Travis Iurato: PRIVATE COLLECTION at DTFU

by Richard Bailey June 25, 2013

PRIVATE COLLECTION, now on display at Studio DTFU in Dallas was born out of a correspondence through the mail between Brooklyn-based artist Travis Iurato and DTFU Co-directors Justin Hunter Allen and Lucy Kirkman. There are only four works in PRIVATE COLLECTION and each one is a lively communicator.

Travis Iurato, Devil in the Details

Travis Iurato, Devil in the Details

The devil in Devil in the Details arrives first to celebrate the corruption of a pattern. The gallery’s acronym on the address line of the envelope has been obliterated by whiteout and rebuilt using a different letter order. The gallery’s full name is Don’t Fuck This Up. Its official acronym is DTFU. (Allen and Kirkman rearranged the letters for their own private reasons.) Iurato reinstates the acronym as DFTU. Who’s to say which is correct? The devil seems brightly pleased to be dominating even this minor bit of chaos. His arrival in the gallery through a mail slot prompts an irresistible temptation to consider the devil’s other visits in history.

Iurato’s long, pointy, very funny picture has its origins in the Middle Ages. By the 14th century the devil had become, for some, a figure of fun. And yet, monist religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, have an tough time treating him in ontological terms.  If God is the prime force, who’s the devil?

The grand hierarchy of meaning that religion once structured in Western thought doesn’t matter to us much today. The devil is a benign icon of popular culture. Iurato explores the elemental meanings of  images such as the devil, the cross, and the American flag at the present moment.

Iurato delights in the application, re-routing, and disruption of patterns. The appearance of a devil on a common envelope that moves across the country by conveyor, interstate, and human hand, given access by an emblem, a stamp, is an inspired and unique way to think about a traditional religious image.

Travis Iurato, God Bless America

Travis Iurato, God Bless America

The American flag in the picture God Bless America reminds viewers of an irony: the greater the social space—in this case, the reaches of the USA—the more room there is in it for illusions to flourish. The red mark in the lower left corner of the star field could be commentary— a drop of blood, perhaps.  Or maybe an official seal or stamp. It could be a hole in the fabric or some kind of portal. The mark bedevils the order of the stars, crowds them a little. Maybe even obliterates one of them. The slogan “God Bless America” is printed over the flag, occupying a space between the flag and the viewer, creating an alignment of individual, slogan, and emblem.

iurato crossThe work in this show was not named by the artist but by DTFU’s directors, who assigned the pieces’ names based on the images and text they saw. The collage titled Cross got its name and shape by accident. The envelope that arrived at DTFU shows dotted lines and, in all caps, letters in blue marker where the receiver ought to “SLICE” to get it open. Allen, knowing there was art inside, showed caution and erred. But the result of the error embodies the spirit of the exhibit. Kirkman and Allen live in a back segment of the gallery, which doubles as their studio. They brought their bed in from the living space into the gallery space and hung Cross above it, completing a comfortable domestic scene.

PRIVATE COLLECTION has the feel of a visit to the curators at home. As Kirkman explains in the catalog, “We want to create an imagined ideal scenario of living with artwork in our private lives; an imagined living situation completely structured around viewing artwork.” Kirkman and Allen have taken Iurato’s intelligent, playful correspondence and created an intimate exhibit—a reminder that delight, too, lives in the details.

Travis Iurato, Texas Sun, Texas [Illegible]

Travis Iurato, Texas Sun, Texas [Illegible]

PRIVATE COLLECTION will be on display through June 29, 2013 at Studio DTFU, located at 842 First Avenue, Dallas.

 

 

8 comments

8 comments

Robin June 25, 2013 - 08:27

this whole thing, from the “show” to this review reeks of MFA art school trash. It’s artspeak justifications reads like this old thing
https://glasstire.com/2011/11/11/tidy-cat-jack-o-lanterns-in-montrose/
from the Glasstire archives, but without the wit.
sadly, in theory (like everything in school) my comment can now be subsumed into your little project

Reply
BlueJay June 25, 2013 - 10:48

got up early for that worm

Reply
Bill Davenport June 25, 2013 - 11:35

Robin, if you would like to amplify on the “art school trash” aspect of Iurato’s show, using your real name, Glasstire is always looking for critical writers. Email me at [email protected]. If you prefer to remain anonymous, please comment more fully!

Reply
Robin June 26, 2013 - 09:10

lol, yes this worm was quite yummy, BlueJay. Also, witty play on my name. Perhaps I was up too early without adequate caffeine when I made this comment and it is very trollish. However, this thing feels disingenuous to me, especially the review. It doesn’t feel honest.

“Iurato explores the elemental meanings of images such as the devil, the cross, and the American flag…” um ok, I’ll play along, but then this is revealed, “The work in this show was not named by the artist but by DTFU’s directors, who assigned the pieces’ names based on the images and text they saw. The collage titled Cross got its name and shape by accident”. Is lurato still getting credit for exploring crosses? Because from the second quote is sounds like he had no idea that was even being made.

There’s more, like this show “has the feel of a visit to the curators at home.” isn’t the space in their home? Am I mistaken with that? I guess the counter argument is the placement of the bed in the “gallery” space?

I don’t know why I’m going on so, especially in the comments section. I’m just tired of work that says “I’m art! The burden is on you to prove that I’m not.” No, not anymore, prove to me that you are.

Reply
Jenna June 25, 2013 - 12:01

I think this show really spoke volumes on how prolific Iurato is. Allen and Kirkman recognized the elusive and mystical je ne sais quois that the artist and his work – even in the mundane of mailing – exudes, and was able to display their personal treasures in an intimate environment exemplifying their adoration for their private collection of Iurato’s work. The result is thoughtful and collaborative in the natural unfolding of a correspondence; the opening of a letter.

Reply
Robert June 26, 2013 - 08:32

This is a joke, right? It would seem that all of the rigor of this project lies with the postal service. And that’s not even an original approach to collaboration.

Robin, I dont completley agree with your statement of “MFA art school trash” because I have an Mfa and so do a lot of my friends and none of us would every dream of making/writing something this thin, that’s an unfair generalization, but you should take Bill’s offer, because this poor little regional arts newsletter could really use some help.

Reply
L'Artis June 26, 2013 - 10:42

Perhaps if the mailings were intended to be exhibited by the artist, Robin, they’d be more carefully “crafted” or “art”like. Instead they were friendly if taciturn messages from New York to Dallas, supportive Yea’s of approval for what all is going on in the big TX. It was up to DTFU to show them as works they considered worthy of exhibiting and scrutiny. Thanks, and if you haven’t seen it yet, please do pay a visit! and you can take it from there

Reply
Albert Omaha July 1, 2013 - 11:20

JESUS.
ARE WE REALLY THIS BORED?

Reply

Leave a Comment

Funding generously provided by: