(excerpt) Other works are equally spectacular, like Gae Savannah’s opulent assemblage sculptures using glass beads, trinkets, reams of gossamer and other cheap objects and materials relating to shopping and the beauty industry. Her assemblages are risky, but when they come together there is a wonderful sense of lushness and overflowing color.
ANIMAL MAGAZINE AUGUST 2006
Gae Savannah, Orientalist Gae Savannah’s art is worth ‘all the tea in China’ so you better start saving. She creates brilliantly colored mixed media sculptures using fabrics, gems, and other things we can’t identify. True to her fascination with Asia, she dreams of being a buyer for an Oriental furniture wholesaler and kills time by excavating Chinatown. Gae agreed to answer all our questions (albeit curtly) and showcased some of her fantastically engineered creations.
Tell us about how you make your art? Go shopping; mix ‘n’ match. What's your process? Fast failures Who is your Art for? Current boyfriend. What is your Art supposed to do? Amuse. What is your art worth? All the tea in China. What single work of art would you most like to destroy? A John Currin, but I wouldn’t make the effort. Name one ‘crappy’ "Artist:” Jon Pylypchuk but I love his stuff. Now name another one Angela de la Cruz. Also love. Best museum: South American Folk Art Museum (does it exist?). Worst museum: Those tedious, somber colonial villages that you were forced to tour on elementary school field trips (with blacksmithing demonstrations). Describe the finest moment of your artistic endeavors: In grad school when I decided I would never again make anything that looked like Art. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOW GET DOWN AND GIVE US 19
1. Favorite ANIMAL: Deer. 2. What gets you excited? Plastic. 3. Worst Job: Art program director at a camp for fat kids. Dream Job: Buyer for an Oriental furniture wholesaler (I’d be based in Asia). 4. Best kept secret about NYC: Tompkins Square Park dog run. 5. What would you do if you found A LOT of cash in a cab? Free Tibet. 6.Favorite website: Jameswagner.com. Most embarrassing favorite website: Starmatch. 7. Early bird or night owl? Early bird (wannabe). 8.Motto, mantra, words of advice, or favorite quote: mystic samurai. 9. Name your favorite ISM: Solecism or ...well there's also solipsism 10. If you invented a recreational drug, what would it be called? Pier 1. 11. What's the greatest thing the internet has given mankind? Netflix. 12. Who owes you something? Pillow (cat) 13. How would you run the zoo? More petting. 14. How do you kill time: read 15. Favorite watering hole: Suzie Wong, (Beijing) 16. Are you looking for anyone you've lost contact with? (maybe we could help.) Beauty and the Geek on TV. 17. Do you need anything really bad? Not to want this sentence to have correct grammar. 18. Any tips for the kids? Don’t try this at home. 19. Shout outs: Hey Huang Du!
In a similar vein, Gae Savannah’s “Patisserie Chinoise” sculptures at Curcio Projects (NYC) surprised and delighted. Succulent, seductive assemblages of florid, shiny, plastic beauty accessories, her girls, as she calls them, have a real femme fatale quality. Dripping with beads and fringe and lace and gold, the works resemble a sort of garden of poisonous blossoms, whose materials are artifacts culled from the society of fifty years ago, when the myth of feminine delicacy – and its attendant, undervalued freedom to be frivolous - was alive and well. Souvenirs from the artist’s globetrotting shopping/research expeditions, thousands of disparate elements are made to correspond through a labor-intensive construction process that could only be executed lovingly.
These sculptures are not indictments of their origins, but neither are they nostalgic for them. Instead, they are improbably organic representations of the inner lives of things, and the ways in which even inanimate objects become expressive through recontextualization. Her artist statement includes a great Thomas Mann quote that forms a sort of conceptual index for the whole –scopeLA experience. “We need only realize how much obsessed a person is not only with the desired one but with desire itself; how (s)he is not seeking sanity but intoxication and yearning, and fears nothing more than to be relived of his/her delusion.” I can’t wait to see how this down-home high-art fetishism does when the fair returns to Miami Beach in December.
Gae Savannah plays with our desire to worship in a zone where beauty and commerce intersect. Savannah's miniature temples to beauty and exquisitely intricate pagodas allude to the richness of Eastern culture but are entirely constructed from ready made cheap beads and hair trinkets. Savannah purchases all of her materials on frequent trips to both China major (the country) and minor (China Town, New York).
