Art in review
Maximum effort, little results
“Recalcitrant” is the art of remaining stubbornly defiant, akin to digging your heels in for the beliefs you’re advancing without remotely entertaining other avenues. It’s also what comes to mind when looking at the latest effort by artist/curator Bill Pierce at Art Produce Gallery—Endeavor, a group show of 15 San Diego artists and a benefit for Eveoke Dance Theater in North Park.
If the goal of the show beyond its intent to help Eveoke was to demonstrate the endeavor of the artists’ work on view, specifically the quality and global interest of these works, then it was very little indeed. While the artwork is undoubtedly disparate, it is the recalcitrance to a better selection of art and a lack of a clear vision and intent that is the most disappointing.
It’s a frequent error here in San Diego that doesn’t help its artistic development as a credible community. This often facilitates the art becoming a backdrop to social hyperbole and not its focus.
It’s time for some change. A few suggestions: Make it a Cardinal Sin if you ever exhibit work organized around a ubiquitous theme or group of artists that has nothing to do with what you produce. Experiment yes, adapt no. Both artists and curators can benefit from one another by a little discretionary judgment. Secondly, and it has been said before in a city the size of San Diego, may you be banished to the deepest depths of Hell if you show work that has already been seen in three other venues within the last four months—don’t disrespect your viewer.
That said, there are a few pearls to be cultivated. Bret Barrett and his collages of dejected bits of paper and plastic refuse compacted, glued and slathered with vibrant metallic paints onto wooden supports. Zuri Waters, with a brightly colored cutout figurine—impressive. Dave Miles paints “Not of this World” from his Mock-a-Zine series, a pun on John W. Campbell’s Astounding Science Fiction publications. And finally, there’s Paul Brogden, who should be the only one to paint Beavis and Butthead.
Endeavor: Parts 1 & 2 will be on view until Feb. 16. at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave. in North Park. A second opening reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 9. 619-584-4448 or www.artproducegallery.com.
Comments
This is a small note of clarity concerning the second "Endeavor" opening on February 9th and the artists involved. This exhibit will showcase the same artists as featured in Part I, with the exception of having different works from them for the most part, in Part II. Some of the referenced work mentioned in the review can still be seen or found on each artist's website.
Bill Pierce is an idiot and a completely untalented artist-his events are embarrasing and he should give it up now before it gets worse. Way to go Kevin!!
Kevin, you're a fool. What makes you think you can move here last year with your only claim to fame being a failed gallery owner in Brussels and believe you can become Citybeat's new hard-line art reviewer? Bill has earned his rock-star status here in San Diego by curating shows for over 10 years and giving many young artists their big breaks. What have you done here? N O T H I N G. You can't just run a lame art website and call yourself an art expert. What training in fine arts have you had? Have you ever curated an art show? Is there any evidence your gallery even existed? You have to PAY YOUR DUES here in San Diego, the way Bill has, to be taken seriously. You'd have to curate one show a week for the rest of your life to catch up to him. Bill has been instrumental in creating an art scene here.. you have not. Therefore no-one's going to listen to you. Why do you have to try to make yourself famous by cutting down a hard-working artist like Bill? How about curating a show and adding to the scene instead of just feeding off of it like a parasite? Stop being an armchair quarterback. It's obvious Citybeat will publish any writer willing to take .0005 cents per word without checking any of their credentials. I am thouroughly disgusted. Also, you should look up five dollar words before using them. "Ubiquitous" has nothing to do with the context you used it in, it means, existing or being everywhere, esp. at the same time; omnipresent: ubiquitous fog; ubiquitous little ants. Dumb!!
Wow! This snippet wins the "Awkwardly Worded Intro" award. In fact, the whole thing is so strangely written, laden with so much grammar-abuse, that I suspect that an editors' strike has followed the recently concluded writers' strike.
I've only a pair of points to make.
1. In my infrequent visits to San Diego (great town, wish I could make it more often), Bill Pierce's shows have done a lot to remind me of SD's overlooked but vital art scene. In fact, I'm quite proud of the handful of SD artists whose work adorns my walls as a result.
