In his show at Valentine, Andrew Moszynski assembles paper planks and platforms into illusions of rectilinear solidity. They cantilever into the clear light of day, supported by happy thoughts. He also devises “YMF” wallpaper (for “Yearly Mass Fuck”) that repeats, potentially endlessly, every possible human coupling. The figures thus engaged sport aboriginal Amazonian haircuts, and are seen from above, as by helicopter. Their dedication provides, if not exactly romance, a cheering argument for species survival. In addition to these images of building and fucking there are numerous small drawings that likewise suggest a very cautious optimism. In one, a man leans the top of his head against a tree, circling himself with his shadow. Is he in sorrow, or resignation, or just obeying an enterprising structural logic? In another, an exhausted man emerges from a cave into blinding sunlight. A guilty-looking rag dangles from his hand. Is he a murderer, a masturbator, a survivor of a mine accident? Is he the artist, overwhelmed by the light at the end of the tunnel? DAVID BRODY
Andrew Moszynski: Recent Work at Valentine, November 19 to December 11, 2011. 464 Seneca Ave, Ridgewood, Queens, 718 381-2962
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