DAVID ADAMO at UNTITLED Gallery
May 23, 2011 by
Friday afternoon, I zig-zagged through the crowded streets and sidewalk fish markets of Chinatown to Untitled, located in the Lower East Side. This was my first time visiting the gallery and the reason for my journey was the current exhibition featuring the work by Rochester born, Berlin based artist, David Adamo. The gallery is somewhat rectangular shaped and I think one of the largest of the area. Light was streaming in from a skylight towards the back and cast a nice golden hue over all of the standing sculptures. A fallen/placed pile of rocks leads the viewer into the space and and goes from organic planned, to organic constructed forms.
David Adamo works in installation, sculpture and performance. For this particular exhibition, the artist was provided with a studio space in Long Island City for two months in which to make the work currently on display. Wood has been whittled. Beams that once put forth a particular function, now function in a completely different realm and format. Scraps and chips of wood decorate the floor and the tattooed Gallerina sitting at the tiny front desk informed me that some of the wood chips, pine in particular, were shipped from Berlin in order to give purpose to the one delicate pine piece (central in top photo). Attention to detail is meticulous even if at first glance appears to be haphazard.
A particular favorite element of mine are the pieces of half eaten fruit that are placed in between the stones in the front half of the gallery. I was reminded of works by Arte Povera artist Mario Merz (a favorite of mine) and Senam Okudzeto. I found myself wondering if the fruit had been eaten and discarded during the opening, but better yet, it is cast, fired and painted ceramic. The carefully painted fruit features accented areas where once bitten, had been exposed to oxygen for a bit too long. Adding not only a hint of color to an otherwise two-chroma based exhibition but the fruit is another element of human presence, the electric undercurrent of David’s work.
