Artist Organized Art

JF: The program consists of artists that have shaped and propelled my career from the start. I can safely say I would be in another line of work were it not for crossing paths with these artists. There is a core group of 6 or 7 and the other half of the program is one off project based exhibitions. When I came across this new gallery space, I had no desire to-reopen a gallery at the time. My lease was up on my apartment on Canal Street in Chinatown, I wanted to stay in that neighborhood so I scoured downtown for “for rent by owner” signs. I took a wrong turn on the way to Tribeca and that is when I happened on St. James Place and this odd looking building. When I looked through the storefront window that late night, I imagined it activated by people and art, I could see it very vividly. The sign said there was an apartment upstairs too, so it was a win win situation.

AOA: How does Bill fit into your overall program of organization. How do you feel about allowing artists that work with you into your organizational process?

JF: Bill Stone’s approach, which is reflective on the mediums he utilizes, rife with metaphor and poetry, like a magic trick, and seamlessly executed compliments the program but also provides a really significant anchor as it’s informed by close to two decades of exhibition experience. An artist who showed prior to Bill for instance was astounded by how he was able to transform the space. I have a good feeling that the dialogue between the artists in the program and the community surrounding the gallery is destined to create something great that I can¹t fully explain, in fact that’s already the case.

James Fuentes LLC is currently located south of the Bowery and borders City Hall, South Street Seaport, Wall Street, Tribeca and Chinatown but exists within an almost autonomous zone that stands as the last remaining working class enclave in downtown New York. One of the important contexts that the gallery provides is being reflective of the community that it is situated in. The program also reflects the social and political environments of its time, is conceptually rigorous yet aesthetically accessible and embraces a multidisciplinary approach to art. Stone’s practice is steeped in poetics and mechanics resulting in works that enhance perceptual possibilities, giving the most familiar objects new meaning. His exhibition at James Fuentes LLC consisted of new sculptures including altered readymades, fabricated readymades and works that address the core of functionality, exhibition and design in a subversive manner. His approach to the space was responsive to the gallery¹s architecture utilizing inherent fixtures ranging from the tenement windows, radiator and electrical conduit and exterior.

JF: It was important for Stone to be one of the first exhibitions at the new gallery as he was chosen to create the last exhibition for my first gallery closed in 2000. You can find a video of that project on this page which includes images, press and biographical information: http://www.jamesfuentes.com/artists_pages/stone_frameset.htm