picks December 01, 2021

Milton Avery

The people, places, and things on display in the Milton Avery survey here are free of pomp and circumstance. Viewed in today’s divisive times, Avery’s take on simple pleasures is a warm respite. The painter defied artistic labels and remains a profound influence on generations of imagemakers. To see his wide, varied body of work in one setting is the perfect cocktail of leisure, serenity, and demystification to chase down the anxieties waiting for us outside. Avery’s delicate portraits favor color over form, light over theory.

Avery was notoriously private—much of his oeuvre celebrates domesticity.

picks May 21, 2018

Kamrooz Aram

Borges warned, “a book that does not contain its counter-book is considered incomplete.” The same could be argued for painting, whose commonly accepted Western hierarchy reinforces a dubious linear narrative. Kamrooz Aram’s playful exhibition centers on dismantling this hierarchy in favor of an investigation of materials and forms.

It is unclear whether the ceramic, brass, and terrazzo sculptures included in installations such as Blue Backdrop for Minor Arts and Green Movement, both 2018, are sacred artifacts or decoys. Blue Backdrop lifts a vase on a high pedestal, literally elevating the

print February 2018

Sol Pipkin

The sculptures in Sol Pipkin’s exhibition “Maleza sin pies ni cabeza” (Weeds Without Heads or Tails) were ephemeral works that contained unseen moments of decay, incorporating materials such as dirt, seeds, and leaves. At the same time, many of the objects seemed familiar, since they were made to mimic items sold by street vendors or at neighborhood markets. They subsist as memories both personal and public, reminding us of the fragility that comes from earthquakes and heartbreak.

Pipkin created most of the work for this show while on a residency at the Museo Experimental El Eco in Mexico City

Lee Escobedo