Single-Minded

"The Guys We Would Fuck" at Monya Rowe, through August 1

Yes, this show was curated by an artist, so it could have gone in the “artist as curator” category, but its unique focus on a specific subject was too good not to go in the “single-minded” group. While other galleries take a medium and run with it (see Matthew Marks and Greene Naftali’s joint painting show for a prime example), curator Nayland Blake went with an idea (well, really more like a happy fantasy) and took it to another level altogether. Curated in the daisy-chain style, with each artist asking a friend to participate, who in turn asks another friend to participate, and so on, each member of this limitless group (which includes Catherine Opie and Marlene McCarty) is asked to submit a work conforming to the guidelines suggested by the show’s title. The results are surprising — not many pin-ups in this bunch, and more than one abstract interpretation. And the show changes each day, as Monya Rowe dutifully mounts each 8 ½ by 11 sheet of paper as it comes in, both on the walls of her gallery and on her Web site, where all of the works are available to the masses to print out and compile into a zine. It’s perfect for when you have the summer lazies, but still have a hankering for art.

At left: Catherine Opie, "Harry Dodge" (2008)

Courtesy Monya Rowe