Mitchell Oldham

No matter how much you read about an artist or see representations of their art online or in print, you can never fully comprehend the work itself until you see it live and unfiltered. The Museum of Contemporary Art’s major exhibition of Howardena Pindell sounded extremely exciting because it promised to hold so much.  Not only is Pindell an artist of color who pushes boundaries, she also creates her own artistic pathways.  Not only is she immersed in the work she produces in her studio, she is very much engaged and informed by the machinations of the world.  That her art and reality should mesh means only that Pindell’s art becomes more encompassing.  What you may not be prepared for is the staggering beauty of her work or the laborious extremes needed to create it.  Running through May, 20^th, Howardena Pindell, What Remains to be Seen is a journey through the mind as much as it is a visual bonanza.

The timing of Pindell’s entrance into the art world is critical.  Born in the 1943, she began flowering to maturity in the 60’s.  Part of that growth included acquiring the appropriate credentials needed to establish artistic legitimacy with a degree from Yale and a lengthy stint holding a prestigious curatorial post at the Museum of Modern Art;  which also marked a historical first.

All the while she was making art.  During this early period, much of it was abstract, untitled and the product of an infinitely curious and flexible intellect.  Much of what she produced from this period is stunning simply because her use of color is so splendid.  As you move through the exhibit, you realize what an exceptional eye she has for it.  Her colors, either through their depth or incredible lightness, captivate.  Perhaps even beguile.  For those who find representational art more accessible, the work that slides lightly into impressionism like Untitled (Baseball), 1966 and Still Life with Bananas, 1966 shows high beautifully she adapts to genre while still showcasing her gift with color representation.

By the 70’s and 80’s her art began extending into other arenas.  Punching out circles of paper using a standard hole punch, she began creating not only with the holes in the paper but with the chads themselves.  The resulting art took on dimension and shape.  Some of it grew significantly in scale and resulted in works like Untitled #18 where glitter, paper and powder were all used to complete the piece.  In some, even perfume was used to add to the sensory experience of the viewer.

The mind of an artist must be a very restless thing.  Because so much of what Pindell created required extremely close work and infinitesimal precision, she would watch TV to relieve the strain she placed on her eyes.  Her therapy became an inspiration for a new direction.   Drawing fine markings over the surface of transparent film, she then placed the film over the TV’s screen image and took a photograph of the composite.  By doing so, she not only became one of the first people to use the television as an art medium, she created an new art form that is perplexing, mysterious and fascinating.  In some of these pieces a single word of text would be added that would often read as an indictment.

It was in 1980 that she produced Free, White and 21 .  A short piece of video art that packs the punch of a category 5 hurricane, the film is a close up of Pindell’s face as she reviews in placid tones a cavalcade of horrific instances of racists slights she had been subjected to before she was 20.  She related how a teacher once told her that although her grades were good enough to be placed in advanced studies, a white student would be given the slot because they would be able to do more with it than a black person.  And of a woman hosting a wedding party in which Pindell was a member who changed the seating arrangements so that she could watch her eat.  In the video, Pindell would also change her appearance by wearing a faintly transparent stocking over her face with sunglasses and a blond wig.  In this guise she would them refute claims of racism from the perspective of a white person who had never experienced bigotry.  At the video’s end, and glancing at the faces of some of the others watching it, the look of grimaced shock on the faces of a gaggle of students expressed the power of the piece.

The exact moment when the artist decided to allow her world experience to enter her art likely can’t be known.  But it was around this time when her work became more autobiographical and inclusive of the racial realities of the United States.   The art world was not immune to imposing restrictions on artists based on their race and Pindell spoke out about it as well as incorporated its ramifications into her art.

Often using the outline of her body as an integral part of the canvas, she would then develop a theme using words and images to stunning impact.

Throughout a career that still flourishes, Pindell’s body of work is like a vast fertile field where generous acreage is allocated for each type of crop.  Never isolating herself to one thing, Pindell continues to nurtures her interests in the abstract, the avant garde, racial injustice, science, inequality and beauty through her peerless talent and imagination.

Howardena Pindell:  What Remains to Be Seen

Museum of Contemporary Art

220 E. Chicago Ave.

Chicago, IL  60611

Through May 20, 2018

312-280-2660

mcachicago.org

Giordano Dance Chicago proved again Friday night why they’re such an asset to the city.  Celebrating their 55^th year as a modern jazz company, the program they presented at the Harris Theater, which featured two world premieres, was frequently stunning and always strong.  Long known for their precision and crisp movement, the company brought ample quantities of each to their Spring series as well as loads of charisma.

