Jim Hodges Gladstone Gallery November 5 thru December 23rd 2011, New York by craniv boyd.

Jim Hodges Gladstone Gallery November 5 thru December 23rd 2011, New York by craniv boyd.

In a gallery space near the west side highway in Manhattan, there took place a one person exhibition of Jim Hodges an artist. In it were three works, in which, notions of:  time motion, reflection, and color were addressed. as is the case with most art exhibitions, open to a general public in New York city that contain a hole in the ground or an open flame, or any some such miniscule liability or hazard, clear sign-age and gallery employees mentioned, to mind the cavity.  

Irony or a humorous disposition are what could be gained from this recent showcase of Hodges work. An otherwise pristine polished concrete floor, had a roughly hewn orifice filled with mirror black liquid. Above the puddle of unknown depth, a mirrored globus with a motor, spun, as in a Disco, bright spotlight placed high in the corners illuminated the kinetic orb, and a veritable copious group of reflected points of light graced the surface of the gallery floors and walls. All thanks to the disco ball overhead and the harsh lighting.  This must be the art work that deals with reflection. 

A narrow passageway abutted a large cubed figure in an other room. After transversing that passage, the nature of what that cubed figure was, became known. A box with light,  lit with cold florescent industrial lighting. Inside this white cube, within an other so-called white cube, layers of thick bright paint adorned the floor. How did these colors get there? Resting in front of the work, on the provided benches for a moment, provided an answer. The colors fell from above. Several holes in a regular grid were on the ceiling of the box, from which big drops of paint were excreted occasionally. An art work, that you can watch, as it shits a color field painting.

This instance of  artwork by Jim Hodges looked like a parody of minimalism, a vapid lark. Yes, the basic-ness of his work, permits multiple interpretations, so there could, of course be a sense of loss stated by a hole in the gallery floor or paint dropping from a man made structure, but these reserved means of his sculpture, are at best equivocal. Sadly the author was unable to attend the many performances and readings that accompanied this gallery project, claiming this, makes known why a lack of fuller understanding for the art of Jim Hodges. by craniv boyd.