Christine Tien Wang & Ken Lum at Galerie Nagel Draxler

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At root both artist's text/image relation is a vibe ambivalent, cynical(?) The reproduced memes, the ironic signage. The story in the PR is telling. A European artist at dinner casts designation: "oriental." Surely one can understand an apathy with words, surely empathize a distrust to identification, "organization."  In relation to words a vibe that might be described of white knuckling, teeth gritted, smiling, polite laughter. The detachment in relation to words might be one of self survival. Of cool rage. We ask for violence to be turned to comedy to make it palatable. For trauma turned to NPR bites, the "asian" section of grocery store. For both its served cold and you get to turn it over on your palate and question whether learning to like it makes you a better liberal. It is fun for the chef. I like it. 

see too: Christine Wang at Nagel Draxler Kabinett, Ken Lum at Wattis

Hans-Jörg Mayer at Galerie Nagel Draxler

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Everyone knows eating a whole turd isn't bad. But finding poop in your hamburger is terrible. This is the small distinction of Mayer's from say, Shimizu, Smith, Oehlen - Mayer occasionally lets himself get it right. Which is an unnerving feeling. Most just force you to swallow the whole log, but when the garnish is brought to temp the whole order falls apart. We had been keeping plates separate. But then here's a well rendered face amidst the brown. Uncertainty we find difficult. 

Kirsi Mikkola at Galerie Nagel Draxler

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30 years before the future was female merchandised and Beyonce haloed herself a 30 foot font Feminist it seems Mikkola had already tensioned this feminism and commodification, the bronze Fearless Girls, and the activism of posture. There was apparently success. Then she left it. Which seems foreboding. Because as the PR states, "It's time for a new toy!"

See too: Andrea Bowers at Capitain Petzel