reviews

Robert Stivers: Drowning To Light
by Stefano Pasquini
NY Arts, October 2000

Robert Stivers is currently showing at Messineo Wyman Projects, in Chelsea This exhibition shows images from Stivers new book Listening to Cement. He is best known for his portraits of fellow dancers and a poignant self-portrait, where he is shown drowning in a river wearing a straight jacket. Since these works, Stivers prints have become much lighter, but the subject matter has grown emotionally dense and more con- templative. In the show Bust of a Man, by Giacometti a strong influence by French Existentialism becomes clear. In fact, the whole show makes perfect sense through this key: two prints of what resembles a moon (immediately I thought of Giacomo Leopardi, a pre-existentialist poet) are hand tinted with the use of solarization and particular acids, and a Self Portrait in Profile has a clear Man Rayan touch to it. What I liked in some of the works was this constant reference to Surrealism, the magic of past times, yet with a refreshing intent. Robe is present; and at Messineo Wyman its shown as a series of different tone prints. The scene is metaphysical and makes one wonder if there is a being inside the robe or not. The show at Messineo Wyman has a lighter tone to it. The bigger prints are in color and Stivers told me he digitally manipulated some of the works, or at least he played digitally with them, then went back to the darkroom to manually repeat what the computer obviously couldnt do as well as an enlarger and years of experience. He is also showing three videos, transferred from Super 8, and suddenly were back to Man Ray: the images are beautiful, more emotional than cerebral, and the obscure sounds of composer James Lo wraps them with poignancy and a tint of self irony. Its this recontextualization of visual moments like the found footage of a tornado that makes Stivers work the strongest.

Woman Seated - N
Robert Stivers
1991/1997
C-Print
Edition of 4
40 x 50 inches


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Jason Florio, The Long Fight for Kawtoolie, 2012

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Antonio Carreno, Messineo Art Projects / Wyman Contemporary, 2011

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Jill Nathanson’s Quiet Vision, 2010

Paul Vickery - Past Imperfect Future Tense, 2010

Jason Florio, Black and White Magazine, 2009

Gema Alava: Tell Me the Truth, 2008

An Alchemist's Reverie, Picture Magazine, Fall 2002

Robert Stivers, Black & White Magazine, June 2001

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