Review of Not Here No There, “Crisp Take on Modernist Grid,” by Adelia Ganson, ereview.org, April 4, 2011



James Woodfill "Fragment 3," ed. 1/8, archival pigment on paper, 25" x 25", 2010. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Not Here No There is a group exhibition including the work of five artists: Matthew Kluber and Colin C. Smith in the main gallery (with smaller pieces of Smith's setting in the outer gallery), James Woodfill in the front gallery, and Anne Lindberg and Matt Wycoff in the outer gallery. The exhibition is curated by Hesse McGraw, chief curator at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska.

For decades, the modernist grid has been sliced and diced, pulled apart, turned inside out and upside down, stomped on, and driven upon. It has been revered and resented by visual artists, playwrights, poets, and other creative types since it first surfaced. Depending on whom you talk to, this occurred somewhere between 1860 and 1890. So, it is easy to see how this exhibition could be viewed as a direct reflection or commentary on a specific art historical past.

The grid shows itself clearly and simply in this exhibition, and after all the altercations it has been through in the last 150 or so years, it comes to the Dolphin with a new confidence. Crisp visuals make this display a pleasure to view. Attention to installation detail, such as painting part of the gallery space dark blue, is an example of how deeply the gallery and curatorial staff understand how the work interfaces with the public and the space, which is key to its success.

Curator Hesse McGraw sent this response when asked about the grid’s overwhelming presence: “The grid is one form of 'correctness' that this show aligns with at various points. However, the works that are installed, their placement, and relationship to one another are driven by an interested in finding the 'right' set of possibilities for one to move into the space and experience the works.
For this show, I was more interested in thinking about the way things seem, than in thinking about what they are. Perhaps this is an evolution of thinking about the grid. I'm interested in the points where the grid has expanded. Or, the places that didn't make it on the map. There are still opportunities for surprise within the grid.”

In the gallery press information, it is stated that the exhibition invites the viewer to explore the relationship between this grid and works that deal directly with both technology — and its nemesis: low-tech, construction-based works.

Woodfill’s techniques are discussed in this excerpt: “Kansas City-based artist James Woodfill’s prints extend a history of works produced by software-driven plotter systems ….” Woodfill's pieces appear to be distillations of previous works, concentrating on maintaining only completely necessary forms or colors. Like historical minimalist form, the reduced linear entities function autonomously.

From Anne Lindberg’s thread series, thread drawing 04 and thread drawing 05 add a welcome element of subtlety. These pieces appreciate fiber’s inherent physiology as a drawing tool, resulting in an understated yet inquisitive quality. Much of Lindberg’s work is comprised of large-scale and texture-based pieces, and many are elements in site-specific installations. These small thread drawings give the viewer a taste of her work in an formal frame environment, where it presents effectively on an intimate scale.


Anne Lindberg, "thread drawing 4," rayon thread on cotton mat board, 40" x 32" 2011. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Colin C. Smith’s pieces are divided in to two parts: large-scale aluminum boards with colored resin applied to the top and shallow aluminum pans filled with carnival-colored resins, complete with wheels on the bottom. The PAN pieces do indeed roll, according to Emily Eddins of the Dolphin. This series, created in 2010, is a direct reference to fast-food, fun-food, cakeries, bakeries, and gas stations. These pieces steal the show. It's good to have something rolling around, near, across or on top of the grid, for added interest.

The dripping motion of the resin creates a perfect reference to melting ice cream or soft candy, ICEE-type drinks, or fruit smoothies. The drips of the resin in the pieces scream volumes about the various qualities and appearances of these foods.



Colin C. Smith, "PAN series," resin and pigment on aluminum pans on casters, dimensions variable, 2010. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Matthew Kluber’s new media pieces combine the seduction of a trans-illuminated computer screen with the calming feeling of flickering shadows beneath a shade tree on a sunny day. These works emphasize smoothness, as opposed to minimalistic distillation, like Woodfill’s pieces. Their presence is visually vibrating, as projections move across the pieces and into the background.

Colored linear elements appear on a large aluminum plate, which is then paired with projected custom software, giving the work small continuously changing elements, which combine to create evolving patterns and shadows.

Kluber’s work has successfully updated the grid and made it more interesting and less presumptuous, possessing far less hubris than historically related pieces, such as color field paintings. By using modern technology as a way to visually enhance his work, Kluber has found a way to calm us down and build up our excitement for the work simultaneously.


Matthew Kluber, detail of "Deeper into the Movies II," alkyd on aluminum, custom software, digital projection, 44" x 96", 2011. Image: courtesy of the gallery


Matt Wycoff, "Signals 2," spray enamel on paper, 42" x 76", 2009. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Matt Wycoff’s work Signals 2 is directly related to construction work zones and various types of warnings. I hear emergency sirens when I view these pieces. The yellow spray paint speaks the language of crisis and immediacy, just as the soothing compositions serve to extend a feeling of calm to the viewer.

Not Here No There succeeds in both re-visiting and re-booting the modernist grid, by showing it to us through technology, alternative media, and new-fashioned minimalism. The audience can then consider why it has been so long revered, and conversely, disdained for nearly the same amount of time.



James Woodfill, installation view of works in "Not Here No There" in the front gallery. Image: courtesy of the gallery



Matthew Kluber, installation view of projection works in "Not Here No There" in the main gallery. Image: courtesy of the gallery

Review of Not Here No There.pdf