Thursday, January 22, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Art: A for effort

By F. Andrew Taylor

Ah, the ugly downside of being an art critic. Art critics are few and far between in Las Vegas. Any given small art show is likely at best to get one review, one opinion to illuminate the work for the masses. The closest analogy is reviewing local music but really that's not even close. I've lived with musicians. You upset them, they make loud noises and then forget about it until they're drunk and it gives them another thing to swear about. When you review art, even a group show such as Undercovers now showing at Studio Open, you are passing judgment on an individual who, through that odd combination of sensitivity and ego, has revealed himself to the world.

All that being said, I have my dubious journalistic integrity to maintain and sadly I must say that this group show by artists from here and Chicago just doesn't quite make it. The show was touted as a celebration of sexuality but much of the work doesn't convey that. In fact, two of the more interesting paintings, "Jane Masterson" and "Honey Rider" by Peter Hoffman, were simply stylized portraits in a bold, aggressive style that I enjoy but speaks of coldness and distance. Andreana Donahue's "Fill Me Up, Buttercup," a picture of a recumbent woman clutching the hem of a negligee, is a more successful realization of the theme but I didn't find the actual painting terribly exciting. The less said about the giant blue crepe paper vagina and the ballpoint pen drawings of the guy with a dick bigger than his body, the better. The most openly sexual painting was Stephanie Koslieski's "How Do You Love Me?," a nude in warm, passionate colors in a less-than-subtle pose. Unfortunately, the viewing was marred by a bright light neatly bisecting the painting.

This is only the second art show at Studio Open, which is primarily a yoga studio with a focus on sexuality and the mystical. The previous show, if the sole photograph remaining is any indication, was far better. I loved the environment, the people and the overall vibe of the space. The food, an abundance of rich sweet delights, was by far the best I've ever had at an opening. The live entertainment, consisting of mostly acrobatic dance, was splendid. It was a beautiful, comfortable, soothing setting but by and large the art didn't measure up.
Undercovers

Through Jan. 23

Studio Open

5115 S. Industrial Road, Suite #170

651-6736