2. It's rather easy to say, "This work sucks. It should have been better." How about being constructive and letting us know what, exactly, is wrong with what you saw and where one might find something "better" constructed by artists operating within the same subgenres. Pining for a "better selection of art" is a very queer and empty stance for an art critic.
Criticize. That's your thing. Bitch and moan. We love to see that in reviewers as well. It's entertaining! Yet, the style you're trying to ape, that of the pithy and scathing, but intellectual, reviewer--it doesn't suit you, Kevin. I suggest cutting closer to the bone. Give us concrete examples of what works and what doesn't and WHY. Then elucidate us with your fully-informed, if contrarian, vision of alternatives. What you've done to Bill Pierce is attempt to gut not only a person, but a host of local artists. But you've not only failed to offer a single solid criticism of Pierce and Co., you've betrayed your lack of art-cred in the process. Back to the drawing board, mate.
If Kevin is such an authority on art I wonder why he hasn't noticed that his blog looks like it was created by a design school drop out circa 1993.
Actually Joy, the blog is circa 1998. But a lot of people think that it's circa 1975. Well, I am an authority on art but not so much of one on graphic and web design and if truth be told, I'm much more interested in the content found within it. But hey, I've been meaning to change the "look" so if you have any skills in these areas, send me a proposal and I'll let you make the blog look more like 2008. Go for it.
Let a thousand flowers bloom, let a thousand schools of thought contend.
George Flowers (if this is your real name), you must be a friend of Bill's eh? The last time I checked, I didn't need your permission nor that of Bill Pierce's to live and work here, or write criticism on the art scene in San Diego. "Pay my dues" yeah right George; they teach you that in art school did they? Your right George, we should all work hard and be grateful subservient artists to those who give us an opportunity to show our work. And one day if we're really really good, they'll send that magic elevator down propelling us into the heavens of art bliss, fame and fortune. Wake up George, it's only a dream. It's about the art, not you not me not even Bill, it's about the amount of effort and questioning that goes on in the artist's head before he/she decides to throw something up on the wall and the individuals doing the selecting. Listen, there are plenty of excellent artists in San Diego not even remotely concerned with the minutia of group shows and rock-star curators, who continue to produce consistent bodies of work that not only reflect their unique vision, concepts and intellect – making kick-ass work – that is challenging, inventive, poetic, sublime and technically advanced than a majority of what was shown in Endeavor. A friend recently told me, perhaps you should let people decide for themselves (about what they see) and well, she’s right they should. But I’ve decided for myself and I know this to be true that there is a huge difference between work of this quality, Endeavor quality (and I bet you my bottom dollar that the artist(s) know this to be true - if their honest) AND the work being produced by say a Lael Corbin that is simply, purely authentic. I also mentioned four artists out of the show, which I consider to be as equally authentic - the contrast is obvious. Are these just words to you George, falling on deaf ears and blindfolded eyes? Obviously yes, but look closer to the calibre of work these artists I mentioned make and you’ll see a difference because (it) the work, is as connected to them as their individual beings and spirits, to their lives and experiences, and to their knowledge and history – this is not acting nor is it “let’s pretend.” Art shouldn’t be a popularity contest.
George - You pretend to know me and even question my background - pray tell, what makes you an expert? Or should I say a detective? Did you google my name? Heard something about me, read something, been to one of my shows in Brussels, oh you didn't mention Chicago - did you miss that whole part of my art experience or are you truly interested in what I've done? Have we ever met? Oh, did I mention Paris? Failed? Don't think so Mr. Flowers, I think it is you that have failed by not having the courage, intellect or the interest to think for yourself. Too bad. It's what good artists do George, think for themselves, independent and non-dependent on some collective to validate them and to tell them how brilliant their work is. For the record, CityBeat asked me to contribute after its arts editor had been following my blog for some time and found it of interest.
