In another corner is “Cenotaph” by Steve Hollinger, which consists of a lever one pushes to activate a flipbook inside a block of concrete. A series of prisms allows the viewer to see the negative silhouette of a man dancing with a spear and what resembles the hat of a Venetian gondolier. Hollinger describes the piece as “art for a post-apocalyptic era.” While the purpose may be hard to grasp, it remains one of the favorite pieces in the exhibit, according to Jack.
Lehrer-Graiwer says she realizes that some aspects of the show may be confusing because of a lack of unity that comes from so many artists working in different media with different aims. “I made no pretense for it to be other than it is,” she says. Although there is no overarrching theme, and she appreciates that, “there are definitely overlapping concerns,” she says.
The space of the gallery is “really formative for the show,” and Lehrer-Graiwer points to issues of particularities of space, figuration of flatness and gradation, dialogues over striation and use of industrially produced monochrome as things over which the various artists are in dialogue.
The one artist that Lehrer-Graiwer feels is “in a world of his own,” is Robbie Kinberg, whose “40 never before available words” are in a small case in the corner. Jack first asked when she saw this late addition to the exhibit, “Is that even part of our show?”
But Lehrer-Graiwer says this is probably her favorite work in the show. “I’m very close to the artist,” she says, “and I love the way the intimate portraits point to the idiosyncrasies, the minute observations so crucial in life.”
The Three Columns Gallery itself is a relatively new venue that has only been used to display artwork since 2000, according to Jack.
“It’s really amazing,” Jack says. “We have this wonderful vertical space and there are really no doors to cut it off. The architect of the House originally wanted this to be a gallery space, and [the house staff] has seen that, and seen it to fruition.”
Jack says she’s very excited with the activity of the space. “You become familiar with the work that’s been up in your house” she says. Although Jack says it is always sad to see it come down (most exhibits last about a month), the amount of interest and the fact that “we just have that many shows,” is a cause for excitement. “It’s alive and it’s here,” she says. “And we have every reason to be thankful for that.”
BostonLA is on display in the Three Columns Gallery until March 30.
-—Staff writer Jayme J. Herschkopf can be reached at herschk@fas.harvard.edu