By Arlene McKanic
One of these days somebody’s going to get smart and put the UN building in Flushing.
Since Queens is just about the most diverse place on earth, with people from all over the world speaking over 100 languages, plunking the UN building here is just logical. Plus, the rents are cheaper than in Manhattan (so far). “Crossing the Line,” the new exhibit at the Queens Museum of Art, celebrates Queens’ sprawling, messy, uncontainable diversity; a lot of the works are offsite in places like the Flushing Meeting House, the bus shelter at Roosevelt Avenue and 76th Street, the India Sari Palace at 37-07 74th St. in Jackson Heights and the Estrella Latina restaurant in Corona. The exhibit is also running in conjunction with a community film project and other events. Many of the artists’ works were inspired by the World’s Fairs of 1964 and 1939.
Paul Etienne Lincoln’s “The Purification of Fagus sylvatica var. pendula” (weeping birch) shows wall-sized drawings of distillation apparati that look uncomfortably like human guts, a leaf coat the artist wore during the distillation of the weeping birch, and the resulting vial of creosote. He’s identified the seven clones of the dead mother tree at Weeping Beech Tree Park with the Pleiades, or the seven sisters, and one wall shows the names of these stars, with their locations in their little nebula pinpointed by beech seed pins. There are photos of the artist distilling the creosote in his leaf coat — he looks like a Druid — and a model of the pavilion in Beechwood Park.
The Omar Lopez Chahoud Project, with contributions by various artists, fills other rooms in the East Galleries. Dexter Buell’s “Modeler’s Guide” is a video of a scale model of the 1964 World’s Fair site contrasted with a tinker toy and the dissection of a songbird killed by “a collision with a manmade object.” The dissection is a little gruesome, juxtaposed with the silliness of the tinker toy and the optimistic craftsmanship of the Fair. On another wall is “Untitled,” Aidas Bareikis’ collection of creepy found objects. Some of them include a waterlogged book, the dried out bodies of small animals, grubs and maggots — lots and lots of grubs and maggots — and seed pods. The sign beside it warns you not to touch it. You wouldn’t.
Another contribution to the Omar projects is Robert Beck’s “Thirteen Shooters,” photos of five baby-faced teen killers, which was patterned after Andy Warhol's “Thirteen Most Wanted Men,” his contribution to the ’64 World’s Fair.
Before Flushing Meadows became a World’s Fair site it was an ash dump, and Mark Dion excavated the place. His “The Great Ash Dump Dig (Flushing Meadows)” is two roomfuls of cool junk. He was also inspired by The Great Gatsby, which described an ash dump between New York and “West Egg.” Dion unearthed lots of old bottles, broken glass, rusted pipes, pottery shards, ink wells, teeth, keys, and vacuum tubes.
In Barbara Broughel’s “The Greatest Show On Earth: Anatomy of An Execution,” two glass vessels are being zapped with 6,600 volts of electricity. One of the vessels is shaped like an elephant's foot, the other like a gum ball machine, recalling the 1903 execution of Topsy the elephant, who was electrocuted by the Thomas Edison Company in Luna Park for show. It seems the perfect metaphor for death as entertainment.
As one goes up the Ramp, passing other exhibits on the way, one is confronted by Debora Warner and Steve Hamilton’s “Capricorn II” (2001) a futuristic cacophony produced by an 18-channel audio installation. This was inspired by GM’s “Futurama” exhibit at the 1964 World’s Fair. The Unisphere Gallery has more exhibits, including cheerful photos of the ’64 World’s Fair — remember when the New York State Towers had glass in them? — and videos by various artists.
After walking downstairs through the always fabulous Panorama, which features exhibits by Christopher Ho, Trevor Mahovsky and Bob Braine, one enters the Large Triangle and comes upon Rebecca Quaytman's “The Sun” (2001), a set of 40 images that form a golden section. These include some from the 1939 World’s Fair, which has special resonance for the artist, since her grandfather and great grandfather were killed coming home from it. One of the images is a newspaper clipping of the tragedy. But in the middle of the room is Maria Elena Gonzalez’ “A Moment,” a huge inverted bowl with a tangle of baseballs inside that rise in a straight line to the ceiling, as if being sucked up like baseball spaghetti by a giant.
Another playful installation from the Omar Project is Mary Ellen Carroll’s “Drinking From the Same Glass” (2001), a drinking fountain with five water heads, also inspired by the ’64 World’s Fair.
“Old Skool, New Skool, True Skool” are graffiti works presented by the Phun Phactory in Long Island City. The works are on canvas now instead of public walls or the sides of trains, with tags, explosive letters and explosive colors. Though being in a legitimate museum makes the art lose its transgressive quality, it loses nothing of its power. The artists are Spaco, Slam 4, Motive, Leia, Bisc and The Wiz.
“Crossing the Line” will be on exhibit at the museum and around the borough through Oct. 7. “Old Skool, New Skool” will be there until Sept. 30.
Reach Qguide writer Arlene McKanic by e-mail at timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 139.
