Intercut with circus and festival ads and excerpts from Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl,’ Allen Ruppersberg’s pointed yet ambiguous texts – one asks, ‘Is one thing better than another?’ – question the status quo in eye-catching day-glo color. (At Greene Naftali Gallery in Chelsea through Oct 21st).
West-coast conceptual art legend Allen Ruppersberg is known for adopting LA’s colorful roadside signage (popular for advertising garage sales, etc) for his text-based artwork. Here on 10th Ave and 18th Street in Chelsea, he commands a huge sign of his own to present a series of (romantic?) meditations on relationships between ‘me’ and ‘you.’ (Presented by High Line Art/Friends of the High Line through Feb 28th).
Allen Ruppersberg, You & Me, print on vinyl, 25 x 75 feet, 2013.
Allen Ruppersberg’s ‘What Should I Do?’ from 1988 poses a simple but often relevant question. It relates to his ‘70s autobiographical project ‘The Novel that Writes Itself’ for which he sold the parts of individual characters to people he knew. By the 80s, he hadn’t resolved the novel and in its place, began accumulating a series of short, unrelated texts like this one. Though only a few words, it assumes a lot: that the speaker has an audience, agency and options. With almost no means, this silkscreen on steel portrays a life in flux. (At Zach Feuer through August 3rd).