Sterling Ruby TURBINES at GAGOSIAN

James Kalm is out pedaling off the Thanksgiving overindulgence, and finds himself in West Chelsea, revisiting a show that caught his attentions earlier. “Turbines” is the latest presentation from Sterling Ruby. Having first captured the attentions of the art world a dozen years ago with “The Masturbators,” (a multichannel video projection of naked male porn stars “performing”) the artist’s painterly efforts recently seem to have taken on greater importance. This group of large mixed media paintings, with cardboard collage elements, riffs on the notion of the “Heroic Abstract-Expressionist”, and their scruffy, rugged facture and almost “ejaculatory exuberance” resonates with current trends manifest by a group of local artists, who seem motivated to resurrect the “action painting” of the New York School. A musical introduction is provided by Robert Leslie. This program was recorded November 26, 2022. #jameskalmreport #jameskalmroughcut #lorenmunk