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Wandering around the former Dia: Chelsea building two weekends ago at the New York Art Book Fair, I couldn't help remark what a sad loss it is for this city that Dia evacuated its West 22nd Street building for a "renovation" that became a permanent closure. While the Fair itself was terrific, the now-empty space with the beautiful Jorge Pardo lobby and orphaned Dan Flavin light installations seems a pathetic shadow of its former self. (Meanwhile, do go see the great Flavin exhibit on at the Paula Cooper Gallery a block away.)
With recent news that the Whitney instead of Dia will move into the Washington Street space that abuts the High Line, Dia's three-year homelessness seems all the more needless and drawn out due to organizational dysfunction. Jerry Saltz has a great article in this week's Village Voice that neatly synthesizes the various forces at work here. He additionally pontificates on the future of the New Museum, currently somewhat present next door to the West 22nd Street Dia building while its future home shoots up like an urban weed tree on the Bowery at Prince Street. I've taken a number of photos this past month of the construction site, and the progress has been rather breathtaking during this extended stretch of splendid weather.
Saltz makes two key points about Dia that merit more discussion: "Dia has the credibility and pockets to do anything it wants" and "It could even move back into its 22nd Street space." When the renovated space reopened in early 2000—with the bold Pardo project—Dia reinvented itself as the fresh-faced pioneer of Chelsea. As the crowds swelled to bloated Chelsea with its countless galleries, Dia seemed too small; ergo additional renovations allegedly commencing three years ago. Despite the tiny elevator and narrow staircase, the space has worked and could still work—were only the initiative there. Meantime, Dia's permanent Manhattan installations the Earth Room and Broken Kilometer remain open.
photo: New Museum, 235 Bowery, copyright (c) 2006 NYC.com
Tags:
broken kilometer, dan flavin, dia chelsea, earth room, jerry saltz, jorge pardo, new york art book fair, paula cooper, village voice, whitney
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Posted on 12/1/2006
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