On Art That Doesn't take Itself Too Seriously: Shop Talk w/ Ed Winkleman

Joe Fig, "April and Eric: August 10, 2004," 2005-2006, Mixed Media, 29 x 96 x 48

via Chelsea Now, Volume Number 1 Issue Number 8 / November 17 - 23, 2006
Chelsea Arts & Lifestyles: Fine Arts:

Talking shop with Winkleman / Plus Ultra Gallery
By Shane McAdams

Years ago, I tried to create an Internet art portal featuring developing artists and message boards, full of online galleries and virtual critiques between exhibiting artists. Long story short, it sank, and I learned a valuable lesson: artists can be skittish when it comes to technology. It occurred to me that, for all its avant garde sympathies, the art world has brought up the derriere garde in the digital crusade.

Therein lies Edward Winkleman's value. He is the proprietor of Winkleman / Plus Ultra, one of W. 27th Street's hotspots, but he may be just as well known for his art blog, www.edwardwinkleman.blogspot.com. A treasure trove of insider information and a breeding ground for heated discussion, it functions as a much needed tonic to the market-driven, glossy trade publications that have traditionally controlled the information machine in the art world.

While his blog has been a positive force, even a gift for the art world at large, it isn't a completely self-sacrificing endeavor. His high-tech side project keeps the low-tech portion of Winkleman's personal interests healthy and dynamic. As the moderator of his blog, he stays alert and involved, and his gallery has benefited appreciably. He has cobbled together a program that thrives on disparate parts that complement each other: for every Jackson Pollock studio in miniature by Joe Fig, there is a gigantic shoe by Andy Yoder; for every conceptual pinball drawing by Rosemary Fiore, there's a neo-Renaissance painting by Nancy Baker. Though little of the actual work at Winkleman/ Plus Ultra is involved directly with technology, the range and sophistication of the art at the gallery suggests that keeping plugged in has its benefits.

This week I had the chance to ask Winkleman what was on his mind:
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