Teens with Masks

Nick and I went on over to the Max Protetch gallery to check out his neighbor, and friend's opening Teens with Masks by Oliver Herring.

The gallery was filled with large format photographs with 3-D silver "masks" over the faces of the subjects, teens that he had worked with. The work was perfectly presented. My least favorite thing is when good work is put up on the wall with T-pins or office paper clips. These items are for the office, not the gallery. It shows the artist's lack of care for the work, lack of co-cohesiveness and intent, lack of follow-through.
These pieces were not only well thought out, but beautifully presented in frames that brought the work to the next level.
AND-I'm a hater of frames.

In the back were studies all lined up together.
Basically, they made me want to get out the glitter paint and do something fun.
What was really great about these is he took a relativity messy and unrefined art material and made clean, deliberate lines and shapes, making the medium utterly sophisticated. While at the same time there was a level of fun and humor.



After the inital opening there was dinner, in the gallery which was enjoyable and intimate an incredibly touching gesture from the artist to his friends. I really enjoyed the whole event.