Ben Jones, Facemaker (2011), via The Hole

Currently showing at Royal/T is the show “Facemaker” curated by Kathy Grayson, of The Hole Gallery in New York City.  Located in Culver City, the Royal/T Gallery is a melange of café, shop, and compartmental art exhibition spaces. The 10,000-square-foot area holds a multitude of pieces from the show “Facemaker,” which explores the conceptualization of a face through the eyes of many different artists.  The show includes work from famous names as Shepard Fairey, Takashi Murakami, and Aurel Schmidt, as well as that of new and emerging artists.

Installation view of “Facemaker” featuring Shepard Fairey at Royal/T, photography by Rebecca Leib

more text and images after the jump…

(more…)

Robert Whitman, Passport (2011), via Dia Art Foundation

Following a canceled performance on Saturday, Dia:Beacon presented Robert Whitman‘s latest theatre performance, Passport on Sunday, April 17th despite the rain. Passport was performed simultaneously in both Beacon, NY and Montclair, NJ.  The project utilized live transmission feeds, internet broadcasting technology, and multiple video projections to give viewers a sense of displacement and the experience of being in two places at once.

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

Gary Hill’s The Psychedelic Gedankenexperiment installation. All images Nicolas Linnert for Art Observed.

Gladstone Gallery is currently showing Gary Hill’s latest experiment in audiovisual installation until April 23rd. The exhibition, entitled of surf, death, tropes and tableaux: The Psychedelic Gedankenexperiment, considers the LSD trip as a psychoactive event worthy of artistic exploration. Comprising a series of individual installation chambers, The Psychedelic Gedankenexperiment disorients image, text and sound by splitting, reversing, or rendering somehow unintelligible a typical sensory experience.

Gary Hill, Beauty is in the Eye (2011).

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

Installation view at the Met Museum. All images Nicolas Linnert for Art Observed.

Notions of lightness, delicate strokes, and diminutive scale may come to mind when imagining the artistic tradition of drawing. However, not a single one of these tendencies is applicable to the Metropolitan’s Museum’s new exhibition Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective, in which the strokes are bold, the images dense and the scale massive. One of the few contemporary shows that the Met has shown recently and a chronological anomaly amidst the 17^th-18^th French painting galleries, this retrospective of Richard Serra‘s drawing is comprised of about fifty works and traces the artist’s use of mainly paintstick on varying textures from the 1970’s to present day.

Richard Serra, Abstract Slavery (1974).

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

–>
All photos by D. Terna Art Observed.

Yesterday, a crowd congregated outside the Chinese Consulate in New York City, protesting for the detention of artist Ai Weiwei on April 3rd, 2011.  Ai has been missing since, and the international community has expressed concern for his personal safety, as he has not been formally arrested yet and the circumstances surrounding his detention. The protest started at 1 pm EST. It was named “1001 Chairs for Ai Weiwei,” and was organized by Anne Pasternak–Creative Time’s President and Artistic Director–with the objective of promoting public awareness on this important issue of political and ideological censorship.

more images and story after the jump…

(more…)

Marina Abramović speaks. All photos by L. Streeter, Art Observed.

Bomb Magazine celebrated its thirtieth birthday last night on the Bowery- a fitting location for a publication that emerged out of the unruly downtown art scene in 1981. Guest speakers Marina Abramović , Richard Armstrong, Betsy Baker and Francine Prose spoke to the history of the magazine alongside dinner and a silent auction. Guggenheim director Richard Armstrong described eloquently the substance of art media: “As makers of words and images, we need to realize our power. For all of you who make images, who work with words, Bomb is dedicated to bringing those together.”

Michael Stipe and Klaus Biesenbach

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

T.1912 by Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster with The Wordless Music Orchestra at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, April 14, 2011. All Photos by Enid Alvarez

On April 14th, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum hosted an double feature of T. 1912, a performance by French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. She conceived it as a commemorative gesture on the 99th anniversary of the famous sinking of the Titanic, the massive ship that was pronounced “unsinkable” and which struck an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage in 1912.

more images and story after the jump… (more…)

New Museum Spring Gala After Party 2011

Art Observed was on site at the New Museum‘s annual Spring Gala After Party in the financial district on April 6th. More than 40 floors above Manhattan, the room was a mixture of art world insiders, socialites and fans, including Hope Atherton, Urs Fischer, John Waters, Gavin Brown and Jen Brill, with music by DJs Harley and Cassie and a performance by the band Hess is More.

More images after the jump…

(more…)

Screen view from Warfilms, by Rita Ackermann at The Journal Gallery. All images Nicolas Linnert for Art Observed.

The Journal Gallery opened its latest exhibition of work by Rita Ackermann on Tuesday evening to a crowd of curious individuals. Entitled Warfilms, the showcase bypassed any explanatory promotional material leading up to the opening of what is essentially the artist’s first exhibition using solely video. The North 1^st St. space will be showing Ackermann’s three films for five days.

Installation view of Tuesday evening’s opening reception at The Journal Gallery.

