Ingrid Chu reviews Accident Blackspot curated by Jim Lee and Rob Nadeau in Time Out NY
by Ingrid Chu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACCIDENT BLACKSPOT
Curated by Jim Lee and Rob Nadeau
July 24 - August 15, 2008
Opening: Thursday, July 24, 6-8 pm
Ivin Ballen
Rob Erickson
Keltie Ferris
Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg
Joseph Hart
Himi Jen Dricks
Fawn Krieger
Ree Morton
Ian Pedigo
Daniel Seiple
Ali Smith
Wendy White
Tamara Zahaykevich
Freight + Volume is pleased to announce the exhibition Accident Blackspot featuring a group of artists that work with highly personal and idiosyncratic languages to proffer a challenge to contemporary mainstream aesthetics. The title, drawn from the cult-classic "Withnail and I," refers to the road sign used to designate the scene of an accident on British roadways. And it is an apt metaphor for the work shown here, which cogently choreographs a collision between the orchestrated and the unintended. Working in a mode that has gained momentum in the last few years, these artists offer a jury rigged aesthetic approach with an emphasis on process and materiality, a conscious disregard for resolution or "finish" in the traditional sense, a slight hint of humor, and a flirtation with near constant failure. It is a scumbled and infected formalism, a congress of flotsam, teetering on the brink of self-destruction. It's about taking chances, engaging in a desperate, yet somehow casual, search for meaning. This is the kind of work you've always wanted to make: unmediated and unpretentious, as if you are in your room, your world, listening to Brian Wilson's "In My Room", dreaming of possibilities and creating your own charged scene worthy of an Accident Blackspot.
For more information, please visit the gallery’s website or contact Nick Lawrence (Director/Owner), Steven Stewart (Co-Director) or Yasha Wallin (Co-Director) at 212-691-7700 or info@freightandvolume.com