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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2009 > December > 03 > Entry
Okay Mountain sets up shop at PULSE Miami
The Austin art collective Okay Mountain has hit the road to Miami.
No, they haven’t abandoned their East Austin digs. They’ve set out to conqueror PULSE Contemporary Art Fair in Miami, the super-trendy contemporary art fair that shadows the super-fashionable Art Basel Miami Beach.
‘Corner Store’ is a site-specific installation commissioned from the Okay Mountain collective by Arthouse, the Congress Avenue contemporary art center.
‘Corner Store’ is just that — an off-brand convenience store much like you would find in the scruffy patches of urban Texas, the kind of establishment where cheap versions of everything and anything is sold.
The Okay Mountain crew spent literally thousands of hours constructing hundreds of objects by hand that fill the store. And each piece of inventory contains its own quirky twist on the original.
‘Green Things’ anyone? Or how about ‘You Only Live Once’ candy bars?
‘Corner Store’ opened today at PULSE.
The level of detail to ‘Corner Store’ is staggering. The sheer volume and kind of items reaches an encyclopedic level. So do the store’s features right down to the soda machine, the worn shelving, the cheap poorly-crafted signage and the out-of-date cash register.
The Okay Mountain gang will don uniforms and work the ‘Corner Store’ as if it were the real thing (in a way, it is). And they’ve even created advertising circular on cheap newsprint that blasts “10 artworks under $100” and other deals.
And yes, everything is for sale. Items start at just a few dollars. And there’s no re-stocking. It’s the end of the line for ‘Corner Store’ with everything sold as if it were going out of business.
There’s something wonderfully ticklish about the idea of the arterati perusing Okay Mountain’s hand-made and oh-so irreverent items. After all, the Miami art fairs are the fickle and fashion-conscious art world laid bare. There’s no hiding the raw commerce of the art market nor its self-conscious socializing.
After laboring for weeks, the 11-member Okay Mountain crew — Carlos Rosales-Silva, Corkey Sinks, Jesse Butcher, Josh Rios, Justin Goldwater, Ryan Hennessee, Nathan Green, Peat Duggins, Michael Sieben, Sterling Allen and Tim Brown — loaded up their store and drove it by truck from Austin to Miami, camping along the way to save on funds. They’ll reportedly split the profits of anything sold at PULSE with their Arthouse sponsors.
It’ll be curious to hear how ‘Corner Store’ is received by the trendy crowds at PULSE. After all, the Okay mountaineers don’t shirk from poking at the ribs of any sacred art world cows. But ultimately, Okay Mountain’s art-making mischief is gentle — and wise.
Any one wanna buy a gallon of ‘BBQ Water’ or some ‘Olde Money’?
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By Dana Friis-Hansen
December 4, 2009 7:40 PM | Link to this
I was there opening hour and was proud to be a Texan. Okay Mountain was a big hit in terms of buzz and sales (in terms of quantity of individual sales, not dollars) running really strongly for the visitors’ choice award. Austin should be proud of this slyly ironic immersive installation that celebrates American commercial enterprise. Congratulations!