Jessica Kourkounis

We told you about the Philadelphia Art Hotel, a super-short, quirky artist residency that breaks all kinds of rules, this summer. PAH’s proprietors, Krista and Zak Peel, have since moved into the Kenzo house they spoke about, complete with three floors for the married couple, live-in artists and a gallery, and — perhaps one day — an artist-made mini-golf course. They announced today that they’ll be holding a benefit/gallery exhibit at the Walking Fish Theater (2509 Frankford Ave., 215-427-2822) on Fri., Dec. 4 from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and OH MY GOD, can you please go and donate so they can get that golf course? HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE??

Anyway. The exhibit features “12 miraculous, miniature, museum models” by artists including Karl Erickson, Matt Bergstrom, Cara Levine and Ross Martens. The works have been photographed for a 2010 calendar, too, which will be available for $30 at the benefit and $40 online.

Last summer, City Paper contributor Andrew Thompson wrote a piece about Charles Hayes, a 62-year-old ex-addict whose life turned around after he began painting at the Ridge Avenue Shelter. Unsurprising to anyone familiar with art therapy, gallery owners didn’t take a liking to his work. But that didn’t stop him. He loaded all of his cosmic, theological paintings into a cart and pushed them around North Philly, selling them for $20 to $50 apiece. And he seemed OK with that:

“Things come to mind that I wouldn’t normally think of if I didn’t have a brush in my hand,” he says. “If I never get in a gallery, I’m gonna always figure out things to get across to people.”

Well, how’s this for a feel-good story? Hayes finally got his gallery show. Since last month, his paintings have been displayed at Pageant : Soloveev (607 Bainbridge St., 215-925-1535) in the group show “Aforteore.” Swing by to take a look soon — the show closes on Nov. 22.

City Paper welcomes Jonathan Wallis, assistant professor of art history at Moore College of Art and Design, to our Critical Mass team. His column, “Perspective,” will run monthly in this space, bringing a critical eye to a visual art scene that continues to thrive in Philadelphia. Questions? E-mail Wallis at jswallis@gmail.com.

philamuseum.org

Water of the Flowery Mill, by Arshile Gorky, oil on canvas, 1944.

To Be or Not to Be …

A retrospective exhibition should be more than just the collection and display of work from the lifetime of an artist. It should also be necessary in some way, whether due to changes in critical approaches to art history, new scholarship on the artist’s life and work, hitherto unknown or unseen works that revise the existing inventory of the artist, or a new curatorial approach. “Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective,” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is an august example of a proper retrospective — almost 30 years has elapsed since the last large gathering of Gorky’s work, and it is clearly time for another look.

Michael R. Taylor, the curator of the exhibition, never chooses his exhibitions lightly — he is a curator and an art historian when he tackles his projects (this one was five years in the making). For Taylor, it’s not just about looking at art; it’s about asking questions that a retrospective can hopefully answer. With three new biographies about Gorky, as well as revisions to the study and understanding of the development of modern American abstraction and surrealism in recent decades, Taylor recognized that it was time to revisit the artist’s life and work, and the show delivers grandly. It is a visual spectacle — a feast for the eyes, and also a provocative reconsideration of one of the most talented and self-driven painters in American modern art.

It’s hard to go wrong with an artist like Gorky. His long periods of self-imposed apprenticeships with artists such as CĂ©zanne and Picasso clearly paid off; his ability to absorb the modern languages of pictorial structure and the handling of paint and color stands out among his contemporaries. It’s not that he is better — he is different. I don’t know of any other modern artist who enacted apprenticeships with recent and current “masters” and stayed closely dedicated to them for such long and intensive periods of study. Gorky works like an academic within a modern vocabulary, and Taylor’s curatorial decisions expose his artistic process during the course of the exhibition. The drawings and paintings in the “Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia” series from 1931-34, for example, guide viewers from an inspirational source by Giorgio de Chirico to a final painted solution unleashed almost entirely from where the artist began (observing this creative track should push aside any accusations by his detractors of a lack of individuality or originality in Gorky’s “apprenticeships”). It’s obvious that Gorky’s craft is a labor of love at all times. His work invites viewers to relish in the details — the way he turns and molds colors together, builds edges, and gracefully drags a liner brush across the canvas with linear elegance. Gorky knows how to paint, and as a disciplined “student” his time was well spent. Click For More »

Joe Boruchow

We missed the Nov. 11 opening of “Public Service” at Bean CafĂ© (615 South St., 215-629-2250), and shame on us — Joe Boruchow’s cut-paper works display Philly, in all its funkiness and despicableness, with a kind of loving understanding that any local can respect. Any follower of Boruchow’s is used to seeing his pieces nailed to telephone poles and other makeshift outdoor galleries, but we’re happy to say they work just as well in a proper cafĂ©. The exhibit will be up through Dec. 8.

