Global contemporary art events and news observed from New York City. Suggestion? Email us.

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

‪‬Former director of Deitch Projects Nicola Vassell, leaves director position at Pace Gallery after year and a half, Andrea Glimcher quoted as saying “It’s best for all that she is pursuing her own projects.” [AO Newslink]

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AO on site – New York (with Video): Barry McGee’s Graffiti Wall on East Houston and Bowery

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

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Art Observed was on site for Barry McGee’s (aka “TWIST”) new work on the “Deitch Wall” on East Houston and Bowery. With longtime collaborator Josh Lazcano (aka “AMAZE”), Mcgee spray painted simple red tags of the names and crews of graffiti writers from both past and present generations. Watch the video above for AO’s short clip.


All Photos By Jeff Newman/TheArtCollectors

In its past, the wall has exhibited work by Os Gemeos, Keith Haring, and, most recently, Shepard Fairey.

More images, text, and story after the jump.

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AO On Site, with interview with Kathy Grayson – New York: Opening of “Not Quite Open for Business” at The Hole, through August 21, 2010

Monday, June 28th, 2010


Kathy Grayson mid-smooch. Image courtesy Taylor Derwin for Art Observed.

Currently on view at the new art outfit, The Hole, on 104 Greene St. in Soho is “Not Quite Open for Business.” The show, which opened to much hype last night, runs until August 21st. The Hole is run by former directors at the legendary and now-closed Deitch Projects, Kathy Grayson and Meghan Coleman, in collaboration with former Executive Director at Deitch Projects, Suzanne Geiss. With the gallant goal of filling a hole in the downtown community, they are off to a running start.

The first exhibition is called “Not Quite Open for Business,” a conceptual group show of unfinished art, unfinished poems, and unfinished symphonies. The installation is designed by Taylor McKimens and the show includes over twenty artists from the community.


Left: Ben Jones, Unfinished Video, 2010, single channel DVD, edition of 5. Right: Kunle, Vomit, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

More text, images, and an interview with Kathy Grayson after the jump…

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AO ONSITE – New York: Opening Reception, ‘A Ways A Way’, Curated by Meredith Darrow & Devendra Banhart, Half Gallery, Through July 8th, 2010

Thursday, June 10th, 2010


Half Gallery, opening reception. Image by ArtObserved.

AO was on site June 8th for the opening of “A Ways A Way,” the new exhibition at Half Gallery.  Curated by Meredith Darrow and Devendra Banhart, A Ways A Way offers synoptic views of work by artists Scott Campbell, William Eadon, Kevin Long, Megan Marrin, Keegan McHargue, Fabrizio Moretti, Angeline Rivas, Adam Tullie, and Banhart himself.  Coming from various corners of the artistic field, these men and women form a motley roster of familiar names: in addition to be being creators of fine art, Campbell is a renowned tattoo artist, Eadon is a deisgner, Long skateboards and plays guitar, Moretti is the drummer for The Strokes and Little Joy, Rivas and Tullie co-own Cavern Collection, Banhart is a singer-songwriter, Marrin works in mixed-media, and McHargue choreographs.  In attendance last night were Cynthia Rowley, Kathy Grayson, and a repletion of artists, gallerists, friends, and passerby.  Viewers spilled jocundly onto the surrounding sidewalk, chatting and enjoying a lovely night outside of the diminutive, buzzing gallery.


Anonymous Portrait, Fabrizio Moretti, 2010. Image by Oskar Proctor for ArtObserved.

Text, images, words form the artists, and an interview after the jump…
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AO On Site – New York: Shepard Fairey ‘May Day’ at Deitch Projects, Saturday, May 1st through May 29th, 2010

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

‘May Day’, the final exhibition before Deitch Projects closes it’s doors, exhibits significant new works by Shepard Fairey executed in his familiar palette of reds, black, and white. The show opens in conjunction with four other mural works by Fairey; a mural covering an 80 foot wall surrounding the Ace Hotel, one on Houston and Bowery, one for the Cooper Square Hotel, and a mural for the Music Hall of Williamsburg.  Both public and private murals, highlight Fairey’s play on constructed binaries–primarily between fine art and design, street art and galleries–as a means of stimulating curiosity about the surrounding visual culture.

