I showed up to a video installation of Lutz Bacher’s Scences from the Ring at the Six Feet Under Gallery in West 26th street and 10th Avenue.

Jarrett Gregory - July 27th
featuring Lutz Bacher

Six Feet Under is a theme-driven annual summer series featuring six proposals by six curators. As in previous years, the purpose of the series is to offer each curator and artist a weeklong opportunity to tackle White Box’s unique architecture and its six feet below ground exhibition space. The exhibitions are viewed through White Box’s sidewalk-level large window, lobby and in [VideoBox], a division of White Box located in an adjacent outdoor window.

This last and final edition brings to an end the six-year long series with a topic that specifically addresses the impact and scope of the Chelsea Arts District real estate development. Six young and emerging curators are invited to select six galleries, each of which will then suggest an artist to work with. The artists will present and install a work that reflects upon the realities and relationships of Chelsea’s artists’ studios and galleries versus the rampant real estate speculation that has resulted in forever-escalating costs affecting the entire arts industry. Perhaps the real question is whether or not there is complicity between all the forces at play and why some artists and galleries end up losing and others win, which in turn will affect, in unknown ways, the community we have forged.

Organized by Juan Puntes

However, the show I saw does not match up with the program notes, above.  I have usually had a hard time understanding or accepting Video Art in Galleries (presented much as paintings would be) as I don’t understand what the message is  - and I usually haven’t been able to “get it”.  I did not “get it” tonight either.

I love the online videos from YouTube, Google Video, IFilm, etc, that I can stream on my website - but I don’t understand the message and economics here.