The Freight & Volume gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a unique and meaningful collection of works by Michael Scoggins in an exhibition titled If you can’t say something nice. . . Some of the works in this show revolve around negative aspects of life such as embarrassment, failure, anxiety, and self-disapproval, while other works revolve around positive aspects of life such as success and self-confidence. Scoggins conveys these moments onto large sheets of lined paper and chalkboards which gives the viewer the sense of being back in grade school and learning how to cope with the joys and challenges of growing up.
One highlight of this show is Best Art, which features a drawing on a lined sheet of paper of a giant yellow trophy in the center displaying the words “#1 Best Art” with the text on the top of the page reading “Congratulations!” and the text bottom of the page reads “Voted Best Artist in the World 7 Years in a Row.”
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| "Best Art" (2014) by Michael Scoggins |
The piece effectively captures the joy that a student, or anyone, would feel receiving high praise for his or her hard work and having something spectacular to show for it.
Another work in the show titled I’m Still Redeemable perfectly illustrates how a person can learn from his or her mistakes or recover from disappointing moments in life. On a large chalkboard, there are several words and phrases that appear partially erased or crossed out; right in the center of the blackboard amidst the chaos clearly read the words “I’m still redeemable.”
Other works in the show reflect personal memories from the artist’s youth and adolescent years. For instance, One Trick Pony is a work on lined paper; the phrase “One Trick Pony” was one that was tossed at Scoggins during a graduate school critique, and those words are written 25 times on the page, while an expressive chalkboard piece titled Oh, This Messy Heart features those words smack in the center, while several words and phrases behind in are partially erased or crossed out. About his chalkboard works, Scoggins says “The chalkboard is ephemeral in nature,” “I'm building up layers of history, and also thinking about memories, and how they're flexible and change over time. The viewer is only getting part of the story; I hope they'll complete the missing parts.”
At Freight & Volume, 530 W. 24th St., through Dec. 13. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 11 a.m.—6 p.m.