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Opening Night for May Day, Saturday May 1st at Deitch Projects

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AO On site – New York: Video – Shepard Fairey’s 80-ft Mural at the ACE Hotel

Friday, April 30th, 2010

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With his “May Day” show opening at Deitch Projects this Saturday May 1st, and an OBEY Clothing pop-up shop at 151 Orchard Street, Shepard Fairey has been busy putting-up work all over the city. In addition to his Deitch mural on Houston Street in the spot made famous by Keith Haring in the early-‘80s, a collaboration with COPE2 in the Bronx and mural projects in Williamsburg and SOHO – another mural appeared this morning on an 80-foot piece of plywood wrapping the Ace Hotel at the corner of Broadway and 29th Street. Guests visiting the hotel on May 1 are able to book the “May Day” package: an OBEY May Day t-shirt, a signed off-set print, and two tickets to the MAY DAY after-party.

More photos and related links after the jump….
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Don’t Miss – New York: Jules de Balincourt ‘Premonitions’ at Deitch Projects through April 24, 2010

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010


Jules de Balincourt, Out of the Darkness and Into the Light, 2009-2010

Premonitions, Jules de Balincourt’s current solo show at Deitch Projects, is an implausible explosion of color, imagery, and imagination.  Aptly named, the show teeters between storyboarded recollections of drug induced hysteria and the dreamscapes of an apocalyptic premonition, for lack of a better word. The viewer is expected to jump head first into a world where imagination and chance reign supreme.


Jules de Balincourt, “Premonitions”, installation view

More Text and Images after the jump. . .
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Don’t Miss – New York: Rosson Crow “Bowery Boys” at Deitch Projects, 18 Wooster Street through March 27, 2010

Thursday, March 25th, 2010


Rosson Crow, The Dakis Joannou Collection at the New Museum, 2010 All images via Deitch Projects

Currently in its last days at Deitch Projects 18 Wooster Street location is an exhibition of new paintings by Rosson Crow exploring the rebellious and lawless side of New York history. Entitled ‘Bowery Boys,’ the super-scale works comment on a long line of underground “bad boys” who have existed in New York City from the 1800s to the present day. Deitch Projects’ reputation for exhibiting and supporting the current generation of rebellious youth from this lineage makes this a fitting location for Crow’s sassy attempt to mimic the spirit of gangs, graffiti, drugs and illicit sex so inherent to the city she has called home for the past six months.


Rosson Crow, Bowery Boys, installation view

More text, images and related links after the jump….
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Go See – Os Gemeos Galleria Patricia Armocida, Milan, through March 25, 2010

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010


Os Gemeos, Rinha, 2010

On show at the Galleria Patricia Armocida, Milan, is the much anticipated “Nos Braços de um Anjo” (In the Arms of an Angel), the second exhibition of works by Brazlian twins Os Gemeos (Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo). This exhibition presents a series of entirely new, and previously unseen, works that include large canvases, musical sculpture-objects, mechanical and interactive site-specific installations actually created inside the gallery walls.


O Devoto
, 2010
More images and text after the jump…
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Newslinks for Friday January 15th, 2010

Friday, January 15th, 2010


New MOCA Director, Jeffrey Deitch. Via LATimes

More on  MOCA’s new director, Jeffrey Deitch, who brings his more business-oriented background to the Museum in LA: [Bloomberg] Deitch’s contract with the museum has certain safeguards against conflicts of interest that might arise from his foot in the business world– among the new rules, Deitch must notify the museum’s board of anything he adds to or sells from his collection. [LATimes]

Eli Broad and his Broad Art Foundation reveal that they are considering 3 different Westside locations on which to build and endow a museum for his art collection. The third site was recently revealed as being a ten-acre parcel on the campus of West LA College in Culver City.  [LA Times]

Works by Picasso and Henri Rousseau have been stolen from a private villa in the South of France, marking the country’s second major art robbery in that week– (work by impressionist painter Edgar Degas was stolen from the Cantini Museum in Marseilles only days before). [FT]