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

Tara Donovan, Untitled (Mylar), 2011. Image by Art Observed.

Mundane objects–straws, buttons, pencils, Elmer’s glue and scotch tape–are the materials that Williamsburg-based artist Tara Donovan has used to create her expansive installations. Her latest work on view at Pace Gallery is composed entirely of folded, reflective mylar sheets, product traditionally used for insulation and most commonly encountered in food packaging, transformed into an oversized cell-like structure. Donovan has made her career re-purposing everyday objects into artistic materials, which she then manipulates by performing a singular action repeated infinitely. Donovan begins her works by choosing the material, usually cheap and mass-manufactured, and working to bring out its innate and overlooked material qualities that are usually overshadowed by the functionality of the object.

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

Opening night at Marian Goodman Gallery. All photos by L. Streeter, Art Observed.

An exhibition of works and projects by renowned Spanish sculptor Cristina Iglesias is currently on view at Marian Goodman Gallery on 57th street in the New York Gallery Building. Iglesias usually works with industrial materials like concrete and glass, combining them with natural elements such as bamboo or foliage. Each room at the exhibition features a different ongoing project, ranging from indoor and outdoor works and public projects that Iglesias has been involved in over the last 5 years.

Cristina Iglesias, Pozos I-V (wells).

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

The artist, Richard Prince. All pictures by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed.

Art Observed was on site for the opening “American Prayer” featuring works by American artist Richard Prince at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. A book enthusiast and collector of American pop culture and counter culture ephemera, on view are works by the artist relating to American literature books, a consistent source of inspiration and a material he often incorporates into his oeuvre. The exhibit includes two examples of his famous “Nurse” paintings from his personal collection presented to the public for the first time.

Vitrine 16: Sex & Drug & Rock & Roll. Untitled (Jimi Hendrix), 1992-93 by Richard Prince, T-shirt and oil on canvas © Richard Prince, Courtesy Gagosian Gallery

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

–>
Art Paris (2011). All pictures by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed.

Art Paris is currently taking place at the Grand Palais in Paris, and will be open until April 3rd. The fair was inaugurated in 1998, moved to the Nave in the Grand Palais in 2006, and continues to grow each year, with over 40,000 people expected to attend. This year, Art Paris is partnered with special “crossover exchanges” at many Paris venues including La Maison Rouge, Palais de Tokyo, L’Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton and the Villa L, which will be showing works by Jeong-Hwa Choi, Dias & Riedweg, Mounir Fatmi, Daniel Firman, Kolkoz, and Aaron Young.

–>
Galerie Laurent Strouk with Phillipe Pasqua solo show

More images and links after the jump…

Artist Rob Pruitt admires his latest work, The Andy Monument (2011). All images Nicolas Linnert for Art Observed.

Today at the northwest corner of Union Square, Rob Pruitt unveiled his latest work, The Andy Monument, in partnership with New York’s Public Art Fund. The nearly 10-foot tall sculpture is a chrome tribute to the seminal figure of Pop Art and major cultural influence in 20^th century New York City history. Situated at the pedestrian intersection at 17^th Street and Broadway, it is just steps from the site of Warhol’s former studio space, the “Factory.”

[vsw id=”21708384″ source=”vimeo” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]

Video of Rob Pruitt unveiling The Andy Monument

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

Robert Longo, Untitled (Mecca) (2011)

Art Observed was on-site for the opening of a solo-show by American Robert Longo entitled “God Machines.” A long-time collaborator of the gallery, this is Longo’s first major exhibition at the gallery in many years. The exhibit features three monumental works in the form of large-scale charcoal drawings which almost completely cover the walls of the main gallery space. The works are dedicated to three monotheistic religions and depict major places of religious worship. The event also celebrates the twentieth year anniversary of Galerie Thaddeus Ropac in Paris.

Gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac, Robert Longo and his wife at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac.
All pictures by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed.

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

Art Dubai 2011 – All photos by Art Observed unless otherwise noted

His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai officially opened Art Dubai for its fifth edition.  The region’s best attended art fair, this year’s Art Dubai features a total of 81 galleries from 34 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the United States, making it one of the most diverse and strongest programs to date.  The fair witnessed a robust interest before its official opening to the public today after esteemed guests, royal patrons and international and regional art professionals attended the Jumeirah Patron’s Preview on Tuesday. The fair emphasizes Middle Eastern Art during a time of political upheaval in the region.

Landscape (2009) by Subodh Gupta

More text and related links after the jump….

(more…)

March 5th ‘Spirituality” opening and installation view at P.P.O.W. All photos by Daniel Terna of Art Observed

This Saturday, P.P.O.W held the opening reception for their most recent exhibition: Spirituality, Works by David Wojnarowicz.  The show was curated almost as a retrospective, which included video pieces and a selection of personal letters written by the artist.  Work was displayed in all media, including sculptures, collage, photographs, and two videos.

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

A view of the exhibit at Gavin Brown Gallery. All photos by L. Streeter, Art Observed.

