The parallels between art and life—namely, between artists’ depictions of conflict and contemporary events—are obvious but subtle in this show, running through it like an undercurrent rather than overshadowing it. John Bock’s video of an absurdist boxing match, Joe Andoe’s diptych of two young dudes itching for a brawl, and Karen Yasinsky’s DVD animation of boys punching each other seem oddly muted in a climate overrun with media images of bombings, beheadings, and hasty burials. Curated by David Humphrey, the exhibition showcases the work of older (or deceased) artists to demonstrate how younger ones are rehashing previous generations’ themes and styles—forms of expressionism in particular. The work of Max Beckmann, James Ensor, George Grosz, and Henry Darger looks surprisingly fresh in this context. On the other hand, maybe the contemporary look of this old art can be accounted for by the simple fact that, apparently, violence never really goes out of style.