To stay apprised of the latest relevant news of the art world…

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AO Breaking News: Jeffrey Deitch Named New Director of Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles

Monday, January 11th, 2010


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The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Via MOCA

Ending a week of speculation, Jeffrey Deitch has been named the new director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA– becoming the only art dealer and commercial gallery owner to take on the leadership of a major American museum. The decision marks a kind of turning point from the more traditional approach whereby museums draw their directors from pools of established curators or academics. Deitch stated this afternoon that “(…) it’s my goal to position MOCA as the most innovative and influential contemporary art museum in the world.  I am excited by the opportunity to play a role in making MOCA and Los Angeles the leading contemporary art destination.” Founded in 1979, MOCA occupies two buildings in downtown LA and is renown for its collection which includes around 6,000 pieces of international artwork produced in the past 70 years. Jeffrey Deitch, 57, founded his own gallery, Deitch Projects LLC, in 1996 and operates from three different spaces–two in Soho and one in Long Island City. Known for having experimental projects and programs in his galleries–sometimes crossing over into music, theater and other disciplines– Dietch started his career as a Citi Group Vice President, where he developed an art advisory and art financing business. “He will cease to be involved with any commercial activity by June 1st,” MOCA’s Director of Communications, Lyn Winter, has stated (Bloomberg).


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Jeffrey Deitch, the new director of MOCA. Via LATimes

More text and related links after the jump…

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AO Onsite: Art Basel Miami Beach 2009 has begun and will run through December 6

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009


Kehinde Wiley’s portait of Michael Jackson entitled Equestrian Portrait of King Phillip II at Deitch Projects

It is rumored that in years gone by determined collectors were dressing as janitors in order to sneak into Art Basel Miami Beach prior to its official opening in order to snatch the most coveted pieces before their rivals. While this kind of vigor has not returned to the fair since the economic crash stalled the art market in 2008, the mood at today’s VIP preview seemed to be reflect the the vote of confidence that was delivered to the American art market when active bidding returned to the floor of the Post-war and Contemporary Auctions in New York last month.

More text and images after the jump…..
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AO on Site New York – Art for awareness, Lance Armstrong brings an impressive group of artists together for his Stages exhibition and auction, Art Observed was on site to speak to those involved

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009


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Futura, Jules de Balincourt, Dustin Yellin, Eric White, Tom Sachs, Shepard Fairey, Jeffrey Deitch, Lance Armstrong, Mark Parker, Geoff McFetridge, José Parlá, Dzine posing in front of a painting by Cai Guo Qiang; photo courtesy of Black Frame

A day before seven bicycles with frames designed by contemporary artists, and used by Lance Armstrong in his comeback season for July’s Tour de France, raised $1.3 million, an exhibition of artwork commissioned to benefit the legendary cyclist’s cancer foundation opened at Deitch Projects.  Launched in Paris at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, STAGES- the exhibit comprised of commissioned works created by over twenty established contemporary artists, is currently on view at New York’s Deitch Projects. Artists involved include Cai Guo-Qiang, Rosson Crow, Shepard Fairey, KAWS, Yoshitomo Nara, Catherine Opie, Os Gemeos, Raymond Pettibon, Andreas Gursky, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha and Tom Sachs. STAGES will run through November 21, 2009.  AO interviews some of the artists to find out their personal connection to the cause of STAGES, their view on creating commissioned work and the story of their involvement with the project powered by Lance Armstrong Foundation and Nike and its goal of raising awareness of cancer.


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Rosson Crow in front of her piece “Texas Cycle Show”

Works presented in STAGES manifest not merely a vast array of mediums and stylistic approaches, they also speak of a multitude of equally appropriate paths the artists have taken in building the show.

Rosson Crow about STAGES: “This whole thing is incredible and overwhelming, it is a really awesome show with a great cause. Charity work is something that I love doing so this was a really cool opportunity. This painting that I did for the show is called ‘Texas Cycle Show’ and is based on an 1800′ cycle exposition. I made it Texas because both Lance and I are from Texas… kind of bringing the historical Texas vibe… and of course the bicycles I thought were perfect for a Lance Armstrong show [laughs]” When asked about any personal connections that the artist has with the cause, Rosson Crow comments that “it is hard to find anybody whose life has not been affected by cancer, so I think that everybody has a personal relationship to it in some way.”


