In an artwork world that has grown accustomed to insisting that work play effectively with Instagram, it may be simple to miss something that doesn’t. Publicity at Ulterior Gallery, a refined present that generally appears deliberately to withstand simple photographic copy, may not provide the fast solutions our ever-shrinking consideration spans demand. However a lot on this present, curated by artist Carrie Yamaoka, is price a second view.
Take two items by Carlos Reyes, each titled “Popular Jewelry” (2023). Relying on how the sunshine falls, or how shortly you go by, you could not see rather a lot in these framed items of burgundy material. However shut up, the curved traces of necklaces stand out within the light textile and tiny pock marks from the pins used to carry finery in place develop into seen; what you’re seeing are material swatches from jewellery show instances. Reyes collects them from shopkeepers in Decrease Manhattan. I doubt it’s an accident that the works share the identify of an unassuming Canal Road enterprise that has lengthy been a go-to spot for a large swath of New Yorkers in search of adornment, together with many well-known rap and hip-hop artists. There’s rather a lot to learn in these quiet items, which think of the nightly ritual of staff from downtown to uptown fastidiously locking up tens of millions of {dollars} of merchandise, leaving solely denuded trays and stands within the home windows.
Set up view of Publicity at Ulterior Gallery, New York
Humor bubbles up in a few of the different works on show. Linn P. Meldt’s “Á conter en le trottoir” (2024) is comprised of solid silicone and flower petals, “with sidewalk residue.” What might be much less Instagrammable? And the best way to distinguish the flower petals from the grime and waste and disintegrating trash which have merged into residue? Anna Campbell’s “Chest” (2022) is extra coy in its humor. Composed of plywood, pine, and a rectangle of hickory veneer, that odd imposition of veneer on high of plywood, itself made up of layers of veneer, begs all kinds of questions. Does the title reference anatomy or furnishings? The artist’s layering and modifying tasks each playful and severe dimensions. Given Campbell’s curiosity in queerness, “Chest” suggests the ways in which the our bodies of queer and cis folks alike change, deliberately and over time, and our society’s very totally different readings of these adjustments throughout identification teams.
However because the uncertainties above point out, the works within the present aren’t all the time simple to know. With little contextualizing data, a few of the process-focused items, reminiscent of these by Daniel Brodner and Thomas Fougeirol, can really feel onerous to entry. I ended up asking the gallery attendant what was at play in Criag Jun Li’s sculpture “Repose II” (2025), which fills the area with a low whirring sound and whose inside equipment gathers condensation on the metallic plate on the high of the small construction. The dryness of the gallery limits the impact of this piece.
Artists aren’t obligated to spoon feed audiences, but it surely’s a option to current work that turns in on itself. For over a decade I wrote primarily about efficiency artwork and experimental theater, and realized early on to reassure mates that not getting it’s a legitimate response. That stated, Yamaoka’s curatorial assertion is useful in clarifying the present’s intent. For her, Publicity is an exploration of concepts surrounding photographic publicity, “our exposure to each other,” and the methods during which artwork itself is uncovered to the world, with all the wear and tear and tear that entails. It’s no marvel that the work representing the present on the gallery’s web site and social media is “Landscape” (Sixties/2007–ongoing). Created by Hol Ogram, a cryptic collaboration between artists who aren’t recognized on the internet or by the gallery, this durational piece is a literal experiment in publicity. Made utilizing a dye switch course of, it slowly degrades as gentle interacts with the chemical substances over time. Just like the Greek thinker Heraclitus’s well-known river, it’s by no means the identical twice, all the time inviting one other look.
Carlos Reyes, “Popular Jewelry” (each 2023)
Anna Campbell, “Chest” (2022)
Craig Jun Li “Repose II” (2025)
Hol Ogram, “Landscape” (Sixties/2007–ongoing)
Publicity continues at Ulterior Gallery (424 Broadway #601, Soho, Manhattan) by means of April 5. The exhibition was curated by Carrie Yamaoka.