And finally George, What is it that bothers you the most? That I have an opinion and you don't, that you mindlessly babble the rhetoric that is fed to you. Do you sincerely believe that the art, yours (you do make work don't you George) or anyone else’s in this ONE particular showing is righteously good and self-perpetuating, doesn’t need any thought or effort and only needs a Papal wave from the curator to be absolved from content? ideas? technique? concept? importance? depth? interest?, its place in history or society, the messed up world we live in or at the very least, how the show hangs together as a whole? Did you really think these things fly solo, that art takes care of art, all seeing all believing and that the viewer doesn’t even know the difference – what sort of idiot do you take the audience for? Oh one more thing, heaven forbid, how does a show like Endeavor reflect and accurately portray the art being made here in San Diego and to what degree does it do this successfully, and for that matter to what level of quality does it achieve, or what goal and intent did it have in being organized or what was the selection of the artists involved? You have to ask, what is it that the work represents? I want to know. Anyway George, you would be wrong if you thought a show like Endeavor didn’t need to perform such curatorial duties. I’m doing my part, when are you going to start doing yours? Everyone is accountable and responsible for their efforts in San Diego; I will certainly continue to uphold mine and will continue to write about differences, opinions and artistic talents, based on my beliefs and experience each and every time I go out and look at some art. PS – let Bill do the talking and save the cheerleading for the cheerleaders.
There are a million different kinds of art in the world: everything from Riefenstahl to Murakami, and it all serves its purpose. The only constant one can hope to ask for is integrity: know what you're doing, and why.
If KF is right -- and I have no reason to doubt him -- that some artists in town keep showing the same work in show after show after show, then perhaps the shows are really parties and the art party decoration, and people are going to party and network rather than look at and talk about the art. (Otherwise they'd be bored stiff by now.) And KF has made it clear he's into art and art shows and looking at art and talking about it.
If BP and his crew are into art as a form of partying and networking, then it would make sense that they would interpret any criticism about their art as criticism about themselves, since their scene is more about them than their art. And judging from the personal nature of some of the responses to Kevin's column, this looks to be the case. It shows the degree of integrity they have to a party-oriented scene rather than an art-oriented one. So this reduces the whole issue to a cultural conflict rather than an artistic one.
Partying is fun and even important, so if you want to include art as part of the party and still maintain a degree of self-integrity, why not embrace the situation and make Party Art? It's been a while since a good local art movement came along (not counting Border Art and Zedism), so why not declare oneself a Partyist and explicitly make Party Art? It might even be something new, and even worth talking about.
Since some people are bitching and moaning about critics bitching and moaning, and since it's almost Valentine's Day and I love you all, here's Madeleine Grynsztejn, former curator at SFMOMA and current director of MCA Chicago, on the need for critics in a healthy art community (as opposed to a healthy art "scene"):
"A healthy art community in any city is, say, let's use the metaphor of a table. It takes four legs for a table to be stable. It needs first and foremost to have a strong community of working artists. To have that, you need, among other things, a strong community of art schools so that they can be gainfully employed and actually make a living. The third thing that these artists must have is a strong critical arm in the form of somebody like Kenneth Baker [who writes for the San Francisco Chronicle], and other voices too, like [freelance writer and Stretcher.org founder] Glen Helfand. And the fourth part of the community is the commercial arm, which includes the galleries and their clients, the patrons and the museum. Those four legs constitute a very healthy community for art."
Link: www.artnet.com/magazine/features/stender...
Kevin, welcome as the newest member and president of the Bill Pierce Hater Club!
The Bill Pierce Hater Club was founded in July of 1998 and now boasts over 20,000 members worldwide. Meetings are the first tuesday of every month, 9PM. We have moved the meetings to Qualcomm stadium this year, due to the overwhelming numbers of attendees! We are an international group of like minded, jealous and vindictive people, who share a common hatred of Bill Pierce and everything he stands for, especially freedom of artistic expresssion.
Our mission statement is:
1. To denounce and sabotage Bill's every endeavor.
2. To inform people around the world of the multitude of reasons to hate Bill.
3. To harrass, malign and insult Bill at every possible opportunity.
Kevin, your hatred of Bill is applauded by us and shared by every single member. We encourage you to continue hating Bill and writing negative reviews about his events. Great work! You will receive an official "Ask me why I hate Bill Pierce" T-shirt upon attending a meeting. We then give awards to members every year, celebrating another productive year of hating Bill.
