ARTSLANT'S SPECIAL EDITION
New York Armory Week #2
Where to See the Art World
(and probably some art). with Collin Munn & the ArtSlant Team
Clifford Owens, Anthology (Nsenga Knight), 2011, 2 C-prints, 40x60 in (ea). Courtesy of On Stellar Rays. On view at The Armory Show, Pier 94, Booth 521.
The party scene in New York is elusive, diverse, and very difficult to pin down – all things that can be overwhelming, but also exciting, because you can find really anything you want. The key is to be flexibly dressed. Dark colors and uncomfortable looking shoes are a good bet so that you can go right from champagne and amuse-bouche to a dirty warehouse party in Brooklyn, and not look out of place at either. Speaking of Brooklyn, that tends to be where the real party is at but there are still some fun options left on the island, especially during New York’s glittery Armory Week.
If you want to play with the big guns and have little mind for your pocket book, then the event to go to is definitely the Amory’s official party hosted at MoMA. It takes place every year on the Wednesday before the fair opens to the public (March 7th, 2012). Last year, MoMA’s bash had musical entertainment provided by Kate Nash, but this year we can expect to see urban-twenty-something favorite Neon Indian perform in the MoMA lobby. For people spotting and photo opportunities this is the party to attend.
Ola Kolehmainen, Untitled (No. 6), C-print. Courtesy of Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery. On view at The Armory Show, Pier 94.
If playing the socialite isn’t appealing, there are always smaller fairs springing up that attempt to distinguish themselves as hipper and “less commercial” than the mother fair, and have plenty of opportunities for mingling with the often younger strata of the art world. Here’s where you’ll find the emerging artists and the boutique galleries that work with them. These parties tend to be about running into friends, meeting potential contacts and collaborators, and seeing new work.
Your first stop should be Independent in Chelsea, which has a very relaxed vibe with a great selection of galleries, a fun opening party, and an excellent assortment of people to meet, like the staff of Elizabeth Dee gallery which has been putting up some of New York’s hottest shows. Also, make your way to Berlin/London gallery Sprüth Magers’ booth; they have a great presence in both of these art capitals, and it is a good place to find like-minded party people looking for that euro-chic vibe in the Big Apple. And another must-do is PooL. PooL Art Fair has an eclectic selection of unrepresented artists - and if you can, their Vernissage party on Friday March 9th is a good bet (if you are invited that is …and hopefully we won’t have a repeat of the Miami debacle when the PooL hotel venue was shut down before the party even started…).
Aakash Nihalani, Stack, 2011, site-specific installation. Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery. On view at Volta NY.
Editor's note: Collin had to dash...but read on for more about where to go and who to see, here.
See you in New York!
-–Collin Munn & the ArtSlant Team
ARTSLANT INSIDER* - Artspace
Artspace is the premier online marketplace for contemporary art, offering collectors and aspiring collectors the opportunity to discover, learn about and collect art from the top contemporary artists in the world at insider prices. Artspace curators collaborate with internationally renowned artists, museums and galleries to provide the world's best collection of contemporary art online, in a single location. Artspaceserves as a trusted art advisor offering information and education on every featured artist and work on the site in order to provide members with the details they need to make informed and confident purchase decisions. Membership to Artspace is free, prices start at $200 and every sale of artwork on the site supports an artist, cultural institution or non-profit organization. For more information, visit Artspace.com.
TALK OF THE WEEK - SCOPE & Vision with Lori Zimmer
Paul Wackers, The Presentation of Choices Made, acrylic on panel. Courtesy of Eleanor Harwood Gallery. On view at Scope.
In recent years, SCOPE has gained the reputation of being the “fun” fair, full of performance and experiential programs- as well as booze. Last year they let us watch frat boys drink copious amounts of beer inside a glass room, and drink a few ourselves in the impossibly tiny two person bar, Mandy’s (complete with working beer tap!) This year, the fair is giving itself a makeover, first with a new logo, followed by a new, slightly smaller venue--conveniently located right across from The Armory Show. The size of the fair has been intentionally scaled back, in order to give SCOPE a chance to flex its curatorial muscle, and trim the fat so to speak. With the rebranding, the fair is continuing to adhere to its commitment to bring exciting curated projects for visitors to experience, along with the carefully selected galleries hocking their innovative art works. The special programming presents visitors with SCOPE’s personal curatorial vision, bringing together performance, film and installation to show their dedication to sharing art, not just selling it.
