Jasper Johns said, “Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it. Do something else to it.” He encourages each artist to embrace the act of creating something that enthralls, the moment it is perceived. Enhance the work by pushing its boundaries to a new level, he seems to be saying. Expand awareness by defining where exactly that sphere lies. The art on display at Outsight Inn in Rupert Ravens Contemporary embraces Johns’ concept, flexing our preconceived assumptions. In this high-tech world, there are many ways we can rely on technology to take us to these stratospheric heights; but art, effectively executed, can achieve similar goals, enhancing our comprehension of the world around us. fine arts magazine

Upon entering, the work of Jared Whitham and Stefanie Nagorka offers a reflection on Americana. Whitham has constructed a full-scale Florida home with pink shingles and white picket fence. Aptly titled Garage Sale, complete with carport, housing this on-going investigation he has carried on for years. The plethora of items available for sale sparks a conversation on modern society and the objects it produces. Nagorka’s My America, 49 porcelain representations of the American states, communicates eloquently. It is the visual reminder of our terrestrial permanence and our governments self imposed legal boundaries. The face of her work carries the four-color palette of mapmakers, yet the back is painted black, representing the underbelly or dark side of this country.

The work of Matt Stone comprises various sculptures of cardboard, wood, wax, burnt plastic, feathers and colored foam. Taking up residence in a corner of the second floor, Stone invites you into a world of his own making. He favors banal objects, but the transformation is a sight to behold, speeding past your retina, straight to your neocortex. You are no longer in a former furniture store in downtown Newark. You are surrounded instead by shapes, colors, textures and forms which take hold (birds, trees, prehistoric predators, etc). Look! Jutting drawers and tilted glass, tree rings, is that…? The artist provokes open-ended questions, swirling emotions—a new realization permeates—only to be undone. A momentary reprieve comes with a fresh perspective. Attention to detail is paramount to Johns’ “do something” idea, experimentation being an essential factor in the equation. Certain components are vital to the narrative for Stone—the protagonist, antagonist and supporting roles—all coalescing through the dynamic of his work.

Conversely, the iPad creations of Olu Oguibe do not espouse the same sentiment. These canvases do not engross the viewer as effectively. They appear not to disengage from the here-and-now. A diverse palette of pulsating brushstrokes conceived on an iPad, printed on canvas— digital-to-physical—offers an intriguing glimpse, more than a fully-realized, artistic vision. The artist takes several steps to achieve a distinctive perspective; these pieces are unique more for their printing ingenuity than their subject matter. In doing so, he appears to miss the mark with his exhibit. It is a familiar scene—the viewer stands and admires rather than becoming engaged. The more he attempts to move against the grain, the closer he comes to common elaboration.

What if you take a system of energetic brush strokes—constricting the palette—resulting in a neo-algorithm, a new language? To risk the creation of a cohesive narrative, relying on paint alone, where presentation and context are crucial to understanding, may not always yield an effective result. In a series of paintings, John Mendelsohn successfully achieves this result. Tact, when applying pigment—direction and arrangement—is of utmost importance; for if the effects don’t cohere, there is no moment of release, no flash of sublimity. Mendhelson’s work distinguishes itself by unifying these elements. The colors capture what the lines do not, and vice-versa. His work may be random movements of brush and body; they are certainly not arbitrary in relation to one another. The works functional well separately—and as a unified whole—the eye finding new reasons to return to the work, time and again, in pursuit of his procession of color.

Having been inundated with detail to this point in the exhibit, Christopher Tanner’s work offers little reprieve. His decadent sculptures assault your senses. Gaudy? Perhaps. However, those quick to dismiss do so at their own peril. Tanner’s work is pure burlesque, pomp and circumstance shot from a cannon. Not lacking in innuendo, his work is a fitting alternative to bland nudity. It is an amalgam of elements that asks for your attention and indulgence. Of the work discussed thus far, his work delves deepest into Jasper Johns’ directive. Here, careful examination pays off, with each and every jewel, sequin, and fabric swatch, every minute element, vital to his Gestalt. Two pieces laid out on black fabric succeed in transporting the viewer to a different level of perception. Comprised of leather and jewel-bedecked, the work offers a surprising re-interpretation of the expected. They transmogrify into representations of elegant women, lying on their sides, hair flowing, curves seducing—temptresses with nary a human detail. Where others incorporate simplicity, Tanner engages in decadence and over-saturation, not limited by scale. If Tanner had lived in the 17th century and worked as court artiste for the Sun King, one could imagine that Versailles would have looked like this.

AK Airways’, Cuddlefish, still laden with playa dust from the Nevada desert soars above, below and beyond your peripheral vision. Comprised of five gargantuan, inflatable, glowing, orange ‘worms’, it raises the stakes of the other works on display. Don’t paint the monster, MAKE IT. Don’t just sketch a flower, construct one. Markus Baenziger does so through Forever Never, a metal base festooned with dozens of delicate resin leaves. There is also Turn Around, faux-weeds affixed to a concrete moored fence, appearing to be ripped from the street and brought to the Outsight Inn gallery wall.

Of the many artistic works on display at Outsight Inn, two artists are exemplars to understanding what Johns meant by saying “do something else to it.” Rich Wislocky and Ryan C. Doyle succeed by expanding beyond the limits of gravity-bound thinking, taking us to the otherworldliness of their fertile imaginations. Wislocky’s work occupies an entire corner of the gallery—but the space does not simply serve as a repository of ideas. It is a dream world. Turn a corner to discover an entirely surreal atmosphere of mirrors, lights, masks, found objects, totems and images. His is an invitation to another planet—it’s a journey far away, seen through the eyes of his masks, evoking Stravinsky’s early 20th century modern ballets, such as The Firebird. Do not fear! The only thing you are overdosing on is intimate panoply of resourceful and brilliant imagination. Ideas become reflected realities, as a maze of mirrors and spotlights scatter light in every direction. Repetitious imagery (Gandhi, Jesus, Manhattan, etc.) coexists with found-objects; all conceived and presented as demented orgies of plastic toys.

Ryan C. Doyle creates another distinct environment. On the gallery’s third floor, you are greeted by an illustrated skull, encircled by a heart with the words “Idle hand is the devils play tool.” His hands are surely not idle; Doyle’s ride-on installations are certainly devilish toys. Flames spit from the Regurgitator as its patron sits helplessly, waiting to be whipped into a mind-numbing vortex of mechanically-inspired vertigo. Inside, a collaborative mural between Doyle and Mikey 907, Detroit: Half-Dead and Dynamite, provides a backdrop to a dwelling of cracked floors, chipped paint, graffiti throw-ups, empty beer cans and another imposing ride-able sculpture, Hella-Copter.

As previously stated, the success of adhering to Johns’ “do something” revelation is founded in a creators’ ability to wholly remove the viewer from reality. Stability is unwelcome, no foundation, no shelter—the exhibit demands that you must confront this work and digest it. Never boring, these artists work outside the bounds of the expected, while pushing the limits of creative expression. Whether successful or not, in this writer’s eyes, each artist disengages from the predictable to stride assertively, taking that compelling step into the arena of contemporary art…asking, What’s next?!

By Lawrence Ciarallo, Guest Contributor

Rupert Ravens Contemporary, Newark, NJ.

www.rupertravens.net