Helen Horstmann, phillyfoodie.com

Foobooz Burger Cruise

Technically the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art kicked off on Tuesday night (and that doesn’t even include the Oct. 26 preview dinner with Ruth Reichl, or the First Person Arts-sponsored Welcome House you might have noticed in early October). So far there’s been a burger cruise, a “group eating” event, a movie screening, a festival salon and even a concert by Woody Guthrie’s granddaughter. Whew.

But the majority of fest events are happening this weekend, and there’s a lot of noteworthy stuff out there. We figured since we can barely keep track of it all, you might need some help, too. Here’s a rundown of don’t-misses (all events take place at Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., and cost $20, unless otherwise noted):

treehugger.com

Going to Extremes >> If you’ve ever sat for hours at La Colombe, sipping perfect cappuccinos and people-watching the coffee shop’s Euro-fabulous clienetele, you have Todd Carmichael to thank. The La Colombe owner’s not just known for torrefaction, though — he’s a daredevil who’s trekked across Antarctica and has plans for the Namib Desert and Death Valley National Park. He’ll talk about his wacky adventures and misadventures and give audiences a chance to ask questions. Like, Who does that? Fri., Nov. 6, 7 p.m.

Karaoke Obsessed >> As many drunken nights at Yakitori Boy can attest, karaoke just sometimes … happens. Brian Raftery, like all of us before our first time, once thought karaoke was for chumps. We don’t know what his first song was, but it changed his mind, and now the author of How Karaoke Conquered the World and Changed My Life is an addict. He’ll read from his book, and then hand the mic to Sara Sherr, she of Sugar Town and the Khyber’s Karaoke that Doesn’t Suck, for some audience participation. Get ready to sing your heart out. Fri., Nov. 6, 9 p.m. Click For More »

David Miles

Hannah, “An Exhibition of Nude Photography,” Proximity Gallery.

If you’re in need of First Friday suggestions, take a look at Carolyn Huckabay’s First Friday Focus column (and the slideshow that goes along with it). Then hit up our revamped gallery listings, which are complete with images from the shows, gallery hours, and summaries written up by City Paper staff members.

Afterward, if you think of a way to make the listings better, feel free to leave a comment below or e-mail holly.otterbein@citypaper.net.

Cheers!

Lonnie, by Daniel Heyman

For this week’s First Friday Focus column, I interviewed Daniel Heyman, one of 17 artists involved with the First Person Festival’s “Shelter” exhibit at the Painted Bride. (It’s not the first time City Paper’s featured Heyman’s work; Drew Lazor wrote a cover story about the artist’s interviews with Abu Ghraib torture victims and the complex work that followed.) For “Shelter,” Heyman visited a veterans’ house in North Philly and created works of art based on his interviews with two previously homeless men whose lives have been affected by war. In case you haven’t picked up a CP yet, here’s a clip:

“I wanted to make sure the project really fit in with my work,” says Heyman. “Since I already have a deep interest in issues surrounding war, and have worked with African-American men on other projects, the veterans house felt like a perfect fit.” For two very different men, Heyman created two very different pieces: Lonnie, a simple, respectful portrait done in gouache ink and pencil on Japanese mulberry fiber paper, and Tony’s Shelter, a tower of symbolic images on plywood, meant to resemble a house of sorts. The distinction with which Heyman represents these men — one stoic, straightforward portrait; one disjointed wood sculpture — is a testament to their individual struggles. “I think from the outside we view people in trouble as all the same,” he says. “But their lives and their personalities couldn’t be more different.”

But Heyman had a lot more to say. Read our Q&A below, and don’t forget that “Shelter” opens tomorrow at the Painted Bride.

Opening reception Fri., Nov. 6, 5-7 p.m., ends Dec. 18, Painted Bride, 230 Vine St., 267-402-2055, paintedbride.org.

Tony’s Shelter, by Daniel Heyman (click for larger image)

City Paper: Why did these men’s stories speak to you?
Daniel Heyman: When I met both Lonnie and Tony, I was interested in each of them because their lives are so different from my own in many ways, but very similar to my own in other ways.  Both of them spent several years of their early adulthood overseas, and these experiences were formative ones, experiences that shaped and directed their lives in ways both forseen and unforseen.  I found this very interesting, especially in the case of Lonnie, who spent years in Asia.  They each had a feeling for instustice, as well, particularly Lonnie, who spoke plainly about the racism he was subjected to in the Army, and how that made him feel.

CP: Have they seen the work? What was their reaction?
DH: I believe that Tony saw the initial print of his portrait on paper, but he has not seen the structure, and I am both curious and nervous about his reaction. Lonnie saw his portrait as it was being done, and I think he liked it.

