De La Cruz

It was like a dream. Free admission, ability to take pictures, and an informative staff. Oh, and the art.

Ground Floor

When you enter, Sterling Ruby's Monument Stalagmite is exceptional. The theme, prison, is well captured in the over 18 foot tall work. The artist used bright yellows and reds to represent stalagmite (the limestone formations found in dark caves or dwellings).

On either side of the foyer, Mark Bradford symbolizes the urban landscape using mixed media to recreate the images of street posters. I have traveled a lot in my 16 years and no matter the city I visit, this is an ubiquitous element.

When our textbook talked about use of light, the example should have been Untitled (America #3) by Felix González-Torres. This simple work has as much influence as any of the large pieces in the De La Cruz Collection. 42 light bulbs hang from the ceiling reminding me that the art process is as universal as a light bulb. 

In fact, most of the contemporary pieces on the ground floor dealt with the art process. Even Rashid Johnson took an opportunity to "brush up on" a famous art style in Cosmic Slop"Hardcore Jollies" a piece focusing on his heritage.

The quality is terrible.

This is not my own photo. Photo courtesy Social Miami

To create this, Johnson poured black soap into a wood frame and used a stick to create scratches and indentations. The chaotic nature of the marks reminds the viewer of Jackson Pollock. The difference: while Pollock's work was an additive process, Johnson's is a subtractive process. The work also reminds me of Janine Anthoni who uses soap (because it is made out of lard) as a symbol of the female body. Johnson uses black soap to represent his African roots as he tries to "scratch at the surface".

Second Floor

The "Sculpture Garden" on the second floor was really interesting. Contrasts between different artists were even more profound when the work was in such close proximity. 

Rachel Harrison's Jungle Fever is humorous and childlike next to Wade Guyon's U Sculpture. It as if the small monkey is not gawking at the size of the wax pineapple but thinking "What the hell am I doing here?"

Or the monkey was thinking "What is this?"

Seth Price's Untitled is unique compared to everything else. It reminded me of Janine Antoni's Saddle. The white around the edge of the rope showed the imperfections. Other works of his on the lower floor were completely torn and tattered during the process of vacuuming out the air. The black of the canvas and the way the image comes out of the canvas gives the piece an eerie meaning. 

When I first saw this, I was traumatized. I just read an article in the New York Times recently about "Jumpers" from the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and this reminded me of that. The light blob next to the right line took on a human form and the lines represented the lines of the building. Later I was told it saw just a piece of weathered roof awning (how... valuable?). I still feel that artwork can be interpreted by the viewer however he or she feels. 

 Third Floor

 I was excited to see Gabriel Orozco's work. Seeing his work "in the flesh" gives a new light to it that the Art 21 left out. The game of ping pong looks so glorified and unworthy of my touch on the gallery floor. I was to afraid to pick up a racket because I thought I would ruin it and I didn't know gallery policy. That type of icy coldness to the piece was not portrayed over the video.

Gabriel Orozco, you got to let me be, man. I know you like to keep popping up everywhere but I have an assignment to do.

Bamboo Balls is another one of Orozco's game themed pieces.

It is all supported by one kickstand.

Jim Hodges focuses more on the delicate side of nature.

A Diary of Flowers by Hodges is poetic and strong. These 565 paper napkins represent those who die of AIDS. As the piece ages, the napkins curl and brown.

Of all the portraits, this one is the most interesting. 175 pounds (the weight of the artist's father) fluctuates as viewers take candies. I took one and gave it to my dad.