An abundant interplay of plastic, ornaments, baubles, beads and fabrics, Savannah's studio is a "legally blond" fantasy, a veritable oriental market arranged by strict color codes in plastic containers that line every wall. With an avowed distaste for much of art world posturing, Savannah enacts her love for plastic in these deliberately decorative sculptures made, as she described it in another context, in that split second break before sophistication started. The glitz of the sculpture, the immediate level on which it resonates, is the glittery world of make-up, models, artifice and surface. The work preens its exteriority like a star on the red carpet, twirling and posing so the cameras can capture the gown. Like celebrity and the beauty culture, her sculptures thrive in the glow of strong light, presenting themselves for the sweet edification of our eyes and tempt with their surface.
We must imagine and draw conclusions about what must lie inside from our intentionally limited engagement with the exterior. Savannah states, " I'm parodying our anointing something as a revered relic or shrine, but at the same time I feel the trickster game is wearing thin."
GAE SAVANNAH www.gaesavannah.com 411@gaesavannah.com
133 Avenue D New York, NY 10009
85 Market Street Newark, NJ 07102
917 607-7887
EDUCATION
1993-95 MFA, Installation/Sculpture, School of Visual Arts, NY
1991-92 AAS, Fine Art, Parsons School of Design, NY
1996-00 BA, Art History/Comparative Literature, Colby College, ME
AWARDS
2010
Artist of the Month (December), Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL 2007
Malka Lubelski Foundation grant, NY
1995 Most
Contemporary Artist award, MFA dept
. SVA, NY
1993-95
Edward Zutrau Fund grant; (awarded twice) MFA dept. SVA, NY 1990
Charles E. Revson Foundation grant, NY
SOLO
EXHIBITIONS
2009 Cake Rupert Ravens Contemporary, NJ
2006 A Fool and His Froth Are Soon Parted, Dam, Stuhltrager Gallery, NY
2005 Chinoiserie, Curcioprojects, -scopeNY
2003 Patisserie Chinoise, Art Resources Transfer, NY
2002 Blush, The Scene Gallery, NY
2001 Meraharem, Art Resources Transfer
1988 Connections and Forces, Ramune Gallery, NY
SELECTED GROUP
EXHIBITIONS 2012 Paperazzi, Janet Kurnatowski, Greenpoint, NY Mic Check, Sideshow, Williamsburg, NY
2011 Chain Letter, Samson Projects, Boston, MA Peace Project, San Antonio Museum of Art, TX Apocalyse Now, Sideshow, Williamsburg, NYPaperazzi, Janet Kurnatowski, Greenpoint, NY
2010 Material Girls, New Jersey Center for the Arts, NJ Off the Wall, Allegra La Viola Gallery, LES, NY Vanitas, curated by Melissa Caldwell, Philadelphia Art Alliance, PA 2009 ArtViceroy, curated by Renee Vara, Miami
Squishy Universe, curated by Walter Patrick Smith, MiamiNeo Rococo, Shore Institute of Contemporary Art, NJ
2007 Meet Cute, Heskin Contemporary, NY
Sanctuary, Rupert Ravens Contemporary, NJ
#5 and Beyond, Supreme Trading, curated by Vellum magazine editor
Stephanie Young, NY
Gyeong Nam International Art Festival, Gyeong Nam Museum , KOREA
Dream Palace, Art Base 1, curated by A. Martinez & Feixe Li, CHINA
CIGE Art fair, Beijing, China Arts Contemporary, CHINA
Singularity in the Cultural Tide, Gallery Pierro, curator Rupert Ravens, NJ
Dangerous Beauty, Chelsea Museum, curator Manon Slome, NY;
Dangerous Beauty Palazzo Arti del Napoli Museum, ITALY.
2006 ScopeMiami, Curcio projects, FLA
Art Toronto, Curcio projects, CANADA
The Raw and the Cooked, (contemporary sculpture,) UMass at Amherst, MA
Paper and Plastic, Swope Museum, IN
Thread; Artspace, New Haven, CT
NOVA art fair, presented by Creative Thriftshop, curator Lynn del Sol, IL.
