Art Seen: National
Jamie Adams // Studio Visit
Paintings seen and sensed – A recent visit to Jamie Adams’ studio I’ve been somewhat obsessed with a particular painting of late: Francesco Solimena’s Dido receiving Aeneas and Cupid disguised as Ascanius (probably 1720s) from the collection of London’s National Gallery. Not necessarily one of the most celebrated works of the 18th century but[...]
Skyspace // James Turrell
James Turrell has been the subject of nearly 200 solo exhibitions worldwide since 1967. Light is Turrell’s medium. He is arguably the most influential contemporary light artist, as well as one of America’s most popular artists. Turrell attributes both his upbringing as a Quaker and his training as a pilot to his exploration of light[...]
See Art + Design // Illuminator Compositions
Recently, I attended the opening reception for Bryan Christopher Baker’s new body of work at See Art + Design in Midtown Detroit. I thought I was familiar with Baker’s work. I even have one of his dice prints. This was different. Baker presented 11 light boxes, each glowing with dizzying Op-Art-like imagery. He achieved this[...]
Guggenheim // Zarina: Paper Like Skin
If you are at the Guggenheim checking out the Gutai exhibition which you must do, you need to pop into the small exhibition of works by Zarina Hashmi organized by the Hammer Museum (no wonder I loved it). Born in 1937 in India, in 1947 she was forced to leave and settle in Pakistan and is now[...]
The Art Dealer’s Association of America and The Armory // Highlights
Well, as usual, The Art Dealer’s Association of America’s Art Show was a classy affair. There were some great solo booths that really were showstoppers. And due to the fact that chatter about The Armory was fairly negative, The Art Show only stood to benefit from its small size and the quality of the work.[...]
Broad Art Museum // Pattern: Follow the Rules
Recently, I made the 90-mile journey from Detroit to East Lansing, for the opening weekend of the new exhibition Pattern: Follow the Rules at the new Broad Art Museum. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it and the current exhibit. Pattern: Follow the Rules is spread throughout the museum; sprawling across three rooms on[...]
Gutai: Splendid Playground at the Guggenheim // Highlights
This phenomenal exhibition presents the most influential avant garde collective of the postwar era. Founded by artist, critic and teacher Yoshihara Jiro, the Gutai group was legendary. Members explored new arts forms such as performance, painting and “interactive environments” creating an international common ground of experimental art. It lasted for 18 years, from 1954-72 and[...]
2014 Whitney Biennial // An Interview with Michelle Grabner
Michelle Grabner, celebrated Chicago artist and Professor and Chair of Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), was recently named a curator of the 2014 Whitney Biennial. Grabner will work with Stuart Comer (Tate Modern, London) and Anthony Elms (Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia) to develop the exhibition. The three curators will organize the[...]
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MATTHEW MARKS GALLERY // ROBERT GOBER
The Los Angeles Matthew Marks Gallery in West Hollywood is a case study in architectural minimalism. The clean-lined, windowless, stucco cube opened in January 2012 on Orange Grove Avenue just south of Santa Monica Boulevard. Peter Zellner, Principal and Founder of ZELLNERPLUS, an award-winning design firm based in Venice, California worked with America’s favorite hard-edge[...]
Ballroom Marfa // Rashid Johnson: New Growth
Last week, while much of the art world congregated in New York for the Armory Fair and other related fairs, I trekked to a more remote outpost of the contemporary art world in Marfa, Texas, for Rashid Johnson’s latest solo exhibition of new work at Ballroom Marfa. Occupying a former dance studio, Ballroom Marfa is[...]
Susanne Hilberry Gallery // Chris Hyndman
Chris Hyndman at Susanne Hilberry Gallery, on view through March 30, 2013. The Susanne Hilberry Gallery hosted a reception for artist Chris Hyndman on February 16, but I (and I would imagine, numerous others) didn’t make it due to a snowstorm. I had viewed Hyndman’s paintings online prior to this show and was very impressed,[...]
Re:View Contemporary + See Art & Design // Highlights
Marie T. Hermann “A Gentle Blow to the Rock” at Re:View Contemporary & Emily Duke “Diggin Up the Mudhook” at SEE Art + Design. Saturday, January 26th marked the opening for Marie Torbensdatter Hermann’s first solo exhibition in Detroit. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark , she still lives and works there as well as in London and,[...]
