NEW
YORK, NY, APRIL 30, 2010- BRYCE WOLKOWITZ GALLERY announces the opening
of The New Grand Tour curated by Amanda Bhalla Wilkes. The original
concept of the grand tour was born in the late sixteenth century when it
became fashionable for young aristocrats to visit the great cities of
Europe such as Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome, as the culmination of
their classical education. As rail and steamship travel became more
accessible, the practice flourished and served as an educational rite of
passage for Englishmen, Germans, French and Americans alike. The goal
of The New Grand Tour is to revive, re-invent, redefine, and change the
old concept by venturing well beyond a voyage for the privileged elite.
Instead, The New Grand Tour would become a mechanism for a group of
unique and talented artists to interact with foreign cultures in an
appreciative and organic way, rather than simply as voyeurs.
Beginning
on October 20, 2007, Young Kim was joined by Deanne Cheuk, José Parlá,
Rey Parlá, Rostarr and Davi Russo for thirteen days of travel in the Far
East. They began in Shanghai heading for the remote Yunnan Province, in
search of the mystical city of Shangri la. With James Hilton's novel,
Lost Horizon as their guide, their journey took them through the
beautiful valleys, rivers and lakes between the border of Yunnan
Province and Tibet, through the Mei Li Snow Mountains and eventually to
Beijing. While on this journey, each artist created new works within
their respective medium, inspired by the places they visited during
their travels.
This wide-ranging body of work, now showcased in
The New Grand Tour exhibition, brings together a diverse group of voices
united through their individual and collective experiences on this
tour, which reflects both the visual and sensory inspiration they
encountered in the many destinations of this shared travelogue. From
Suitman's humorous snapshot portraits of Tsitang school children to José
Parlá's densely layered paintings the works in this exhibition show how
materiality and subject intertwine to make an image of their journey.
Deanne Cheuk's meticulous drawings and colorful watercolors inspired by
the Shangri La landscape take us there. While the free form calligraphy
in Rostarr's graphic paintings and filmmaker Rey Parlá's exploration of
narrative storytelling through his unique process of distressing and
treating celluloid negatives reflect the visual and written, much like
the Chinese character as word. Photographer Davi Russo's snapshots of
the sights and sounds he encountered on the journey give a raw and
immediate sense to the overall experience.