#gregory ito

Cover of the new issue of SFAQ # 14, image by Ryan McGinley.

Made in San Francisco by Greg Ito and Andrew McClintock.

There is no telling what. What?

By Eric Dyer

Gregory Ito had three pieces on display at the Truesilver Gallery in San Francisco, created during a month long residency spent in the Villyards’ home, for the show There is no telling what (1) (2). During this time, Ito was able to excavate and delve through the couple’s personal belongings, using the objects he found to create his work. (3)

It seemed I arrived a little early and Ito was sitting on the floor setting up She’s Gifted, which appears to be the deconstruction of a well wrapped present — a Tiffany’s box elevated on high teetering on top of a similarly-colored long piece of wood,  and anchored by a small glass jar of cherries. The wrapping paper hanging on the wall seems ready to envelop the individual items. The title, like many of Ito’s work, is a clever and humorous play on words; a talented person may get an interesting present.

Resting on the floor in the center of the space is Bed Bath and Beyond, a nod to the store which sells generic comfort items, although their glassware is still in need of a “bong section.”

There is this bong, with ice melting and water in it, ready to go, hopefully stable enough to sit on this yoga mat and not tip and crack. Some people wonder if the ice is real or not (4). On the other end of the mat sat a hand-held massager, waiting to be turned on, but if left going could be the demise of the bong. The three objects seem prepared for a daily routine and even in their state of usefulness they seem the most stable and balanced of the three works in the show (5). The ice and water adds another layer of interest to the work for me as they were the only natural elements in the piece. In my opinion, the ice and water in this bong made the piece whole. They are both the key items which show that this is already prepared, essentially waiting to be loaded and used, but also activate both the yoga mat and the hand-held massager as ready to be used items.

:o (JENGA!) consists of a regular table, a Jenga tower, set up ready to play, and a ball. This table has a quirky little top that somewhat mimics the pattern of the Jenga stack (6). Under one leg of the table is a ball. This ball sets the table off balance and causes the Jenga stack to look as if it’s sliding off and if there was an earthquake this game would easily end in one move. The straining lean makes me fearful, and I put an invisible barrier between me and the work.  I feel like I’m being taunted, and I want to begin the game.

The work could be interpreted as an idea of the homeowners (a portrait), or a reflection of the artist (their personality, their aesthetic), however I think there are more revealing stories hidden within these objects than the connection they hold with their owner. They may be items from their home, but their commonality makes them relatable to a wider audience. The revealing part of these objects is the connections they make with other people in their general use. Gifts are a way of showing affection; smoking can bring people together, just like giving a massage or joining a room in an intense hour of stretching, much like crushing your friends and enemies in a game of Jenga. For me these objects are about us, but I guess there is no telling what.

There is no telling what was open from March 9th to April 28th 2013 at the Truesilver Gallery.

http://gregoryito.com/

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  (1) Truesilver Gallery is a store front gallery in the home of Charlie and Heather Holt Villyard. The gallery is approximately 1200 square feet and its mission is to “bring new opportunities and audiences for emerging artists while engaging the residents of Noe Valley in contemporary art.”

(2) Charlie Villyard does some pretty awesome web design and event photography. Heather Holt Villyard is currently the director of ArtSpan and serves as the Chair of the SECA 50th Anniversary on the SECA Council at SFMOMA. She sometimes makes art as well!

(3) I believe there is no telling what these objects histories are. They are common enough to be in anyone’s house — so the viewer is able to project their own identity and relationship with the object onto their histories. However the objects are already owned, and we are unable to tell what sentimental value they may hold to their owners, unless we know them personally we can only project what we believe.

(4) This made me question why people were focusing on whether or not the ice was artificial, instead of the objects and the overall composition. 

Interestingly enough in an interview with Art-Rated, Ito said, during an opening of his work at the Eleanor Harwood Gallery, that someone asked if his work A Bed Time Tale, which had a nightstand with a glass of water on it, did indeed have water in the glass or if it was done in resin. Ito responded “It is water. I didn't feel obligated to imitate the water. It is more charged when it is in its true form.  I want people to connect with the collaboration of the elements within the piece.” 

Also, in full disclosure I was guilty of being one of those people wondering if the ice was real or not, but discovered it was indeed H2O slowly moving from 273.15K to 293K after staring at it for a while and probably asking Greg after drinking a few beers. I think it’s remarkable that we are beginning to expect artificial objects to replace natural ones.

(5) Order of use: Yoga, Bong, Massage IMO.

Preamble: If I were being brutally honest with myself about running an art gallery business, I would admit that the studio visits, time with the artists to establish and develop critique and in-depth discourse about the work and production of an exhibit are all compromised by the daily details of keeping the doors open. I'm not saying having a financial drive is problematic for art galleries. It's as necessary as any other business. I'm just saying as a sole proprietor, I had to prioritize the more pragmatic aspects of running the gallery over the ones that inspired me to open the gallery in the first place. In an ideal situation, like having a co-director or two, one would be able to balance the creative and curatorial needs of working with artists and developing programs with the administrative needs of the business. One thing I very much look forward to in my post-brick and mortar era is more studio visits and dialogue with artists about, yep, you guessed it, art.

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