Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Dave Miko, July 12 - August 17, 2014


























Finally, here it is: the Dave Miko signature series we've all been waiting to see, and it is a pointedly consistent body of work. It could be a dozen copies of the same painting. The repeated Orientalist motif of two bamboo shoots seems to jive with the name in corner- but isn't Dave Hungarian? Even subtle changes in the script of the signature raise the possibility of forgery.

Then there are the small irregularities from panel to panel in the stencil itself- almost like a cool breeze blowing through the leaves. This subtly shifting silhouette is complicated by a more noticeable range of stylistic variations. Enamel is layered using disparate techniques yet the self­-leveling action of the paint forms a single smooth surface. Versions of the same composition in different colors seem to demand the choice of a favorite.

At a glance, the exhibition appears to meet certain expectations for art as décor; However, a closer look suggests something entirely inauthentic about the undertaking. If there is a sense of going through the motions, it extends from the works themselves to the trends in contemporary painting that they knowingly appropriate.
 
~ Ben Carlson