TimeOut New York, April 17-23, 2008

ART REVIEW: "THANK YOU FOR COMING: TRIPLE CANDIE, 2001-08"

By T.J. CARLIN

Given Triple Candie's history of independent programming and its focus on questioning the context of showing art (sometimes to the point of perversity), it's only fitting that the gallery's final exhibition in its current location is not mired in nostalgia. "Thank You for Coming" critiques the space's own predilections while commemorating its unusual trajectory. Rather than present what was, founders Peter Nesbett and Shelly Bancroft expose the structural basis of past shows, underlining the peculiar nature of their gallery.

David Humphrey's gigantic blow-up snowmen, first shown in 2006, now relax in a state of semicollapse and are almost unrecognizable; they will be destroyed after this exhibit. Polly Apfelbaum, whose 2003 project constituted one fo the first solo exhibitions here, has made commemorative T-shirts, which hange beside a series of posters advertising each show at Triple Candie: The latter were created specifically for this exhibition, since the often impromptu nature of the gallery's activities meant that announcements were almost never produced.

The most distilled index of the space's spirit is a selection of correspondence arranged in a display cabinet, including supportive letters as well as scathing e-mails leveled at the more controversial initiatives. While one may not always agree with its curatorial proposals, Triple Candie's self-awareness is a striking model for presenting work that will hopefully find a new home when this space moves.