Martha Edelheit at ERIC FIRESTONE and Jocelyn Hobbie at FREDERICKS & FREISER

James Kalm sometimes happens upon serendipitous contrasts among his evening gallery excursion that are as poignant as they are unexpected. In this program we tour a pare of shows that inhabit near opposite poles of painting. Martha Edelheit’s exhibition is titled “Flesh Walls: Tales from the 60s” and is like a time capsule of proto-feminism. This show features a group of large brusque figurative paintings featuring circus like scenes of debauchery, sadomasochistic play, and a selection of whimsical works on paper. Heading across town to Chelsea, we slip into see Jocelyn Hobbie’s “New Paintings” at Fredericks and Freiser. These intimate works have a high finish that recalls classic academic studies, and artifice that is so pronounces as to make the observer squeamish with its flawless perfection. Described as a Post Modernist deconstruction of beauty theses portraits question the role of unobtainable superficial perfection and sexuality. A musical introduction is provided by Donino. This program was recorded October 26, 2018