Reena Spaulings' New York Atmosphere at Galerie Chantal Crousel

Galerie Chantal Crousel in Paris hosted the second exhibition of the collective Reena Spaulings from December 11, 2011 to January 14, 2012. The show's title winks at smiley language, while the work explores authorship and anonymity. Reena Spaulings originated as a fictional character in 2000s New York, later becoming a Lower East Side gallery and a fluid artist collective. The gallery space was infused with a New York atmosphere: a large, washed-color fresco of a Brooklyn metal bridge covered one wall. French artist Catherine Feff, known for large urban murals, contributed a painting based on a reinterpreted photograph featuring palm trees and abstract stains. Colored monochromes on the walls, upon closer inspection, revealed pizza delivery boxes used by the Occupy Wall Street protesters, painted over in red, blue, black, and brown—remnants of a nameless collectivity. At the back, a metallic bedbug was displayed under a glass vitrine. A series of engravings showing military targets observed from drones extended the exhibition, further evoking anonymity.