Altered Narratives on Culturehall

I am really excited to have curated the current feature on the website Culturehall - A Curated Online Resource for Contemporary Art. I love this site and I love these artists!


Joseph Burwell, Shea Colloseum


Nanna Debois Buhl, Looking for Donkeys


Charlene Liu, Laden


Aaron Gilbert, The New One

An Evening of Pairs

Jeanne and I. Dietrich and Phillips. Dosas and Lassis. That was the order of a recent evening.



We saw the Painting and Misappropriation show at Swiss Institute. Swiss painter, Adolf Dietrich’s (1877-1957) lovely little still life, landscape, and animal portrait paintings are on view side by side with Dietrich-inspired and larger than life Richard Phillips (b. 1962) paintings.

In some works Phillips recreates Dietrich, but huge and slick.



In others he adapts Dietrich’s surreal landscapes into hyper-real backgrounds for portraits.



It is certainly painting about painting, not always my favorite theme, but there is a lot to like about this pairing. Dietrich’s paintings are detailed and nuanced where Phillips’ are saturated and confrontational.



I found myself walking around the show a few times to take it in – homage, exploitation, appropriation, singularity, and duality.

Side Note: The Arnold Odermatt show in the reading room is interesting, disturbing, and wonderful photography. According to the press release, Odermatt was a police officer in Switzerland who photographed traffic accidents that were part of his professional life and became famous in his retirement on the publication of Karambolage, a journal of these photos.

Another great pairing just down the street from SI– dosas and mango lassis from Hampton Chutney Co.



This is excellent not-quite-fast-food in Soho. Dosa fillings include, but are not limited to, traditional masala potatoes as well as non-traditional spinach, jack cheese, tomatoes, avocado, grilled portabello mushrooms, and balsamic roasted onions. Each dosa also comes with a chutney on the side. We had cilantro and tomato – both sparkled with flavor.

Don't Eat These Vegetables

Recently navigating the tiny blogosphere I tend to navigate (Poem, Sweet Poem... L.A. In Bloom... Smitten Kitchen... Rachel Eats), I stumbled on Ermie, and specifically this post about Scholten & Baijings fabric vegetables, and I stopped in my tracks. I just love them - the colors, the textures are simply stunning. Their website is short on information but long on great design and you can read more about the Amsterdam-based couple and their studio at Sight Unseen. (I also love Ermie and have been back many times since for little bits of inspiration.)







Images via Scholten & Baijings
VEGETABLES(c)
SCHOLTEN & BAIJINGS, 2009
Photography: yves krol, 2009

Open Studios - Only One Day Left

Join LMCC as we open our 2009-10 Workspace studios to the public for one weekend only, with an opening reception, open hours, and a reading. Meet the 20 visual artists and 9 writers in their studio spaces and see what they’ve been working on since September 2009!

Workspace is LMCC's 9-month studio residency program serving emerging visual artists and writers working in all media and genres from painting to video, sculpture to photography, poetry to playwriting. Studios are located in unique spaces generously donated by the downtown real estate community.

Schedule
Friday,April 30
7-9PM Opening Reception

Saturday, May 1
12-5PM Open Hours
6-8PM Open Texts: Reading and Performance by writers-in-residence

Sunday, May 2
12-5PM Open Hours

All events are free and open to the public. RSVP HERE! (It's required.)

Crocheted

My BFF Heather, L.A. Lady Extraordinaire (aka L.A. in Bloom, aka Chef Speak), recently posted about the artist Clare Crespo who crocheted a Mardi Gras spread for a show in L.A. It looks amazing and I keep going back for more so I had to share. I wish I could see these sweet little handmade wonders in person. Alas. If you are in L.A. check them out for me at Heath Ceramics - a beautiful place itself that Heather introduced me to last time I was in town.



Photos via L.A. in Bloom.

The Menus of Chanterelle in Greenpoint

I, sadly, never got to go to Chanterelle, but have heard so much about the owners, the food, and the menus. I'm really excited that this event is happening right here in the neighborhood.

...

Kill Devil Hill Presents: The Menus of Chanterelle

A two-day exhibition of the entire 60+ piece collection of menu covers from Chanterelle co-organized by Mary Brockman, Mark Straiton, and Ian Cofre.

Design by Merce Cunningham

On display: February 6th and 7th from 1pm-9pm
Reception: February 7th from 5pm-9pm

For over 30 years, David and Karen Waltuck cultivated a unique place in the New York City restaurant world for Chanterelle. Opened in 1979 in SoHo before moving to its best known location in TriBeCa, this restaurant defined downtown fine dining. With the help of designer Bill Katz, the owners embraced their home by featuring the art of early clients on the covers of their menus. Each work was created exclusively for the restaurant, growing into a one-of-a-kind collection that will be presented at Kill Devil Hill in its entirety, with the full roster of distinguished contributing artists, photographers, musicians, and writers -- from the inaugural menu by Marisol to a recent, unseen edition by Chuck Close.

