I dropped by the Bell-Roberts this morning, en route to my studio. It was nice to go see a show way after the opening, which I missed because I was stupid last week. These things happen after a long winter, one tends to get caught up worrying about global warming and forget about other important things like leaving the house/bed/blanket. And when one does get out it is all too exciting, and one could end up with a curious, not to mention mysterious, moustache shaved on your face. Early Friday parties are bad, people.

Back to the show. In the Cube section, I was pleasantly surprised to see a video work by Ryan McGinley, the New York photographer, rising star, and contender for the Nan Goldin/Wolfgang Tillmans throne. I have always been partial to that style of photography, it always gives me a sense of happiness and innocence and idealism. Idealism especially, like neither the photographer or subjects are aware or care about the deathly gentrifying power of photography. A similar idealism exists in the video work called Urban Mobility (a strange title, which I'll get to later). The couple, happy, naked, are cycling through the famous farm Woodstock. They are playfully aware of the camera, but are so enamored with the dreamlike state of bliss that it doesn't matter. The video reads like a yearning for a simpler life. What makes it a little weird, and it's a complex issue, is the sponsorship of the video by PUMA, as part of their new campaign called Urban Mobility. On the one hand, corporate sponsorship of art is positive, a way of making money for artists, and a way for the art to reach a wider audience. Kudos to these concepts. It's just a little odd, in the idyllic setting of the video, to see the girl has a PUMA bag attached to her handlebars. Subtle, subtle, it could just be their picnic lunch. But it just adds an unwelcome layer to an otherwise beautiful video. Still, before I read the title, it gave me a moment of happy.

Carol-Anne Gainer showed in the main gallery, but I'm a little unfocused right now, and it's still raining, so look out for a review later today/tomorrow.

Labels: Bell-Roberts, ryan mcginley, urban mobility