Artlog right now has a nice one-on-one interview with Terence Koh regarding his new show, "Flowers for Baudelaire" up through January 9th at 407 East 75th Street. Koh, it appears, for all accounts, is drastically maturing over the past several years. His work is beginning to leap out of the "shock-value-for-shock's-sake-alone" variety, and is rapidly moving towards an all-encompassing embracement of the art that surrounds us all. As Koh beautifuly states, "love is for eternity, always remember that." To find this embittered critic with tears welling up in my eyes means something. It's not often an "it-boy" of the art world affects me so, but with those few words, Koh has forever captured my heart. Instead of wild cocaine parties and extravagant lifestyle beyond one's means, Baudelaire reminds me of my own childhood, where I'd sift and resift the piles of flour and baking soda of my grandma's cake mixes. I'd imagine each slope was a snow-capped peak of the Alps sitting right there on our kitchen table.
There's certainly a limit to the collectibility factor with the biodegradeable aspects of Koh's works for sale (corn syrup and powdered sugar can only last so long), but that's what truly makes them so alive. They, as well as the artist himself, are concentrated in the here-and-now, and that's where we all should be. Beautiful work indeed.(Images from The New York Times and Cool Hunting All rights reserved.)
