Madhouse at Moti Hasson via artfagcity.com

New York Galleries Now - A slide lecture by John Zinsser
Monday January 26, 2009 - 6:30 p.m.- 6th floor
The New York Public Library- 40th Street and 5th Avenue
Free

Tonight at the New York Public Library, twenty-year veteran of the New York art scene John Zinsser will present a slide lecture entitle “New York Galleries Now.” An avid partisan of the gallery experience, Zinsser will cover not only major shows from the 2008 season, but will also discuss the ways in which different neighborhoods continue to impact art viewing. “Simply the experience of having to go to a specific location or address to see a show changes how we approach the work,” Zinsser said when reached by phone, “actively seeking out a space in the Lower East Side or Uptown is in stark contrast to the homogeneous Chelsea conveyor belt.” Zinsser, in addition to being an abstract painter, also teaches a class, ‘The Art of Viewing Art,’ at the New School, and hopes to use tonight’s talk to consider the effect of the economic crisis on the gallery scene. “There is, at present, a tremendously expanded art audience due to the wild proliferation of galleries and art fairs over the last ten years,” Zinsser said, “and one of the questions I hope to explore tonight is not only where have we been, but where we are going in light of this widespread structural readjustment. Can Chelsea go on as it has been?”

“I continue to find the dynamic of the gallery show -- the combination of the artist’s goals and the gallery’s goals – to be endlessly fascinating,” Zinsser continued, “it really is the context that determines meaning.” As part of his presentation Zinsser will show slides of photographs he has taken at various galleries over the previous year, emphasizing how each major neighborhood navigates its own unique set of issues regarding the presentation of art. The talk begins at 6:30 and is free.