Exhibition Review of 21c

Quentin Krajnak
September 21st, 2017
FA17: 18728

Barbra Kutis

Exhibition Review of 21c

The 21c Art Gallery was focused on modern day contemporary art. Most pieces seemed to be including an issue in modern culture rather than anything positive. Although it was mainly negative, most of the art held my interest because I could easily relate myself or my own personal experiences to them. I personally, was genuinely pleased with the week I chose to visit. 

The exhibition I chose was heavily directed towards an Andy Warhol style of pop art. An overwhelming amount of kitsch weighing on the shoulders of the entire room. There were eleven different works of art with a few being by the same artist including the same general look and theme. Most of the artwork worked very well together and deserved their rightful spot in the exhibition with the exception of three pieces by the same artist. 

As soon as you walk in there is a massive speaker on the wall made with mixed-media. Using many different carvings of wood stacked on top of each other resulted in a stunning useable Bluetooth speaker system. The next few pieces were as basic as pop art gets. Collage on canvas using various magazine advertisements and photographs created a well themed piece.

The next set of three images made in unison were by far the most different in the room. I personally, didn't think they belonged in the exhibit. Two of the of three had pictures of famous musicians while the other just had words. Words were the heart of these pieces. Intensely small font was hand written over the entire image. The best piece in this set, in my opinion, was one of Michael Jackson including every lyric to every song on one of his albums.

Moving on, a huge painting using oil on canvas was very much pop art kitsch due to its color scheme and montage style. Without any words, advertisements, nor famous people. It was a young boy with a hat on and his arms crossed looking towards the viewer. The painting method used is what gave it a pop art touch. Layers of paint looked as if they were overlapping with a cubism inspiration. The next piece was a simple black and white photo of Marilyn Monroe which seemed to be more of a tribute to the exhibition than something interesting in itself. It was just a headshot, but not the photo made famous by Andy Warhol. 

The last set of images was a set of three. Pretty basic comic book style pop art with almost a slight Jackson Pollack spatter theme over different sections. I enjoyed the their vibrancy and connection, but otherwise it wasn't too impressive.

                                                                          Personally, my favorite piece!

Alex Yanes (American) Good Migrations, 2014. Mixed Media, audio components in hand built wood enclosure.

Critique One: 

Alex Yanes (American) Good Migrations, 2014. Mixed Media, audio components in hand built wood enclosure.

Good Migrations is the bluetooth speaker I mentioned earlier. By far my favorite piece in the exhibit. The main media used appeared to be acrylic paint on wood. Bright and vibrant colors combined with its size really catches the viewers eye and puts the stamp on “pop” in pop art. The color scheme fit the tropical theme along with the rest of the room seamlessly. When it comes to this specific exhibit, I personally, think this is the anchor work of art. Not only is it the fist piece you notice, but you can also interact with it. Yes, I was actually able to play my own music to set the tone for the rest of the room. Being able to play a song really puts the viewer in control of the environment of the exhibit and how they intend on viewing it. This was the only piece in the exhibit that did not seem extensively kitsch even though is was pop art esque. Sufficient woodworking skills were required to make various pieces of wood fit together.

Critique Two:

Greg Gossel (American) Sinking, 2009. Like it or Not, 2009. What a Mistake, 2009. Mixed media on canvas.

These three pieces worked in unison with each other and was the last set I looked at in the exhibition. A comic book style woman crying with a comforting man started it off. Leading into the same woman crying without the man. There were a few chat bubbles mentioning that the world is changing and that she would be with this man whether her parents liked it or not. Moving on to the last picture she was with the man again kissing him. A short story was told here, but nothing to meaningful in my eyes. The comic book style was backed up with Jackson Pollock background splatter. This combined with dots on a grid that we see in many comic books made the image very busy. With many bright colors scattered around as well I believe it washed away the bigger picture. These were also very large images. Overall I didn’t like it much. Too big, too busy, and just hard to look at. When you’re viewing it you can't help but think you’ve seen it before due to its basic overwhelming pop art collage.