The Humbler
“There are universal shapes to which everyone
is subconsciously conditioned and to which they
can respond if their conscious control
does not shut them off.” - Henry Moore
ANYWAY YOU SLICE IT: Like a mass of puffy clouds drifting through hallways, I practically waltzed into the Autzen Gallery at PSU today after acquiring a new painting by Dan Attoe (who also teaches at said school). There was a bustling feel on campus as I climbed the stairs to this second floor space amidst classrooms and an overall collegiate vibe. Once inside, alone, I walked among the collective works of Micah Malone. Still, a rather newcomer to the region, his show, A Humble Unfettering, offers a quirky title and even stranger work. Well, strange in that the viewer comes to face a room of signage reading “Space Available” with a phone number to call (which happens to be a Boston-area exchange, the artist’s former home). Opposing these are a series of untitled chromira prints of people holding up signs of marketing/sales and of protest (against war, foie gras and more). The dichotomy of access, voice and contradictions are wry and poker-faced. These ‘cries for help’ cooped up inside the four walls of academia seem somehow muffled, yet effective as segregated in third person. It didn’t surprise me that Malone, also a fairly well-written arts journalist (Art Papers, Big Red & Shiny…) would create a world of disparate messages that you have to tap more deeply into rather than accepting the face-value of it all. It’s not about simply marveling at undulating contures and dynamic surfaces. The complete picture offers a big sock-it-to-me, playing on the whole conundrum between art and craft.
EAT MORE PIE: The works are built from cardboard boxes, PVC, latex and shelving and are complemented by amusing shapes that play on natural forms that could be at first glance environmental, at second, excrement. Humble materials and a singular vision. That said, there is something about the metaphor for building here, massaging something into shape, perhaps an overt idea, the fluidity/gloss of structure…and the pliable ego. The ‘mountain’ silhouette appears as a logo of sorts on the stacked boxes, displayed in neat piles in a nod to Warhol’s Brillo Boxes, all curiously “for Felix” (González-Torres?). Is this simply a tenous, temporary relationship in space, or are these building blocks? The Sign Holder for Couples suggests something post performative, appearing like a prop once used (as seen in the poster which advertised the show). Being lone in the gallery among the signage the sentiment was somewhat silenced by the assertion of my own empowerment to consider the choice of making that call or just smirking to myself (I chose the latter).
Since the gallery has been taken over by new direction (Patrick Rock) things have a distinctively “Califoregon meets Rocksboxian” flavor, triangulated only by the recent addition of Fourteen 30 to the lower eastside. This bridge between aesthetics seems like a growing trend that perhaps may see some interesting exchanges between major cities in due time (my pretties).
PS: As you may imagine, I can truly dig the sentiment in the Bruce Chatwin quote, here in plaster! You may recall I explored this territory with M_US__EUM (on view next month).
Tags: A Humble Unfettering, Fourteen 30, Micah Malone, Patrick Rock, Rocksbox, Sign Holder for Couples