seem more strictly pre-occupied with surface. The prints are magnificent; more so for the interesting quality of collage they possess sans the traditional use of applied paper. There is also a greater range of contrast in them.
Ken Buhler at Axel Raben Gallery
Jennifer Bain at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, 529 West 20th Street to October 9th
Are these pieces really abstract paintings? You bet! But Bain�s strategy is to combine an overriding conceptual approach with a painter�s sensibility. The thing is it works because the subject matter and color remain consistent even as form and technique differ wildly. The content is primarily aimed at presenting altered slices of reality. This is understood in two ways, the first of which is to sharpen focus and freeze the forms in a static reality but then abruptly shift to a blurred view that suggests fast motion. The second is how Bain manages the formal elements where thin line drawings are presented in some panels but a more painterly mode is offered in others. It just shouldn�t work and yet�
