N. Dash, installation view. All images via Untitled

The work of artist N. Dash often operates at a raw, wordless level: simple images and objects often devoid of any qualifying forms, save the materials. Perhaps fitting, then, that Dash’s first solo show, consisting of works of cloth, dirt, and other raw elements should be held at Untitled gallery in Manhattan. Focusing on dirt and its effects on cloth and other materials, Dash’s wall hangings walk the line between more conventional wall-hung pieces and works of sculpture. The texture and color of fabrics lie on a level playing field with the three-dimensional aspects of their arrangement and their spatial relationships to their surroundings.

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‪‬Two day sale of the late Gunter Sachs’ mostly Pop Art collection at Sotheby’s in London yields £35.6 million, including several commissioned Warhols

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Robert Longo, Untitled (Berlin Flag) (2012). Charcoal on mounted paper. All images courtesy of the artist and Capitain Petzel Gallery.

Robert Longo presents a site specific installation, Stand, as his first solo exhibition with Capitain Petzel Gallery Berlin. The show’s timing and location, intentional or unintentional, provide some extra intensity to the already political nature of the exhibition.  Stand, like much of Longo’s work engages themes of politics and power and its effects on society. The show opened during ‘Gallery Weekend’ and alongside this year’s Berlin Biennale, which also focuses on the political power of art. The gallery is located on Berlin’s Karl-Marx-Alle, formerly Stalinalle, famous for being the first “socialist” street of the DDR. Longo’s show utilizes the entirety of the gallery, inside and out, and whether to challenge or just play with the location’s history showcases in its outer windows a black and white drawing of an American flag.

Installation view

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‪‬Japanese designer/artist Takeshi Miyakawa arrested for installing ‘I ♥ NY’ plastic bags with battery-powered lighting in Brooklyn, charged with placing “a false bomb or hazardous subsance”

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‪‬Brice Marden‘s career discussed with the artist in Financial Times from the 1960s Lower East Side to current participation in American Artist Lecture Series at Tate Modern in London

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Kehinde Wiley, Judith and Holofernes (2012). All photos on site for Art Observed by Perrin Lathrop, © Kehinde Wiley.

For his debut exhibition at Sean Kelly Gallery, Kehinde Wiley embarks upon new territory: women. Titled An Economy of Grace, the series depicts African-American women selected straight from the streets of New York City. Wiley poses his subjects to mimic portraits of 18th and 19th Century society women by artists such as Jacques Louis David, Thomas Gainsborough and John Singer Sargent. Set against Wiley’s signature bold, decorative backgrounds, these women exude power and elegance—they refuse to be ignored. Reflecting on his decision to portray females, Wiley states, “I am painting women in order to come to terms with the depictions of gender within the context of art history.”

Kehinde Wiley (center) at the opening of ‘An Economy of Grace’ at Sean Kelly Gallery, May 5, 2012 (more…)

Daniel Buren, Photo-souvenir From Three Windows, 5 Colours for 252 Places, Work in Situ at Lisson Gallery. Via Wall Street Journal.

In its fifth year, the Hong Kong International Art Fair drew a record 67,205 visitors, up 6% from last year according to Artlyst, with galleries and collectors from across the globe—over 700 booth applications narrowed down to 266, about half Asian, half European and American. The work on view was generally geared toward the more conservative, traditional local collectors, ebbing into today’s contemporary market; many of the works sold were by Asian artists to Asian collectors, though Western galleries were successful as well, including White Cube, Hauser & Wirth, Sprüth Magers, and David Zwirner. The MCH Group—owners of Art Basel—have bought a majority stake in the fair and will officially take the reigns in 2013, renaming the fair Art Basel Hong Kong as they hope to capitalize on the current growth of Asian wealth.

Tatsuo Miyajima’s mirror piece ‘Hoto.’ Via New York Times (more…)

‪‬Sotheby’s opens $7.2 million, 15,000 sq ft gallery in central Hong Kong, its third after London and New York, “Asia will remain a very important growth area for Sotheby’s,” says Sotheby’s Asia chief executive Kevin Ching

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‪‬Andrea Rosen to represent Ryan Trecartin’s solo work and collaborative work with Lizzie Fitch, “I’m looking forward to building a relationship with Ryan that will allow us to evolve together and holds unknown potential,” says Rosen

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‪‬Two men and 15 year-old boy face charges of theft of up to £40m of Chinese art from Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England

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‪‬Thaddaeus Ropac to open new 4700 sq meter space in Paris in October 2012, the former boiler works factory to be designed by Buttazoni & Associés with moveable walls, the debut show featuring Anselm Kiefer and Joseph Beuys

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‪‬Tracey Emin draws “strong and sexy and strident” rendering of the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, based on both meeting the queen and outside research and earlier images, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee for Financial Times

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Los Carpinteros, Cuarteto Rebelde (2012). All images courtesy of Kunstmuseum Thum.

