"Pre-Apocalyptic Expressionism" An Installation by Greg Haberny

Photo courtesy of the artist.

There are three levels in which to view Greg Haberny's recent installation,"Pre-Apocalyptic Expressionism" (now on view at Capla Kesting Fine Arts in Brooklyn) - the smaller works, the larger works, and the whole installation. The smaller works, all framed and often three-dimensional, remind me of medieval devotional objects, such as icons or relics, only the visceral connection here comes from the discarded and abject rather than the holy. These often humorous little works rely both on their self-proclaimed status as false (but hilarious) artifacts, such as the (two) autographed pictures of Jesus Christ, the baseball autographed by God, the recovered photo linking a jealous Joe DiMaggio to the JFK assassination, and three stolen Cy Twomblys in a cage, and also on their inclusion of actual detritus from consumer society, be it McDonalds wrapping, 1950s style advertising, or cigarette stubs. The materiality of these pieces is what makes them raw and immediate, but possibly analogous to small, collectible versions of Rauschenberg's "Combines." This association is offset, however, by the inclusion of entirely painted small works with the smaller combine pieces. I find that half the power of these works lies in their installation - the viewer digs through the mass of works sprawled along the four walls, and finds something new each time she looks back, similar to the Haberny's process of digging and filtering through the recovered materials used in many of these pieces. That these postmodern icon/relics will be sold separately and broken out of their installation setting is potentially threatening to their original appeal - an interesting tension between the saleability of smaller works and their role in installation art. The flea-market-esque atmosphere makes an interesting, analog counterpoint to that other show in Brooklyn right now, which features a store in its massive installation.

The second level on which to view the show, the larger works, includes my personal favorites. The large painting "In God We Bust," the crucifixion of an oil exec placed prominently in the rear, and the few other large paintings jump out at the viewer in particular, giving an order to the viewer's digestion of the smaller works. "In God We Bust"'s well-executed all-over abstracted composition mixed with the aesthetic and spirit of street art and cartoons makes it my favorite piece of the entire show. Two American flags with "Made in China" spray-painted on them are like larger versions of the pointed statements made on many of the smaller works, but simplified and unframed. The large paintings in particular save the installation from being too "found-object" based, rescuing the installation from the pitfalls and forgettablity of the New Museum's ho-hum all found-object sculpture show last winter.

Considering the third level - entire installation - however, changes the stakes of the whole show, particularly with regard to how the smaller works interact with each other and with the larger pieces. Oil cans hanging from the ceiling are intriguing in the same way as the small works because they also sold individually, almost like affordable souvenirs of the whole installation. Underpainting and writing on the floor brings a "street art" vibe into the show, visually and thematically connects the works, and (most importantly) directly opposes to the typical all-white anti-septic aesthetic of most galleries. For me the graffiti makes the space more inviting and informal, despite its overtly confrontational textual content. The arrangement of the works within the small rectangular space was well-planned, activating the space and generating a need to go back again and again. The destruction on the wall opposite the crucifix was very effective - particularly how it spilled out into the space we walked on. There was an overall sense of "I WAS HERE" in the space, which gave the room an aura of artistic process (and some jars testifying to the gallery's lack of restrooms).

The semi-nude (and eventually fully nude) dancer seemed a little out of place to me, both spatially and artistically. I see the intent, given Haberny's impulse towards provocation and confrontation in his works, but I felt it detracted from the work a bit in the small space and didn't fit in with this particular theme. The dancer, however, was only part of the opening reception, and I think the installation should be viewed both with AND without a boatload of cool people stuffed inside to get the full effect. That being said, the dancer was possibly a great idea because - like the beer and the overall party atmosphere of the opening - it sparked a lot of interaction and actual opinion sharing amongst the attendees...yet another refreshing change from the usual gallery experience.

Overall, the show and the works are all about sparking this type of interaction and debate through the inclusion of familiar found objects. I'm mostly intrigued with the tension between the small works as individually priced objects/relics/souvenirs and as part of a piece of installation art. This commentary on the market nature of contemporary art plays well against the material uniqueness of the individual works themselves. We must remember, not all stores sell mass-produced, shiny, usable Louis Vuitton purses, and "Pre-Apocalyptic Expressionism" prompts us to dig and wade through the detritus of society to come out on the other end having found something original (to own).

CKFA Gallery is located at 121 Roebling Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This show runs April 18th to May 9th, 2008, with a closing party May 9th.