The frigid gusting wind on Manhattan’s west side did nothing to discourage an art-hungry crowd from attending Saturday evening’s Kris Kuksi and Pat Rocha openings at Joshua Liner Gallery. As mentioned in our preview, Kuksi’s work really needs to been seen in person to be believed. Each piece is obsessively constructed of hundreds upon hundreds of individual parts to form a frightening yet beautiful world of men and monsters. And with some works measuring over 10 feet in length, one could spend hours and hours pouring over every detail, trying to understand the stories and symbols of each sculpture. The gallery was too packed to allow the time needed to fully digest Kuksi’s exhibition, so we’re looking forward to returning soon to give the work the attention it deserves.
Pat Rocha is showing a diverse selection of paintings, highlighting his quiet and subtle take on pop surrealism. The work subverts the safe and nostalgic all-American, Mid-Western imagery by blending it with just a bit of the supernatural. The combination creates work that easily draws viewers in, but then turns and leaves them a little off kilter.
More images from the openings, after the jump.
Discuss this show here.