Icons of the 21st Century, the Lab Space, Roger Smith Hotel, NYC,
Lisa Paul Streitfeld, curator
2005 ScopeMiami, Curcioprojects, FLA
Multiple Partners; Pablo’s Birthday, NY
Beautiful Dreamer; Spaces, OH
the New Beasts; Chelsea Hotel, NY, Renee Vara, curator
Culture Vulture; Jack the Pelican, NY, David Gibson, curator
Hi-Lo; Sara Nightingale Gallery, South Hampton, NY
Botany 5000; the Lab Gallery, Roger Smith Hotel, NY, Christopher
Chambers, curator
Boundless; Stenersen Museum, Oslo, Norway; Henry Meyric Hughes, curator
2004 Intimacy; Brooklyn Fireproof gallery, NY; David Gibson, curator
Big America; Fish Tank Gallery, NY; Pan Xing Lei and Linda Dennis, curators
LZ Gallery; Seoul, South Korea
Scope Art Fairs with Curcio Projects; NYC, L.A., London, Miami
2003 ID_ENTITY; Nurture Art Gallery, NYC; David Gibson, curator
Williamsburg Bridges Asia; Cristine Wang Fine Art, NY
$99 Store Show; Cynthia Broan Gallery, NY
Scope Art Fairs with Curcio Projects; NY, L.A., and Miami
2002 Anywhere but Here; Media Merge Project Space, NY; David Gibson, curator
Unraveling; Superior, Claire McConaughy, curator, OH
New Jersey Now, Hunterdon Museum, NJ;
Scope Art Fair with curcioprojects; Miami
Shiny Show, Bullet Space, NY; Susan Jung, curator
2001 Response; Exit Art, NY
The Fireplace Room Show; Willoughby Sharp Gallery, NY
2000 The Connecticut Vision; Mattatuck Museum, CT
1999 Size Matters; Gale Gates Gallery, NY; Mike Weiss, curator
1998 Inspiration; Visual Arts Museum, NY
1996 Crafted; Crocker Art Museum, CA
1994 Drawing Selection, Artists Space, NY
1988 Class Act; Bronx Museum, NY
BENEFITS
2011 Flux Factory Auction 2008 Constance Collins and Martin Margulies’s Lotus House shelter, FL
2005-08 Benefit Committee, SVA Alumni Society Auction
2006 Drawing the Line Against Domestic Violence, NY
2004 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, NY
2003 P.S. 122, NY
Fragrance Foundation; the Proposition, NY; Mary Dinaberg, curator
Foundation of East Village Artists, NY
COLLECTIONS
Steve Shane, Ellen Donahue, Louise Grantham, Toshimasa Kaga, James Larkin, Westover School, Laurice Rahme, Princeton Review, Steven Taft, Builder Levy, William Bartman, Patricia Wineapple, Emily Stern, Laura Dail, Raul and Emilie Debrigard, Claudette Sutherland, Carmela Rea, Emily Stern, Annemarie Minke, William Stark, Rupert Ravens, Sophie Dail, Rupert Ravens, Renee Vara and the Sundari Foundation.
PRESS 2011 James Kalm Report (video) Apocalyse Now, Sideshow Gallery, January
2010
Art.Es (Madrid,) Work and Words, July
All Art News, Allegra LaViola Opens With Sculptural Works…, July
Chikuwa Stumbles, Gae Savannah, Rhydal, June
artimageslibrary, Gae Savannah, Rhydal, June
ART YOU KNOW, Allegra LaViola…Sculptural Works Attached to the Wall, June
Art.Es (Spain)Newark Next, Laura Cincotta,February
2009
Daily News, NJ's New Creative Space, Karen Angel, December dART International, Boson Exotic Katherine Hennesey, October
NewarkUSA, Savanitas, interview with Craig Schoonmaker, October
Glocally, Live With Gae Savannah, Mary Mann, June
Flash Art, Next Post, 18 Solos, Tate Osten, April
Time Out, Own This City, Grace Smith, April
NowhereHere (contemporary art blog,) Nancy Tobin, This Post: Next Post, March
Visual Opinion, Brian Glaser, Artworld Life After Slowdown, March
New York Times, Benjamin Genocchio, Works from New Talent…, March
2008
Go Live Miami interview, December
The Art Newspaper, Martin Parr, December
Wordpress, Nancy Tobin, Boson Exotic, December
Baristanet, Frances Pelzman Liscio, Boson Exotic, December
NewarkUSA, L. Craig Schoonmaker, Boson Exotic, October
Artcat (Artcal magazine), Surfactant, Patty Jordan, June
NewarkUSA, L. Craig Schoonmaker, Surfactant, April
2007
Seattle Art Blog, Carolyn Zick, December
NewarkUSA, L. Craig Schoonmaker, Sanctuary, October
Art Key Magazine (Italy,) Anna Rescina, August
New York Times, Benjamin Genoocio, June
Kalm Report, Youtube video, James Kalm, June
the Star Ledger, Dan Bischoff, May
the Essex Journal, May
wburg.com, interview with Carol Schwarzman, February
2006
NY Arts magazine, interview with Leah Oates, December
Sculpture magazine, D. Dominick Lombardi, September
Animal magazine Q & A, August
NY Arts magazine, Lisa Paul Streitfeld, April
