THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010
NEWSLETTER ON THE ARTS
DIANA ZLOTNICK
June 2010
artgal333@gmail.com
www.notala.org
Robert Heinecken, Verso #5B, 1988, 14 x 11 inches
Wallace Berman and DNJ Photogram Show
Wallace Berman was a figure whose charisma brought many people together, which places him at the crux of the happenings of the California moderns throughout the 60s and 70s. Semina, his hand-printed mailer, served to introduce artists to each other, and created a circle of influence beyond his home, which was always open to his contemporaries, people who were later known as the Beat generation. His arrest, which resulted after his first Ferus show, led to his descent out of exhibitions, which makes reading his work—already mystical in its origins—all the more interesting today. For these reasons, it is no coincidence he has re-emerged today, as the face of the Pacific Standard Time exhibitions, for example, which will take place in various LA art institutions come 2011-2012.
Berman’s work is very anti-establishment, and very laissez-faire. In his collages everything is equal and just as significant; it is a compendium of everything in the world: whether it is Ghandhi placed next to sunlight in a beautiful tree, a dog in motion next to the world blowing up. To my mind, he is one of the first collagists to use the copy machine (then, called a verifax) in a self-conscious way—that is, with an approach that directly addresses circulation through reproduction and repetition, along with people like Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Heinecken. These artists were using multiple images—figurations of common objects—to compose one single image out of them using light-sensitive processes to print editions.
This month, the DNJ Gallery presents Photograms: Uniquely Simple, a group show that highlights several artists that may have been influenced by the work of Berman and others like him who worked with solarization and light-sensitive papers. Some of these artists include Darryl Curran (the guest curator or the show), Sheila Pinkel, and Marsha Red Adams. Robert Heinecken’s work also makes an appearance in the show, along with a photogram of his ashes made by Jason Lazarus.
Photograms: Uniquely Simple
July 17 - September 4, 2010
DNJ Gallery
154 1/2 N.La Brea
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.931.1311
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