CP: Lonnie’s piece, in gouache, is hugely different from Tony’s. Why did you choose portraiture, which is much more traditional, for Lonnie? It seems like a very stoic choice, especially in comparison to Tony’s Shelter.
DH: It just happened, I think. I did Tony’s first, and I had the idea of working in a print material. When I was done with it, I regretted not using color as Tony’s face and skin color fascinated me and was so rich in nuance. I think this is why I wanted to paint Lonnie, so I could capture the feel of human skin, or its vibrancy and vitality. … Also, as they are very different people, I really wanted to seperate the artwork and express that these are two people, thrown together out of circumstance, but really with very little in common. I think from the outside we view people in trouble as all the same.  Yes, each of these guys had been homeless before they came to the vets transitional house, but their lives and their personalities couldn’t be more different. Also, and I doubt this was conscious, Lonnie is a generation older, and so out of respect I probably felt I needed a more “grown-up” kind of approach.  Click For More »

Matt LaFleur

We here at Critical Mass are big fans of the boutique/gallery/booze proprietor Art in the Age (116 N. Third St., 215-922-2600). (Have you been to their First Fridays? Dudes do not skimp on the ROOT cocktails. It’s hard not to like ‘em after a few.) So we’re happy to hear that this Fri., Nov. 6, the store will be celebrating its first birthday, with a party from 6 to 8 p.m. featuring complimentary ROOT drinks, the opening of the “Impermanent Bliss” exhibit (see above for one of the featured works), and many giveaways. Art in the Age’s Laura Price tells Critical Mass that said giveaways include goodies from “our vendors like Billy Kirk, NSF, Popomomo, Gitman Brothers, Lauren Moffatt and free tickets to any R5 show in November.” Word.

Jason Hackenwerth

I went to the opening reception for Jason Hackenwerth’s exhibit, “The Titan and the Fireflies,” at 2424 Studios (2424 E. York St., 215-423-1800) this Friday. And I worried. (For some reason, senior editor Patrick Rapa didn’t.) Making Time Halloween was going to be held there the very next night, and Hackenwerth’s enormous, fragile pieces are made completely out of balloons. Sweet, tempting, pop-able balloons. Surely some drunk Where the Wild Things Are character would wreck the whole thing. Which would be a shame, because the work is weirdly cool. The pieces look like giant underwater creatures, or something Wayne Cohen would whip out at a show … and when you look inside them, it’s like peering into something’s guts.

Thankfully, the folks over at 2424 Studios have some sense, and lifted the artwork via pulley away from all the dancers’ grubby hands. “We raised them completely, so nothing happened,” leasing manager Jessica Ruck told Critical Mass.

The show will be up through Nov. 28.

And if you’re curious about how the hell Hackenwerth creates these huge balloon specimens — let alone what art class he took to learn such things — the video below helps.

Between Spaces, cut paper, tape and mixed media, 2008

You’ve got but two days to check out Sarah Steinwachs’ “Square Roots” over at St. Joseph’s University Gallery, an intricately dense cut-paper exhibit that reminds us that Target and Chipotle aren’t the only reasons to go to City Avenue. “Square Roots” is a series of manipulated grids that focus on themes of three-dimensionality, in-between spaces and the joys of imperfection. The Tyler/Yale grad was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about patterns, the rough-and-tumble nature of her work, and the art of patience.

(”Square Roots,” through Oct. 30, St. Joe’s University Gallery at Boland Hall, 5600 City Ave., 610-660-1840, sju.edu/resources/gallery.)

City Paper: What’s the creating process like for you? Walk us through how you get from single sheet of paper to finished product.
Sarah Steinwachs: First I have to come up with a pattern. Depending on the paper this is done either free-hand or by using a guide, like a printed grid. I use various kinds of paper-grids, arches, magazines, envelopes, wax, mylar, etc. … Sometimes the pattern is inspired by surroundings — generally various grids that I see in the city — though the later ones start to become more organic. The tricky thing is trying to figure out if a pattern is poetic, or profound, or visually unique, or if it is clichĂ©d, cutesy, etc.  Sometimes I won’t know this until I have finished cutting the pattern out. … This part of the process is the labor intensive — mark after mark, a kind of meditative journey.
The other part of the process is superimposing the patterns on one another.  This is akin to painting for me. It is direct, and fast, and very active.  I get very excited watching how the colors and shapes interact spatially with one another. I have many patterns, so I can really be very engaged in “playing” to see how space compresses, or  gets emphasized. During this stage I will also paint on top of the patterns, or run them under water, or other stresses that may alter the form, color, shape of the patterns. Click For More »