Present Tense: Nine Artists in the Nineties
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Present Tense: Nine Artists in the Nineties San Franci,co Mu,eum �"'"''� of Modern Art � Janet Cardiff f)=-f -=(f Iran do Espirito Santa � Felix Gonzalez-Torres t: -=(f Jim Hadges � � Charles LeOray � � Gabriel Orozco t -=(! Jennifer Pastor f)=- � Kathryn Spence f> -=(i Steve Wolfe � � � ����'"�'"� Foreword and Acknowledgments This catal ogue is published on the occasion of the exhibition Present Te nse: This project was conceived and ze Nine Artists in the Nineties, o rgani d by Janet Bishop, Gary Carrels, and John S. Present Tense: Nine Artists in the Nineties organized by three of the Museum·s Weber at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, on view September 13, brings together artists whose work is curators: Janet Bishop, Andrew W. Mellon loosely bound by its consideration of the Foundation associate curator of painting 1997, throughJanuary 13, 1998. temporal and fragile nature of human and sculpture; Gary Garrels, Elise S. existence and the shared ground between Haas chief curator and curator of paint Present Tense: Nine Artists in the Nineties is supported by the Collectors Forum of the memory and experience. While varying ing and sculpture; and John S. Weber. widely in scale and media, from extremely Leanne and George Roberts curator of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. • intimate objects to room-sized installa education and public programs. Warmest © 1997 by the San Francisco Museum ;):- tions, the forty-eight works in this exhibi thanks are due to each of them for r&JlilA&�.�La��of Modern Art, 151 Th ird Street, San f)=- tion have in common an almost obsessive their part in this collaboration-with one --:(f Francisco, California, 94103. t);- • fascination with craft and materiality another and with the nine Present Tense ,;;(f All rights reserved. No part of this derived from internal explorations of artists with whom they worked so closely. publ icati o� may be reproduced in any ::t t loss, intimacy, and the passage of time. The curators were assisted by many However, these works were selected not other SFMOMA staff members in the because they fit within a theoretical dis organization of this exhibition. In particu ��;;�.nt course. Instead, the appeal lies in their lar. I would like to recognize the efforts of focus on the directness of personal expe Olga Charyshyn, associate registrar; Neil rience-not as a withdrawal into narcis Cockerline. conservator; Suzanne Feld. sism or solipsism, but rather as an curatorial assistant; Tina Garfinkel, head attempt to affirm 1ndiv1duality in the registrar; Barbara Levine. exhibitions PHOTO CREDITS: world through physical place and social manager: Heather Lind. former secre Unless otherwise indicated below, illustrations have been supplied by the artist or by the relations. tary for the Department of Painting and owner ofthe work as named in the catalogue of the exhibition (pages 34-36). This exhibition is part of the San Sculpture; Kent Roberts, installation Page IO: courtesy of Andrea Rosen Gallery: p. 17: photo by Marc N. Hutchinson; p. 19: Francisco Museum of Modern Art's New manager: Rico Solinas. museum techni photo by Tom van Eynde; p. 21: courtesy of Andrea Rosen Gallery; p. 27: photo by Ben Work series, which presents recent or cian; and Marcelene Trujillo. exhibitions Blackwell; p. 28, top left, top right, and bottom left: photo by Fredrik Nilsen; p. 28. commissioned work by both younger and assistant. The curators and staff also bottom right: photo by Michael Tr opea; p. 31: photo by Ian Reeves; p. 32: courtesy of established artists, primarily in solo extend special thanks to John R. Lane, Daniel Weinberg Contemporary Art. exh1b1tions. It is our hope that the group former director. under whose leadership format of this presentation will allow a this project was conceived and who has Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 97-068834 fuller examination of a number of artists been an ardent supporter of the New Work whose combined activity reflects distinc exhibition program for the past ten years. IBBN:0-918471-42-7 tive-if not defining-characteristics of Express thanks are extended to the the present moment in contemporary art. authors of the texts in this publication: We are deeply obliged to the Collectors the three curators, who wrote lucid com Publication Manager: Kara Kirk Forum of the San Francisco Museum of mentary on the specific artists and work Layout: David Albertson Design Modern Art for its generous sponsorship in the show; and guest essayists Julie Editor: Karen A. Jacobson of this exhibition, and of the entire New Ault and Bill Hayes, who contributed more Publication Assistant: Alexandra Chappell Work series. meditative texts on some of the cultural and philosophical issues raised by this Carla Chammas. Richard Desroche. and artwork. Thanks are also due lo Suzanne Glenn McMillan, CRG Gallery, New York: Introduction Feld, who compiled the extensive bibli Marian Goodman and Catherine Belloy, ographies and exhi bit1on histories, and to Marian Goodman Gallery. New York: Jay Kara Kirk, SFMOMA publications man Gorney and Rodney Hill. Jay Gorney ager: Alexandra Chappell, SFMOMA publi Modern Art, New York: Lawrence Luhring cations assistant: David Albertson, and Roland Augustine, Luhring Augustine designer: and Karen A. Jacobson, editor. Gallery, New York Tom Healy and Paul for the editorial, design, and production Morris of Morris Healy Gallery, New York; expertise they brought to bear on this Andrea Rosen and Michelle Reyes. Gary Garrels project. Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York: Richard In addition to works from the Telles. Richard Telles Fine Art, Los who have established themselves only in Museum's own collection, Present Tense Angeles: Daniel Weinberg and Anna Eyes are on the millennium, imagining the the past few years. Recently we began to includes many pieces on loan from pri Rainer, Daniel Weinberg Contemporary epochal marker. perhaps hoping that the recognize a loose set of shared attitudes. vate and institutional collections. We are Art. San Francisco: Thea Westreich, Thea future can be glimpsed more clearly from issues, and artistic practices among geo deeply indebted to the following lenders Westre1ch Art Advisory Services. New such a vantage point. But in the here and graphically dispersed artists, who in most for their willingness to share their works: York; and Connie and Stephen Wirtz and now. the present, confidence in a vision cases were not aware of one another's Kathleen and Roland Augustine: Janet Bella Hubert. Stephen Wirtz Gallery, beyond the immediate seems more elu work, but whose works, taken together, Cardiff and Morris-Healy Gallery, New San Francisco. In addition, on behalf of sive. A sense of ineluctable urgency, at began to distill for us a current of contem York: Galeria Camargo Vila�a. Sao Paolo: artist Janet Cardiff we would like to least 1n the Western hemisphere, seems porary life. The intent of this exhibition is Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz: Marian thank George Miller who assisted in the lost. Nostalgia is barely held at bay. not to define a nevi movement, to stake Goodman Gallery, New York: Jay Gorney production of Carditrs work that was Disasters that might be projected into the out a dominant trend of contemporary art, Modern Art, New York: Jim Hodges and commissioned for this exhibition. next century seem for now beyond the or to attempt to make a roster of upcom CRG Gallery, New York: Charles Le Dray: Finally, I would like to express our doorstep, at least in our mass sensibility, ing stars for the late 1990s. The exhibition Thomas Lee and Ann Tenenbaum: Sharon great appreciation to the artists whose at least as we proceed from day to day. is, rather, an atterrpt to reflect upon our and Philip Linhares: Vicki and Kent work comprises this exhibition-Janet Even the AIDS crisis can be imagined to be moment, to understand better where our Logan: Eileen and Peter Norton: Howard Cardiff, Iran do Espirito Santo, Jim disappearing, suppressed and dropped culture and its art might be. Rachofsky: Andrea Rosen: Helen and Hodges, Charles LeDray. Gabriel Orozco, into the background. For now we are okay, The membrane of time is fragile. Charles Schwab: Kathryn Spence and Jennifer Pastor. Kathryn Spence, even though optimism, hope, and confi Memory is inevitably incomplete, dis Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco: Steve Wolfe, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres dence are tenuous at best. torting. Desire ma� confuse reality with Chara Schreyer: Peter and Mari Shaw: [1957-1996), who ir many ways served as For the first time in our century ide hope. Slippages occur between percep Allan Stone Gallery, New York: Whitney an 1nsp1rat1on for Present Tense. The ologies-visions of what would make a tion and experience. The language we use Museum of American Art, New York: evocative artwork of these nine artists better tomorrow-are not competing. to describe where we have been and what Hendel and Terry Winters: Steve Wolfe gives us a singula· and richly rewarding But neither is there any doubt that the we have done is not the same one we use . .. and Daniel Weinberg Contemporary Art, glimpse of the present moment in con . system is far from perfect. Utopia is as to describe where we want to be and San Francisco: Mary and Harold Zlot: and temporary art. distant now as it was in the past eras that what we want. and the recognition of this the lenders who wish to remain anony bred the competing visions of our pre may catch us off guard. mous. In tandem with this exhib1t1on, the Lori Fogarty sent. Without a clear ideology or a shared The artists in this exhibition evoke our Museum is presenting in the Haas Depu!JDirector for CuratorialAffairs cultural mission, however. it is difficult present through myriad choices in their way Atrium an add1t1onal work by Gabriel not to feel that it has been left to each of of working.