Conrad Bakker
Marc Bijl
Jennifer Dalton
Eric Doeringer
Nancy Drew
Bill Drummond
Alex Gingrow
Grennan & Sperandio
Aneta Grzeszykowska
Charles Gute
Nate Harrison
Pablo Helguera
Dan Levenson
Little Switzerland
The Matthew Higgs Society
Loren Munk
Filip Noterdaeme
Laurina Paperina
William Powhida
Ward Shelley
Jade Townsend
Eric Doeringer
The exhibition features artists whose subject matter is the art world. The title plays on Joseph Beuys's infamous performance 'I Like America and America Likes Me', and explores the fraught relationship between emerging artists and the established art world. Some make work based on pieces by earlier artists, others emulate institutions such as museums, galleries, and art magazines. Among the artist: Conrad Bakker, Marc Bijl, Jennifer Dalton, Eric Doeringer, Nancy Drew, Bill Drummond...
Curated by Eric Doeringer
Artists: Conrad Bakker, Marc Bijl, Jennifer Dalton,
Eric Doeringer, Nancy Drew, Bill Drummond, Alex Gingrow, Simon Grennan & Christopher Sperandio, Aneta Grzeszykowska, Charles Gute, Nate Harrison, Pablo Helguera, Dan Levenson / Little Switzerland, The Matthew Higgs Society, Loren Munk, Filip Noterdaeme, Laurina Paperina, William Powhida, Ward Shelley, Jade Townsend
We welcome in a new year of art with the exhibition I Like the Art World and the Art World Likes Me—featuring artists whose subject matter is the art world. The title plays on Joseph Beuys's infamous performance I Like America and America Likes Me, in which the German artist inhabited a small gallery alongside a coyote. Organized by "bootleg" artist Eric Doeringer, I Like the Art World and the Art World Likes Me explores the fraught relationship between emerging artists and the established art world. The exhibition title can be read as either sincere or sarcastic, as these artists all have "love/hate" relationships with the art world. They desire to participate more fully and to be recognized but are simultaneously repulsed by some key aspects. There is a critical or iconoclastic character to much of the work, but also a great deal of reverence. Despite their criticism these artists clearly love art.
Many of the artists in the exhibition use forms of mimicry to challenge the hierarchy of art world. Some make work based on pieces by earlier artists, others emulate institutions such as museums, galleries, and art magazines. A few choose to comment more directly, addressing their criticism of artists, critics, and galleries by name. Others take a more documentary approach, charting the history of their forebears and/or contemporaries. However, these works are not impartial accounts—they are personal and critical responses to the art (and the art world) of the 20th and 21st centuries. Like Beuys and his coyote, the relationship between these artists and the art world is constantly shifting—sometimes friendly, other times adversarial, with the constant threat that someone might get bitten.
An illustrated publication that includes a curatorial essay will accompany the exhibition.
Artist Filip Noterdaeme will be greeting the public at his Homeless Museum booth in the gallery every Saturday from 1 – 6 pm.
Additional events will include: a discussion led by curator Eric Doeringer with artists Jennifer Dalton, Loren Munk, and William Powhida, talking about the ways that their subject matter and art careers have influenced each other; and an evening of performances about the art world, including advice from The Estheticist (aka Pablo Helguera) and Dr. Lisa Levy.
Events and Performances:
Friday, January 14, 2011- Opening event performance
Wayne Coe will be on site live to create a temporary sand painting integrating art stars into vintage porn theater advertising.His performance draws inspiration from EFA Project Space's location on the fringes of New York City's former adult entertainment zone and current Chelsea gallery district.
Saturdays January 15-March 5, 1-6 pm (No performance February 26.)
Filip Noterdaeme, Director of the Homeless Museum of Art (HOMU) will greet visitors at his HOMU Booth, a portable kiosk that has been installed at EFA Project Space for this exhibition.
Thursday, February 3, 6:30 pm
Panel discussion featuring curator Eric Doeringer in conversation with exhibiting artists Jennifer Dalton, Loren Munk, and William Powhida. The panelists will discuss their reasons for making art about the art world and the ways that their subject matter and art careers have influenced one other.
Thursday, February 17, 6:30 pm
An evening of performance and advice for artists that promises to be informative and entertaining. The How’s My Dealing? blog gives the inside scoop on New York City art dealers, Man Bartlett demonstrates the power of positive thinking, Dr. Lisa Levy evaluates the egos of audience members, and Pablo Helguera’s Estheticist counsels artists on professional and personal dilemmas.
EFA Project Space, a multi-disciplinary contemporary art venue focused on the investigation of the creative process, aims to provide dynamic exchanges between artists, cultural workers, and the public. Art is directly connected to its producers, to the communities they are a part of, and to every day life. By contextualizing and revealing these connections, we strive to bridge gaps in our cultural community, forging new partnerships and the expansion of ideas. Through these synergies, artists build on their creative power to further impact society.
The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) is a 501 (c) (3) public charity. Through its three core programs, EFA Studios, EFA Project Space, and the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, EFA is dedicated to providing artists across all disciplines with space, tools and a cooperative forum for the development of individual practice. www.efanyc.org
EFA Project Space is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Private funding for the Gallery has been received from Lily Auchincloss Foundation and The Carnegie Corporation Inc.
For more information, or for press inquiries, please contact Michelle Levy michelle@efanyc.org
Opening Friday, January 14, 6-8 pm
EFA Project Space
323 West 39 Street, 2nd floor
between 8th and 9th aves, New York
Gallery hours are Wed - Sat, 12-6 pm or by appointment.