Opening with Give and Take, a work created by Brock Clawson in 2009, the piece unfolded slowly and beautifully as couples alternately mimicked one another’s graceful flamenco inspired moves.  As it did here, it wasn’t unusual during the entire evening’s program for a poetic beginning to transition into a tirade of energy as the dance’s storyline progressed.  If Give and Take was a commentary on romantic relationships, it was as shrewd as it was nuanced.  Stark and clean, the absence of artifice allowed the purity of the dance to shine through.  And in this particular work, it also helped to confirm what a dazzling dance ensemble GDC is.  Throughout the evening, it was impossible not to notice how perfectly paired music was to dance.  A’ME, Trentemollen’s electric score elevated and fueled a dance that exemplified elemental human emotions.

Give and Take proved the perfect prelude to the first world premiere, Take a Gambol.  With such a tremendous opening, expectations were now in the clouds.  Choreographed by former GDC dancer Joshua Blake Carter and current GDC Operations Manager, the spotlight was honed on the company’s eight male dancers. Seductive, mischievous, muscular and decidedly fun, in many ways Take a Gambol was the most conventionally jazz dance piece performed that evening with its clear narrative and free style form.   Adding a touch of drama, the dancers ascended the stage from the main floor of the theater oozing potent doses of swag in their jazz stroll.  Dressed in trim black suits and tapered white shirts, they looked like a little army of James Bonds about to dispatch a mission.

The work well accomplished its objective of displaying the outsized talents of GDC’s male corps. Placed on a musical polyglot that emphasized rhythm and blues and jazz, Gambol let the dancers parade their considerable balletic skills as well as have fun with their jazz dance pedigree.  The work could just as easily be called the coat dance because the men used their jackets extensively as a dance element.  Taking them off, passing them between themselves and using them to fly low like crows in bygone Disney films, they made Gambol a joy filled romp danced at the highest order.

Tossed Around may have been even more demanding physically but it was just as artfully executed.  And, according to Ray Mercer who created the piece, its theme is also                    direct.  Mercer crafted the piece to give expression to how we’re all tossed around “physically, spiritually and emotionally as we go through life and deal with obstructions”. Here bright yellow chairs symbolize the hurdles people face as we navigate complex lives. Dancers do everything from sit on them in pensive determination to throwing and catching them in their efforts to triumph over difficulties.  There’s a distinctly introspective air that laid lightly on the feel of this work but it never impeded the ability of the dancers to take flight.

Having only covered half of their program by this point, GDC had already delivered a whole night’s worth of marvelous entertainment.  Anticipating what was to follow turned out to be a thrill of its own.  The second world premiere, Hiding Vera, with its initial use of arched backs and constrained tempo seemed to slip into the world of modern dance before accelerating and launching a barrage of pirouettes.  There’s something mesmerizing about those sustained spins that thrill audiences as much as a 3-point shot at the buzzer.  GDC employs them liberally with both the male and female dancers.  After all, jazz dance heartily embraces the exuberance those incredible spins embody and GDC’s performers have the youth and talent to make them glisten.

Despite its own unique verve that highlighted the abilities of the women in the company, Crossing/Lines was a study in precision and perfect timing. Alternating between composed restraint and intense directed energy, its three parts did a wonderful job exploiting the skills of GDC’s ladies.

But even this night of bounty was no preparation for the finale; Pyrokinesis; or the ability to set objects on fire.  Choreographed 11 years ago by Christopher Huggins, the dance lived up to its name and is a favorite of many who know the company well.  Dressed in body hugging black with crimson lightning bolts emblazoned down one side, the troupe epitomized fire itself with moves that brought cheers from the audience. Fast, fast, fast seared to hot, hot, hot.  When the dancers suddenly began appearing on stage wearing red dance shoes, the additional dimension of color served only to heighten the already scorching charge of the dance.

GDC seems to love having its dancers sparkle.  With their deep talent pool, the ultimate beneficiary of the leadership’s generosity is the audience.  We see in full relief how gifted and rigorously prepared these dancers are.

And, based on Executive Director’s Michael McStraw’s comments at intermission calling attention to the troupes 55 years of producing acclaimed dance and extolling the leadership of Artistic Director Nan Giordano whose diligence and commitment are extending the contributions of her father, what we experienced tonight will continue for many more years.

Although Haydn was 24 years Mozart’s senior, the two composers formed a strong friendship and one that fostered a great deal of creative exchange.  The evening’s selections may have been chosen to highlight both the similarities as well as the differences of the two revered composers.

Haydn’s symphony No. 89 contains many of the structural hallmarks you associate with the composer.   Broken up in the customary four parts, there’s a distinguishing formality and elegance that are so typical of Haydn’s work.  Under Muti’s direction, the lush richness of the melody could be thoroughly appreciated.

