Rant- Painting in Los Angeles
(re) Rant - an exhibition that will be mounted at the Pacific Design Center opening Sept. 24th and going through Nov. 20th
The conceptual genesis for this show began with two experiences. One was an evening of gallery openings in which I was completely under whelmed by the work I observed, more specifically, I was struck by what appeared to be a lack of commitment or conviction (or even a basic enthusiasm) in the works produced/displayed. The other was rereading of an essay by Doug Harvey. In this essay, David Amico: coloring outside the lines, Harvey begins by talking about painting as a map, "a painting is always a map of some kind, if only for being a two-dimensional visual reference to something else, even if that 'something else' is discernible only from its demarcation as 'special', of more deserving of our scrutiny than a non-painting. Indeed, many conceptual artists consider this transitional area to be the only viable territory for contemporary artistic exploration: What is the least gesture, the smallest indication or event that can serve as the trigger for making this distinction?" There are two things in this statement (two again) that caught my attention. The first is the painting as a demarcation of the special or as Jean-Luc Marion states: a painting as a privileged case of phenomenon, where it becomes an index for investigating the condition of appearance. The second is the idea of the least gesture, the smallest indication as the trigger for activating the area of demarcation (the work.) I find myself currently interested in a practice and practitioners that have a more robust, celebratory production. A production where the triggers are more forceful and I might even say more gracious but definitely more curious. Practitioners of large gestures.
And thus the idea of the RANT. Rant: to speak in a very loud, aggressive, or in a bombastic way. To rave, to be noisy, to affront. To talk in a loud, wild, extravagant way. And my favorite - Rant: boisterous merry making.
In a metropolitan area that is as diverse and decentralized as Los Angeles there are select things that provide continuity to the region; one of these is a strong sense of optimistic purpose in artistic production. The artists that have been selected for this exhibition show a strong tendency toward belief or expectation in their studio practice. This exhibition gathers these artists together under the common conviction and passionate commitment of object making.
-Dan Callis
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