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Yoshitomo Nara, “Fire” via STAGES

More text, images and interviews after the jump… (more…)

Go See – Paris: Terence Koh’s ‘Adansonias’ at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac through November 14, 2009

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009


Installation view of Adansonias at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris via gallery’s website

Terence Koh, a controversial Canadian multimedia artist, has premiered his first solo show with Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris. The enigmatic exhibition cum installation cum operatic performance in two parts distinctly embodies Koh’s ouevre. The gallery is transformed via the artist’s multitude of references to mythology, identity, power, religion, fashion and sexuality. In addition to the time-based pieces Koh presented on October 6th and October 22nd, on display are various objects and wall pieces executed in the artist’s signature white monochrome style. An amalgam of drawings, photographs, and collages document the experimental opera project and reflect the influence of Parisian architecture and sensibility on Koh’s art.


A photograph of Adansonias opera performance staged by Terence Koh and 8 white-clad participants via Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

More text and images after the jump…
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AO Interview and Go See: Kathy Grayson, curator of ‘New York Minute’ at MACRO Future in Rome featuring Terence Koh, Dash Snow, Assume Vivid Astro Focus, Banks Violette, Jules de Balincourt, Nate Lowman, Steve “Espo” Powers, Scott Campbell, Cory Arcangel, Ryan McGinley, Aurel Schmidt and more through November 1, 2009

Monday, October 12th, 2009


Kathy Grayson, center, at the opening of ‘New York Minute’ via Depart Foundation

New York City has been the center of the contemporary art world for over half a century, and while contemporary art production and dissemination has been influenced by globalization, with new centers of of activity gaining recognition around the world in cities such as Berlin, Moscow, or Shanghai, there’s still something about New York that attracts new and established artists alike. ‘New York Minute’ is an exhibition produced by the young Italian philanthropist Pierpaolo Barzan’s DEPART Foundation to bring the energy and sense of community found in New York’s downtown art scene to Rome, hosted by Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Roma (MACRO).

‘New York Minute’ brings together sixty artists who live and work in New York, or are involved in its extended network, and showcases new tendencies in art that have developed out of that community. Curated by Kathy Grayson, director of New York’s Deitch Projects, the exhibition groups those new tendencies under three headings: the brash and gritty street punk aesthetic of artists such as Dash Snow, Terence Koh, Aurel Schmidt, the rainbow inflected wild figuration of Assume Vivid Astro Focus, Paper Rad, or Jules de Balincourt, and the new abstractions of artists including Tauba Auerbach, Xylor Jane, and Dan Colen.

The opening night brought thousands of young Romans looking to vibe on the energy brought to the city by the New York contingent. Kathy Grayson answered ArtObserved’s questions about what makes the New York scene so special, how ‘New York Minute’ is spreading its infectious communal energy, and what the plans are for the future.

DEPART FOUNDATION BOWS WITH “NEW YORK MINUTE” [Artnet]
New York Minute [Art in America]
Minute Made [Artforum]
Sixty New York-Based Artists Featured in Exhibition at Museo D’Arte Contemporanea Roma [ArtDaily]
The Heart of the New York Art World Beats in Italy at the “New York Minute” Show
[Paper Magazine]
It’s a New York Art ‘Renaissance,’ Argues Upcoming Show
[NYMagazine]
Wine-Maker Uncorks New York in Rome [Bloomberg]
New York Minute with Dash Snow, Aurel Schmidt, Barry McGee and Others [The Fader]
“New York Minute” exhibition
[SLAMXHYPE]


The logo of ‘New York Minute’ by Chris Johanson via Depart Foundation

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Don’t Miss – Long Island City, NY: “The Pig” at Deitch Projects LIC, through August 9, 2009

Friday, August 7th, 2009


Installation View at Deitch Projects in Long Island City via 16 Miles

“The Pig” will “make you show it to your best friend, and say yes” claims the press release. “The Pig” is at Deitch’s new studio in Long Island City and is curated by the participating artists. It is organized by the Italian multi-media artist Paola Pivi and Austrian pair Gelatin, hence the name “Pig.”  Works by Jim Drain, Paul Chan, Jeff Koons, Mario Grubisic, Paola Pivi, Gelatin, Simon Martin, Roberto Cuoghi and Schuyler Maehl are at show till August 9.

