Mike + Doug Starn, Structure of Thought 18, 2001-2007, 72"x60", archival inkjet prints with varnish
Today I ventured to the last day of the Armory show. My senses were bombarded. With the art, the people, the heat. I walked in circles seeing so many contrasting sights at each turn that I did not know what to focus on. It was thrilling and I think I'll go again next year.
One of the pieces that caught my eye in the whirlwind of the day was a giant inkjet print with wax, encaustic, and varnish by Mike + Doug Starn. They are the artist twins that are responsible for the upcoming Met roof installation, Big Bambù, that opens in April. I did not connect the two until I looked them up when I returned to Brooklyn. I in fact was not even aware they were the artists of the piece I was enamored with, and had neglected to write down, until I did some digging and put two and two together. This work was so different from the towering bamboo structures I was aware of. Lesson: always use your moleskin. The piece in the show must have been similar or an edition of the one above? Again, moleskin a useful tool. Also on the artists' website, starnstudio.com, I found out I need to take a trip south on the 1 train to see their installation, See it split, see it change, that encompasses the entire South Ferry Station. Trees underground in the subway? A happy thought indeed. And if I had been more aware of their work before today, I could have taken advantage of the fact that 20x200.com (affordable art for people who can't afford it, such as artists) was selling editions of their work, Structure of thought6-b and 6-a (designed to be layered together), and owned my very own mini Mike+Doug Starn...before they sold out. Drat. What can I say, I love to look up at the trees. And in this city we all need that from time to time.
I also wish I could have taken home a Chagall drawing I was eyeing today. I only like some of his work, but the work of his I like, I really like. And this colored in, loose line drawing of a circus would fit perfectly in the home I live in in my mind.
(my entire neighborhood must have been in attendance, nice tights)
