New Work by Greg Smith on View at Susan Inglett Gallery

Written by Timothy Burton Friday, 30 April 2010 20:09

NEW YORK, NY.- Susan Inglett presents “Bearded”, new work from GREG SMITH in his third solo exhibition with the gallery from 30 April to 29 May 2010. The Universe is built from a simple form. That form is commonly understood to be an atom and the shape of that form is commonly understood to be a sphere. For my purposes, I would prefer to see that shape as a beard, or at least a caricature of a beard. For better or worse, there are associations that go along with the beard: disguise, masculinity, Santa Claus, homosexuality, survivalism, fundamentalism, and wisdom, for example. My beard shape is used to build objects, mechanical devices, and a set; these in turn are used to construct a range of scenarios, including those that are well outside (and perhaps even antagonistic toward) these familiar associations and stereotypes.

While you may question my efforts to create a world from such a limited building block, I would ask you to reconsider. The beard actually has a lot going for it. Its nearly symmetrical shape is useful in a range of geometric forms and mechanisms. It’s amenable to a wide range of materials, from the soft to the structural to the edible. Many of our preconceptions can actually be quite useful, providing shortcuts or paths to meaning.

Unfortunately, however broad the beard’s associations, there are many objects and events which the beard does not touch upon. What could constructs of beards possibly have to say about topics as disparate as Jonestown, anxiety, shoes, or press conferences? Even the most expert handling of beards is often not enough. Resourcefulness will only get you so far; also required is sleight-of hand and a fair bit of loose approximation. The result is all bright lights, crafty maneuvers, earnest construction, and a wisp of smoke and mirrors. A few clever evasions go a long way toward dissolving the beard’s limitations. The project is, in the end, a colorful, festive celebration of tenuous reasoning just as dodgy and disarming as a Manhattan Project with a hairy core.

Founded September 1994, Susan Inglett Gallery was established as an intimate project space serving to introduce emerging artists and to create a context for their work through historical exhibitions. Among the young artists exhibited were Robert Beck, Peter Boynton, Sheila Pepe, Michele Segre, and Beverly Semmes. Historical exhibitions included the drawings of Donald Judd, a survey of the use of sound in art, an examination of Soho as Fluxus artists’ utopia, and a retrospective of the graphic work of Bruce Conner.

In September 2003 Susan Inglett Gallery moved to larger quarters in Chelsea where she continues to exhibit the work of both young and established artists while providing those artists with formal representation.

In addition to the gallery, Susan Inglett produces prints and multiples as I.C. Editions, Inc. To date she has published the work of Barbara Bloom, Bruce Conner, Allan McCollum, Paul Noble, Claes Oldenburg, Catherine Opie, Richard Prince, Terry Winters, and Andrea Zittel among others, and distributes editions for Columbia University, New York City; Graphicstudio at USF/Tampa; Inktree Editions, Kusnacht; and the Multiple Store, London. Visit : www.inglettgallery.com/

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