AO On Site: ‘Koons Kelley Koh’ curated by Javier Peres at Mary Boone Gallery in Chelsea, Saturday, March 4th, show runs through May 16, 2009

April 10th, 2009


Terence Koh’s ‘Untitled (Urinal)’ on the opening night of ‘KKK,’ photo by ArtObserved

On Saturday, April 4, ‘Koons-Kelley-Koh,’ or ‘KKK,’ curated by LA-Berlin dealer Javier Peres opened at Mary Boone Gallery. The theme of the exhibition is rather loose. In the press release Peres wrote, ‘My purpose in assembling this exhibition was not to emphasize a curatorial message as such, but rather – quite simply – to put three of my favorite American artists side by side. No tricks, no gimmicks, no bullshit, just sculptures representative of each artist’s practice. I hope you enjoy looking.’ The show includes two sculptures by each artist. It does not feature any of Jeff Koons’s recent signature large-scale sculptures, with all but one of the works on the relatively small side. There is, however, a 24-foot-long piece by Terence Koh, a smashed-up urinal glued back together.

Koons-Kelley-Koh [Mary Boone Gallery]
About Last Night… [PaperMag]
Talking With Terence Koh [ArtCat]
Crate of the week (if not the year…) [Fine Art Shipping]
Terrence Koh, Jeff Koons, And Mike Kelley Host An Exibition At The Mary Boone Gallery [Guest of a Guest]
Terence Koh’s Mary Boone Opening [Style.com]


A visitor looks at a piece by Mike Kelley opening night, photo by ArtObserved

The exhibition is rather minimalist, both curatorially and aesthetically. Mike Kelley’s underlit renderings of imaginary cities are quite stark in comparison to many of his installations, and Koh’s pieces feature little of his typical masturbatory exuberance. However, the opening reception provided contrast, with notables such as Dash Snow (and young daughter) and Yvonne Force Villareal set against the afterparty at Chelsea leather bar Eagle, with buff, grungy tattooed dancers provided even more of a spectacle.


Opening night of ‘KKK,’ photo by ArtObserved


Javier Peres at the opening of ‘KKK’ via Style.com

‘KKK’ runs through May 16, 2009 at Mary Boone Gallery’s Chelsea location in New York.


Jeff Koons’s ‘Baccarat Crystal Set’ via Mary Boone


Terence Koh and Dash Snow with daughter Taya at the opening of ‘KKK’ via PaperMag


Klaus Kertess, Cristophe de Menil, Javier Peres, and Terence Koh at the opening of ‘KKK’ via Guest of a Guest


Mike Kelley’s ‘City 6/No. 4’ via Mary Boone


Terence Koh and dancers at the Eagle afterparty via PaperMag


Yvonne Force Villareal at the Eagle afterparty via PaperMag


Mary Boone, Terence Koh, and guests try out Koh’s urinal, via Guest of a Guest


Terence Koh’s ‘Untitled (Urinal)’ via Mary Boone