Raw Horse Power
MIAMI, FL—Mindy Solomon Gallery presents Raw Horse Power by Generic Art Solutions (G.A.S.) on view November 28th, 2016 through January 14th, 2017 at the gallery: 8397 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, in Little River. An opening reception with the artists will take place Monday, November 28th, from 6–9pm.
In their second solo exhibition at the Mindy Solomon Gallery, Generic Art Solutions brings a new and theatrical direction to their work. Having recently completed the prestigious Rauschenberg Residency, the artistic duo focuses on work that challenges the notion of cooperation. A considerable amount of the collaborative duo Generic Art Solutions’ sculptural/performance/video work explores, at its core, the very nature of collaboration itself.
“Streetfighter: Ninjas” (2016) is a high-octane performance piece that is centered upon conjoined motorcycles that share one front wheel. Though this vehicle cannot be ridden conventionally, it is perfectly designed to perform head to head dual burnouts. The motorcycle is the universal symbol of youth rebellion and freedom, and an icon of the American Dream with loud, smoky burnouts as its exuberant war cry. This performance requires a dance of power, where only precisely matched RPMs, as well as break and clutch control by both riders, results in an extended battle of Raw Horsepower. Neither rider may take the lead–this tango has two leading men–in order to sustain a balance of aggression and surrender. Both Campbell and Vis must maintain constant focus on the other’s actions. It is a head-to-head arms race, a stand-off in smoke and burnt rubber with equilibrium as its ultimate goal.
In addition to the video and the accompanying large scale three-dimensional motorcycle piece, the duo will showcase paintings that focus on twisted motorcycle wreckage that appears sculptural and abstract in its articulation, as well as recent photographic images referencing historical works.
Generic Art Solutions
Generic Art Solutions is the collaborative efforts of Matt Vis and Tony Campbell. This New Orleans-based art duo utilizes nearly every art medium as they examine the recurring themes of human drama and the (dis)functions of contemporary society. Always rooted in the performative, they play every character in their work. In their more distilled “duets” we see something of a yin and yang (a balance between individuals that aren’t quite interchangeable), but in their more elaborate stagings the resultant effect is as epic as the subject matter itself. By combining Classical, Romantic, and Baroque compositional elements with contemporary pictorial techniques, they manage to illuminate the common thread that connects past histories with current events.
This strategy creates something of a “Déjà Vu effect” that is driven by drama and surreality with traces of levity. In this dialogue between the past and present the viewer realizes several things: 1) that the history of art is inextricably political, 2) that human behavior repeats itself no matter how tragic or brutal, and 3) that this cycle of repetition must be broken so personal and societal progress can be made. Despite all this, their work contains a glimmer of hope–a hope that through thoughtful examination (and armed with a commitment to change) we can indeed forge a better future.