Related Links:
Deitch Projects redeems Your Faith [Interview Magazine]
Pig: Press Release [Deitch]
Deitch Studios [The New York Times]
The Pig at Deitch Projects Long Island City [16 Miles]


Installation view “The Pig” at Deitch Projects via 16 Miles

More text and pictures after the jump…

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Go See – New York: Dash Snow Memorial Exhibition at Deitch Projects Until August 15, 2009

Saturday, August 1st, 2009


Dash Snow, Polaroid, Courtesy Peres Projects, Berlin Los Angeles

To commemorate the death of downtown New York artist Dash Snow on July 13, 2009, Deitch Projects has organized an open memorial exhibition at its Grand Street address.  Alerting Snow’s friends and family via email, Deitch Projects asked them to bring in works about Snow or by Snow, to present to the public until August 15, 2009.  These works, which are not identified nor organized in any particular order, occupy one room of the gallery, while the other is kept open for Snow’s friends and admirers to bring additional artworks or texts in his memory during the run of the show.  The exhibit constitutes a portrait of Dash’s multifaceted and ultimately self-destructive personality, by presenting an assortment of the artist’s photographs, drawings and collages, complete with a large recreation of his graffiti tag, “Sacer,” on the exterior of the gallery.


Deitch Projects, 76 Grand Street. Photo by Arrested Motion

Related Links:
Dash Snow – 1981-2009 – A Community Memorial [Deitch Projects]
Images of a Camera-Toting Artist Turn a Gallery Into a Chapel
[NY Times]
Terrible End for an Enfant Terrible [NY Times]
Dash Snow Memorial [Arrested Motion]
Dash Snow – Selected Works [Peres Projects]

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Go See – New York: Black Acid Co-op at Deitch Projects Through August 15, 2009

Friday, July 24th, 2009


Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe, Black Acid Co-op installation view via Deitch Projects

Until August 15, “Black Acid Co-op,” a collaboration between New York artists Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe, transforms Deitch Projects’ SoHo space into a series of interconnected room-size installations, creating a walk-in simulation of the grungy interior of a house whose occupants have been producing crystal methamphetamine.  After signing a liability waiver, visitors penetrate into a warren-like series of rooms and corridors, ranging from a greenhouse, a charred kitchen, or a Chinatown variety store, that give off a strong vibe of decrepitude and paranoia.  In this labor-intensive and highly-detailed project, Freeman and Lowe transform medicine into meth, detritus into art, gallery space into drug den.


Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe, Black Acid Co-op installation view via Deitch Projects

Related Links:
Exhibition Page [Deitch Projects]
Down a Rabbit Hole to Meth and its Dysfunction [NY Times]
Acid House
[Artforum]
“Black Acid Co-op” at Deitch Projects [Vogue.com]

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AO On Site: Francesco Clemente “A History of the Heart in Three Rainbows” at Deitch Projects New York, through May 30th, 2009

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009


Artist Francesco Clemente at the opening of A History of the Heart in
Three Rainbows
at Deitch Projects. Photo by Art Observed.

Last night, Francesco Clemente’s latest show at Deitch Projects opened with a star-studded evening in SoHo.  The exhibition consists of large-scale watercolor paintings that are positioned in a continuous line along the gallery walls. This particular hanging corresponds to Clemente’s aim to embed art with a spiritual experience.  The idea of a rainbow closely reflects the works in the show.  For Clemente, a rainbow is a symbolic structure that sets up connections between people and worlds, and using watercolor allows the light of the paper to come through. Moreover, the watercolors are bright and come after a long period in which the artist worked with a darker palette.  In order to arrive at the final form of the works, Clemente started out with three large scale canvases that were each 60 foot (about 18 meters) long.  He then divided each of them by cutting them into five separate sections. When hung next to each other, the rainbows reconnect in the mind of the viewer. The iconography in the work is derived from candomblé from the Americas, alchemy from Europe and tantra from India. The exhibition will run through May 30, 2009.  Among the crowd were Goldie Hawn and daughter Kate Hudson who were enjoying the show with artist Dustin Yellin who was is now showing at Robert Miller Gallery and who was interviewed by AO recently here.


