Pulse New York 2009

Jim Lee at Freight Volume, NY

PULSE Contemporary Art Fair opened last Thursday, March 5 at Pier 40 on the west side of art city, Manhattan. As most of the fairs taking place at the same time, this massive exhibition of 101 national and international galleries required a lot of attention, energy, time, and most times patience.

In the Wrong Place by Markus Linnenbrink at FTC, Berlin, Germany

So how does one get through such shows which do nothing but bombard visitors with all kinds of physical and emotional stimuli? It's easy, just walk and be honest about what you see and feel. If we were to put it in simple terms this is what someone should think as they browse the endless rows of art: "crap, crap, crap, ugh more crap...ooh I like that, wow that's great, what?, are they for real?, omg I think I'm in love!"

How Many? by Teresa Diehl, 2009, glycerine figurines and stainless steel, Galerie Anita Beckers Frankfurt, Germany

At least this is how I approach such large exhibits. I know what I like and can spot the good stuff from afar and when I do I take my time and just look at it until I can't look no more. Most times painting is what pulls me in. Is exciting to find new contemporary painters who are still keeping the tradition of painting alive through their contemporary subjects, ideas, and approaches.

Bianca Regl at Lukas Feichtner Gallery, Vienna, Austria

Solo Walk by Michael Kvium, 2208, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 cm. Faurschou, Copenhagen, Denmark and Beijin China

Natural View by Michael Kvium, 2008, oil on canvas, 120 x 120 cm. Faurschou, Copenhagen, Denmark and Beijin, China

Electronic Village, triptych by Karine Giboulo, 2008, mixed media, Galerie SAS, Montreal, Canada

I may be a hardcore painter but I don't deny my attention to other media. Installations of various types do raise my interest, and I recognize the artist's good efforts and taste.

Electronic Village, triptych (detail) by Karine Giboulo, 2008, mixed media, Galerie SAS, Montreal, Canada

Table Burned by Wei-Li Yeh, 2006, ink jet on canvas, water based ink surface treatment, polyurethane and oil based stains

Eckart Hahn at Pablo's Birthday Gallery, NY

Sometimes I may find some things offensive, but if the presentation of the piece is done right, if you see the artist's care for their art, then I give my respect to them and their art. Such as Eckart Hahn's installation of burning crosses and the funny icross.

One of the most interesting pieces I did get to see was Mirrors Mirros by Daniel Rozin, represented by Bilforms Gallery, NY. This moving sculpture was made up to small mirror squares that had been attached to a computerized frame which moved according to the viewer's body movement.

Counterchange III by Stefan Annerel, 2008, acrylic, tape, glass and resin on board, 22.8 x 18.7 inches, Kusseneers Gallery, Antwert, Belgium

I like it when artists find ways of challenging the idea of what is a painting? For many years painting required paint of some sort, but now it seems you can create a painting without using much paint. I think Stefan Annerel is a good example of this, with his multi layered creation of transparency and color.

Reception by Vadis Turner at Lyons Wier Ortt Gallery, NY

There was something for everyone in this fair, even something for those with a sweet tooth!

Untitled (Cannon Balls) by Aleksander Duravcevic, 2007, mirrors and glass, Stefan Roepke Gallery, Cologne, Germany

Playhouse II by Dietrich Wagner, 2006, poly-fil, steel, rope, wood, 96 x 96 x 96 inches, Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago, IL

Untitled by Kim Dorland, 2008, oil on panel, 60 x 48 inches, Angell Gallery, Toronto, Canada

And there is always something which always leaves you wondering about what is it that you're seeing. The worst is if you can't make up your mind whether you like it or not? This was the case with Kim Dorland's work, a mixture of good color and crude paint application.

Martin Golland at Birch Libralato, Toronto, Canada

For more images of Pulse NY please visit my flickr set here.