Might Bite

Should you go to a gallery show just because the artist is famous? On one hand, no, of course not. On the other hand, notoriety rarely springs from nothing in the art world — you can't buy or nepot your way into talent, and the better known you are, the more people can see for themselves whether your work is any good. At "Feral," artists Swoon and Monica Canilao collaborate on large-scale portraits, wood cutouts, and mural-like paintings with the theme of "wicked women and wildish girls," according to the gallery's Web site. And Swoon, it turns out, is famous. She's an exponent of a movement, even, something The New York Times calls "street art," as if those two words had previously been unrelated. But while almost any self-respecting art enthusiast will quickly tell "famous" where to shove it, in this case, quality has won out. See the exhibit for Swoon's thick, scrabbly lines, rusty palette, and her wonderful way with cheap paper — she loves decay — as well as for the chance to get to know local artist Canilao a bit better. She could well be famous soon, too.
March 27-April 26, 2008