DENVER–Overthelast18years,asmallbutloudcontemporaryartcollectionhas
beenbrewingintheMileHighCity,withamissiontobringtogetherartists’most
difficultpieces.TheresultistheDikeouCollection,adiverseandephemeral
institutionthat’sopentothepublicandincludesarotatingcastofspecialprojects
alongsideearlyworkfromartistswhowentontobecomeinternationally
renowned.DevonDikeouoperatesthecollectionasanextensionofthequarterly
publicationZingMagazine,ofwhichsheisthefounder,editor,andpublisher.The
collectionhasbeenacriticalpartofDenver’sbuddingcontemporaryartscene
andcontinuestobethemostimportantprivatecollectioninthecity.
Eventhoughthecollectionisopentothepublic,youhavetoknowwheretolook
tofindit.InstalledonthefifthflooroftheColoradoBuilding,thecollection
cascadesthroughvintageofficespaces,withroomafterroomoflarge-andsmallscaleworksbyAgatheSnow,ChrisJohanson,JonathanHorowitz,JanineGordon,
JuanGomez,andseveraldozenmoreartists.Somegalleriesarejam-packedwith
workbymultipleartists,whilesomeworksareinstalledinspaciousroomsalltheir
own.Thecollectionisuniqueinthatseveralcompleteenvironmentsareinstalled
infull,andotherworksthreatentodisintegratebeforeyoureyes.Thereismuch
moretoseeintheseofficesthanpaintingshangingonwallsorsculptureson
pedestals;infact,thereareonlyafewpaintingsinthecollection,whichleans
towardtheimpermanentandfragile.
“SludgietheWale”(2007),aninstallationbySnow,invitesvisitorstothe
collectiontowalkthroughtheimaginedinnardsofabeachedwhale,akindof
contrived,post-apocalypticamusementparkattraction.Unlikethepreciousand
conservation-firstattitudesofmostcontemporaryartinstitutions,theDikeou
Collectionforcesyoutowalkoverandthroughthishulking,fragileworkoffabric,
foam,string,andpaint.Itfeelswrong,butwonderfullywelcoming.Anotherpiece,
byJohannesVanDerBeek,exemplifiestheephemeralnatureoftheexhibitionand
themissiontocollectdifficultworks:animaginedworldmadecompletelyof
yellowingNewYorkTimesnewspapersthreatenstodisintegratebeforeyoureyes,
ortobeblownawaybyyourbreath.Oneofthecollection’srecentacquisitions,a
self-portraiticesculpturebyLizziBougatsos,literallymeltsaway,anironic
commentonbuyingandcollectingcontemporaryart,whichbecomesdistilledto
themonetizationofambiguousideasandtherighttoreproducethem.
Thecollectionincludesaformativeworkby
WadeGuyton,whichheoriginallymadeforhis
MFAgraduationshowatHunterCollege.
AlthoughGuyton’sinkjetpaintingshavesince
achievedastronomicalpricesatChristie’sand
Sotheby’s,his“theRoomMovedtheWay
Blocked(Stage#1)”(1998)brokenewground
longbeforehemadeheadlines.The
installationcommandsonewholeroomto
itself,blockingviewers’pathsandforcingthem
toclimbupontopofthestage,thereby
performingtheworkthemselves.Incontrastto
theephemeralnatureofmuchoftheworkintheDikeouCollection,Guyton’s
piecefeelsbrutalforitsawkwardandimmovablesolidity.
Unstablematerialsareespeciallyprevalentthroughouttheselectionsfromthe
collectioncurrentlyonview—papier-mâché,cardboard,andpipecleaners
included.Ratherthanequatingfragilitywithluxury,thepiecesintheDikeou
Collectionareevidenceofatheoreticalgesturetowardartobjectsasresiduesof
theirconception,creation,andpresentation.Inotherwords,thecollection
doesn’tseemtoromanticizetheprovenanceofartworksortheirunattainability,
butoffersinsightsintothebeginningsofartpracticesandartistswhogaveshape
totoday’scontemporaryartlandscape.
AnearlyworkbyJohansoninconspicuouslyoccupiesasmallfloorspaceinone
gallery.Twosmallpapermâchésculpturescalled“MountainFortress”showhow
Johansonbegantocombinehisgraffitipracticewithfolkandcraftaesthetics,a
mergingofsensibilitiesthatwentontodefinetheMissionSchoolandhisworkto
thisday.AnearlypiecebyJonathanHorowitz,from2001,ismadeupofnothing
butlaserprintsonofficepaperdisplayedincheepgoldframes.Thepinkpages
containlistsofactorswhoappearedinmoviesthatstarredJuliaRoberts.One
pageismysteriouslyblank.Afull-scalecardboardreplicaofaracecarbyChris
Gilmourfillsanentiregallery.Theseeminglysolidobjectwoulddisintegratein
water.Itsuselessnessisitssavinggrace—animitationofaluxuryitemthat
makeslightofitsillegitimacy.
Furthermore,theconnectionsbetween
theNewYork-basedpublicationZingand
thecollectioninColoradocreateadynamic
exchangeofideas,projects,andtexts,
whichkeepstheworksrelevantandbrings
Denverintoafar-reachingconversation.
Manyartistsrepresentedinthecollection,
alongwithmanywhoaren’t,havealso
submittedpublicationprojectstoZingand
anumberofworksarepresented
alongsideeditionsofthepublication,
offeringdeeperinsightsintotheartists’
practicesandthecollection.
Theplaybetweencollectingartobjectsasanelitepursuitandcontemporaryart’s
idealisticattemptsatimmaterialityiskeytounderstandingthiscollection.
Dikeou’smissiontoacquireonlyartists’mostdifficultworksresultsinadistinctive
grouping,withuniquepiecesnotlikelytobeseeninothermuseumsorpublic
spaces.Nowadays,workbytheseartists—withafewexceptions,mostnotably
Johanson,who’sbeensuccessfulwithinanalternativeindependentcommunity—
ishighlyinstitutionalizedandthecollectioninDenvergivesviewersthe
opportunitytointeractwiththeworkinanintimateway,whichiskeyfor
encouragingcriticalthinkingaboutcontemporaryartinnewspacesandregions.
http://hyperallergic.com/318167/a-private-collection-dedicated-to-conceptual-and-cumbersome-art/