New York
Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels rebuilt the floor and walls of the Catinca Tabacaru Gallery as part of her powerful installation. It seemed spare while I studied it before the opening, but not after many hundreds of people jammed inside the relatively small space—and kept coming. The exhibition title, “a DEFECT // to DEFECT,” and its question, “How do we learn to change for a future we can’t imagine?” perfectly expressed the Trump election jitters experienced by many New Yorkers. This city—founded by the Dutch and known for its support of immigrant rights, its tolerance, and its huge artist communities—is nervous about America’s future, not only for itself, but also for the world. “A defect” suggests something flawed. It seems to be about letting acts of making be intuitive, even imperfect. The noun both contrasts with and parallels the verb “to defect,” which suggests running …see the entire review in the print version of May’s Sculpture magazine.