Los Carpinteros, the Cuban artist duo, are currently showing Silence Your Eyes at the Kunstmuseum Thun as their first show in Switzerland. The pair consists of Marco Castillo and Dagoberto Rodríguez, and formerly had a third member, Alexandre Arrechea. They studied at the Art Academy in Havana, earning their name (carpenters) by creating large wooden sculptures from the readily available material. Many of their works employ architectural and design oriented themes, such as urban buildings and furniture, which are then shown in an exaggerated manner. Such themes are used to highlight the overlap between the private and the public and political realms. The inventiveness of the works belies their engagement with “politically charged” topics.

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‪‬As Chuck Close and others’ sought royalties from secondary sales of artwork, the California Resale Royalties Act has been ruled unconstitutional by Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, “the court finds that the (law) has the ‘practical effect’ of controlling commerce ‘occurring wholly outside the boundaries’ of California even though it may have some ‘effects within the state.”

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‪‬Documenta 13 artist list announced: beginning June 9, 2012, the 100 day, once-every-five-years event will feature over 150 artists from 55 countries

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Charles Ray, installation view. All images courtesy of Matthew Marks

New works by Charles Ray are currently on view at Matthew Marks Los Angeles through June 23. Two stainless steel figures inhabit the gallery space; Sleeping Woman is perched on a bench with her head resting on a blanket while across the gallery Young Man stands nude, his body aligned with the sleeping woman. Ray asserts a calculated tension of space with nuanced attention to perception that has been the essence of his sculptural practice for decades.

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‪‬New York Times discusses in detail the pros and cons of the new Barnes Museum which has controversially relocated to downtown Philadelphia

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‪‬Tate Britain reaches fundraising goal of £45 million for various refurbishments to the building, including a “semi-permanent display” of historical British art featuring work by William Blake, David Hockney, and LS Lowry

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‪‬Financial Times sheds light on the high risk—and premiums—of art insurance as art market prices continue to increase more than ever, with the traditional free ports of Switzerland now facing changes to customs laws which will require artwork information and value to be declared

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‪‬Dustin Yellin discusses his new 24,000 sq ft warehouse turned ‘creative utopia’ in Red Hook with Interview Magazine, “That is the house ethos: to cross-pollinate all these different disciplines in one place”

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‪‬South African ANC party may take Goodman Gallery to court in Johannesburg to remove artist Brett Murray‘s depiction of President Jacob Zuma, which debatably features Zuma exposing his genitals

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‪‬Gwyneth Paltrow to possibly play Pablo Picasso‘s lover Dora Maar in upcoming film, “Guernica 33 Days,” the €8 million Spanish film includes Antonio Banderas as Picasso and is scheduled for a May, 2013 release

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‪‬KAWS tapped to create balloon for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, planning a 40 ft long version of his Companion character, and joining the ranks of Tom Otterness, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, and Tim Burton, who have also participated in the ‘Blue Sky Gallery’ series

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Tom Sachs and Kanye West at the opening of SPACE PROGRAM: MARS. All photos on site for Art Observed by Elene Damenia.

Tom Sachs takes New York City to Mars in his new immersive installation at the Park Avenue Armory, SPACE PROGRAM: MARS, co-presented by Creative Time and the Armory. For four weeks, the artist and a crew of thirteen will enact various missions and rituals as if on Mars, albeit a world of faux space suits, space ships, and craters, constructed of plywood, found junk, and several trips to the hardware store. At Tuesday night’s opening preview, guests sipped ‘Astronaut Sunrise with Mars Salt Rim’ and ‘Vader Piss,’ including the likes of Kanye West, Julian Schnabel, Nate Lowman, and Hanna Liden, with Bill Powers manning the Indoctrination station. According to the press release, Sach’s work “provokes reflection on the haves and have-nots, utopian follies and dystopian realities, while asking barbed questions of modern creativity that relate to conception, production, consumption, and circulation.” One visitor remarked, “I wanted sand, red sand everywhere… but other than that, it’s great!”

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