Archive for the 'Art' Category

Somebody is smoking crack at the Museum of Modern Art. How else to explain exhibiting Dog Aitkin’s “Sleepwalkers”, an outdoor exhibition, in the middle of frigin’ WINTER! The night I ventured out into the breach was the first time in my life I could literally empathize with a witch’s tit, and not in a good way.

However, once my extremities got acclimated I was actually able to appreciate, if not fully enjoy, the sublimely unique New Yorkiness of what I was experiencing. The main stage of the exhibit was situated in the outdoor sculpture garden, which is barricaded on three sides by the glass walls of the museum itself.

Six separate films exposed themselves on the naked exterior of the buildings with only the cacophony of the city acting as their Philip Glass-esque soundtrack. At first sight it was a truly breathtaking nocturnal panorama.

The movies were 16 minute shorts each depicting a solitary soul slogging through the drudgery of their daily lives. The movies, though autonomous, flowed together as one through the use of perfectly timed edits that occurred simultaneously in all six pieces at exactly the same moment lending a soothingly mellow synchronization that was wicked cool.

Another super sweet aspect was that every so often each of the six films would flash the same image; such as a sunset, facial close up or high speed traffic scene, creating a multiplied mirror effect that I found quite trippy.

I took advantage of the audio commentary, which was cleverly accessed through a cell phone number. I learned that the artist told his actors to, “dissolve into the landscapes”. His belief is that a city is heat and energy without boundaries and that the city itself and the people in it are micro and macro reflections of each other. I dig that, but as my balls burrowed deeper into my belly I began to get increasingly disturbed.

NOBODY was smiling. None of the actors in the films, none of the hundred or so audience members, NOBODY! The movies themselves ,while gorgeous, were intense and bleak. Even the physical projection on the windows gave them a bleached out, spectral look.

The thing is: Mr. Aitken created this instillation to showcase the organic heat of life in our city, but what I experienced was not the city I know and love. To me it wasn’t so much a celebration of New York life as it was a depressing homage to the remorse and alienation one feels riding the L train at rush hour. Then again, that’s just one humble kid from Jersey’s opinion.

HIGHLIGHTS:

· It’s FREE
· They won’t bust your balls if you light up a smoke
· It truly is a unique piece of art
· The cell phone audio commentary is free and enlightening: 408-794-0886
· Connolly’s Irish Pub is right across the street on 54th, and a $6 shot of Jack goes a long way after freezing your ass off in the winter night for half an hour.

Three peephole boxes sit in a vacant lot on 13th St. between 2nd and 3rd Ave as part of the Art in Odd Places Festival. I knew it was going on, but I wasn’t expecting to run into it the way I did — just randomly walking home. The festival is designed to let artists interact with public spaces, but it also lets the viewer stumble across it, making the city into a giant gallery.

The festival is only up until Sunday night, so I suggest that you get out this weekend and wander. Over 25 artists have pieces in the Lower East Side. You can either get a map and go find them, or just wander and discover them on your own. Either way, it will add some beauty to your world.

Do you want to be an UNCOOLKID?

Here’s your chance.

We’re looking for artists for our first UNCOOLKIDS event. Paintings, photographs, small light-weight sculpture and anything else that can be hung on a wall — if you make it, we wanna see it.

The (loose) theme of the show is Uncool Art. And we mean ‘uncool’ in the best possible way — funny, unique, interesting, thought-provoking, daring — basically anything willing to stand-out from the crowd. (Plus anything that we like, and we’re a big dorks)

We’re looking for 2-3 pieces from each artist. Artists must be 21+ and available to attend the show on August 3rd in Manhattan.

Contact uncoolkids [at] gmail [dot] com if intested and please include jpegs of the pieces you’d like to show.

**UPDATE** We have all the artists we need for this show and are no longer accepting submissions.

Math Art: The Uncool-est Art of them all

I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art today to check out the special exhibition Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh. With the exception of learning her personal story, which is pretty fascinating, the exhibit wasn’t really that exciting. It looked like every other exhibit I’ve ever seen about mummies, except that there were no actual mummies.

One thing I did notice was that there were a lot more ‘girly items’ on display, which was kind of fun. There was all kinds of jewelry; rings, bracelets, cuffs, armbands, necklaces, belly-necklaces, ornate clasps, collars, rings, earrings and a diadem(a decorative headpiece). There were also a couple of jewelry boxes a some other toiletries, like powder boxes, kohl jars and applicators, combs, tweezers, ointment jars, cosmetic jars, cosmetic spoons (which were purely decorative and meant to be ‘cute’), hand mirrors and even a razor(yes, hers — did they shave their legs back then?).

Overall, I’d say don’t go out of your way to go to this exhibit, but if you’re in the Met anyway, wander through it. It runs until July 9th, and be sure to download The Special Exhibition Podcast to your iPod (cheaper than the $6 they charge there).

[Just in case you are lame like me and don’t know how to subscribe to a podcast, here’s how to do it (in iTunes): 1) click on Podcasts in the left menu 2) choose advanced from the top menu 3)choose subscribe to podcast and 4)paste in the URL (the one above, that ends in .xml) ]

When you’re looking for Bodies . . . The Exhibition at the South Street Seaport, don’t get confused and wander into the Gap and stare at mannequins. You actually want to go next door. You’ll know you’re in the right building when the smell hits you. It’s like you’re in 7th grade science class, about to dissect a frog. Don’t let that scare you off though; you get used to it.

