Sunday, April 10, 2016

Ian Rosen at The Finley

(link)

Rosen is to art what golf is to sport. Removing its physical aspects to magnify its mental stressors and fine muscle finesse of putting the ball in its proper hole with the least sweat. A methodical game for Rosen's name sunk in the proper places of art's social field. Both Rosen and golf minimize their respective sphere's entertainment value (athletics and objects) to find viewers caring more for the prosaic passing of scenery, i.e. that since there's nothing to see our interest turns elsewhere, and Rosen's finesse in making CAD his personal resume proves the course has, at least in some tournaments, been standardized. The greens on which Rosen sinks putts aren't that disparate, Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer of the Finley provides in some way the map to Rosen's field, having co-curated with and exhibited at - the then co-gallery of - Kristina Kite; curated exhibitions at Midway Contemporary Art where too Bruce Hainley has curated and who has at least appeared several times on stage with L-G who thanked him firstly in her Lozano book; all of whom have worked with Rosen. The New Museum's First look series is the only unconnected green. Which makes you realize the course isn't that large.

Also this show was in February according the Finley's nice website (the only organization to list Rosen's exhibition on their website) and had this to say:
Ian Rosen's project took place online, replacing our website with this single image. Nothing was installed in the physical space of the gallery for the duration of the show, though the sidewalk marquee indicated the artist's name.
While it may seem non-referential and indecipherably oblique, Rosen's image is actually a direct reference and visual quote from the first exhibition at The Finley.

See too: Ian Rosen at Kristina Kite