Thomas Lail's TOP(almost)20 of 2013
No one asked me for my top picks this year, but I thought I'd list them anyway. Full disclosure-- Many of these are folks I know and admire. It's a small world after all...
In no particular order:
1). An Armory Show at Opalka Gallery, Sage Colleges-- this sprawling, cacophonous salon orchestrated by Michael Oatman and Ken Ragsdale set a high water mark for future Upstate regional art surveys--- I was in this show, but that's not what made it a pick for me-- with 50+ artists it was crazy, packed, riotous and really good.
2). Ed Osborne at The Teaching Gallery, HV- RI based sound and video artist Osbourne shaped a beautiful and meditative space of slow moving boats and slower moving race cars.
3). Mike Watt at Valentines-- the real deal, himself-- The Man in The Van with a Bass in His Hand rolled into V'tines with his Missingmen to thunder through a massive reading of his masterpiece Hyphenated Man --uninterrupted -- except for two restarts due to broken strings. Minutemen encores closed the place down.
4). Anselm Kiefer at MassMoca-- semi permanent Kiefers at MassMoca? Say no more.
5). Jake Bertholt at Betty Cunningham-- the enigmatic Bertholt- a Hudson Valley resident- makes a rare appearance in NYC- like Turner and Ryder got together on a cloudy postmodern day. These paintings haunt me.
6). Troy Brauntuch at Petzel-- the least re-pro'd member of the Pictures Generation unleashed a gallery-load of black canvas drawings so subtle one could almost miss the image-- but don't.
7). Early Richard Serra and Blinky Palermo works on paper at Zwirner--- an unforgettable one-two punch of early Serra works and films and Palermo paper works-- as good as any museum show gets.
8.) Tara Fracalossi at Masters&Pelavin-- yup, I'm biased-- I'm married to her, but Tara's show of 8000 images on 33 aluminum panels indexing all the categories of her 15+ year Archive was a knockout-- the gallery moves to its new home this spring in Chelsea as Masters Projects.
9). Tom Doyle at Omi-- the octogenarian Doyle can still deliver the goods with his monumental bronze works in Omi's Fields. Still on view, btw.
10). Oliver Wasow at Byrdcliffe Center, Woodstock-- Wasow's exhaustive catalogue of found images documents the comical, the mundane and the tragic-- it's our Family of Man. If you missed it, you might get a second chance next year.
11). Tom Nicol at John Davis, Hudson--- Nicol makes gorgeous, subtle, intimate minimal paintings on paper and this installation in Davis's carriage house was a near perfect setting for them.
12). Ingrid Ludt and Iain Machell at The Teaching Gallery, HV-- here again, I may be biased, but that's what the art world is all about-- Ludt doesn't show nearly enough and her biomorphic drawings and simulated bits of nature were a perfect fit with Machell's diagrammatic ridge lines and Post-minimal English landscape wanderings.
13). Albany Sonic Arts et al-- I feel like I didn't get to nearly enough music and sound shows this year (unless I was playing) but Albany Sonic Arts continues preaching the gospel of avant-experimental music and ringleader Eric Hardiman's new Rambutan recording Inverted Summer is a gem.
14). I regret that I missed my old buddy Danny Goodwin's show up at Way Out Gallery in Preston Hollow, but by all accounts it was a good one. Next time, brother...
15). Ann Wolf at The Carey Center in Renselearville-- Wolf's small, meticulous landscapes provide tiny views into lost paradises-- and that little purple one...
16). Rich Garrison at Volta and Robert Henry Contemporary, Bushwick--- Garrison's gorgeous and rigorous color charts and collages based on advertising flyers and his own buying habits work on every level--
17). James Cullinane at Robert Henry Contemporary, Bushwick-- Cullinane's map pin riddled collage paintings are like concise visual poems-- this time out his "traps" sat unsprung --perpetually at the ready.
18). Robert Longo at the Aldrich-- Just plain awesome. 80 "small" studies and a 35-foot charcoal drawing of the US Capitol. Timely, powerful and as close to perfect as any show is likely to get.
19). Lee Ranaldo at Helsinki-- like that famous Police gig in Albany that everyone was at, yet no one attended-- I know you weren't there because almost no one was there-- which was inexplicable since 1/2 of Sonic Youth was on stage burning through Ranaldo's new post SY solo stuff. A great band, a joyful noise. Next time.... Next time...
Best wishes for 2014.... TL