On Saturday night, Rirkrit Tiravanija opened a new exhibition at Gavin Brown Enterprise in the West Village, completely redesigning the gallery space and re-purposing various rooms in order to host a dinner party of sorts. The show, entitled “Fear Eats the Soul” was named after the 1974 Fassbinder film “Ali – Fear Eats the Soul” which portrayed the story of two lovers together in Germany, who live in opposite worlds and fight to protect their love from racial tension and the scrutiny of others. Tiravanija himself comes from a widely diverse background; he was raised in Thailand, Ethiopia, and Canada and currently divides his time between New York, Berlin, and Bangkok. His acute global awareness certainly has an influence in this exhibition, which features a T-shirt printing factory producing shirts with equally politically-aware and nonsensical slogans in block print. The slogans feature a range of phrases, from solemn ones such as “BEHOLD YOUR FUTURE EXECUTIONERS” to silly word games and statements like “BRING ON THE LOBSTERS” which are hand-screened onto plain T-shirts.

A view of the silk-screening workshop.

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

Hotel Diaries 2001-2007, John Smith. Tanya Leighton Gallery. All photos courtesy of Art Observed, unless otherwise noted.

The second annual Independent art fair took place on Thursday March 3rd to Sunday 6th on 548 W 22nd street during New York Art Fair Week.  The award winning temporary exhibition forum was created last year as an alternative to the Armory Fair and featured forty five galleries from across the globe.  Participants included New York’s White Columns, Anton Kern, and Feature, INC., London’s Hotel Gallery and Studio Voltaire, as well as China Art Objects from Los Angeles and Rodeo, an Istanbul based gallery.

Installation view of work by Jon Pylypchuk, China Art Objects, Los Angeles.

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

Zerek Kempf, Weight of Fall (Waltz) (2011) at 2-UP Gallery.
All images Nicolas Linnert for Art Observed.

Friday evening’s Dependent Art Fair opened its doors for a one-night-only event showcasing the works of various galleries and artist groups. The newest addition to 2011’s growing roster of fairs, the Dependent was held on the 12^th and 14^th floors of Chelsea’s Sheraton Hotel. Fifteen exhibitors filled their respective hotel rooms with works for sale. Some revealed highly curated installations while others presented a collected showcase of individual works. The fifteen groups were given  60 minutes to install, with the fair beginning its preview hour at 4pm and closing altogether at 9 that evening. What began as a scattered number of curious collectors and onlookers grew quickly to a sizable throng of attendees navigating from room to room through the hotel’s packed hallways.

A sculpture by Barkev Gulesserian at CANADA (bathroom gallery).

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

February 22nd opening and installation view at The Journal Gallery. All photos by Daniel Terna of Art Observed unless otherwise noted

Immediately following his two simultaneous exhibitions at CANADA gallery and Gavin Brown Enterprise, the all-pervasive Joe Bradley crops up once again with a solo exhibition at The Journal Gallery. This exhibition of thirteen small drawings quietly accompanies his large-scale paintings on view at Gavin Brown and CANADA earlier this month, and provides a subtle glimpse at the artistic process behind Bradley’s larger work. Ranging from the purely abstract to the purely absurd, the drawings in this exhibition feature suggestive profiles, curious lines, and pseudo-juvenile pictography that is characteristic of Bradley’s oeuvre.

Joe Bradley, Untitled (2010).

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

View of All That is Unseen exhibition, photo by L. Streeter, Art Observed.

A large-scale group show opened last Friday night in Greenpoint at Allan Nederpelt, showcasing 17 new artists such as Tony Oursler, N. Dash, Rachel Garrard, and Matthew Stone in the colossal space on Freeman Street on the very north-east tip of Greenpoint. The recently opened Allan Nederpelt exhibition space housed a large number of works all concerned with the idea of “Art addressing Metaphysics” and the artist’s relationship to the external world, the exhibit titled “All That is Unseen.”  Curators Meg O’Rourke and Caris Reid believe that this interest in the ethereal and otherworldly is partly a reaction to the mounting scientific complexity of our time, and marks the beginning of a transition in creative attitude. O’Rourke states in the press release, “Just as delving into spiritualism (along with shifts in science and technology) led to the birth of abstract art at the beginning of the last century, we feel we are currently at the edge of a collective shift.” Works ranged in a variety of mediums, from wooden sculpture to new media to electrical design.

Tony Oursler, Occult (untitled) for Cage (2011). Photo by Daniel Terna, Art Observed.

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

Philip-Lorca diCorcia, W, September 1997, #2 (1997). Via David Zwirner

Currently on view through March 5th at David Zwirner is a résumé of the eleven editorial photo shoots that Philip-Lorca diCorcia produced over the course of his eleven years at W Magazine. The exhibition—appropriately titled “Eleven”—illuminates Mr. diCorcia’s unique combination of his technical and narrative expertise applied to the genre of fashion photography.  The exhibit was opened to appropriately coincide with New York Fashion Week.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia. W, March 2000, #10 (2000). Via David Zwirner

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)