Artists Include:
Edward Albee, Donald Baechler, Matthew Barney, Jennifer Bartlett, Gretchen Bender, Ross Bleckner, James Brown, John Cage, Vija Celmins, Francesco Clemente, Chuck Close, Cosby & Henderson, Merce Cunningham, Lynn Davis, John Dugdale, Donald Evans, Eric Fischl, Allen Ginsberg, April Gornik, Maurice Grosser, Juan Hamilton, Keith Haring, Howard Hodgkin, Jenny Holzer, Gregory Hull, Michael Hurson, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Cletus Johnson, Bill Katz, Ellsworth Kelly, Annie Leibovitz, Julian Lethbridge, Tom Levine, Roy Lichtenstein, Glenn Ligon, Robert Longo, Andrew Lord, Robert Mapplethorpe, Marcel Marceau, Marisol, Francoise Morellet, Malcom Morley, Elizabeth Murray, Louise Nevelson, Daniel Oates, Philippe Petit, Richard Prince, Robert Rauschenberg, Susan Rothenberg, Julian Schnabel, David Seidner, Jack Shear, Cindy Sherman, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Mike and Doug Starn, Kunie Sugiura, Philip Taaffe, Virgil Thompson, Cy Twombly, Kara Walker, Robert Wilson, and Terry Winters.

A limited selection will be available for sale.

For inquires please e-mail Mary Brockman at: killdevilhill@gmail.com

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Kill Devil Hill is an antique shop specializing in historical items with a unique story. During February and March, we are embarking on a new project called Kill Devil Hill Presents. For two months, our space will be transformed into gallery shows and various pop-up shops by local artists, entrepreneurs, and creators. We are thrilled to inaugurate the project with such an amazing piece of New York history.

Mary Brockman is a co-founder of Kill Devil Hill.
Mark Straiton, born in rural Connecticut, is a co-founder of Kill Devil Hill, and a world-renowned Disc Jockey.
Ian Cofre is a Brooklyn-based independent curator, working primarily with emerging artists. Previous shows include The LouvreFRITOS at Cuchifritos Gallery (2008) and Southern Exposure at Dumbo Arts Center (2009).

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Kill Devil Hill
170 Franklin St.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn NY 11222
347-534-3088

http://www.killdevilhillpresents.blogspot.com/
http://killdevilhillbrooklyn.blogspot.com/

Saturday Session @ P.S. 1

I've organized today's Saturday Session at P.S. 1! Cross the Pulaski bridge (and brave the snow) for an afternoon of performance...


CHERYL, Spirit Quest, Video still

February 6: Saturday Sessions presents Now Playing with performances by Bryan Zanisnik, Noveller, and CHERYL.

Date: Saturday, February 06, 2010
Time: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Now Playing: An afternoon of performance by emerging New York artists organized by Melissa Levin.

Order of performances:
4:00pm Bryan Zanisnik
4:30pm Noveller
5:15pm CHERYL

For Saturday Sessions, Bryan Zanisnik will present a new performance, Unshaved Coiffure and Root, that incorporates the artist's parents and the transference of hair.

Born in Union, New Jersey, Bryan Zanisnik currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He holds a B.A. from Drew University and in 2009 received his M.F.A. from Hunter College. Recent exhibitions include Sunday L.E.S., New York, NY; The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL; The Mucsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest, Hungary; The Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL; The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill, NY. Recent screenings include Artists Space, New York, NY; Broadway 1602, New York, NY; Yvon Lambert, New York, NY; Dresdner Bank, Frankfurt, Germany. In 2008 he attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and in 2007 he was a resident at the Art Omi International Artists Residency.

Noveller is the solo project of Brooklyn-based sound artist and filmmaker Sarah Lipstate. She has created music with One Umbrella, Parts & Labor, Nancy Garcia, Cold Cave, Rhys Chatham, and Glenn Branca. Her experimental short films have screened at SXSW, Cinematexas, the 12th Kyoto International Student Film Festival, No Fun: Infinite Sound and Image at the New Museum, and the Women of NY Cinema program at 92Y Tribeca.

CHERYL presents CHERYL (will ruin your life), a HAPPPENING^TM. Video Screening. Dance. Video Shoot. Dance. Dance. Dance. Don a dashiki, dust off your cat mask, comb your wig. Join the CHERYLs for an afternoon of participatory hijinks and museum mayhem.

CHERYL is a video/performance collective that explores the themes of mortality, mania, the feline-human connection, the limits of shoulders, the flammability of dollar-store hair extensions, and the staining power of fake blood. Through themes ranging from topical to bizarre, the CHERYLs revel in the joyous power of dance-induced psychosis/euphoria. CHERYL has been bringing its particular brand of FRESHMAGICK^TM to New York City since colonial times, and has since acquired a dedicated cult following and media attention for over-the-top happenings involving outrageous costumes, exuberant dance moves, and participatory dance floor suicide.