Join us in our daily affirmation:
DENOUNCE, DEFAME, BILL'S NAME!
DENOUNCE, DEFAME, BILL'S NAME!
DENOUNCE, DEFAME, BILL'S NAME!
DENOUNCE, DEFAME, BILL'S NAME!
DENOUNCE, DEFAME, BILL'S NAME!
DENOUNCE, DEFAME, BILL'S NAME!
Our questions to the world press are:
1. Just who does Bill Pierce think he is anyway?
2. What gives Bill the right to dominate the Southern California Art Scene?
3. Why is Bill so successful, after all of our efforts?
We are doubling our budget to 20 million dollars this year in an effort to completely destroy Bill. See all of our news and events at ihateBillPierce.com for upcoming meetings, seminars, and books about why we think detesting Bill Pierce is a necessary and worthwhile endeavor.
Kevin, welcome and thank you for hating Bill!! We look forward to hearing you speak at the next meeting, and can't wait to hear what you have to say.
Rodney J. Pipsqueak, Acting President
Bill Pierce Hater Club, Inc.
1256 Activity Road
San Diego, CA 92109
858-885-8879
Billhaterclub or is it the Billoverclub or George Flowers perhaps - either way, when you leave an inane and absurd commentary as you have done, it not only helps prove my point about some of the inadequacies and immaturity of one particular group mentality - their followers - and does nothing to enrich the debate. So, in the end, what is there left to prove? If you want to discuss, let's discuss. If you want to demonstrate that San Diego has no other possibilities outside of one individual, then you've done this to perfection.
I guess I'm no too surprised that you used the "freedom of expression" card - it's a good one, it's just that it isn't what I'm questionning. It is what you do with that freedom and luxury and what you produce to show for it. It should be by all counts, better than what you're proposing.
Kevin,
Membership in the Bill Pierce Hater Club are conditional upon passing a rigorous background investigation, and we need to inform you that you have failed miserably. Your refusal to provide proof to George Flowers that you owned a gallery in Brussels led our investigators to believe that the whole claim about gallery ownership in Brussells was a ruse, a sham, a con-job.
Our investigators revealed that you were the assistant to the assistant to the assistant to the assistant curator at the Brussells Gallery, which meant that your curatorial duties consisted of taking out the trash and sweeping the floors. Therefore, our offer to make you our new president and a member has been permanently recinded.
Further investigation into your background revealed that you are a social climber and a pathological liar. Our investigators listened to your interview on ARt Rocks, and your top ten list, with a few exceptions, read like a "top ten wealthiest arts professionals in San Diego." You are trying to rub shoulders and kiss up to the rich arts folks here in San Diego, and it won't work. Everyone on your top ten list has been made aware of the postings on this page and your ruse has been revealed. We found that you are living in a garage in Normal Heights and driving a 1980 Ford Festiva. Are you planning the big move from Ford to Mercedes, Normal Heights to La Jolla? It won't work. Affluent people in San Diego don't help anyone who isn't already at their economic level. The best you can hope for is that one of them will make you their butler.
Please return the "Ask me why I hate Bill Pierce" tshirt, thoroughly washed, to the address below.
Clarence T. Fluffengill
Director, Background Investigations Department
Bill Pierce Hater Club, Inc.
1256 Activity Road
San Diego, CA 92109
858-885-8879
Mao,
our experts have examined your comments and would like to respond. One of the reasons we hate Bill so much, is that his events are world-class art exhibitions, as good as any at the best art galleries around the world, that are highly respected by the arts intelligentsia and San Diego's premier art reviewer, Robert L. Pincus of the San Diego Union-Tribune has written positive reviews about them.