Rightly considered the prolific innovator, Mozart’s sinfonia concertante in E-flat major, K 364 showcases his ability to incorporate the unexpected to enhance the beauty of a composition.  Featuring solos for both violin and viola, he highlights the unique color each instrument uses to shade music.

CSO concertmaster Robert Chen’s exceptional playing was well matched by violist Paul Neubauer’s exquisite musicality.

Mozart was only 35 when he died of an unknown illness in 1791.  That may explain the ever-present sense of youth found in so much of his work.  That air of vitality filled Symphony No. 36 in C Major, K. 425, the final piece of the concert.   A hectic performance schedule and myriad career obligations caused him to write the commissioned piece hastily.  The final result reflects no hint of a rushed creation.  Exuberant, delicate and masterful, it energized an evening already replete in beautiful music.  The orchestra, under conductor Muti’s baton, made sure it shone in full luster.

The second night of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s annual return to the Auditorium stage began somewhat perilously.  The opening piece, Stack Up, choreographed by Chicago native Talley Beatty has been in the company’s repertoire for years and has consistently enjoyed accolades for its craftsmanship since it debuted in 1982.  Inspired by the clamorous dissonance of urban life, it’s visually vibrant and pulses with rhythm and the knowing attitude of street life.  At its core, you feel it’s meant to be fast, sharp, fluid, precise, slick.  Instead, on this night, the piece seemed inexplicably burdened and somehow mysteriously tethered  when it should have been in flight. Lead dancers could not achieve the lifts that they were clearly capable of and the precision you come to rely on from this highly-esteemed company was in low supply.  The staunch spirit and natural talent of a few of the dancers enabled flashes of stylistic bravado to occasionally peek through and allowed glimpses of what the dance could be.

A sea change followed the intermission.   Victoria, a work choreographed for the Ailey company by Spanish choreographer Gustavo Ramirez Sansano stretched one’s understanding of what this dance company is.

Modern dance can seem challenging if you’re not accustomed to recognizing complex emotions through a dancer’s movements.  Dark and at points anguished, Victoria called to mind Picasso’s blue period and his painting, The Old Guitarist, depicting a blind old man sitting forlornly in profile playing his guitar on the streets of Barcelona.  He appears spent; but not defeated.  Musically back dropped by a rewriting of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, the interplay of music and dance communicated struggle and perseverance.  It was the beauty of the dance and the beauty of the music which gave Victoria its appeal.  When talking about the process of creating dance, Sansano said he believed beauty was a weapon against forces in the world that stifle individual fulfillment and that this specific dance was a reflection of where we find ourselves today.

To balance the contemplative splendor of Victoria, Ella was all spirit and joy.  Samantha Figgens and Chalvar Monteiro brought perfect synchronization and a priceless delight in the process of dance to Ella Fitzgerald’s rapid fire scat riddled recording of Airmail Special.

It’s been 58 years since Alvin Ailey’s masterwork Revelations made its premier.  Since then its morphed to iconic status and been seen by 23 million people around the world.  No other modern dance holds that distinction. Because its center is so tied to a specific culture and its unique tribulations, one could easily wonder why the rest of the world finds it so enthralling.

At over 30 minutes long, Revelations is more than simply a dance. It’s theater.  Chronicling a history characterized by unfathomable hardship, the work’s real message is about an incomprehensible endurance that ultimately leads to triumph.  Everyone in the world can relate to impediments that thwart growth or happiness or personal completion.  Revelations puts that struggle into context and shows that, in the African American culture at least, religious faith is both the balm and the means by which we can prevail.  And as dance, Revelations could not be what it is without its bedrock, traditional black gospel music.

Broken up into three parts, each is saturated in Ailey’s choreographic signature and each was elevated by exceptional performance.  You would never guess from the gleam in the dancers’ eyes that they were performing a piece decades older then themselves or that the company has danced it thousands of time. When Akua Noni Parker and Jermaine Terry assumed the stage with Fix Me, Jesus late in the first part, their self-assurance and talent shifted the performance to an even higher and more thrilling gear.

Sinner Man danced by Samuel Lee Roberts, Chalvar Monteiro and Renaldo Maurice was particularly captivating for its use of lighting.  Washing the stage in a distinct green glow gave the dancers bodies a metallic sheen that served to accentuate their movements.  Nicola Cernovitch’s lighting approach was daring , but worked.  Her boldness was matched by the charm in seeing a dancer of a major dance company on stage wearing glasses.  It’s nice to see that the Ailey company has no qualms about keeping it real.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

March 7 – 11, 2018

Auditorium Theatre

50 E. Congress Pkwy.

Chicago, IL  60605