Walking into the main space, the first things you encounter are a pair of Halim Alkarim's altered digital photos of women — "Goddess of Florence" and "Goddess of Venice" — that recall Renaissance paintings. Though they look completely fictional, Alkarim actually starts with real models, but he shoots them through scrims, then further alters the images on a computer. Alkarim's brother, Sami Alkarim, is also in the show; a video of his, complete with a soundtrack of bird calls, is being presented upstairs in the loft.
Across from the Alkarim digital photos is "Piano," an installation by Jonathan Saiz. The artist has taken a baby grand and covered the keys in paint so that the blacks and whites are reversed, harpsichord style. The piano has been balanced on the keyboard side so that the lid rises up diagonally in the air; in front is a sea of spilled candy. On the elevated rear leg, Saiz had attached a bunch of helium-filled Mylar balloons with a Valentine's theme. I'm not sure what Saiz is trying to do or what the piece means (the kitsch references to romance are a clue), but I do know a striking visual statement when I see it, and "Piano" certainly fills that bill. So does Saiz's other piece here, "Us," a cluster of painted boxes, two of which show men in a tug of war. I loved it.
"Us," by Jonathan Saiz, paint, metal on wood.
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A major category in Love Lines is contemporary representational art, with strong paintings by Wes Hempel, Jerry Kunkel, Terry Campbell, Ian Fisher and Jack Balas. The Hempels pair take-offs on historic paintings with mundane modern messages. The Kunkels — two photo-realist still-life scenes and two equally accurate landscapes — spell out easy-to-understand narratives. Balas continues his exploration of beefcake models set in surrealist surroundings, while the single Campbell and the lone Fisher both trade on classic realism.
A different kind of representational imagery, grounded in expressionism, is seen in the Mimo Paladino print and the stylistically related painting by Margaret Neumann. In both, human bodies are exaggerated and awkwardly posed. Even further afield is Jeff Page's "The Other Organ," a sensational abstraction based on the form of the human brain. It's mostly black, with iridescent stripes of Mylar outlining the shape.
In a way, Love Lines is two different shows, and in and among all this Western art is a generous portion of contemporary Chinese works, the most notable of which is a pair of monumental figural sculptures, by Yu Fan, "Mr. W." and "Miss L," that are shockingly graphic. Other Chinese artists in the show include Xing Danwen and He Jian.
It's no secret that Doran and Robischon are among the best curators around, and Love Lines continues their tradition of turning out first-rate shows.