In fact the same could be said for the whole exhibit: You get used to it. The first room shocks and maybe terrifies you, but by the fifth room all you can think is, “I’m getting kind of hungry”.

That sounds like I didn’t enjoy myself, but actually I loved it. I think Bodies is fascinating, educational and beautiful. It’s the perfect combination of science and art, mixed with gore, to get your adrenaline flowing.

The bodies in question are the result of plastination, a process in which tissue is replaced with liquid silicone rubber. The final product is a human body that looks exactly as if it has been skinned, but will not decompose. Besides the 22 bodies on display there are also 260 individual organs (some of which you can hold!) There is also a room filled entirely with veins. It’s pitch black and filled with display cases of arms, legs, a head; with everything removed, except for the bright red veins. That room alone is worth the price of admission.

However, before you go, there is an ethical matter to address: the way in which the bodies were obtained. They corpses were all unclaimed or unidentified, and while it is common practice for these bodies to be used in medical research, critics are questioning if this counts . . .and how ethical it is to display them in such a way without consent.

Bodies . . . The Exhibition is at the South Street Seaport on the corner of Fulton and Front Street. Tickets are not cheap at $26.50, but if you go before January 30th you can use this 15% off discount.

The Interactive Telecommunications Program is having their winter show on Sunday and Monday. Prepare to be inspired. One of the projects that’s not to be missed:

“Smoke is a window display where a sensor detects cigarette smoke and transforms a recorded video of a solo dance piece. Designed to be installed in a window outside a dance studio or performance space, Smoke is motivated by and reflects upon the prevalence of smoking in the dance community.”

“Smoke is made up of a custom smoke sensor housed in a small device attached to the outside of a display window. The device senses a variety of gases, including cigarette smoke, and communicates the presence of the gas to a second sensor inside the window. A PC inside the window runs a custom application that alters the appearance of a dance video piece as more or less gas is detected.”

Smoke will be on display on the corner of Waverly and Broadway on Sunday from 2-6 and Monday from 5-9.

NYC DECOMPRESSION 2005
by Tom Pearson

Sculpture by Paige Bradley Gallery; photo by Tom Pearson

This year’s NYC Decompression party, a celebration of art and alternative culture that serves as a cool down for New York area burners, was one of the best in years. The thirteen-hour interactive carnival held on the rooftop of Brookyln Sugar in Williamsburg brought the playa to the tar, replete with art installations, sculpture, performing artists, a dance floor, a costume trading post, free popcorn, cotton candy, a kissing booth, and of course, the fabulous annual resident creatures of Black Rock City. Smaller in scale than past parties, the contained atmosphere focused its energy instead on cultivating quality. The dance party was always kicking. The hula hoopers, with their own play area, were on hand to perform and share advice. Tip: a simple back and forth motion of the torso (with one foot planted slightly in front) is better for hooping than trying to circle with your waist.

The fire spinners were extraordinary as they showed their virtuosity to a vibrating but hushed crowd (we had to cheer quietly to keep the NYPD from closing us down). Two silvery acrobats performed circus-type fabric drops from the ceiling inside, while the dance party paused to watch. Outside, freezing party-goers crowded around a burn barrel situated between a sculpture of a horse made from rebar and tire treads and a sculpture by Paige Bradley Gallery of a woman emitting light from her torso.

Last year’s party, held at Spirit in Chelsea, attracted the club-goers and failed to satisfy, but the party on Saturday night was filled with true burners, who live the playa year-round and generously share their spirits and gifts. And, the few pieces of art and occasional performances were like nuggets of gold against the chilly skyline of Manhattan and a city preparing for a long cold winter.

© 2005 Tom Pearson

One of the things about living in this city is that there is art everywhere. I was reminded of this when I went to Max Fish, a regular ‘ol bar in the Lower East side, and saw three paintings on the wall as good as anything in a gallery.

Anders Olson, the artist, has bravely chosen three very personal and raw pieces to display. The first impression I had was that they were very different styles and techniques, one of the front room pieces looks like a collection of photographs while the one hanging in the back has a more symbolic and dreamlike feel to it. But upon closer inspection I realized that they were a series of self portraits, using a layering technique in different ways to convey the different aspects of the artist.

Below are a couple pictures I was able to get (right click and choose view image for a bigger size), but nothing compares to going down there and seeing it for yourself.

Flux Factory, “a not for profit arts organization supporting innovation in things,” is looking for submissions for thier next couple of pieces. They always do some interesting stuff, all you musicians and artists out there should check this out:

1) “Flux Factory is putting out a call to artists to submit works for a benefit exhibition titled ‘Works on Paper’. The exhibition will run for one week from 18-26 February 2006 and will feature works on paper by emerging artists and sell them to a wide audience of dealers, collectors, gallery owners, artists and people who want art at extremely reasonable prices.”

You can find more info about the above on their website, but it looks like the next one hasn’t been posted yet, so I included everything they sent out:

2) “Flux Factory is putting out an open call for its latest show, FluxBox. The aim of FluxBox is to gather a group of international sound artists, musicians, and sculpture/installation artists to create a walk-through, room-sized “music box” that plays a single song. Like the Disneyland ride “It’s A Small World” all the objects in the exhibit present a world that is connected if simultaneously disjointed, which sings together, but in a harmonious cacophony.

Read the rest of this entry »

Go to Max Fish (178 Ludlow between Houston and Stanton)tonight to check out new art by Anders Olson.