When I think of hotels and art, I think of luxury and visual pleasure when entering the lobby. By showing art in such a public place, it is exuding the class and comfort that a hotel strives to offer. In fact, there is tradition in turn of the 20th century Paris that artists living in hotels would give works of art for rent. One example is the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. I had the pleasure of visiting the hotel one afternoon. In the lobby there were paintings by such great artists as Larry Rivers, Phillip Taafe, and others all over the lobby. There was a sense that not only were you entering a place of legend where both the famous and infamous stayed, but a place where culture and life met together.
I also think about the Ballagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Steve Wynn's collection graces the restaurants and lobby of this hotel. When you go the restaurant Picasso in the Ballagio, the paintings on the walls are real Picasso paintings. So I was very pleased when I went to the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in the heart of Hollywood, California to see some of the best art that Southern California has to offer in the lobby, hallways and banquet rooms. I took pictures of the artwork that I was able to see. If you want to go see the work, all you need to do is go to either the concierge or front desk and ask for a map to go on a self guided tour of the art. Let me warn you that not all the sections of the hotel are accessible to visitors. There are some places where only guest are allowed. But it is well worth the time to see some of the works in that hotel. Enjoy.
Allison Schulnik’s paintings like to explore the underbelly of urban life in her latest show entitled “Home for Hobo,” of new paintings sculpture and video at Mark Moore Gallery in Santa Monica, California. Through a character called the Hobo, her works asks the viewer to offer both sympathy and yes, understanding for those that are rejected and marginalized. Hobo is an alter ego to the artist. The artist visually portrays Hobo with a huge mane of hair and all but unrecognizable with big eyes and a hand ready to waive at the viewer. The artist states that “Home for Hobo finds our protagonist in the vulnerable state of longing. Allowing his mind to clumsily, dangerously meander through an unattainable existence. However, for the deprived and the depraved, even the most glowing of fantasies are still dotted with crusting scabs. Some say the hobo knows us better than we know ourselves. Sometimes it is this very sense that betrays and haunts him”.
Her paintings stylistically are ripe with texture. Expressionistic in their composition, the canvas is thick with paint. The paint almost comes off the surface with cake-like texture. The paintings and works are beautiful. Schulnik shows versatility in the way she goes from painting her alter ego Hobo to other subjects such as monkeys, possums, or figures like Klaus (Kinsky) or Jimmy (Stewart) as a clown. The works asks the viewer to relate to the subject on an emotional level with sympathy and look towards those on the margins with compassion. Her sculptures also convey an emotional connection with her audience. Sculnik’s two sculptures of a raccoon and possum illustrate this perfectly. The sculpture of a possum especially interesting, which shows it eating from a bowl of food. This relates to her parents adapting a possum, where they allow it inside their house to eat. Schulnik is a wonderful artist whose art seek to explore a world where people would like to forget existed. They ask us the viewer to enjoy this world not with cynical or patronizing glances, but with a sense of wonder and acceptance. This is an excellent show and a definite must see. It is a great beginning to a new year.
Allison Schulnik
Home for Hobo
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 9, 5 – 7p
On View January 9 – February 6
Mark Moore Gallery
2525 Michigan Ave., A1
Santa Monica, CA 90404
T. 310.453.3031 F. 310.453.3831
www.markmooregallery.com
Tues-Sat, 11a – 6p
This group exhibition takes its title from the infamous 1962 book by St Ives artist Sven Berlin. It explores the influence of folklore, mysticism, mythology and the occult on the development of art in Britain. Focusing on works from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day it considers, in particular, the relationship they have to the landscape and legends of the British Isles.
Featuring major loans and works from the Tate Collection, it will examine the development of early Modernism, Surrealism and Neo-Romanticism in the UK, as well as the reappearance of esoteric and arcane references in a significant strand of contemporary art practice.
The exhibition includes a key work by Damien Hirst the first time he has been shown at Tate St Ives as well as works by important modernists and surrealists including Graham Sutherland, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Ithell Colquhoun; Neo-Romantics such as Cecil Collins, John Piper, Leslie Hurry and John Craxton; as well as emerging and established contemporary artists including Cerith Wyn Evans, Mark Titchner, Eva Rothschild, Simon Periton, Clare Woods, Steven Claydon, John Stezeker and Derek Jarman.
Exploring the tension between progressive modernity and romantic knowledge, the show focuses on the way the British landscape is encoded with various histories - geological, mythical and magical. It examines magic as a counterpoint to modernity’s transparency and rational progress, but also draws out the links modernity has with notions such as fetishism, mana, totem, and the taboo. Often viewed as counter to Modernism, the careful juxtaposition and selection of works on display suggests that these products of illusion and delusion in fact belong to modernity.
Curated by Martin Clark, Artistic Director, Tate St Ives; Michael Bracewell, writer and critic and Alun Rowlands, artist, writer and Head of Fine Art, University of Reading, the show is arranged thematically rather than chronologically, representing artists and influences across generations.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue containing contributions from over fifteen writers including Brian Dillon, Philip Hoare, Jon Savage, Jennifer Higgie, Marina Warner, Michael Bracewell, Alun Rowlands and Martin Clark.
