Chelsea Galleries

         

         To be frank, I have always had trouble with understanding contemporary or “modern art”.  I find myself lost when shown examples of installations or pieces of art that have been made by contemporary artists.  Akin to trying to catch smoke or to hold water in one’s hands, there’s just so much going on with contemporary art that it almost seems like there is nothing going on.  Contemporary art seems complex and intricate but at the same time it is also simple and straightforward.  A quote that has helped me in understanding contemporary art is one made by Aristotle in which he said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things but their inward significance”.  While on my way to view the countless art exhibitions that are spread throughout Chelsea, I began to mull over what Aristotle meant by the outward appearance versus the inward significance as it pertains to art.  It was when I read through my notes during the lecture that I found the missing piece to formulate my answer.  On the very last page and on the very last line I wrote down “Think about the idea not the thing”. 

            What has truly lead me to understand art in general is in understanding not only what is presented to the viewer physically but also the idea or the larger picture that the piece represents.  I had to train myself into understanding not only what the piece is physically but what message the artist is trying to get across to me through the piece.  This simple rearrangement in my understanding helped me to pull back the curtain on the physical in order to reveal the deeper meanings of the art.  Armed with my new understanding of perceiving art, I began my expedition into Chelsea.

            An exhibition that really caught my attention and one that I spent the majority of my time in was Mountain Full by Andrew Hem at the Jonathan LeVine gallery.  I found a real connection to his work simply based on the physical beauty of his art.  The pieces that I saw exude a certain dream-like vibe that I found really peaceful and soothing to gaze and ponder upon.  The colors used within his artworks are all vibrant, yet calming.  Many of his pieces contain a certain type of landscape, either rural or urban with a mixture of an oceanic or woodland presence.

             The piece that drew my attention the most is titled Whirlpool.  Within Whirlpool, the artist uses an oceanic theme conjoined with aquatic colors to portray a young girl within the center of an actual whirlpool.  I found this piece quite interesting because it would appear to be quite a terrifying event; being caught within a whirlpool with no lifejacket or any other type of safety measure.  Yet, the subject remains unfazed with her situation perhaps even at peace with what is occurring.  It was when I began to look deeper that I realized that perhaps the girl is not being consumed by the whirlpool but is in fact the one that is causing the whirlpool. 

            When I began to look at Whirlpool through this context I then began to recall how whirlpools are formed, which is through the meeting of opposing currents.  Perhaps one meaning that can be devised from this piece by Andrew Hem is the feeling of being at the center of two different ideologies or ways in which to proceed with a certain situation or life-event.  It is almost as though the young girl portrayed within this piece has made her decision and is emerging from the depths of uncertainty that may have consumed her.  This is evident by the direction of the water within the piece; it is not swirling around her to consume her but it is she who is pushing back the surface of the water to release herself.  Another detail that may further my claim about this piece is that usually whirlpools are wider at the top and are narrow in the center. Whereas this formation may have been caused by a force being given off by the young girl, due to the water falling straight down and not swirling around her, which perhaps illustrates her escape.

            As I made my way through many of the pieces by Andrew Hem, I began to reflect back on the themes of Contemporary Art.  This solo exhibition did not contain many pieces that utilized different mediums or inventive crafting methods, yet the work remained pure and thoroughly engaging.  The art style used by Andrew Hem is certainly reminiscent of the comic-book like aesthetic.  For me personally, I sense a similarity to the work done by Studio Ghibli.  Andrew Hem expresses an innovative take on landscape work and character work that both contain hints of real-world actualities but with a dash of surreal or dreamlike subjectivity.  It is within that niche that Andrew Hem references different disciplines, such as the bizarre landscapes of cubism coupled with the finesse of relatable character design.  For me personally, I find this to be great blend of art that is both fluid and complex.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent wandering through Chelsea yet I felt disheartened because there were a few galleries that I did not have adequate time to stroll into.  I will definitely be making a return trip.