Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection

I have a new review up on the Gallery Crawl website right now for "Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection," which is on display at the New Museum from now until June 6th:


The Dakis Joannou Collection, one of the largest contemporary art collections in the world, began with the purchase of Jeff Koons’ One Ball Equilibrium Tank in 1985, so it’s fitting that Koons was asked to curate “Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection,” now on display at the New Museum. Of course, Koons’s choice to include One Ball Equilibrium Tank in “Skin Fruit” would have made sense if the exhibition were merely meant to be an overview of contemporary artwork from the past two decades, but it isn’t. Yes, for the person who knows very little about contemporary art and wants to see all of the biggest names in one place – there are Cindy Sherman photographs, one of Takashi Murakami’s creepy-sleek sculptures and some Chris Ofili elephant dung paintings – this exhibition is a great place to start. However, Koons’s repulsively-named exhibition seeks to explore the age-old preoccupation with the human body as a vessel and vehicle for experience, but with over 100 works by 50 artists spread out over four floors, “Skin Fruit” can be, at times, a bit overwhelming. Since all of these pieces are from one of the most famous collections of contemporary art in the world, and have won awards and gained exposure prior to this exhibit, it’s sometimes hard to see past their provenance.

Click on over here to continue reading.