ArtCal just posted my take on the “Street Language” (featuring Matt Siren & Darkcloud) and “Sign Language” (various artists) show at the Lower East Side’s Woodward Gallery.
Some bits from my review:
The problem is that removed from the city, these sanctioned works don’t edit as much as decorate. Robbed of their “natural” context they look design-y. That’s not to say they aren’t good, but their success is in spite of the gallery context. The works themselves are small and suffer from the choke hold of their diminutive size.
About the illustrious Darkcloud:
Darkcloud is the poet laureate of the street artist set. He can’t hide his painterly tendencies in his street work, which often consists of painted stickers that look like they were grafted from a larger composition. His outdoor work doesn’t easily strike up a conversation with neighboring street art. His cloudy brand offers up a small patch of meditation in a sea of urbanity, like haikus on a newspaper page.
The skinny:
The paired exhibitions offer insight into the direction this marriage of street and gallery may lead, namely harnessing the allure of an illegal activity into a tamer commercial setting. If this “art whispering” is to be successful, not only will the artists need to adapt but so will the galleries.
Check out the whole article here.
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