gallery will feature Plexiglas and fabric situated works and a room of new fiber optics. (We missed that..) 

Huang Yong Ping, Circus @ Gladstone Gallery

- Now any show, gallery or circus, which hosts a hand of God (Michelangelo or Pinocchio) will get an a priori - 7 genesis points from us
- What are those on the floor, fallen wooden limbs/fingers ? - another 1 
- Gladstone gallery really has it lately for the natural catastrophe- kitschy-baroque doomsday scenarios. Unsure if + or- 
- As responsible parenting adult to be (at some point) I feel there needs to be some kind of warning, before your toddler starts screaming- "Look mum that cow has no head!" - 2
(Ok thanks for correcting a toddler can probably not speak yet- your 5 year old.)

- Then again ... LOOK THAT COW (Bull?) HAS NO HEAD!!! + 2 
- The show IS called Circus. Is that a + ? 

Francis Alÿs  REEL-UNREEL @ David Zwirner
on going until February 9, 2013

- As is the case with Thomas Hirschhorn, I always get a little stab in the heart when I see politically sensitive art, or art dealing with politically sensitive issues in an ÜBER Gallery, let's say... NOT really known for its sensitivity.  - 1 
- In the particular case of the REEL UNREEL movie, which was produced for Documenta 13 and was part of the show, which was NOT shown in Kassel, but in Kabul, where basically nobody could go due to Visa issues, etc the question-marks grow even bigger. Kabul - Chelsea just seems a bit off.  - another 2 
- A free poster would normally be a +1 especially if the gallery has thoughtfully provided the rubber bands. But this poster is ugly and seriously looks like a leftover from some other event -1. So wash. 
- With the biggest of respect for an artist that we consider a role model, Älys paintings are not ... well are not to be taken seriously, correct? We were always under the impression it was another installation tool or medium, whose performative aspect is way bigger, more important, than the object itself. Hell, they are always on the cheapest little canvas possible and look as if they are painted on a moving horse, or a Kabul- Chelsea flight. I personally adore them anyway - and also adore the fact that some very rich person buys them, for what I am hoping is a lot of money. This show just hosted about 30 too many of them. - As many points. 

+ Coincidence and Super storm Sandy brought two of our favorite artists on show at the same time. Thanks! +1 
+ We would usually deduct points for the artist not being present (at least when we passed by), but this in this case it seems fitting. At least there is somebody missing. + 2
+ The gallerist was there and looked very friendly +1
+ The intro video, where the camera watches the children in Kabul in their home games is priceless. +20
+ REEL UNREEL video is also amazing. Definitely worth the trip to the gallery. Installed perfectly too with mattresses you can lie down on and transparent plastic threads for a curtain. +20
+ Francis Älys or somebody closed the door to the main space of the first of three spaces of Zwirner. Finally. Less is more.  +2
+ The walls in the painting installation are painted a light and a lighter green. Exquisitely well-balanced.  + 20 

Luc Tuymans, The Summer is Over @David Zwirner
ongoing until February 9, 2013

- Again. With all due respect ... A mega artist like Tuymans might want to present something more than "In his tenth show at David Zwirner, Belgian painter Luc Tuymans shows all new works". This is a show that got cancelled due to Sandy storm, which caused extended damages to a lot of Chelsea galleries (not all of which have re-opened) and way graver damages all over the city. The show was meant to be called "The summer is over" in November. All hell broke loose (well...) it opens in January and it is still called "The summer is over". Oh yes it is.  - 2 

+ Tuymans will not fail to pause whatever it is he is doing and check a girl out. Every. Time. (this might be due to the fact I stare at him too).  Good thing to see his libido is not as grey-scale as his palette. + 2  

Re opening of The Drawing Center:
- Ignacio Uriarte, Line of Work (in the Drawing room)

( the artist) 

a fan from Berlin, artist Sophie Holstein 

The Drawing Center re-opened after extensive (or not so extensive, we would not know) renovations last week. Everybody agreed it looked awesome and it was the fullest opening in a while. So + 2 already. Everybody also said: "All the important people are here". We would not recognize them, so we have to take the word of mouth for it. + 2 As full as it was, there was not a drop of alcohol, not for VIPS not for the little people. So - 10.  With a non too subtle cast system of Main gallery, Drawing Room and Lab it hosted 3 installation of three artists in various degrees of stardom. - 2 for the use of the word lab (again). We start with the show we liked best (see above) , Ignacio Uriarte in the drawing room and continue with the show we liked least Alexandre Singh at the main gallery, and will ignore the one in the Lab as we do go down stairs on high heels. (I am sorry) 

+ Uriarte's work is effortlessly ( and unpretentious-ly) majestic. No points, as he is a friend, just saying. 

Alexandre Singh, The Pledge

-2 points right at the entrance, for the ugly plasticized A4 papers kept together by a metal spiral things, which you had to return to their ugly cases, when finished taking them around the ugly show.
- Seven (or eight or nine) storylines, which branched out to several photocopies + collages which took you around endless little frames, which were in their turn linked with thousands of little dots - Just in case. you. did. not. get. it. (or failed to take the ugly plasticized guide at the door) - 7xhow many framesxhowever many dots there were. This show was dull. 
- The frames and the carpet looked a lot like Ikea. I found out later they actually were. - only 1 in the name of irony. 
- The artist was wearing neon yellow-green shoes. - 2 

+individual collages and frame compositions were actually very successful. If it were not for the death by conformity parts of this work could work. + 2 
+ Truth is I got nothing else. But other people liked the show more than I did, or said they did. So another + 2 for them. 

MISCELLANEOUS

- The gallery name "Guided by invoices" is not funny. Not even for a moment. Just saying. 

This is not the way to do it, dear Envoy Enterprises. Jesus would weep.