'Sliv and Dulet Enterprises Presents: The Summer Line 2003'
Through July 26, New Langton Arts

TO CALL THEM venture capitalists wouldn't be quite right, since there isn't much money to be made in the projects they sponsor, but Jon Brumit and Marc Horowitz never let that stop them before. Better known as Sliv and Dulet Enterprises, organizers of 2001's much publicized one-minute art show, they are more like venture facilitators. They've invited 20 of their favorite local artists to participate as a rotating cast in "The Summer Line 2003." Each week for five weeks, a handful of artists will arrive, install, and show off new products and services of their own invention. There's a new opening from 6 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday through July 23; this week's highlights include Jennifer Gwirtz's ergonomic office positions and Joe Reihsen's motivational tape-induced paintings. More than just goofy products, however, Horowitz and Brumit's "Summer Line" is really about seducing visitors with a thought-provoking (and, they hope, signature-branded) concoction of random Dada-esque silliness and deliberate satire. Their collective-installation scenario simultaneously mocks the conventions of office life, the business world, and the art world. Art projects are strewn everywhere, along with a good deal of found-object junk, but the most impressive work is the overwhelming immediacy of your forced encounter with the artists, who practically cackle with glee as they tear apart your comfy preconception of a gallery as an isolation tank – a zero-pressure retail experience where no one ever approaches or bothers you. The most engaging, most discomfiting product they're selling is the one you get for free: a totally customized, one-on-one performance with every visit. You can contribute to the project, as well, by sending Sliv and Dulet a fax (any fax) at 415-462-1999. The final July 23 reception will include two premieres: Darren Jenkins's United Starving Artist Fund video and Jon Rolston's zine The Sphincter of Our City. Tues.-Sat., noon-6 p.m., 1246 Folsom, S.F. (415) 626-5416. (Lindsey Westbrook)


July 9, 2003