OOZING WITH ENERGY: KEITH HARING

Whether it is a vase he created in collaboration with graffiti artist LAII, a panel of a screen, or something that appears to have no purpose at all, the objects he chooses to paint come across with a power that give them a talismanic air. His line galvanizes the surface of each piece, and his energetic brush endows the most banal things with a sense of importance.The same can be said of his infamous subway drawings which were taken off the walls of New York City subway stations. In the Shafrazi show there are eight large drawings (white chalk on black paper) preserved from the early 80s behind plexiglas or shadow boxed. They are arranged in one room and they appear as impressive relics of a bygone age. They feel quick and smart, oozing with energy. The exhibition’s pinnacle, they were created in situ stemming from the news of the day, their location, or the artist’s whim.In contrast to the objects and subway drawings, Haring’s two-dimensional images are less powerful and at their worst they can feel ham-fisted.

The Brooklyn Rail