PETER HUTCHINSON – THE LOGIC OF MOUNTAINS
2013-03-11Hutchinson is a true renaissance man, in every sense of the word. Part fanatical botanist, part consummate humorist, part die-hard TV sitcom enthusiast (he can practically recite every episode from Cheers and Seinfeld from heart), Peter again defies easy labeling. Visiting his garden and studio, especially in the summer, which he shares with several half-feral cats and includes a rare species of orchid he himself discovered and named, is a rare treat.
The stories I’ve shared with Peter over the years are many. There’s the summer in the 90’s he introduced me to his then-dealer from NY, the legendary Holly Solomon, who wore her mink coat the entire visit (it was August), even as we lunched on lobster roll melts on the deck of DNA, my Provincetown gallery, and planned his next exhibition. There was the time I was swept off my feet – quite literally – at a busy intersection in Soho on the way to Henry Geldzahler’s memorial, after we drank a pair of bee-pollen/spirulina/high-protein shakes and Peter suddenly decided he knew the best way to cure his art dealer’s backache. There was the first time I tasted his homemade dandelion wine before a studio visit, and a few glasses later – like wearing 3-D glasses – was seeing incredible new dimensions in the already surreal photo-collages. There were long meandering walks in the beech forest near his house, testing various species of wild mushrooms (with serious trepidation) and being very grateful to survive another day. But above all, there is Peter Hutchinson’s work itself – bursting with color, humor and a kind of quiet, understated subversiveness.
Exhibition runs through to April 13th, 2013
Freight+Volume
530 W. 24th Street
New York
NY
10011
