Critical Writing Index

Letter From New York: May 1999

by Dena Shottenkirk

C Magazine, May 1999, no. 62, p. 30

Art is a language that communicates knowledge; it is an individual's perception of what the world is- what counts, what matters, what the rest of us should take notice of. While sometimes beautiful, art is just as often not beautiful, and neither condition affects its status as art. Two exhibitions in New York City point to these different ways of making art. The first, David Nyzio at Postmasters Gallery (closed March 13), is the essence of beauty. The other, Stan Douglas at the Dia Art Center (To June 13), has nothing to do with "beauty" and yet suffers none for that. Art aestheticizes our awareness.

ITEM 1999.103 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

43 Days of Growth Under the Influence of Bacteria Rule, 8/23/98/10/8/98 (1998)David Nyzio

Win, Place or Show (1998)Stan Douglas