Opening Francesco Clemente’s A History of the Heart in
Three Rainbows
at Deitch Projects. Photo by Art Observed.

A History of the Heart in Three Rainbows
Deitch Projects
18 Wooster Street, New York
May 2, 2009 – May 30, 2009

RELATED LINKS
Exhibition Page and Press Release
[Deitch Projects]
Francesco Clemente at Deitch [Purple Diary]
Francesco Clemente: The History of the Heart in Three Rainbows [Dante Ross]
Francesco Clemente [Daily Serving]

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Go See: Ryan McGinness ‘Works’ at Deitch Projects in New York through April 18, 2009

Monday, March 30th, 2009


Ryan McGinness’s ‘Untitled (Black on Black 2)’ via Deitch Projects

Currently on view at Deitch Projects’ 18 Wooster Street gallery is an installation by Ryan McGinness featuring a number of new silkscreens, paintings, and sculptures. McGinness’s latest work is a further exercise in exploring a riotous semiotics of pop culture and graphic design, often with a tongue-in-cheek art-historical basis. Over the past decade, McGinness has developed an explosive visual language using iconography derived from contemporary graphic design in a process baldly alluding to the likes of Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The images McGinness creates, through a laborious process of sketching, drawing, and computer vectoring, are designed to appear anonymous yet embody a distinctly corporate, ‘edgy’ familiarity. Through repetition and superabundance, individual cultural signifiers dissolve into the abstract. A seemingly appropriated, commoditized language converges into the art object, with McGinness drawing upon his design background to blur the lines between commercial design and fine art. And not satisfied with the boundaries proposed by the object, McGinness expands his iconography beyond the canvas and onto the walls, realizing the world he sees when he closes his eyes for the gallery viewer.

Ryan McGinness Works. [Deitch Projects]
Artist’s Page
Ryan McGinness Works [Cool Hunting]
Last Saturday Night, Ryan McGinness at Deitch [W Magazine]
Ryan McGinness Exhibition at Deitch Projects Recap [Hypebeast]
NYC///Must see show///Ryan McGinness’ “Works” at Deitch Projects [Supertouch]
Ryan Mcginness at Deitch [TheWorld’sBestEver]
It’s a Ryan McGinness Renaissance With Two New Books and a Show at Deitch Projects [PaperMag]

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AO On Site (with AO Video): Vanessa Beecroft, VB64, at Deitch Studios in Long Island City, Saturday, March 6th, 2009

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009


Vanessa Beecroft VB64 at Deitch Studios – photo by ArtObserved

Long Island City isn’t the typical location for high-profile New York art openings, nor is Queens on a Friday night during Armory Week the usual hotspot for glossy fashion and art hordes. Then again, it’s been eight years since Vanessa Beecroft last staged one of her infamous performances in the city.   Judging from the crowd gathered outside on the East River waterfront and inside the brightly-lit warehouse, Deitch Projects managed to time her re-entry perfectly.

Deitch Projects
Vanessa Beecroft VB64
4-40 44th Drive, Long Island City
Opening March 6; through April 12, 2009

RELATED LINKS

Exhibition Page [Deitch Projects]
Manufacturing Value: Vanessa Beecroft’s VB64 at Deitch Projects, LIC [Art in America]
Vanessa Beecroft at Deitch! [Supreme Management Blog]
Vanessa and Kanye Get Metaphysical [Style File Blog]
Vanessa Beecroft Reveals All [The Art Newspaper]
For the Love of Art: Makeup on the Vanessa Beecroft Shoot [Life is Beautiful]
Vanessa Beecroft’s Nude Models at Deitch Projects [Village Voice]

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AO On Site: Glass-Half Full @ Miami Art Basel Vernissage Wednesday, Dec 2nd, 2008

Friday, December 5th, 2008


Grayson Perry; Entrance To The Forest; 2002; Victoria Miro Gallery; London -Photos by ArtObserved

