A Spirited New York Exhibition by Crystal Wagner

Rarely is art placed in corporate lobbies of any interest, but Crystal Wagner’s Wild Efflux up the stairs and around the reception area of the Viacom headquarters at 1515 Broadway in Times Square is a real exception: a 170-foot long creation of paper, chicken wire, torn plastic table cloths, and paint that, though it references pop masters like Frank Stella in its overwhelming “presence,” shows a lightness of touch that marks a very different sensibility. Not since Lisi Raskin’s debut, the totally immersive Switchyard at Guild and Greyshkul in 2007, has there been a first major New York appearance of an artist working with paper that delivers so much, as is also demonstrated in her wallboxes next to the installation. Viacom’s curator has really escaped the curse of corporate exhibitions, with their deadly earnest hanging of second-rate paintings and placemnt of dated academic sculpture, perhaps because of all the creative types who work in the building. The work may be viewed during business hours. The artist is represented by Hashimoto Contemporary in San Francsco. (For a Viacom video, please access https://vimeo.com/130508371.)