At The same time, Bill's events also appeal to the most party-hardy young college kids and are a rockin' good time. Our secret operatives have attended all of Bill's events since 1998 and find his versatility, his universal appeal to absolutely everyone, troubling and frustrating. Bill's events aren't a boring wine and cheese, stuffy art event where you'll find pretentious, stuffed-shirt blowhards like Kevin pontificating about art and trying to impress each other with $5 words. The events are the opposite of that. At Bill's events, everyone but a select few are welcome, (Kevin and a few of his friends), people from all walks of life and economic strata are treated equally, decently, and with great amounts of friendly respect. This is a constant source of embarrassment to us here at BPHC, Inc.
Smedley P. Snotman
Director, Secret Art Show Infiltration Unit
Bill Pierce Hater Club, Inc.
1256 Activity Road
San Diego, CA 92109
858-885-8879
Ahh so soon Georges?! We were just getting to know each other - shucks. Sorry, I can't give you back the T-shirt, I used it to mop up an oil spill under the white Ford MOUNTAINEER that is parked in the garage that I live in in Normal Heights. Get your facts straight along with everything else your purporting to know about me or what I do. It's getting boring. Does Bill approve of this campaign you're running for him?
Get a life bro and stop stalking people on the internet.
Kevin,
Let's add PARANOIA to your many faults, you freak. You have to have the last word don't you..well you won't on this forum, here at BPHC we can keep posting into perpetuity. On this page we are truly ubiquitous, (and that was the correct usage of the word, professor Kevin).
Here at BPHC, Inc, our organization is set up to survive long after Bill is dead and gone, to harrass and malign his offspring into perpetuity. We know you have nothing better to do then post on here, after all you post poorly written art reviews on your site every day that no-body is reading. Seems like we struck a nerve, eh? If youre concerned about stalking why are you dumb enough to tell everyone what car you drive? By the way, if you had any brains you'd sell that gas-guzzling POS and get a hybrid to help stop global warming.
But you don't care, do you? It seems status is most important in your pathetic little existence. Go to La Jolla in your SUV and talk art with the elite. All of that art SUCKS.
By the way, we are tracking your Intenet usage. Up until today, your time online has been divided equally between surfing gay porn sites and writing more badly written art reviews for your site. Today the gay porn percentage went up to 80%. Did we strike a nerve with our comments, are you nervous? Or is this just an unusual spike in your Internet usage on the gay porn sites?
Theronimous P. Quackmire
Director, Information Technology Dept.
Bill Pierce Hater Club, Inc.
1256 Activity Road
San Diego, CA 92109
858-885-8879
Everyone, LEAVE KEVIN ALONE.
Everyone, including Kevin, is invited to the next party!
2/29/2008 8PM
Country Fest Featuring Bands:
Bartender's Bible, Sangre Sangre & SilverBird.
And:
Radioactive Future presents:
FORTITUDE ART SHOW
Featuring:
Shayna Yates, Paul Brogden, Scott Saw,
Lara K. Tamalunas, Bret Barrett,
Macoe Swett, Nuvia Crisol Guerra,
Dave Miles, Tonya VanParys, Bill Pierce, Mario Torero,
John Grow, Celene, Perry Vasquez,
Zuri Waters, Acamonchi, Jaami Waali,
Saratoga Sake, Jeremy "Jerm" Wright, Amy Hyde,
Keith B. Martin, Bryan Barnes, and Kim Riot.
Curated by Bill Pierce
Sponsored by:Hangar One
Vodka & Stone Brewery
Heavy Press, 2312 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA
Wow. To think my alias, "Kevin Freitas" stirred up so much poop! Y'all can read the whole story about "Kevin" and "Bill" over at
http://www.todbrilliant.com or http://www.juneten.com.
Fooled ALL OF YOU, didn't I????
Sorry, can't be at the party. It's sponsored by CORPORATE WHORES!
Thanks Bill, but I don't recall needing or asking for your assistance.
billhater- I appreciate your support and some of your comments made me laugh, but I think you shouldn't reveal personal information about people, such as where they live, on the Internet. If it was true, I think you invaded his right to privacy. So I believe you owe him an apology. Also the comment about gay porn wasn't cool or funny, here at Radioactive Future we accept everyone regardless of race, religion, age, gender, or sexual orientation, and everything else that makes us different as people. We have friends in the gay/lesbian community and we think you owe them an apology also. Also, only I have the power to ban someone from my events and I haven't banned Kevin. He's just doing his job as a reviewer.