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis // Jeremy Deller: Joy in People
Baby Baby Baby …: “Jeremy Deller: Joy in People” at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis To accompany the presentation of his survey exhibition of 20 years of films, videos, wall-paintings, and multimedia installations at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, British artist Jeremy Deller designed a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Baby Baby Baby”[...]
Art Los Angeles Contemporary // 2013 Highlights
A terrific fair…In its fourth year, Art Los Angeles Contemporary (ALAC) seems to have found its stride. A small manageable fair with quality galleries and great art on view was enjoyable for its visitors. Here are some highlights: Nicole Berry is the Deputy Director for EXPO CHICAGO and writes the monthly newsletter Accessible Art.
Los Angeles // Gallery Shows
The best show by far during my visit to Los Angeles was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the first solo show of Hugh Scott-Douglas’s work in Los Angeles and his first show at Blum & Poe. The work in the exhibition is inspired by the 1920 silent film of the same name. The installation takes the[...]
New York // Gallery Shows
There is a not to be missed Daniel Buren show at both Bortolami and Petzel galleries. “Electricity Fabric Paint Paper Vinyl…Works In Situ & Situated Works from 1968 to 2013 (Dedicated to Michael Asher)” includes new works as well as historical in situ works from 1968. Buren always uses contrasting stripes measuring 8.7cm in width of white[...]
Oakland University Art Gallery // The Roving Eye
Oakland University is a half hour from downtown Detroit, but a visit to its art gallery is well worth the trip. With The Roving Eye, once again Dick Goody presents an impressive, museum-quality exhibition. Portraits invite their viewers in and this show, with a variety of portraiture on display, is no different. This was my[...]
Denver // The Dikeou Collection
On that same trip to Denver I was graciously invited to attend a viewing of the current exhibition at The Dikeou Collection, a collection I had never heard of before. Situated in downtown Denver, the Dikeou was started by the artist Devin Dikeou and her brother in 1998. She started Zing Magazine three years earlier[...]
MoMA PS1 // New Pictures of Common Objects
At MoMA PS1 there is a great small show curated by Assistant Curator Chris Lew. Called “New Pictures of Common Objects,” it looks at the nature of images today. The artists in the show work in a range of media including sculpture, video, photography, and installation. The press release explains it much better than I can:[...]
MoMA // New Photography 2012 & Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone
New Photography 2012 This exhibition showcases five artists: Michele Abeles, Birdhead, Anne Collier, Zoe Crosher and Shirana Shahbazi. These artists were selected because they all examine and expand the definition of photography and challenge the assumption that it is a representative medium. They explore the process of picture making, and exploit the proliferation of images[...]
Guggenheim // Picasso: Black and White
The Guggenheim Museum is not normally on my “must go to” list but I had heard such great things about the Picasso show there that I made it my first stop on my recent trip to NYC. We most often associate Picasso with his thick Neoclassical figures, Cubism and elements of Surrealism. This show focuses[...]
Susanne Hilberry Gallery // Scott Hocking
Scott Hocking can’t be pigeonholed. He works in numerous mediums and quite well in each one. His work for the current exhibition, The End of the World, at Susanne Hilberry Gallery includes photography and a rather wonderful and impressive installation of apocalyptic scenarios. In his photographs, Hocking rearranges and manipulates the landscape of modern ruin, evoking a sense[...]
MCA Denver // Adrian Ghenie
Romanian artist Adrian Ghenie, one of the finest painters working today (my opinion), highlights some of “the most sensitive moments of recent history” in his work. His expressionistic style shifts between abstraction and figuration. The new paintings in this exhibition blend fact with fiction, as Ghenie describes thus having a “‘Dadaist’ tendency.” Ghenie uses the[...]
Artlantic // Public Art Project
I had the pleasure of attending a lunch in Miami to learn about Artlantic, a new public art project that is intended to “redefine” Atlantic City as a cultural destination. This 5 year project is about creating a sense of community and curator Lance Fung of Fung Collaboratives was charged with the miraculous task of pulling[...]