Gallery 414 and William Campbell Contemporary Art are only a couple of miles apart. It’s a straight shot down Camp Bowie from Byers, where Bill Campbell’s is, to Templeton, 414’s street. Meaning: There’s no reason why you can’t see both 414’s and Bill Campbell’s new exhibits. Both are opening on Saturday.
The Bill Campbell exhibit, Scottie Parson’s Pieces of Space, is built to sell. The Wichita Falls painter’s canvases are innocuous enough to go good with the sofa but have just enough edge to suggest high contemporaneity. Think: Diebenkorn meets Rothko. Lou Chapman’s Metaphors & Dark Corners, the 414 exhibit, isn’t necessarily going to inspire — or require — moneyed Westsiders to dig deep into their pockets, but the Fort Worth photog’s blend of journalism and abstraction is enticing.
33
William Campbell and Gallery 414 – definitely two of my favorites along with Artspace 111. When I first started going to Artspace fifteen years or so ago, it was more like 414, edgier, darker (literally, exposed brick / plumbing etc inside but good light on the works themselves) more underground and subversive. Now it’s more like Campbell’s – a change yes, but just different not better or worse – the art at 111 is still some of the best.
This post reminded me that people should also get to the Kimbell for Butchers, Dragons, Gods & Skeletons if they haven’t already seen the films / paintings in the exhibit. Tomorrow the 25th is the last day.
I agree, Paul. 111 has become mainstream though no less rewarding. One of my favorite progressive/underground galleries back in the day (circa five years ago) was the short-lived Four Walls in the industrial area by LaGrave Field. Sad that no indie curator rushed in to fill the underground void left by the Northside gallery, a void that still exists.
And I’m still amazed that no national media have deigned to review the Kimbell exhibit. Ridiculous. They’ll surely be singing a different tune once Butchers/Skeletons makes its way to New York City and London next year.
Malcolm Warner, Paul Unger and I had coffee at the Kimbell today. I’ll send more details in an email Mon. (or do you get your FW Email on weekends) but for now I can say there is an old armory (now a modern gallery) in NYC that is thinking of hosting the Haas exhibit. One of the films did win an award at the Venice Film Festival held recently but yes, there should be more national attention given to the exhibits like Butchers / Skeletons and not just the Kimbell building itself.
BTW, the three of us will all be at Scat tomorrow night (Sat) if you feel like making more art chit chat and listening to da jazz …
Hey, Paul. Outta town. Hope the show went well. See you soon hopefully.
It’s still Saturday. Hope the show GOES well 🙂