all words and photos: Alyssa Lesser
I descended upon the intersection of Wooster and Grand early Thursday evening, pretty beyond psyched for the opening Ryan McGinley's new group of studio portraits, "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere." at Team Gallery. Ryan is probably my favorite contemporary photographer; his work, and its fantastical merging of youth in reverie and panoramic landscape hits a major chord in my heart. As I turned the corner on Grand to meet up with (byt style writer-ed) Ryma and her sisters, I ran head first into a street-consuming horde of young, attractive, everybodies - of course. Only the opening of a Ryan McGinley show could turn into a Soho street riot.
We tried to make our way to the steps of the intimate gallery, but were caught behind globules of art enthusiasts with similar intentions; as we awaited entrance to the show, some cops and fire marshals showed up and closed off the show. The entire block was shut down.
Spotted during the mess were members of MGMT and the Virgins, Emily Haines, girls from Nylon, girls from McGinley's photos, Jack Siegel, kids I've seen around Parsons, and presumably every writer, artist, and former-or-current downtown kid in Manhattan. I guess we travel in packs. It is comforting to stumble upon such mass support for McGinley's craft - such public outpouring of support for such a beautiful artist with such soul and aesthetic appreciation. It's electrifying to find art in present day New York with as much of a sincere following as was once found on 8th street. Creating work that feels so personal yet unifies over a thousand rolling stones on a Thursday night in the city is just one of McGinley's many elusive strengths. We didn't get in to see the show that night (UPDATE: I did stop by yesterday, and was a little underwhelmed by some of the idiosyncratic portraiture but pleased by the giant signature nudes tumbling off cliffs that complemented the primary body of works), but witnessed instead a humble artist carving a momentous path in history and in the hearts of lost souls everywhere.
"Everybody knows this is nowhere" is open through April 17th @ Team Gallery, NYC. More details here.
God loves a cheerful giver.
BAH i love ryan mcginley so.
This post exemplifies this BYT blog I keep giving chances to impress me. Coverage of the event and the cloud of bullshit, as opposed to the actual art (interesting part). Good luck on your path to lead faux journalism through the 21st century!
"Lover":
(1) This is Brightest Young Things, not ARTnews.
(2) This is Ryan McGinley we're talking about, not Henri Cartier-Bresson, so the "cloud of bullshit" is an intrinsic part of his career (thus far, anyway).
(3) Re: (1) & (2), I'm excited about what's coming to MoMA next month: http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=2894
Did you not read what I wrote? I went to see the art and couldn't get into the show. Over a thousand people went to see the art and couldn't get into the show to actually see it, because some fucking cops shut it down. The event became the art.
If you have a shred of familiarity with this artist's work, and with the current and past New York art scene, then you should understand WHY, precisely, this was a big deal.
I did go back to see the show a separate time two days ago; if you'd like to know more about the work let me know - I'll write you an essay. And by the way, I'm a working artist and designer myself. I'm not trying to trick anyone.
re: Cartier-Bresson
I know, me too! It will probably be a sweet show, but if the stick it where Tim Burton is right now it's going to be a disaster and you won't be able to see anything. As usual.
moma and i have a love/hate.
Lover - please stop giving us chances and piss off, kthnxbi
more pics:
http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/editorsblog/2010/03/22/ryan-mcginleys-block-party.htm