Matthew Ritchie presented his most recent body of work at Andrea Rosen gallery in New York, and I managed to stumble into his opening on the evening of our bus trip. Confused and delirious after six hours of gallery hopping, I braced myself for what I expected to be a pretentious crowd of New York art snobs standing around acting cool. I was pleasantly surprised to find a relatively small group of people milling about drinking bottles of beer. They were all dressed in the traditional uniform of black jeans, black shirt, black scarf, and black hat, but other than that they seemed...pretty normal. And unlike DC openings, where I feel out of place when I actually want to sneak a peek at some of the actual artwork, this event seemed to be focused on the work. There was more looking than talking going on, and a few people even pointed to particular spots on some paintings.
So while I was pleasantly surprised by the vibe of the place, I am afraid I can't say the same for the work itself. The sculptures looked very similar to previous 3D works, and the paintings have lost their personality completely. Ritchie works with scientists to build complex ideas and stories about various representations of the universe, and he used to make paintings that seemed complex enough to embody such lofty concepts. The most recent bunch, however, have been created mostly through indirect means, creating hazy, flat surfaces. They could have been digital prints they looked so slick. I didn't stick around to try to see Ritchie, or to check out the band that was setting up to play, but I wouldn't mind having the chance to ask him what he did with all those nice complex painterly gestures he used to put into his work. And I bet if I did ask him, he probably has a pretty legitimate answer. Hopefully I will run into him soon.
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