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

London — Sean Scully: “Horizon” at Timothy Taylor Gallery Through December 17th, 2016

December 15th, 2016

Sean Scully, Landline Bloom (2016), via Art Observed
Sean Scully, Landline Bloom (2016), via Art Observed

Timothy Taylor Gallery’s Mayfair exhibition space has compiled a series of Sean Scully’s monumental abstract paintings, recent works that tower above the viewer while engaging them with deep, meditative arrangements of color.  Shown in conjunction with a collection of sketches, notes, letters and diary entries, the show’s expansive focus offers a rare look into the Irish painter’s psychological and conceptual investment in his works.  The series, Landline, has been ongoing since 2013, and continues to offer the artist an opportunity to refine and reshape his approach to the canvas through a narrow, yet endlessly inventive engagement with the power of mark-making, and the purity of delineation between linear planes, both explored through the expressive capacity of color. Read More »

New York – Ernesto Neto: “The Serpent’s Energy Gave Birth To Humanity” at Tanya Bonakdar Through December 17th, 2016

December 14th, 2016

Ernesto Neto, The Serpent’s Energy Gave Birth To Humanity (Installation View), via Art Observed
Ernesto Neto, The Serpent’s Energy Gave Birth To Humanity (Installation View), via Art Observed

Filling the main exhibition space at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery with another of his signature, finger-crocheted structures, artist Ernesto Neto has opened a new show in New York, reprising past works with this material and technique applied towards varied explorations of the spiritual, sexual, and communal in a single architectural space.  The show, which uses the Old Testament myth of temptation and expulsion from the Garden of Eden, to extend and explore the space of the human body as metaphor for both the tale’s moral implications, and contemporary explorations of social space. Read More »

New York – Arthur Jafa: “Love is the Message, The Message is Death” at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise Through December 17th, 2016

December 13th, 2016

Arthur Jafa, "Love is the Message, The Message is Death" (2016), via Art Observed
Arthur Jafa, Love is the Message, The Message is Death (2016), via Art Observed

Arthur Jafa’s current video installation, on view at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in west Harlem, is at once joyous and tragic, celebratory and rebellious.  Bearing the title Love is the Message, the Message is Death, it makes reference not only to Philadelphia act MFSB’s classic disco tune “Love Is The Message,” but also to “Love is the Plan and the Plan is Death,” a short story by Alice Sheldon, better known by her pen name of James Tiptree Jr., or Raccoona Sheldon.  The work, played alongside Kanye West’s caustic and meditative “Ultralight Beam,” from his latest album, presents a fusion of images, music, and theory, ultimately presenting a striking vision of the black experience in the 21st Century. Read More »

New York – “Every Future Has a Price: 30 Years After Infotainment” at Elizabeth Dee Through December 17th, 2016

December 12th, 2016

Julia Wachtel, Acceleration of Similarity (1983), via Art Observed
Julia Wachtel, Acceleration of Similarity (1983), via Art Observed

Revisiting Anne Livet’s original 1980’s exhibition Infotainment, Every Future has a Price: 30 Years after Infotainment at Elizabeth Dee opens a dialogue into the ongoing relevance of the themes and subjects first explored over thirty years ago.  The exhibition, which re-exhibits 11 of the works originally on view from the first show of predominantly East Village artists, dwells on social and philosophical interests that echo much of 1960’s Conceptualism, placing emphasis on the conveyance of ideas over aesthetic interests.

Every Future Has a Price (Installation View), via Art Observed
Every Future Has a Price (Installation View), via Art Observed

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New York – Carol Bove: “Polka Dots” at David Zwirner Through December 17th, 2016

December 8th, 2016

Carol Bove, Daphne and Apollo (2016), via Art Observed
Carol Bove, Daphne and Apollo (2016), via Art Observed

Marking her first exhibition with David Zwirner in New York since joining the gallery, Carol Bove has brought a body of new works to the gallery’s 19th Street location, marking a continuation and expansion of her unique sculptural language refined through a series of references and touchstones pulled from the language of modern sculpture.   Read More »

Helen Marten Wins the 2016 Turner Prize

December 6th, 2016

Helen Marten, Brood and Bitter Pass (2016), via Art Observed
Helen Marten, Brood and Bitter Pass (2016), via Art Observed

Helen Marten, the Macclesfield-born, London-based sculptor known for her disjointed, endlessly inventive configurations of materials, has taken home the 2016 Turner Prize, the second major award that the artist has won in the past month.  Marten, who takes home a£25,000 purse for the award, was selected from a pool of artists including Anthea Hamilton, Michael Dean, and Josephine Pryde.

Helen Marten, via W Magazine
Helen Marten, via W Magazine

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AO On-Site – Miami Beach: NADA at the Deauville Resort and Hotel, December 1st – December 4th, 2016

December 2nd, 2016

Denise Kupferschmidt at Halsey McKay, via Art Observed
Denise Kupferschmidt at Halsey McKay, via Art Observed

Walking through the doors of the Deauville Hotel and Resort, a sense of familiarity is in the air, with NADA Miami Beach returning to its old stomping grounds in North Beach.  Maintaining the same familial atmosphere and adventurous spirit that keeps the fair among the more popular of the week, this year’s edition (its 14th total) is particularly strong, with a renewed focus on painting alongside a series of more striking projects and pieces. Read More »

AO On-Site – Miami Beach: Art Basel Miami Beach at the Miami Beach Convention Center, December 1st – 4th, 2016

December 1st, 2016

art-basel-miami-beach-via-art-observed
Art Basel Miami Beach, via Art Observed

After a first evening of parties in both Miami proper and Miami Beach, the main event of Miami Art Week, Art Basel Miami Beach, has opened its doors at the Miami Beach Convention Center, bringing with it another round of special projects, talks, and other installations alongside the more traditional booths.  The 15th edition of the fair, which draws 269 galleries from a total of 29 countries from around the globe, was clearly feeling some tightness from a slower market, with shorter lines for the VIP Preview today, and less of a rush towards premiere works, but strong sales seemed to continue throughout the day, revealing a buyer pool that seems more invested than feverish.

Toiletpaper for Fondation Beyeler, via Art Observed
Toiletpaper for Fondation Beyeler, via Art Observed

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AO On-Site – Miami Beach: Untitled Art Fair on Ocean Drive, November 30th – December 4th, 2016

November 30th, 2016

Untitled Art Fair, via Art Observed
Untitled Art Fair, via Art Observed

Spread across the sandy vistas just off Miami Beach’s iconic Ocean Drive, Untitled Art Fair opened its doors this week for the 5th annual edition of its fair during Miami Art Week. Recognized for a curator-first mentality and a focused, yet exploratory tone, the fair’s early hours offered a striking first look at the caliber and diversity of works on view in Miami this week. The fair, has hit its stride with this year’s offering, bringing a group of exhibitors that push distinctly cohesive threads and perspectives over the course of the fair, even as each offers a singular perspective on their chosen media or discourse. Read More »

AO On-Site: The Opening of Miami Art Week, November 29th, 2016

November 30th, 2016

Thomas Bayrle at ICA Miami (Installation View), via Art Observed
Thomas Bayrle at ICA Miami (Installation View), via Art Observed

As dealers, artists and insiders continue to arrive en masse to South Florida, the first days of Miami Art Week have kicked into full gear, with a first round of openings and events setting the pace for the week before Art Basel Miami Beach opens to the public tomorrow. With both first looks at several fairs and a number of premiere openings, Tuesday night’s proceedings were a first look at the hectic week ahead.

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