Art show review of
Gigi Grinstad’s Noctuary & Katie Rose Pipkin’s Six Drawings of Dogs and Rocks
two person show @
Little Pink Monster Gallery, Austin, August 2014
Over time Little Pink Monster Gallery’s (LPMG) art shows have become increasingly better. Their recent two person show with Gigi Grinstad (GG) and Katie Rose Pipkin (KRP) was a highlight of my art year and made me glad that we are seeing more high quality art shows here in Austin. I have contemplated moving back to New York City, but shows like these make me feel better about being stuck here.
Well known around Austin KRP operated a gallery here for some time. Upon graduating from UT she accepted residencies inCalifornia, Oregon, Kansas and Minnesota respectively. Was she in the Texas Biennial last year? Yes. And she graced the cover of the Austin Chronicle somewhat recently. Check out her website to experience a diverse range of artistic mediums including twitter bots. I have no clue what those are.
KRP’s intimate and precise drawings complimented Grinstad’s all encompassing installation well. Binder clipped drawings hung from thumbtacks making for a better presentation than framed and matted works behind glass. I loved being drawn into KRP’s finely crafted and cared for world of trees, rocks and dogs. Real love went into these drawings but also style and sensitivity to the medium. Drawing well takes more talent and skill then is sometimes apparent. All the ingredients necessary to make a complete and satisfying image are on display in KRP’s game.
GG is a somewhat new Austin resident and here she has constructed a world full of color, light and imagination. Chicken wire was sculpted into tree like forms extending from grass covered floor to ceiling enveloped with strips of colored paper. I did say grass on the ground and I mean it; sheets of real grass on the floor of the gallery. The LPMG space is not huge and this helped to enclose you in an imagined world full of the external in the internal crafted through the lens of internal artist’s world. I apologize for that last sentence. GG’s paintings also complimented her installation. There were even some abstract paintings on view from her! Or is that a wasp’s nest? I can’t tell anymore, but there was some very interesting structures and nice use of encaustic and oil in her paintings. I hope there are more two person shows like this in our future. Solo shows can get boring quickly and occasionally lack enough variety. Group shows sometimes can be overwhelming and scattered. This was a show that would have easily played well in Chelsea or Brooklyn.
My only complaint is I would have loved to see more old people there. Being 39 I am coming to an age where surrounding myself with twenty somethings on the weekend is becoming more and more depressing. LPMG, please find me some old people I can hang around with at these things.
