AO Art Observed™

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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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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Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea docking at Deitch via Art Observed

Yesterday evening a fleet of seven boats, or floating sculptures, docked at Deitch Studios in Long Island City.  The arrival of the flotilla was part of the opening of a two-part exhibit called the “Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea” designed and constructed by Brooklyn based artist, Swoon. The first part of the exhibit is a large-scale installation inside the Deitch LIC gallery space. The second part takes place on the water with the seven sculptural sea vessels. The hand-made boats, comprised of scrap wood and other found objects and recycled material, started in Troy, New York and have spent the last three weeks on the Hudson River making stops at various locations to do musical and theatrical performances. Swoon has collaborated with playwright Lisa D’amour, composer Sxip Shirey, Kinetic Steam Works from San Francisco, and the band Dark Dark Dark in order to fully bring the flotilla to life. The exhibit will be open to the public until October 18.

Art Observed Exclusive Videos of the opening:
The marching band gets the crowd ready to receive Swoon’s Flotilla via Art Observed [Youtube]
The second ship makes it’s entrance at Deitch Studios via Art Observed [Youtube]

Relevant Newslinks:
A Floating City With Junkyard Roots [NYTimes]
Swoon’s Green Fleet Sails to Queens [Gothamist]
Floating exhibit shows alternative [Times Herald Record]
‘Swimming Cities’ Docks in Manhattan [NYMag]
Swoon: Switchback Cities of Switchback Sea [Coolhunting]
Art Ships Are Stopped [NYTimes]
Swimming Cities of the Switchback Sea [Official Website]
Swoon: Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea [Deitch]

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Deitch Studios exterior by assume vivid astro focus via Deitch

Ever the purveyor of fun, Deitch Studios in Long Island City has been completely taken over by the Brazilian art collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus for the summer, resulting a lively installation entitled Absolutely Venomous Accurately Fallacious (Naturally Delicious). Perched right on the East River, the exterior of the Studios has been covered in a mural, and filled with the colorful and explosive sculpture assume vivid astro focus is known for. It has also been transformed into a literal disco, hosting parties and performances through the run of the exhibition, including a PS1 Warm-Up afterparty on July 26 — a great chance to check out the artwork in all its glory.

Absolutely Venomous Accurately Fallacious (Naturally Delicious) [Deitch]
Video of installation [VBS]
Assume Vivid Astro Focus at Deitch LIC [ArtCal]

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“Too Far Too Close”, Os Gemeos at Deitch Gallery via Art Observed

On June 28th, the doors opened at 18 Wooster St in New York to reveal the fantastical world of Os Gemeos. The twin brothers that make up Os Gemeos, Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo, are having their second show at Deitch, called “Too Far Too Close”. The artist duo, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, has successfully altered the space into a colorful world filled with chimerical portraits, music, and scenes straight from the intimate minds of Os Gemeos.

Sharing a brain: Os Gemeos [GQ]
Os Gemeos: Too Far Too Close [Deitch]
Os Gemeos’s Homepage [Lost Art]
Bomb - It: International Graffiti Documentary [Bomb-It]
Os Gemeos “Too Far Too Close” [NYArtbeat]

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Haring’s mural on Houston and Bowery via Deitch Projects

To celebrate the 50th birthday of the artist Keith Haring, who died of AIDS in 1990, Deitch Projects and the Keith Haring Foundation hired artists to re-create the artist’s mural work from the original.

“Keith Haring Mural to Be Recreated on the Bowery” [ArtInfo]
“A Keith Haring Mural to Be Recreated (in Day-Glo, of Course)” [NY Times]
“Keith Haring Tribute on East Houston” [Gothamist]
“A Downtown Icon Is Re-Created” [NY Sun]
Keith Haring: Houston Street and Bowery Mural [Deitch Project]
Keith Haring’s foundation [Keith Haring Foundation]

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Rosson Crow, Live in the Black Pussy, 2008 via Deitch Projects

From March 29 until April 26, Deitch Projects features a group painting exhibition curated by Nicola Vassell. Works include paintings from Elizabeth Neel, Kristin Baker, Rosson Crow and Dan Colen.

Substraction at Deitch [Deitch Projects]

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“The Railway Bridge at Argenteuil” via Telegraph.co.uk

Follow up: Monet’s “The Railway Bridge at Argenteuil” sells for £20 million at Christie’s [Telegraph.co.uk]
Update: Make your own movie at Gondry Deitch Projects [New York Times]
Tracey Emin spends $8 million to save an art district in London [ArtForum via the Guardian.com]
Whitney Biennial’s busy schedule, starting next Thursday [New York Times]
A good overall summary on artist Paul McCarthy [LATimes via C-Monster]
Judge Denies Salander’s bankruptcy [Bloomberg]
Michael Ovitz may buy the Chelsea Art Museum Building for growing art collection [New York Post]

Opening night of “Be Kind Rewind” at Deitch Projects

Droves of gallery goers attended Michel Gondry’s opening of “Be Kind Rewind” at Deitch Projects. The exhibition is a precursor to the film, of the same name, that will be released in theaters shortly.

Michel Gondry [MichelGondry.com]
“Be Kind Rewind” the movie [Be KindMovie.com]
Deitch Projects [Deitch Gallery]
“Be Kind Rewind” at Deitch Projects [New York Daily News]
“Be Kind Rewind” inspired by Michel Gondry’s latest film [Artinfo.com]

More pictures after the jump… (more…)

Stefan Sagmeister via Deitch Projects
On January 31st Stefan Sagmeister’s, “Things I Have Learned in my Life So Far”, opened at Deitch Projects in New York. The exhibition is a multimedia installation that will continue to shift and change throughout the duration of the show. (more…)

Be kind Rewind via NYmag

The Deitch Projects will be showing Michel Gondry’s “Be Kind Rewind” from February 16 until March 22. “Be Kind Rewind” is a movie about two childhood friends, Jerry and Mike, living in New Jersey. Through a series of unfortunate events, Jerry’s brain become magnetized. Due to this obscure ailment, he unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend’s video store. The movie has received very good reviews and is eagerly anticipated.
The Deitch Projects will also allow visitors to create their own films. Visitors can take home a copy of their film, and all movies created during the exhibition will also be available for viewing and rental from the gallery.

Michel Gondry bringing “Be kind rewind” to life at Deitch Gallery [Adage]
Deitch Projects [Deitch]

With a cluttered presentation sprawled over two floors of Midtown space, the Columbia University MFA show comes across as energetic, adventurous, but undeniably student-y work; heck, at times it’s slightly muddled, unfinished, and, yes, even downright messy. Who’d ever have thought this would amount to a good thing? But, I must admit, it was all surprisingly refreshing. Over the last couple of years, Columbia has consistently met the challenge of its increasingly high profile, pumping out art stars in the making with graduate presentations as smoothed and polished as anything Chelsea might throw at you. Last year’s class’ offering in Dumbo was no exception: a cavernous space, filled with pristine pieces, thoughtfully arranged into a compelling exhibition which gave the Whitney Biennial “Day for Night” (on view at the same time) more than a run for its money. As expected, a new set of rising stars was ushered in, such as Tamy Ben-Tor and Julieta Aranda, who have already garnered pretty major accolades (and with good cause). (more…)