Steve Keene

The Steve Keene Trevor Reese Project, through Sept. 29, Copy Gallery, 319 N. 11th St., third floor, www.copygallery.org.

by Lori Hill

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Sep 12, 2007

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

visual art

Fall 1997. In front of rows of raw plywood and a dozen open cans of paint stood a madman turning out nearly identical paintings at a methodical but ferocious pace. When Steve Keene set up a working studio in the windows of the Paley Gallery at Moore, the show became a legend of sorts, both for the sheer spectacle of live art-making and for the mini-firestorm Keene set off on campus. Time reported on a shouting match between two professors over the legitimacy of Keene's show and its presence at a "real art school." Meanwhile, everyone else was paying $5 for cheery, golden-hued takes on the Philadelphia Museum of Art — not to mention indie-art bragging rights.

For his quick-fire multiples, Keene makes wild landscapes and portraits as well as rough-and-tumble reconfigurations of Rubens and Rembrandt. He's paid homage to album covers by Bruce Springsteen and designed 3-D stage sets for Pavement.

Now, Copy Gallery brings the painter back to Philly with a first-ever exhibited collaboration between Keene and studio assistant Trevor Reese. Keene didn't make it out to Friday's opening, but Reese was there to unveil their large mountain construction in the space. Reese's smaller versions of the structure are being sold for $5 a pop, while Keene's multiples are three for $5 all month long. How many things can you think of that are the same price now that they were 10 years ago?

The Steve Keene Trevor Reese Project, through Sept. 29, Copy Gallery, 319 N. 11th St., third floor, www.copygallery.org.

 

All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Post Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Name	please enter your name
Email (will not be published)	please enter a valid email
Comment	please enter a comment
Enter the security code on the right in the textbox below.
Security Code	please enter the code
	Join the City Paper Mailing List

Things That Matter To People Who Matter
The Art of Surprise
Glass Roots
The Dark Arts
Tina Barney
Assassins