Chéri Samba,”Complexe d’un enfant,” (2017), Magnin-A Gallery, Paris. Via Art Observed

Returning to New York City for its third edition, the 1:54 Art Fair touched down at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn’s Red Hook Neighborhood this weekend, bringing with it a wide range of works drawing from the fertile landscape of contemporary African art practice.  Founded by curator Touria El Glaoui several years ago as a companion fair to Frieze in London, the fair has since grown to encompass fairs on both sides of the Atlantic, serving as a vital mouthpiece for contemporary African art and artists from across the continent. (more…)

Matthew Stone, Unconditional Commitment to Sacred Love (2011) via Ben Richards for Art Observed

Dustin Yellin’s Pioneer Works Center is open again in Red Hook, with a series of exhibitions, concerts and events that have trumpeted the space’s return after the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.  At the forefront of the Center’s fall calendar is Amor Fati, a tightly curated group exhibition featuring works by Yoko Ono, Angel Otero, Nicolas Provost, Matthew Stone, Mickalene Thomas, Nick van Woert, Andy Warhol, and many more, which seeks to explore the wild emotions and impulses so often present in the artistic treatment of love.

John Miserendino, Funny Games Pavilion (2012), foreground, and Andy Warhol, Kiss (1963), background, via Ben Richards for Art Observed

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Artist Dustin Yellin is profiled in The New York Times, detailing the artist’s continued practice, his recently reopened Pioneer Works space in Red Hook, and his ongoing fascination with collecting and antiques.  “My father had the bug,” said Mr. Yellin, who grew up in Aspen, Colo. “Ever since I can remember walking, he was waking me up at 5 in the morning to go to flea markets. As a kid, I couldn’t really stand it, but as I grew up, I became that guy, and when I have kids, I am going to be doing the same thing.” (more…)