Reviews
Embracing the Present: The UBS Art Collection
AMOA Downtown
May 17- August 10, 2003
Aside from a few earlier artists that are thrown into the mix, Embracing the Present features a small sample of work by many 80's and 90's art-world luminaries. For those of us who have only seen these images in back issues of Art Forum, this show is a chance to see the real things up close. Some highlights include an Andreas Gursky soccer field photo and an extremely delicate drawing by Agnes Martin. One of our gripes, how are we ever going to get close to Cindy Sherman if you hang her behind the reception desk?
The Austin Museum of Art
AMOA Downtown
823 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
Senior Design Exhibition
Creative Research Laboratory
May 10 - May 31
Is it design or is it conceptual art? Some of the work of the design student exhibition at CRL is infused with a good dose of high concept strategy - sometimes to its detriment. Yet some of the best work here deals with real political and social ills; such as Austin's anti-war poster, or a redesign of Austin's cryptic bus route map. Another local by-product is the beer cozy called 'firefly', made to Illuminate each individual at a backyard BBQ.
Located inside Flatbed Press
Creative Research Laboratory
2832 E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 512.322.2099
Sam de la Rosa and Michael Sieben
Camp Fig
up through end of May
Sam de la Rosa and Mikey Sieben are both making graffiti-inspired paintings full of child-like, comic-styled characters. The paintings rely heavily on witty text. From humorous to absurd, morose and cynical, both of these Austin painters present all too- familiar images from American culture. The show is playful, and visitors are definitely in for a laugh: the palette throughout the show is Kindergarten, and the
politics are straight out of alternative youth culture. We get the feeling that the artists are trying to speak to something universal, but the show may be strictly for the 15-25 yr olds.
Camp Fig
305B E. 5th St.
Austin, TX 78701