By Katarina Hybenova
A beginning of the end, or a beginning of a new beginning if you prefer… Last night The L Magazine reported that Chelsea gallery Luhring Augustine, which has recently bought a warehouse at Knickerbocker Ave. and Ingram St. in Bushwick, has announced the date of their 1st opening in Bushwick.
On February 17, 2012 Luhring Augustine will present a solo exhibition of Charles Atlas titled The Illusion of Democracy. Atlas is a pioneering figure in film and video and has previously shown his work at Tate Modern, London; MoMA; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin; and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Luhring Augustine informs on their website that “The Illusion of Democracy will include two video installations never before seen in New York, Painting by Numbers, 2008 and Plato’s Alley, 2009. Atlas will also exhibit a new large-scale video work made specifically for this exhibition. ”
[quote]Some are welcoming the arrival of blue chip art collectors attached to Luhring Augustine hoping that the prestige of Bushwick art will increase. Others fear the instant rent increase in the area.[/quote]
The arrival of a fancy Chelsea gallery to Bushwick, where the galleries are mostly artist-run and not commercially motivated, has been largely discussed on numerous art platforms (Hyperallergic, Art Fag City, Art Forum, WNYC, etc). Some of the Bushwick residents are welcoming the blue chip art collectors attached to Luhring Augustine hoping that the prestige of Bushwick art will increase. Others fear that the presence of the Chelsea polish will instantly motivate the landlords to increase the rents in the area, and the artists will be subsequently pushed out of their homes.
Inaugural exhibition at Luhring Augustine Bushwick Charles Atlas The Illusion of Democracy Feb 17 – May 20, 2012
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