Valerie smacks back

After the Houston Press took an altogether too literal view of the differences in the Black Light White Noise catalogue in their review of the exhibit, Oliver is striking back in a new article on glasstire.com.

an excerpt from M. Handwerker's article:

MH: Will you address some of the difficulties you faced installing an exhibition composed entirely of installations? One critic admonished you for your decision to install Arthur Jafa’s My Black Death and Satch Hoyt’s 8-Track Shack differently from the way they were described in the exhibition catalogue.

VCO: Yes. I thought that article was interesting, but unfortunately it smacked of someone speaking to a process clearly outside of his/her experience. Five works were created specifically for this exhibition, including Hoyt’s 8-Track Shack. The artist initially envisioned it as suspended, but after he completed it, he felt strongly that audiences should be able to enter the shack. That way, the 8-tracks could evoke specific personal moments. It wasn’t my decision, as the writer said. Jafa’s My Black Death, like a few of the other works, was recreated for the space. Again, I accommodated the artist’s wish to install it differently from how he had done previously. Images in catalogues represent works documented in a specific time and place, but installation work evolves. Each new venue presents new challenges and artists adapt. The final results often differ from previous installations.