Manhattan

My Saturday morning felt like a scene from a Woody Allen movie and I loved it. First, a trip to the Guggenheim to see the Kandinsky show. His emotive and saturated colors stand impressively out against the Guggenheim's curving white walls. Also, not to be missed is the Paired, Gold: Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Roni Horn show on the top floor. A stop at Yura on Madison, my favorite place to snack on the Upper East Side, followed for a mini-sandwich and a small cup of soup.

Megan Witmarsh makes Recursive Objects

A great surprise in Miami this year was a show at The Wolfsonian called, New Voices. New Works, "a series of site-specific pieces inspired by the museum's collection and curated by designer Todd Oldham."

Part of the exhibition, the best part, was artist Megan Witmarsh's hand-crafted contribution, Recursive Objects. As the press release describes, it is "a series of sculptures made in response to The Wolfsonian’s collection. The backgrounds of the items in The Wolfsonian’s vast collection are varied ranging from high design to humble utilitarian items. Whitmarsh has made facsimiles of some of these objects (to replace the originals typically on view), and has also added her own inventions, all of which are covertly interspersed throughout the museum ..."

system:system at The Convent

Curators Adam Henry and Christina Vassallo, of Super Square, put together a show called system:system in a former convent in Greenpoint featuring installations by over 30 artists. The most successful installations were interventions, subtle and bold, that engaged or took advantage of the convent's uniqueness. The weaker work, hung innocuously on the walls as if this were any other exhibition space. In the end though, I was so excited about the show that I went twice. With buildings and spaces like this going unused and falling into disrepair, it is pretty thrilling to see proprietors who have the insight to give them over to artists and curators.

The opening was really fun, packed, but not sardines, everyone filing through hallways, in and out of little rooms, discovering installations and performers around every corner.


Installation in the foreground by MiYoung Sohn


One of my absolute favorite pieces, by Adam Henry, 7 balloons rested on the basement floor and 7 balloons were nestled in a skylight in the ceiling, connected by 7 strings, 4 stories long, suspended in the stairwell; This is the view looking up from below


Looking down; and Ben :)


The chapel where bands and films played


Yeni Mao's I ain't afraid of no ghosts, in the basement, a complex composition of mousetraps and a pile of crystals in the center


Deborah, looking pretty, on the phone, and clutching our local pride, Brooklyn Lager

I took Mike back on Sunday since he missed the opening. While the night-time had a kind of haunted feeling, the day revealed an entirely different exhibition, afternoon sun streaming through the windows.


Former convent of the St. Cecilia Parish


Space altering installations by Kai Vierstra (front); SOFTlab (back)


The hall looking back toward the entry


Melissa Brown installed a series of faux stained-glass windows like this throughout the building


GORGEOUS installation by Studio Mode; It's fall outside!


Lisha Bai altered the floor tiling in this room; In a show full of bold statements, this is one of the more subtle and effective installations


My Space installation by e-team, a durational performance in which someone stood behind the door pushing back as visitors pushed inward trying to enter


Installation by Derick Melander, amazingly executed, clothes folded and stacked immaculately; In the back, the stack is perfectly fit inside a closet

Friday at Swiss Institute

Swiss Institute is one of my favorite art spaces in New York. Their programming is unique, eclectic, and many artists they present are working outside the white box. I also love their soup lunches, which happen a few Fridays throughout the year and include a curator-led tour of the current show. Last Friday, the soup was forgettable, but the installations were great. My favorite was Serge Becker's Reading Room. As they describe him, Becker is more of a downtown legend than a practicing artist, but SI Director Gianni Jetzer commissioned him to make a work, and he chose to create this highly interactive bookshelf. Instead of being in a room surrounded by books on shelves, the bookshelf sits in the center of the gallery and you surround it. Additionally, the interior is straight out of a fun-house, meant to quench a child's curiosity but also fun for adults. Gianni mentioned that they will be donating the bookshelf to a school when the show comes down - a perfect continuation.

Painting Pine

Pine Shelf, oil on linen, 19 x 22 inches

I haven't stopped staring at this beautiful painting by Josephine Halvorson since she sent me the image. It's hard to tell where the painting begins and ends in this lovely photo. The layers of wood grain draw you right in, and then that window leads you out and beyond. What I love about Josephine's paintings is that they are simultaneously stark and cozy, abstract and representational, and she creates these mysterious and intimate spaces in a thoroughly considered way.

Josephine has a studio in Brooklyn, but is always finding ways to paint in cabins in the countrysides of Massachusetts and New York. She made this painting in a pine cabin in Speculator, NY, in the heart of the Adirondack State park. What an incredible name for a place. And what an incredible painting.