A friend of mine visiting LA emailed me pictures of a show at Rosamund Felsen Gallery in Santa Monica by Jean Lowe. She thought that since I was an artist who had done books, I would be interested, and she was right. Lowe's work is right up my alley, so I'm taking this opportunity to go virtual, and talk about the show without actually having seen it. Seeing art is the most time-consuming part of writing reviews- imagine if I could just sit at my computer, download photographs and press releases, write my two cents worth, and upload it to Glasstire! Think of all the work I'd get done, without having to see any real art at all.
The show, titled Achieve and Maintain a More Powerful Delusion is all paper mache covered in enamel paint, which makes me like it from the get-go. A roomful of bookcases display campy handmade books; their imaginary titles and covers have a wry political wit, some, like "Freedom from Rigor and Competence (National #1 Bestseller) club you over the head, others are more subtle, like "First Impressions", a book with a painting of a surprised opossum on the cover that stirs a vague memories of Tououse Lautrec.
They're all funny, as is the life sized paper mache grand piano. It doubles as an ice chest: cold drinks will be served throughout the show. The pathetic pop art re-creations of everyday items speak eloquently of a desperate need for control. The mandalas on the walls, I don't get. I guess you had to be there.
There's a lot I'd like to know about Lowe's work that I can't find out through the small screen, but Anonymous Female Artist (aka the Militant Art Bitch), has.
