Yves Klein is perhaps art history's biggest wildcard and arguably his influence on the artists of today has never loomed larger. This latest exhibition at Tate Liverpool seems to make a great case as joker savant but it also shows how committed the artist was in comparison to the texture, pigment, happenings and materially exhausted stack sculptors of today. It's that gonzo conviction that seems to be missing often... as if any artist who moves something around deserves a gold star. For Klein it was never about the moves he was making, it was about the strive... that drove a beautiful and fractured subtlety. Klein's work was whole by never attempting to be a complete exercise in art, architecture, or performance. He kept his edge by never being too proud of his genre or material, instead testing Art's elemental use and validity powered his work.

This review of No Man's Land provides a quick but not shallow look at what Art created women can sometimes be without just resorting to the easy cliches. Sure they are there and even then they are better than what I normally come across... nutcrackers and that worn out 2012-2016 trend of mannequins but I also like how it approaches the body. Earlier this year PORT interviewed Wengechi Mutu and years ago I interviewed one-time Portlander Mickalene Thomas. The fact that it all comes from one collection makes it an interesting document but I'd like to see something that rigorously pursues the idea looking at significant art that the market isnt so attached to for greater breadth.

Western Culture by and large doesn't value the body and the use of space and the discussions around such things are stilted or often relegated to some project room rather than front and center. Frankly, I'd like to see that change in many Portland spaces because I'd argue that female artists here tend to be the genre MVP's... despite the fact that the least edgy ones get a disproportionate share of institutional resources. I will argue that female artists with an edge are being undervalued in Portland... despite the fact that they have international and national careers that seem value that very quality.

The New Yorker catches up with Justine Kurland. I've known her a long time since meeting her in Linda Farris' place way back in 2000. PORT has covered her a great deal and I consider her to be one of the 10 most important artists making art today... so hilarious that my introduction to her was like this, (Linda Farris) "Justine, Jeff is a critic and curator from Portland." (Justine Kurland hopping up and down and clapping her hands), "EEEEEEEE I Love Portland." That was long before anyone cared about Portland. What I love about her work is how it captures the wonder of living without ever being fluff. She's a poet in a world full of wannabe cinematographers.

Kenny Schachter's ongoing reports on the belly of the art world are excellent and his latest is no exception.

Mid-level and startup galleries are feeling pinched... some are leaving the traditional gallery model and moving into Taco Bell?