Various Artists
Ruta Maya Coffee House
through February 28
 Untitled, by Cuban artist Tito |
restaurants often rivals the collections in many galleries. I won’t climb on my
soapbox about the serious deficiency of galleries in Austin, and I’m not
necessarily complaining — it’s rather nice to be able to sit and have an au
lait while I jot down notes on a collection. However, it is frustrating
that few coffeehouses and restaurants match the quality of the art they show
with proper exhibition elements, like sufficient light and space.
Which is precisely what troubles this collection. The paintings are
excellent,
some of the most engaging I’ve seen so far this year. Yet the works are hung in
scant, dim lighting, with little space between each piece. None of the works
are labeled with the medium or artist’s name, leaving the viewer to decipher
the artists’ signature from each work.
This is not to discredit Ruta Maya, which does a marvelous job of bringing in
underrated or overlooked Latino artists who deserve attention. This is
especially true for these Cuban artists, who have a difficult time exhibiting
in the U.S. It’s quite a shame that these works aren’t more accessible, because
they show a talent and passion deserving recognition. Ren�
Portocar–rero’s watercolor images of Cuban birds are gorgeous, with tropical
colors fading into and out of each other, camouflaging the exotic birds. The
works give a vivid picture of some of the island’s more pleasant aspects: the
flora and fauna.
If Austin’s lack of galleries continues to force artists and exhibitors to
explore space in dining establishments, perhaps we should implore these
establishments to afford proper and fundamental exhibition tools.
Out of Bounds: New Works by Eight Southeast Artists
Various Artists
Huntington Art Gallery
Through March
The Deep South meets the next century in this collection, a compellingly
eclectic group of works by eight vanguard artists from the southeastern U.S.
The show was originally organized for the Olympics Arts Festival in Atlanta
last summer and was intended to “redefine collective notions about art made in
this region.” Curators Julia A. Fenton and the Huntington’s own Annette DiMeo
Carlozzi wanted to show that not all Southern artists pursue the traditional
folk art style so common to the area.
This exhibit is, without a doubt, not folk art. You can see some folkloristic
influence — as in Radcliffe Bailey’s use of dazzling patchworks of colors —
but most of the works look more like visions from Blade Runner, and give
a hint to the future of art. It’s an amazingly complex and grand show, one that
is best taken in over a couple of visits. Arguably the most outrageous piece is
Edouard Kac’s Rara Avis, a large bird aviary, replete with swings,
birdbaths, and a couple dozen small, chirping birds. Within the aviary sits a
huge fake macaw, and on a pedestal outside the aviary sits a virtual reality
headset, waiting to be donned. When the viewer puts it on, his/her point of
view changes to that of the macaw — looking out from within the bird room,
with birds fluttering all around its field of vision, which is controllable
with the headset. You can also see a live shot of the macaw’s view on
Huntington’s website; you can’t get much more cyber-friendly than that.
Another potent piece is Dawn DeDeaux’s The Face of God, In Search Of,
a
requiem in five suites that combines film and an original score with laser disc
mastering to “offer a meditation on man’s efforts to reconcile his existence
and his mortality.” At the center of this sectioned-off installation is
something I personally feel should be at the center of every exhibit: a bed.
Lay on it and reconcile your existence, or just fall into a dream state, which
is what I did. — Cari Marshall
This article appears in February 14 • 1997 and February 14 • 1997 (Cover).