“The surprise is the business we are doing. Frankly, people are expressing more confidence in the art market than the government or Wall Street right now,” said Sean Kelly of Sean Kelly Gallery. The night of December 2nd, Vernissage attendees glittered and Piper Heidsieck champagne flowed.  More importantly, buyers were in attendance, asking questions and indeed, according to most of the galleries interviewed for this article, buying.  On Thursday afternoon, Douglas Baxter, President of Pace Wildenstein professed “We’ve met expectations.” Also on Thursday, when asked his feelings on sales from the night before, a representative at Cheim & Read insisted his artists have been selling well, pointing to Jack Pierson sculpture and a pile of William Eggleston’s photos.  Margherita Belaief of Peres Projects had the same confidence, “It’s hard to say so early but in general, Dash Snow’s pieces are selling strong.”  While hesitant to disclose precise numbers, the overall sentiment of the top galleries was optimistic.

However, it’s important to note while the larger known artists have been selling strong, some galleries have reported some difficulty selling lesser known artist pieces.  Alfons Klosterfelde at Klosterfelde was most direct: “People are asking more questions and really want to know the details,” but he said pointedly as of Thursday, “there have been less sales” and Klosterfelde remarked the pieces sold were from the gallery’s more known artists.

Photos and Writing by Faith-Ann Young

more pictures and story after the jump…

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AO On Site: ‘Down’ by Kehinde Wiley at Deitch Studios, NYC November 1 to December 20, 2008

Monday, November 3rd, 2008


Kehinde Wiley’s exhibition at Deitch Projects on Saturday Night photo by Art Observed

Kehinde Wiley opened his third solo show at Deitch Projects in SoHo last night. The exhibition, DOWN, includes seven large-scale portraits done in Wiley’s signature style. Kehinde Wiley is known for creating his own version of contemporary portraiture that appropriates young African American men in the place of more well known portraits of old world power figures, religious icons etc.. For his newest solo exhibition he has chosen to depict seven young men from Brooklyn in poses inspired by the fallen warriors and saints that appeared in the old 18th and 19th century paintings of Holbein, Mantegna, Houdon, Maderno, Retout and Clesinger. The young men are shown in old traditional poses of religious figures or leaders in the moment of death or repose, but their expressions and dress are wholly their own. The largest of the portraits is a breath taking 25 feet in length and has an asking price of $300,000. The exhibit will be on view until December 20th, 2008.

Art in Review; Kehinde Wiley [NYTimes]
Kehinde Wiley “Down” At Deitch Projects
[Highsnobiety]
Kehinde Wiley on the Difference Between His Art and His Cooking [NYMag]
Kehinde Wiley at Deitch Projects [The Worlds Best Ever]
MIA interviews visual artist Kehinde Wiley [Interview Magazine]
Kehinde Wiley + Deitch [This Hearts On Fire]
Kehinde Wiley @ Deitch NY [Dailydujour]
Kehinde Wiley “Down” [Deitch Projects]

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AO On Site: Deitch Projects Book Launch at Santo’s Party House with the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black

Monday, September 22nd, 2008


Dash Snow (co-author of NEST), Brian McPeck (of A.R.E. Weapons) and Kembra Pfahler (of The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black and author of Beautalism) at Santo’s Party House; photo taken by Bijoux Altamirano

Last Monday night, September 15th, AO was on site at Santo’s Party House for Deitch Projects’ book launch. Deitch Projects has released two new books, NEST by Dash Snow and Dan Colen and Beautalism by Kembra Pfahler. The celebration was kicked off by performances by The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, led by Kembra Pfahler, the author of Beautalism and frequent collaborator of Deitch projects, and a short set from TV Baby.

CURRENT READING: Nest: Dash Snow Dan Colen: Deitch Projects [The Imagist]
Nest and Beautalism Book Launch at Santos Party House [The World’s Best Ever]
Deitch projects book launch [ArtLoversNewYork]
Hint Tip: Deitch Projects [Hintmag]
Nest: July 26, 2007 to August 18, 2007 [Deitch Projects]
The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black [MySpace]

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