Tod-you are Brilliant, but for the record, you didn't write all of these comments. You're a trickster but we love you anyway.
Mao-My events are really fun parties but we take the art seriously also. Come to one and find out!
Kevin-Thanks for trying to hold us to a higher standard with the review.You may not want or need my help, but I'm going to defend you anyway, because I am a true believer in justice and human dignity.
Everyone-Thanks for reading, and coming to the events.
PEACE,
Bill Pierce
Your'e right Bill and I'm sorry Kevin and gay & lesbian community. Kevin should be more appreciative of Bill coming to his rescue though.
"<i>In our time there are many artists who do something because it is new; they see their value and their justification in this newness. They are deceiving themselves; novelty is seldom the essential. This has to do with one thing only; making a subject better from its intrinsic nature.</i>"
<b>--Henri Toulouse-Lautrec</b>
Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.
--Andy Warhol
<sarcasm>Thanks for the ejamacation. I don't know what we'd do without you.</sarcasm> One day I hope to also quote French people and use big words that are slightly beyond my comprehension.
Make it a cardinal sin if a reviewer mentions only one curator when there are two curators for a show.
Grade: Fail.
Kevin, you seem jealous of Bill.
You're right Gerry, I am jealous but not of Bill. I'm jealous of prime gallery spaces here in San Diego being overrun by inept curatorial endeavors that could be better utilized by artists and organizers who are willing to push the envelope by the quality of the artwork chosen, which can only in the end, benefit all who view it.
Kevin you have lots of nerve calling Bill inept when you don't even follow your own advice. I saw your show at Simayspace and it was a mess. There was absolutely no attempt to tie the pieces together, or make them fit a theme as you seem to require of curators you review. The artwork was undoubtedly disparate. A better selection of art and a lack of a clear vision and intent was the most disappointing.
Kevin, you need to stop acting like you are Bill's peer and equal. You're not. Not by a long shot. Bill has been doing great shows here for 8 years. He's in a different league than you. You are out-classed. He has been vital to building the SD art scene. Your weak little showing at Simay was pathetic. You are obviously bitter, that now a show like the Simay show is the best you can do, no longer a big-time gallery owner (as you claimed, but we still have no proof of). Your show sucked. Your review sucked. You are useless. Time to move back to Brussels dude.
Gerry, I suggest before posting further comments, you do the research required to have an informed opinion so as to not have its defining characteristic be, ignorance.
Kevin I propound that heretofore posting more comments ad nauseam, You perform the appropriate inquest to ensure that you are expounding the erudite postulate of the veracious truth about art.
You are a grandiloquent nincompoop.
Give it up.
$5 Word Score:
Gerry: $55
Kevin: $0
No clever response Kevin?
You must have given up. Good riddance!
Gerry, you're an idiot.
Kevin, you have WAY TOO MUCH time on your hands to be constantly posting on this page. Don't you have a job? It's obvious you've never owned a gallery. No gallery owner, past or present, would take the time to write so many meaningless posts.
Get a job, loser.
Kevin, O Kevin, wherefore art thou Kevin? Methinks you doth protest too much. On second thought, please don't thou stop posting on this page, we need your attempts at quasi-intellectualism as a daily source of amusement!
You are ridiculous.
Kind regards,
Gerry
Those that can't do teach. Those that can't teach critique.
Kevin, don't you think what your'e doing is a conflict of interest? You wouldn't get away with it in any other industry. You are doing both, curating shows and writing reviews about other curators. Doing both poorly I might add. You're writing scathing reviews about Bill Pierce, your competition, in an effort to knock him down, so that your own shows would be more successful. Do you really think this is fair? How would you feel if Bill wrote a scathing review of your show? You are a hypocrite.
We eagerly await your eloquent response.
Gerry
Three days and no response from Kevin. He must be busy looking up $5 words to use on Dictionary.com.
Kevin, please don't withhold your pearls of wisdom from us any longer. We are waiting on the edges of our seats!