Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night

Last year I saw the Wojnarowicz show at the Whitney, History Keeps Me Awake at Night. This is an artist who has long haunted me. The grit, the unflinching look at pain. The sexuality, bold, raw, unapologetic. I loved this show. Was in awe. I learned more about him. I want to learn more; I want to read his memoirs. It was also intense for me, in a nostalgic way I guess, to see how 80s his work was (duh). It was just kind of interesting how clearly I could see him as of his time, in a I only can given the passage of decades.

Warhol at the Whitney

Earlier this year I saw the Warhol exhibit at the Whitney, From A to B and Back Again. This was a glorious and immersive show. The vibrancy of his work, the confrontational aspect, making you look and somehow mocking you, our culture, at the same time. It was chronological, with artifacts and memorabilia, his magazine covers and his large scale silk screens. The social commentary in his work, the irony, and the humor all came across. It was fun and fantastic. The energy of the 80s -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Like Life

Last summer I saw Like Life: Sculpture, Color, and the Body at the Met Breuer. It was a fascinating energetic, busy, over-the-top show. Every where was something that grabbed my interest. It spanned over 700 years of works depicting the human body, from classical and renaissance to contemporary. Definitely one of the most engaging shows I've been to. Yes, it was overwhelming, but there was too much to like to be bothered by ways this or that may not have worked.

The exhibition was divided into themes: The Presumption of White; Desire for Life; Proxy Figures; Layered Realities; Figuring Flesh; and Between Life and Art. If I ever had the opportunity to see this show again I would.

The Roaming Eye

The Roaming Eye at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center is an eclectic exhibition of mostly abstract work. There is a dynamic energy in the rooms. The art is so different but they pieces play off each other well. My favorites were the ones that had more texture to them like Kathleen Kucka's "Sun Still Tender" (I posted a detail), nine panels of canvas with cuts and burns in them, and Alison Blickle's painting of women with urns ("Moon Phases", I posted a detail.) The women's clothing looks to made of mosaic tiles, and below the painting are stone objects that are part of the piece and add weight and dimension to it.

Louise Bourgeois: An Unfolding Portrait

Last night I saw an amazing exhibition at MOMA, Louise Bourgeois: An Unfolding Portrait. It presented a trove of her print work, none of which I was familiar with. I was aware of her only as a sculptor. These ink drawings had such emotional depth. Some were delicate and sparse, with lots of air, but there was still something subtly heavy about them, like they touched on dark edges of the unconscious. They were deeply personal and layered. There were also some sculptures, mainly ones that completed a series of drawings, and these were intense as well. The titles of the works were particularly literary, adding dimension and illumination. The whole show had an unusually powerful intimacy and I loved it.

The Legacy of Lynching: Confronting Racial Terror in America

Earlier this fall I saw The Legacy of Lynching: Confronting Racial Terror in America, an incredibly powerful exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum. It provided a heart wrenching, gut wrenching look at the violence of lynching, the horror of racism, and the sickening history of this country. The show was put together with the Equal Justice Initiative and includes videos chronicling the stories of several individuals and their descendants that were so powerful and upsetting. It showed the violent resistance to the civil rights movement. There was powerful contemporary art by several amazing artists who tackle race and racism in their work, such as Kara Walker and Glenn Ligon. There were artifacts and newspaper articles, and a shocking interactive map of the US that showed all the lynchings that took place in the country, but state and by county.

Florine Stettheimer at The Jewish Museum

The other week I went to The Jewish Museum to see the Florine Stettheimer exhibition. It was wonderful! I hadn't heard of her until I took that trip to DC and went to the women's art museum. Her work is joyful and energized. Populated with fashionable women these paintings reveal an appreciation for material beauty. I love her palette, the use of light and pale and pale colors contrasted with bursts of richer hues This picture here, with it's black background, is not characteristic.

Meridith McNeal at Figureworks

Meridith McNeal has a new show at Figureworks in Williamsburg. More beautiful work from her Inside/Outside Windowphilia series.

These colorful watercolors have an incredible depth and nuance. As in all her work there is just so much to see, such beautiful attention to detail. These paintings are particularly notable in the way they depict reflections. Instead of being inside looking out, as many of the images at Five Myles are, these are more the outside looking in, and the artist and and the scene behind her are captured in the renderings of the posters and displays in the windows themselves. Amazing work.

The fresh new Figureworks space looks amazing and the intimate setting was perfect for McNeal's bright and complex art. In addition to the art, which is all for sale, the artist created several unique items, each featuring aspects of a different piece of art. Some pillows, phone cases, and water bottles are on sale -- I bought a beautiful pillow myself...

