I Didn't Hear The Revolution in Galapagos
Since their doors opened in 1995, Galapagos Art Space (aka Kunsthalle Galapagos) has been a place for musicians, performers and generally cool but poor artists of any kind. Enter their newest venture, Kunsthalle Galapagos, the organization's brand new venue that is now hosting the group show Can't H
Galapagos Art Space is one of those ubiquitous Brooklyn institutions. Since their doors opened in 1995, Galapagos has been a place for musicians, performers and generally cool but poor artists of any kind. As one of the few cultural organizations that refuse to compete for city, state or federal money, it is relatively unique as an audience-supported venue. It is also one of the young cultural venues east of Manhattan that has had the opportunity (and good fortune) to grow into adulthood. What this means is that it has become something of a mixing ground, a place where those who don’t know much about Brooklyn are willing to come to imbibe some of the cultural punch. This is good for everyone, a cultural mouthpiece for a rapidly developing art scene, an experimental venue with expanding resources and space and usable by those from all boroughs. Oh, did I mention that they put on a great burlesque show, and that they have a 1,600 square foot man-made lake inside the performance space? Awesome. But does the certified green building or relatively new DUMBO address (they moved from Williamsburg in 2008) necessarily make for a productive art center?
Enter their newest venture, Kunsthalle Galapagos, the organization’s brand new art gallery space. As one can assume, the new gallery will help the space put on dynamic programming and expose the world to some awesome emerging artists in the process. Their debut show opened Saturday August 13. I was fortunate enough to make it to the opening to check it out. It’s a beautiful, raw space just to the side of the main building. The institution’s first effort in their new gallery left me slightly confused. The show was titled Can’t Hear the Revolution. It was an interesting but overwhelming exhibition. According to the promotional material, “Can’t Hear the Revolution is a group exhibition representing the unseen and unheard revolutions going on around the world and the forces of art that guide and inspire us.”
Ok, so far so good. Unfortunately when I actually got to the space any sense of narrative or dialogue was totally submerged in the visual confusion that comes with inviting 100 artists to participate in a group show. While I appreciate the inclusiveness behind such a display, like the crowded opening itself, this sort of arrangement makes listening to conversation pretty difficult. Though I haven’t spoken with the curators, and there was no real press release to speak of, it seems the topic at hand was more of a writing prompt than anything else. There is probably something to this sort of logic. Unfortunately the result was just too busy, like a miniature art fair without the booth dividers that give them some semblance of order. Why come up with a topic at all? Why not name the exhibit “100 pretty awesome artists that you probably don’t know”?
I think the end result would probably be the same. I for one am anxious to see how this space will be used in the future. Hopefully the new space will be realized as the site of some interesting and thoughtful exhibitions.
Kunsthalle Galapagos is located at 16 Maine St. DUMBO Brooklyn, NY, 11201. Can’t Hear the Revolution will be open from 12pm – 6pm from August 18 to August 21.
