John Currin "Memorial" at GAGOSIAN

James Kalm has been recording events, in the New York art scene long enough to have witnessed a paradigm shift. Because of the restrictive photo policy of the Gagosian Gallery, when last he attempted to cover an opening of works by John Currin (2010), he had to go on the DL (down Low) and use the “spy cam”. Fast forward a decade, and the Gagosian Gallery has realized the value of photos/videos on social media sites. Today, rather than shutting down unwanted recorders, they’re encouraging them. Now the challenge is the internal “algorithms” and community standards censors, attempting to control the reach of “free speech” vloggers on the internet. “Memorial” is John Currin’s latest collection of paintings. With his signature verve, Currin presents, these provocative works featuring female subjects whose bodies are erotically exaggerated to comic grotesqueness, cavorting in suggestive poses, that challenge every principal of modesty. The artist has rendered all this in grisaille, as if these figures were statues in Gothic cathedrals, creating a comic conflation of the sacred, and the profane. A musical introduction is provided by Greg Banks. This program was recorded September 16, 2021. #jameskalmreport #jameskalmroughcut #lorenmunk