Rauschenberg at MOMA

The Rauschenberg retrospective at MOMA is a wonderful experience. His paintings, sculptures, and assemblages are dramatic and arresting. I was particularly interested in his earlier works, which I had never seen before. His black paintings, burnt and textural, were a particular favorite.

Meridith McNeal: The View from Here

Yesterday I saw a breathtaking exhibition. Meridith McNeal's solo show at Five Myles Gallery in Brooklyn, The View From Here, displays several works from her ongoing Inside/Outside Windowphilia series.

I had what I can only call a "swooping" feeling when I entered the dark gallery where these large scale watercolors are hung. Although each window depicts a different interior and exterior, being in the middle of the room felt like I was on a special veranda with panoramic views of a magical landscape.

Individually each painting draws you into the scene. The open windows are literally inviting. McNeal's  subtle colors and meticulous attention to visual detail masterly enhance each vision which she generously offers the viewer. This is a beautiful, one of a kind show by a one of a kind artist.

Museum of Art and Design: Judith Leiber

There was also a Judith Leiber show at the Museum of Art and Design, Crafting a New York Story. I thought this was kind of boring. Her bags definitely have sculptural and artistic and craft elements that I appreciate as objects. But as bags I think they were tacky. There were many that were dramatic and interesting, but as a show I didn't feel like it it worked. People always think because of my beading that I will like Judith Leiber, but mostly  I think her bags are tacky. Here are two that stood out for me.

Museum of Art and Design: Fashion after Fashion

The Fashion after Fashion exhibition was more interesting than the Counter Couture. This featured deconstructed and reimagined sculptural pieces breaking away from traditional fashion and using fashion as the foundation for art pieces.

Museum of Art and Design: Counter Couture

The Counter Couture show at Museum of Art and Design was just okay. The handmade clothes from the 60s were dramatically lit and the environment was cool but most of the clothes were kind of boring to me. The exception being these crocheted pieces.

Without/Color (Part II)

I was able to catch the second part of Figureworks' exhibition Without/Color yesterday. The first part explored the absence of color in three artists' work. On view now features three different artists. In these pieces the figure bursts forth. The richness of color in the two rooms carries nuanced levels for experiencing color and the human form.

Fred Hatt's drawings place various figures against a black background. They are drawn in differently colored lines, and looking at them is a marvelously dizzying experience where you see one form enter the next. Adding to this effect are 3-D glasses for the viewer. This separates out the different colors on the already dynamic drawings -- pulling forward some and enhancing the layering.

Each room of the gallery includes an arresting sculpture by Howard Eisman. These two pieces are made of fused glass on hammered copper, and in each a figure appears suspended. These pieces have so much going on in terms of sheen and the delight that comes through the surface of the sculptures. The seafoamy blue/green background of one turns to a deep indigo surrounding the joyfully embellished female.

Arlene Morris' paintings are truly fascinating. The surreal juxtaposition of imagery -- interiors alive with wildlife, including a blanket of blue owl faces -- provide a new take on the portrait and still life. Kahlo and H. Rousseau come to mind. I could look at these singular worlds forever, as each painting contains many discoveries and secrets.

The explosion of color in all three artists' work is even more powerful in the context of the earlier part of the show -- the memory of Without is a lovely unseen backdrop for this art. This show is on view until March 15, 2015 at 168 North 6th Street in Williamsburg.

(Pictured top is a detail from one of Hatt's drawings; next a detail from Eisman; two details from Morris' paintings)

At This Moment

On view at the Shirely Fiterman Art Center at BMCC is a wonderful exhibition of faculty art, At This Moment. It features a range of styles and mediums and is a thoroughly dynamic and impressive show that includes numerous beautiful painting. The artists in the show are:
Marina Adams; Yevgeniya Baras; Aisha Tandiwe Bell; Tess Bilhartz; Robert Bunkin
Lynn Braswell; Simon Carr; Betty Copeland; Josephine Culkin; Tim D’Agostino; Elisa Decker; Donelle Estey; Eric Holzman; Ana Garces Kiley; Pat Genova; Xico Greenwald; Joseph Haske; Sarah Haviland; Ann Hjelle; Dikko Faust; Michael Leigh; Susan Leopold; Eva Machauf; Charles McGill; Crys Moore; Kazimira Rachfal; Thaddeus Radell; Jessica Ramirez; Judy Richardson; Owen Roberts; William Reed; Erik Saxon; Adele Shtern; Rachelle Street; Janet Esquirol Sylvan; AC Towery; Joan Thorne; Michael Volonakis; Phil Weisman; Amy Westpfahl; Nina S. Young.

