The Galleries of Chelsea

This week, with my class, New York and the Visual Arts at Pace University, I went to various art galleries in the Chelsea area. The exhibits include photographs, paintings, sculptures, as well as live art installations. Each exhibition is so creative and unique, some that I have never seen anything like before.

 

 In the Yossi Milo Gallery, the first of several that we went to has intriguing photos. One of my favorites is a picture of doves flying against a black background with an overhead light. It is from a series of photos called, “Until the Kingdom Comes.” The photographer captures a beautiful moment of the several birds flying from various angles.

We went to the Luhrig Augustine Gallery, whose exhibit, “The Marionette Maker” by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller stands out to me. This work is a caravan with miniature electronic dolls on a string surrounding a sleeping woman inside of it.  The moving dolls drew me to the exhibit. I thought the doll playing guitar was quite entertaining. After focusing on the dolls for a bit, I looked more closely and saw a woman laying down sleeping with the toys surrounding her. The artist inventively builds this piece to perhaps bring to life a dream the woman was having. I felt this piece was the most creative of all the works we saw that day.

The photograph of the doves could be in the same exhibit as "The Marionette Maker." Both works have ethereal and dreamlike aspects. Each one represents a form of transcendence. The doves fly beyond the realm of earth and when the woman dreams, she also transcends earthly bounds.

Photo credits: www.gladstonegallery.com

My least favorite are pieces at the Barbara Gladstone Gallery titled “Today You Will Be In Paradise” by Anish Kapoor. These works looked like a scene in a horror film. Some who are fans of horror and seeing bloody remains will appreciate this work as fascinating. However, for people who are squeamish like me, it is not all that pleasing. The structure resembles what seems like the human intestinal tract. The artist puts each sculpture of the gore on the walls of the gallery. On one wall stuck to the carnage is a piece of log human hair, which appeared to belong to a girl killed in the massacre that the artist brought to life on the walls.

Overall, I found each exhibit unique and captivating. I would recommend browsing through all of the galleries in Chelsea, especially the Yossi Milo Gallery and the Luhrig Augustine Gallery.