J. Fiber in Brooklyn

Philip Guston Barry Mcgee Prada Struts Its Stuff New York Sales Preview Pierpaolo Barzan 10th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art Invitation-Only Events Market File: Rufino Tamayo

Send a letter to the Editor

Save to Del.icio.us Digg this

Still, J. Fiber’s first exhibition, “World War Me,” currently on view at Williamsburg’s Pierogi gallery, presents work that has evolved beyond any sort of “exquisite corpse”–like mash-up of styles. The delicate, cohesive worlds created in these works on paper result from a collaboration in which each artist knows the other’s work well enough to challenge its limits. The body-builders, child soldiers, and Statues of Liberty occupying this compelling mixed-media series come alive with flowery outcroppings of poured neon acrylics and ink. The contrast between the characters (apparently Esber’s) and Fine’s textured surfaces creates a visual dialogue that is effortlessly silly, scary, and thoughtful.

J. Fiber has a knack for morphing ordinary visual icons into discomforting distortion. Of the 14 pieces in the show, 12 contain familiar, albeit exaggerated, figures engaging in vaguely unwholesome activities. These characters echo Esber’s previous paintings of Abraham Lincoln and the iconic rosy-cheeked Hummel boy, but are warped even further as they are cut into pieces or buried under abstract mounds of heavy graphite lines. Areas of dripping fluorescent color familiar from Fine’s previous work appear stuck on the surface of the paper like wads of bright chewing gum. The pieces suggest the work of artists such as Philip Guston and Barry McGee, with nods to graffiti and comic book art.

The process of this collaboration is as fascinating as its product. A walk around Pierogi’s intimate Gallery 2 will inevitably lead one to a set of identical-twin graphite drawings, titled “He Said, She Said.” The drawings depict a wide-eyed, gun-toting boy whose head blossoms with Fine’s characteristic imagery. Upon completion of the “original” drawing, the couple created an exact replica of the drawing, with Esber doing the line work that was originally Fine’s, and Fine doing Esber’s. The results are almost indistinguishable, but the tiny differences between the drawings create a sense of irresistible authenticity. The show is permeated with astonishing moments like this, in which process and content meet in the unified sensibility of these two artists.

This Saturday, March 29, Williamsburg galleries including Pierogi will stay open until 11 for the sixth annual Williamsburg After Hours Armory Celebration. Here are J. Fiber’s recommendations for what to see while you’re there.

1. Streb SLAM Show, March 28 through May 11

If you’ve never been to a performance at Elizabeth Streb’s SLAM, you’ve been missing out on a great Williamsburg institution. We couldn’t describe it better than the Streb website: “Once called the Evel Knievel of dance, Elizabeth Streb’s choreography, which she calls ‘PopAction,’ intertwines the disciplines of dance, athletics, boxing, rodeo, the circus, and Hollywood stuntwork.”

2. Other Painting: Japanese Emerging Artists' Painting Exhibition, through March 30

Start out your gallery-going with a cup of coffee at Supercore, at 305 Bedford between South 1st and South 2nd, which happens to be the information center for the multivenue festival "Other Painting: Japanese Emerging Artists Painting Exhibition," which is taking place in Williamsburg from March 23 to 30. You can see work in the café and pick up a map for directions to nearby participating galleries: Live with Animals, Secret Project Robot and Supreme Trading.

3. Shari Mendelson and Lori Ellison: Here Comes the Sun at Sideshow, through April 13

From Supercore, walk one block to Sideshow to see Shari Mendelson and Lori Ellison’s two-person painting-and-sculpture show “Here Comes the Sun.” Shari, a Williamsburg old-timer, is doing some of her best work ever, and the decision to pair up with Lori’s delicate paintings and ballpoint drawings is a good one.