In an artwork world that has grown accustomed to insisting that work play nicely with Instagram, it may be simple to miss something that doesn’t. Publicity at Ulterior Gallery, a delicate present that generally appears deliberately to withstand simple photographic copy, may not supply the fast solutions our ever-shrinking consideration spans demand. However a lot on this present, curated by artist Carrie Yamaoka, is value a second view.
Take two items by Carlos Reyes, each titled “Popular Jewelry” (2023). Relying on how the sunshine falls, or how shortly you go by, you might not see quite a bit in these framed items of burgundy cloth. However shut up, the curved traces of necklaces stand out within the light textile and tiny pock marks from the pins used to carry finery in place develop into seen; what you’re seeing are cloth swatches from jewellery show circumstances. Reyes collects them from shopkeepers in Decrease Manhattan. I doubt it’s an accident that the works share the title of an unassuming Canal Road enterprise that has lengthy been a go-to spot for a large swath of New Yorkers in search of adornment, together with many well-known rap and hip-hop artists. There’s quite a bit to learn in these quiet items, which recall to mind the nightly ritual of staff from downtown to uptown rigorously locking up tens of millions of {dollars} of merchandise, leaving solely denuded trays and stands within the home windows.
Set up view of Publicity at Ulterior Gallery, New York
Humor bubbles up in a few of the different works on show. Linn P. Meldt’s “Á conter en le trottoir” (2024) is comprised of forged silicone and flower petals, “with sidewalk residue.” What might be much less Instagrammable? And tips on how to distinguish the flower petals from the filth and waste and disintegrating trash which have merged into residue? Anna Campbell’s “Chest” (2022) is extra coy in its humor. Composed of plywood, pine, and a rectangle of hickory veneer, that odd imposition of veneer on prime of plywood, itself made up of layers of veneer, begs all kinds of questions. Does the title reference anatomy or furnishings? The artist’s layering and enhancing initiatives each playful and severe dimensions. Given Campbell’s curiosity in queerness, “Chest” suggests the ways in which the our bodies of queer and cis folks alike change, deliberately and over time, and our society’s very completely different readings of these adjustments throughout id teams.
However because the uncertainties above point out, the works within the present will not be at all times simple to know. With little contextualizing data, a few of the process-focused items, corresponding to these by Daniel Brodner and Thomas Fougeirol, can really feel arduous to entry. I ended up asking the gallery attendant what was at play in Criag Jun Li’s sculpture “Repose II” (2025), which fills the area with a low whirring sound and whose inner equipment gathers condensation on the steel plate on the prime of the small construction. The dryness of the gallery limits the impact of this piece.
Artists aren’t obligated to spoon feed audiences, but it surely’s a option to current work that turns in on itself. For over a decade I wrote primarily about efficiency artwork and experimental theater, and realized early on to reassure associates that not getting it’s a legitimate response. That stated, Yamaoka’s curatorial assertion is useful in clarifying the present’s intent. For her, Publicity is an exploration of concepts surrounding photographic publicity, “our exposure to each other,” and the methods by which artwork itself is uncovered to the world, with all the wear and tear and tear that entails. It’s no surprise that the work representing the present on the gallery’s web site and social media is “Landscape” (Nineteen Sixties/2007–ongoing). Created by Hol Ogram, a cryptic collaboration between artists who will not be recognized on the net or by the gallery, this durational piece is a literal experiment in publicity. Made utilizing a dye switch course of, it slowly degrades as gentle interacts with the chemical substances over time. Just like the Greek thinker Heraclitus’s well-known river, it’s by no means the identical twice, at all times inviting one other look.
Carlos Reyes, “Popular Jewelry” (each 2023)
Anna Campbell, “Chest” (2022)
Craig Jun Li “Repose II” (2025)
Hol Ogram, “Landscape” (Nineteen Sixties/2007–ongoing)
Publicity continues at Ulterior Gallery (424 Broadway #601, Soho, Manhattan) via April 5. The exhibition was curated by Carrie Yamaoka.
