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Jamillah James synthesizes a show and organizes a space unlike many other Baltimore curators. That is to say the presentation is slick and professional– well-framed, high-caliber works are distributed evenly throughout an immaculate white space, and there is no wall text, just discreet vinyl numbers corresponding to titles on a price list. The artists come from places like Chicago and New York and schools like SAIC and Yale. But somehow she can’t seem to pull in a large, enthusiastic crowd.
Her current show After Image at School 33 Art Center opened January 29th. It explores the artist’s position vis a vis mass culture, the “deliberate presence” of the artist in her work. Kristine Thompson’s series Projecting exemplifies this theme of the artist’s intervention into existing media. In four 20″ x 20″ photographs the artist is positioned close to a wall, absurdly attempting an intimacy with projections of four deceased talents. In the first she puts her hand on Bas Jan Ader’s shoulder as he sobs in his black and white 1970 performance piece “I’m too sad to tell you”. In the next she pulls up a chair close to the image of the poet Edna St. Vincen Millay, watching her smoke. In all four you can see her, the artist, in the dark, her face illuminated by the reflected glow of the projections. In the last photograph “Bringing Emily Dickinson Flowers” she stands at the threshold of what must be the sitting room in Emily Dickinson’s house. The poet is not present, but across the empty room, on the far wall, hangs her portrait.
These romantic photographs speak about cinema– the experience of being isolated in the dark with the projected image and the longing it creates. My experience with these small-framed images on the wall contrasts sharply with what I might feel alone, in a room with a projection of one of my heroes. While Kristine stood with her hand on Bas Jan Ader’s shoulder, I stood in front of a photograph trapped under glass, while the reflections of the gallery space around me obscured the image. The intimacy of Kritine’s private cinema versus the sterile, academic atmosphere of the conventional gallery makes me wonder about this model of curating which seems to lack energy. The works are like specimens in Petri dishes, in a sterile lab.
Perhaps Jamillah’s style of curating accounts for the lackluster attendance. It might be that art fans in Baltimore aren’t interested in this presentation strategy, where the gallery space is like a blank page and the works in the show are like the primary sources cited to support a thesis. Or it might be that more of the artists aren’t local. Or it might simply be the shitty parking situation in Federal Hill. In any case, I wager that Jamillah will graduate from Baltimore in a year or so. But perhaps while she is here she can expand her idea of curating to create something that’s something more than just professionally impeccable.
After Image
School 33 Art Center
1427 Light Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
410 396 4641
http://www.school33.org
January 29 – March 27, 2010
Tags: After Image, Bas Jan Ader, Jamillah James, Kristine Thompson, School 33 Art Center
Filed Under: Feature Sights
Peter,
February 10, 2010 9:23 pmI find the pretense of being “too professional” really troubling. Should Baltimore, and transplants like myself, not strive to present and do the best work possible for this city? “Art fans in Baltimore” have been quite supportive that I’ve brought a number of high profile, well-documented, emerging artists here, who, heretofore, hadn’t shown here, or perhaps wouldn’t have shown here, and contextualized their work with that of local artists. It’s about dialogue, not being hostile and exclusive to the point of reduction. I think it’s important to continue shifting the discourse, raising the bar, and most of all, be inclusive, not dismissive. I do not expect glowing reviews at every juncture, I don’t even encourage them. I would never evolve as a curator if I continuously received accolades. However, I would appreciate having my work, and especially that of the amazingly talented artists in AFTER IMAGE, evaluated in a more thoughtful manner, no matter how adversarial the tone. Peter, I would invite you to make an appointment with me to come and spend more time with the exhibition–not on opening night, which is honestly the worst time to do anything other than drink for free–and we can have a serious chat about it. My contact information can be found at frntrs.tumblr.com in the “about” section.
Looking forward–
Best,
Jamillah James
curator, AFTER IMAGE
mr. boyce, why don’t you actually discuss the show and the works in some developed sense? this review reads to me like a longer version of “none of my cool friends are here and it was hard to park. this show sucks.”
February 11, 2010 2:08 am