The works I am posting here that I photographed during my visit to the gallery are "Chair Study: Presence or Absence" by Pat Genova which I thought was particularly evocative; a close up of Robert Bunkin's intense "Egyptian Head - Barnes"; a close up of the delicate and beautiful "sucede que mecanso de ser hombre" by Ana Garces Kiley; and the energetic and fun "Lamp" by Josephine Culkin.

It's definitely a great show!

Without/Color at Figureworks

Last night I attended the opening of the incredibly lovely exhibition, Without/Color. At Figureworks in Williamsburg, this show currently features three artists (there will be a second iteration of the show with an additional three artists). The first room features evocative pencil drawings of female figures by Joanne Scott. The second room features haunting watercolors by Meridith McNeal. Both rooms are guarded over by intricate and powerful terra-cotta ravens by Alexander Ney.

There is a heavy softness to this show, which emphasizes delicacy and absence. The beauty of whites and greys... The sadness of a colorless world. Both work together to create something that is more than beautiful, richer than sad. This effect is particularly enhanced by McNeal's watercolors, bleak and clouded images of The Statue of Liberty. The viewer must strain towards the hope implied by this icon, as optimism has been washed away.

New Territories at MAD

I had a bit of a stressful visit to the Museum of Arts and Design this afternoon, as I arrived close to closing and there were other issues going on. So I felt rushed as I went through the fascinating exhibition, New Territories: Laboratories for Design, Craft, and Art in Latin America. There was so much to look at I had trouble taking it all in. Also, didn't have my phone with me so I couldn't take photos (not necessarily a bad thing). 

Some works that stood out for me were the fantastical pink beaded creation by Nepomuceno (pictured in the second installation shot), the collection of high heeled shoes (all so different and funky and creative) inspired by different lovers, by Errazuriz. There were three beautiful white chairs like lace (didn't catch the artist's name), a beautiful table and chandelier. And these haunting dresses pictured in this installation shot. I may have to go back a second time to see what I missed!

Brooklyn Art

I was really underwhelmed and disappointed by the group show at the Brooklyn Museum showcasing Brooklyn Artists. There was something grim and plain and overly conceptual about most of the pieces. Very few grabbed me. Nothing was luscious and unforgettable. My favorite was the room of sky paintings by Cynthia Daignault, which made me feel momentarily transported to the out of doors and which meticulously studied variations of cloud formations.

Killer Heels

The Brooklyn Museum has a tantalizing show up now on the high heel shoe, Killer Heels. Every single piece I saw was spectacular and a pleasure to look at. Really engaging. Most of the works were very contemporary, from the last five years. I think I had expected a more historical perspective and wasn't prepared for so much current high fashion. It was still interesting. I think the small section on fetish footwear could have been more out there and elaborate, and was disappointed by the small appearance of just one (I think) Fluevog.

HOME at Corridor Gallery

Yesterday I went to the opening of HOME, a group art exhibition at Corridor Gallery, curated by Meridith McNeal.

What a truly fantastic show! There were so many different works all exploring aspects and meanings of "home". Each piece had much depth and nuance, and the way the works dialogued with each other added to the complexity.

Some standouts were the Deborah Simon's installation, "Roost" -- mixed media sculptures of a colony of bats, hung and lit in a way that created haunting shadows on the walls. Valerie Hegarty's sculptures of wounded crockery were wonderful to look at and very moving. Susan Hamburger's intricate ink drawings of stacked paper cups and kitchen plates were beautiful and intimate.

I was also very moved by Flavia Berdindoague's pieces that looked like mounted animal hides, but were made with institutional blankets used for the homeless, prisoners, and disaster victims.  One of the pieces featured a beautiful story created by Berindoague and inscribed on the blanket:

It was a frigid winter night
I was hungry
The streets were empty and dark
I was surprised to find an open door
There was bread on the table.  I fried eggs
I was attracted by the shine on the chandelier's crystals
The objects in the room were familiar images
The blue velvet of the curtains
The same blue of the chair seats that we used to have dinner my wife and I
A breeze of profound sadness filled the room
I felt lonely -- I felt Nude
I wrote a note -- I tore it
I understand I was a slave of fear
I turned off a light and left

Also on view were lovely works by Felix Plaza; beaded objects by Diana Rickard; a "micro-home" created by Greg Kloehn -- a temporary homeless shelter created out from discarded materials; a large multi-faceted photographic piece by Amanda Williams; bittersweet photograms by Rachel Rath; Catherine de Zagon's photograph of homes in Vietnam; Guiseppe Di Lelio's drawings exploring decay and regeneration; and a stunning photograph by Carrie Mae Weems.