-The Pale Memory of Man
ArtScene
Encountering this show is like walking into a giant playground—though not one for kids. The looming, gawky, whimsical construction “The Pale Memory of Man” takes over the gallery with the vibrant force of displacement. Seemingly bursting straight down from the gallery ceiling to fill the large space like a beached sea-monster, Jesse Bercowetz’s large, playful sculpture reaches its tentacle-like arms in all directions. With an equally kinder-friendly aesthetic, the work’s tar-like black surface is painted in quick, brushy strokes and dangles bits of metal and framed colored pictures like celebratory ornaments. These components fly out from a dark core, balanced precariously, hanging together by any means available. “The Pale Memory of Man” pairs the homemade feel and outsized energy of a child’s plaything with the menacing sensibility of an elephant—or more likely an oil rig--in the midst of an otherwise peaceful room. The intensity of the piece’s presence is somewhat offset by the dangling mobiles overhead, which you must duck your head to approach-- only to be thwarted by the mess of broken bottles covering the platform base, and the scythe shapes jutting out all over the place. Also on view is a patchwork painting strung together with wire, and vaguely shaped sculptures crowded into a corner as if an afterthought (Happy Lion Gallery, Chinatown, L.A.).