Hrag Vartanian

I had the good fortune of visiting AD HOC in Bushwick this past weekend (or is it East Williamsburg?) and seeing the work of three engaging talents that are worth some attention.

What was even more surprising is that unlike those hoity-toity galleries that James Wagner is boycotting because of their photography prohibition, AD HOC posts images of “This Side of Light” on Flickr with all names and dimensions–finally a gallery interested in getting work out into the public domain. Though I did take some images of my own, since I thought the images AD HOC posted didn’t do justice to the work (click here to see my photos).

Anyway, some thoughts:

Daniel Abramovich

His drawings are amazingly passionate and vigorous, while his paintings have a vintage air about them…it can look like he’s channeling Egon Schiele or some French artist from the 1950s, like Carzou. His tendency for single figure drawing on an empty background can seem simplistic, but he surprisingly makes it work. (click here to visit artist’s website)

Rahul Alexander

Hipper-than-thou concoctions of images that look like an updated David Salle in wax. They are simultaneously informed by J-pop and 1950s didactic illustration. Alexander seems to crop his images too close…he needs to let them breathe! The talent is obvious, but the compositions could be more risky and less pretty. To his credit, his work has an intense energy that the other two in the same show lack. (click to visit the artist’s website)

John Breiner

The poet of the show…with a keen technical skill. His book cover pieces (painted directly on torn out book covers) are wonderfully coy. “Deadly Game of Chess Pt. 1″ (2006) (pictured above) uses the form in a marvelous way, transforming the spine into a telephone pole. Each panel is as creative and multi-layered as the last…Breiner is one to look out for…though I do wish he’d work on a larger scale. (click to visit the artist’s blog)