Lori Waxman is a Chicago-based critic and art historian whose reviews and articles have been published by The Chicago Tribune, Artforum, Modern Painters, Gastronomica, Parkett, Tema Celeste, as well as the sadly defunct Parachute.
In her three-day performances as the 60 wrd/min art critic, Waxman makes herself available on a first-come-first-serve basis to local artists seeking succinct and opinionated reviews of their work. While a receptionist processes each artist’s submission, Waxman churns out one review every twenty minutes, the texts of which are displayed live on a nearby monitor for artists and observers to read. As each one- to two-hundred word review is finished, the receptionist will “publish” a physical copy to a nearby wall. Eventually all or some of the reviews are published in a magazine or newspaper.
The format of the 60 wrd/min art critic brings artist, artwork and review into the same space simultaneously. The performance raises questions about the interaction of critic and artist, the value of on-demand criticism, and the effect of a solitary writer working in public. What emerges from the experiment is a literal and comical grappling with the idea that there are too many artists and galleries, and not enough critical venues to cover them all.
While the reviews aren’t guaranteed to be positive, Waxman insists they are thoughtful, critical and informative. For artists who have been reviewed carelessly, who have never been reviewed, or live in a city where there is little local criticism, the performance presents an opportunity for honest, informed criticism at the same time it questions the role of criticism itself.
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