At INOVA - A 60wrd/min review of Natural History

60wrd/min review
INOVA Gallery - University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
June 1 & 2, 2013 

The 60 wrd/min art critic is many things: an exploration of short-form art writing, a work of performance art in and of itself, an experiment in role reversal between artist and critic, a democratic gesture, a circumvention of the art review process.  Reviews were written by Lori Waxman is a Chicago-based critic and art historian. Her reviews and articles have been published in the Chicago Tribune, Artforum, Modern Painters, Gastronomica, Parkett, Tema Celeste, as well as the sadly defunct Parachute, New Art Examiner, and FGA.

The 60 wrd/min art critic was originally produced with no budget and the very generous help of its various hosts and receptionists, many of whom filched the necessary office supplies from their day jobs. Since spring 2009, the project has been generously funded by a Warhol Foundation/Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant, which will enable the 60 wrd/min art critic to travel to ten venues throughout the U.S. between now and September 2010. For dates and locations, see Venues: Upcoming Performances on this site.

While B attended a Creative Capital Seminar sponsored by Milwaukee Artists Resource Network, L presented her work to Waxman.

Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman

6/2/13 5:29 PM

In their “Natural History” series, collaborators Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman overlay striking black-and-white portraits of women with delicate blue flowery veils. Each of the elements in the process is old: the Roman bust-influenced poses, the women, the cyanotype technique, the idea of veiling, even the botanicals themselves. And yet, entirely new effects arise from their combination, going far beyond any simple equation of older women and the authority they most certainly deserve to be recognized with. Silhouettes printed with distinct facial detail confirm their sources as individuals rather than types. Wrinkles remain visible but cede place of honor to branches and plant fronds. Floral patterns replace skin to suggest the visibility of blood-filled veins and neural pathways underneath. Bold blue designs mark faces with the tribal tattoos of ancient warriors. Ciurej and Lochman prove not that what’s old can be new again, but that what’s old can be relevant, powerful and revelatory—especially when approached in novel ways. 

—Lori Waxman