M magazine, Mary Hrbacek, March
Vellum, Stephanie Young editor, March
Artnet, Stephen Maine, January
Flavorpill flavorwire, Jessica Bauer-Greene, January
jameswagner.com, James Wagner, January
2005
absolutearts.com, Multiple Partners, October
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dan Tranberg
Art in America, Stephanie Cash & David Ebony, May
Village Voice, Jennifer Snow, April
Blender, Stephanie Young, April
Artnet, Stephen Maine, April
jameswagner.com, James Wagner, March
2004
dART International, Christopher Chambers, November
Delicate Monster, Amie Oliver, May
NY Arts, Lydia Kenyon, June
wburg.com, Howard Stier, May
Joong-Ang Daily, Ahn Yu-Hue, May
2003
Downtown Express; December
NY Arts; Jamey Hecht; November
Coagula; Shana Nys Dambrot; September
M Magazine; Lily Faust; September
aparelsearch.com; Debra Stevenson; August
The New York Times; Ken Johnson; July 18
Angle Magazine; J. Utter; May
2002
NY Arts; Joyce Korotkin; January
1998
Women in Higher Education, Doris Green, April
1995
Darien News Review, Felicity Hoffecker, July
CURATING
2008-2011 Associate Curator, Rupert Ravens Contemporary, NJ 2006 Juror ‘SCULPTOURE,’ Shore Institute for Contemporary Art, NJ
Katherine Daniels, Sculpture Window, Lab Gallery—Roger Smith Hotel, NY
M. Krumenacker, Sculpture Window, Lab Gallery, NY
2005 Choice Cuts Critics Pick – Shore Institute of Contemporary Art, NJ
2003-04 Drawing Conclusions II – Work by Artist-Critics (70 participants), NY Arts Gallery
WRITING
2001-11 Flash Art International exhibition reviews; Sculpture magazine, exhibition reviews
2001-12 dART International; exhibition reviews
2006 Daily Constitutional; A Fool and His Froth are Soon Parted - excerpt
1999-01 ART AsiaPacific, and M magazine reviews
2004 Performing Arts Journal; On the Veranda – A Conversation between Wysteria and Meung Shei
TALKS
2010 Glamour Trance, MOCA North Miami, 2009 The New Next Paradigm in Art, moderator for panel discussion with Peter Nesbett/Shelly
Bancroft, (Art on Paper, ) Beth Venn, (Newark Museum,)and James Kalm (Brooklyn Rail.)Rupert Ravens Contemporary, NJ. 2008 When New is Old Art After Meltdown, moderator for panel discussion with Robert
Storr, (Venice Biennial,) PhongBui, (Brooklyn Rail,) Mary Birmingham,(Hunterdon Museum,) Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, (Jersey City Museum,) and Pat Bell, (collector.)
Rupert Ravens Contemporary, Newark.
Asian Fling, gallery talk on Chinese and Japanese art in the Metropolitan
Museum’s Asian wing, NY
Navigating the New York Art World, New York University, NY
Footstools and Vanity Benches, Montclair State University, NJ
2007 Dangerous Beauty, panelist, Chelsea Museum, NY
2006 Beauty’s Burden, the New Romanticism, Makor Gallery, NY
2005 Crazy for Construction, Real Art Today series, Makor Gallery, NY
2004 Patisserie Chinoise, Collectors Circle, NY
2002 Material Culture, Fabricated Space --Contemporary Sculpture in New Materials, Scene Gallery, NY
PROFESSIONAL POSITION 1995-2012 Instructor, Contemporary Art, Film, and Thesis Writing, MFA dept., SVA, NY
The sculptures of Gae Savannah are not what they appear to be. Loud and bright, they couldn't be more conspicuous; and yet they also hide, cherishing a lonesome interiority under a veil of spectacle. Their psychic work on the viewer is subtle and slow; at first, the large sculptures seem imposingly grandiose and saccharine, while the smaller ones look like pretty, innocent objects d'art, what used to be called "conversation pieces." But a half-hour in their presence has us caught in a revaluation of our aesthetics and a re-experiencing of our vexed culture of makeup and models and ornaments. At the first sight of "Angelique," a sophisticated reader might dismisses the sculpture as decorative (which is equivalent to calling a painting a "mere" illustration), or embrace it as sweet and harmless. Once you've done so, the weird glitz of the work is no longer a threat, and the seduction begins. You come to love the thing, and then feel a bit guilty for your initial reaction — so the blossoming footstool has got you, ethically and aesthetically.
------------Jamey Hecht, PhD, writer,
American Book Review, Splash magazine, FromTheWilderness.com
