
Installation Detail

Installation Detail

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new york reviews
by joan kee
Nancy Chunn
at Ronald Feldman
Jan. 11-Feb. 15, 1997
Following her "Maps of China" series,
installation artist Nancy Chunn has
continued her politically charged
trajectory in her newest series, "Front
Pages of the New York Times." Using actual
front pages from all 366 editions of last
year's Times, Chunn added her own witty and
caustic comments to the articles through a
proliferation of Day-Glo colors and snappy
slogans stenciled over the articles
themselves with crayon and pastel. One
choice example is the headline, "Romanian
Orphans: Prisoners of Their Cribs," under
which Chunn has slyly inserted the one-
liner, "Newt was NOT here." Other favorite
subjects that Chunn targets include
chauvinistic military officers, racist
politicians and corruption scandals.
Each page is compiled by month to form a
giant "front page" and the brilliant
magentas, electric blues and school-bus
yellows contrast with the somber black
print and gray newsprint. The bold, often
grating colors suggest that the thoughts of
the individual, or the unspoken gist of a
politician's ploy or policy, is more vivid
than the news itself. Her eclectic visual
and verbal references include everything
from Jasper Johns to Muhammad Ali, which
gives her work an added degree of
complexity beyond the confines of armchair
politics. Yet the most telling impact of
Chunn's work perhaps lies in the
multiplicity of recurring icons--dollar
bills or refrigerator magnet-like missile
or icons throughout all twelve months of
the series which ultimately remind the
viewer that despite the constant flux of
headlines and names, the events themselves
never really change.
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, 31 Mercer Street,
New York City, N.Y. 10013.
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