January 4 - 26, 2020
“I am not a real Texan, and from what I can tell I will never fully pass as one. After a professional life in New York City and Boston, my transition to Texas in 2009 struck many as an odd choice. Arriving to run one of the contemporary focused museums in this museum rich-city, I quickly became enamored of the types of artists and art made in my new home.
Fiendish Plots, a space created by an artist couple Nancy and Charlie Friedman in Lincoln Nebraska invited me to present my findings of a decade looking at artists in Texas and the result was “Texas Extravagant Drawing” on view starting September 11, 2019.
G-spot gallery, also run by the artist Wayne Gilbert asked if I would bring the show home and after a few edits to avoid redundancies I arrived at “Extravagant Drawing ReDo.”
Being in a city in which many of these names are known quantities I worked hard to provide both surprises alongside known reliable pleasures. Houston studio spaces are cheap compared to other large cities, and for that reason, creative ideas tend to find physical manifestation very quickly—any artist with ambition can make their installation dreams real.
Even better for art lovers, makers and mavens there exists in Houston a massive, enthusiastic , informed audience for all artists generated projects (in addition to the more mainstream venues). Focusing on drawing seems a reasonable way of making a snapshot of this moment in space and time, with the established artists that show internationally sharing wall space with punk musicians and stand-up comics that incorporate drawing into their other arts. In fact the way creative people in this city feel not regulatory pressure to stick within medium specific definitions. The shear number of visual artists I love and support who invite me to hear their bands and laugh at their comedy sets, read their poetry and short stories and watch their films, dances and plays. Disciplinary anarchy keeps me eternally young.
This is a tiny sliver of current practice, and focusing on drawings will be enjoyable and comprehensible without knowing the artists’ larger practices. Still the intention of the exhibition is that it will provoke visitors to look more deeply at a few of the artists here, lured in by the drawing based artistic thirst traps presented here.”
Bill Arning 2020
Featuring:
TOD BAILEY ∞ JEFF LICHTFIELD ∞ DEBRA BARRERA
MATTHEW KELLY DEBBAUDT ∞ WES HOLLOWAY
RACHEL HECKER ∞ STEVEN EVANS ∞ MARK PONDER
DAVID KELLEY ∞ CODY LEDVINA ∞ THEDRA CULLAR-LEDFORD
BOB MORRISSEY ∞ EMILIO MITTRY ∞ RICK LOWE ∞ LOVIE OLIVIA
JOSH PAZDA ∞ HARRISON WORZEL ∞ MARK FLOOD
Opening: January 4, 2020 | 6–8 pm
Artist talk: January 5, 2020 | 2–3 pm
You call this a practice? Disciplinary confusion as a way of life. With Steven Evans, Rachel Hecker, Bob Morrissey, Lovie Olivia
G Spot Contemporary Art Space (Old Location)
310 East 9th Street
Houston, 77008 Texas
713-869-4770
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