The latest at Public Pool is a group show, “ART AS ANTI-ART IS ART” that tackles one of the fundamental questions of contemporary art practice: “What makes that art?” The pieces on display at Public Pool seem largely to employ commonplace materials in the making of objects that, in the words of the exhibit’s curator Kathy Leisen, have “a certain simplicity…a raw, or subversive, or modest nature that I see as coming from a place of sincerity, and in genuine attempts to find beauty, humor, meaning or even transcendence.”

“Untitled Carpet Sculptures #1-3” by Dylan Spaysky.

Geoff Burkhart says of his work, “Bass Guitar”: “boatbassboatbassboatbassboatbassboatbass.”

Work in levels of tape by Matt Ziolkowski.

This includes three “Untitled Carpet Sculptures” by Dylan Spaysky that closely resemble cat furniture, a series of baseball card zoetropes by Claire D’Aoust (see above), a bass guitar reimagined by Geoff Burkhart, and a number of paintings by Matt Ziolkowski rendered mostly in multiple shapes of duct tape. Also included in the show, though not on view at the time of my visit, are a video performance by Bridget Michael and Kathy Leisen.

Bridget Michael gamely stands in for her missing video installation.

Also on tap at Public Pool, the latest issue of Stupor ‘zine by Public Pool collaborator Steve Hughes, this time a “Solid Gold” issue in collaboration with the notorious street-branding powerhouse Hygienic Dress League. Stupor gathers barstool stories into embellished form for print, against a visual motif supplied by a dazzling array of Detroit luminaries. Along the continuing theme of bar-inspired art practices, the collective management of Public Pool, along with certain members of the current show, did a Friday night Hamtramck bar crawl, generating a stockpile of bar napkin drawings as they went. The napkins will be installed as part of the ANTI-ART show, and on display at Public Pool during regular Saturday hours.

The Public Pool crew, hard at work in their natural environment.

In addition to regular gallery hours, Public Pool was the speaker for an episode of Creative Mornings/Detroit last Friday, February 7th, from 8:30-10 a.m., and will host an upcoming Good Time Writer’s Buffet, the theme of which will be ANTI-STORY, in accordance with the show. Check here for updates on the event, which will take place in the evening on Saturday, February 22nd.  Come on down!

Public Pool: 3309 Caniff St., Hamtramck; 313-405-7665; apublicpool.com