Shen Chao Liang, Untitled, 2012, installation. Courtesy of Artists Wanted. On view at Scope.
This year, visitors will be met with all that glitters as they enter SCOPE’s new pavilion on 57th Street and 12th Ave. Curated by Miami’s edgy Primary Projects, Kenton Parker’s Infinity Trophy Room will start off everyone’s fair experience with a little sparkle and triumph. The installation is the ultimate trophy case, with row after row of identical gold prize winning statues. At first glance, we are drawn into what these trophies imply - victory, superiority and hero worship. But beyond the singular golden champion, there are a slew of capable losers. This obsession and emphasis on these symbols of victory creates an unhealthy fixation on becoming that lone winner, rather than tackle the real issue - our inherent insecurities and unacceptance of personal failures. Parker explains in his artist statement “Artistic achievement (popularized by the Oscars or Tony Awards) is called to mind as a politicized issue that seems to rely more on awarding those with underhanded agendas versus a testament to creative genius.”
After contemplating your own feelings on winning, followed by the blow of defeat, artist and Interfaith minister Lainie Love Dalby will help you heal your bruised ego with Diamond Den, a ritualistic installation of art therapy and mediation...
For more on SCOPE's special projects, click here.
-–Lori Zimmer
ARTSLANT INSIDER* - Patrajdas Contemporary
KohSang Woo, SangSik Hong, Kate MacDowell and JongSeok Yoon
PATRAJDAS Contemporary, a Philadelphia-based contemporary art project, will exhibit at SCOPE-NY March 7-11, 2012 – Booth H-01.
With a special focus on Korean-born artists, we converge talent and innovation leveraging an extraordinary curatorial opportunity to combine the works of SangSik Hong (straw sculpture), JongSeok Yoon (micro-pointillist painting), and KohSang Woo (photography) in a single exhibition. Each artist deals with desire, passion and the human condition in completely different ways, yet there is a particular unity about their work.
Adding significant punch to both the representational and narrative qualities of these works will be porcelain sculptures by Portland (OR)-based artist Kate MacDowell. While Ms. MacDowell’s intricate, inquisitive works (all referencing Man’s interaction with Nature) have an international following – this is her NYC debut.
When taken together, this selection of artworks speaks to the most elemental of human emotions: Desire, Lust and Greed, offset by our power to overcome, to recognize inherent beauty, and acknowledge our place in the world.
ARTSLANT INSIDER* - TNC Gallery
TNC Gallery
Presents: OLD MASTERS/FRESH PAINT
March 1-April 14th OPENING PARTY March 6th 6-9
The six artists in "Old Masters/Fresh Paint" range in age from 77 (Old) to 23 (Fresh.) The artists are Salvatore Gulino, Gail Stoicheff, Laurentiu Todie, Philip Martoglio, Vladimir Ginzburg and Alisa Ochoa. They work in a variety of paints--acrylic, water, spray, finger--and draw on images and ideas from the Old Masters who are repurposed with fresh paint. Fresh as in wet. Fresh as in new. Fresh whether young or old. The 25 year-old TNC Gallery is one of the largest and oldest alternative galleries in lower Manhattan. Its 2000 square feet of wall space is located within the Theater for the New City complex at 155 First Avenue. TNC, founded by Crystal Fields, is committed to being a center to the convergence of the visual and performing arts. See www.tncgallery.
ARTSLANT INSIDER* - Amber Robles-Gordon
Amber Robles-Gordon, "Lace", 2010, Mixed Media on canvas, 36 x 36.
Amber Robles-Gordon - Amber Robles-Gordon’s preferred medium is collage and assemblage. She focuses on fusing found objects to convey personal memories, inspired by nature, womanhood, and her belief in recycling energy and materials. Robles-Gordon completed her MFA from Howard University in Dec., 2010. Since then, several of her exhibitions have been reviewed in the Washington Post. She has recently been selected to present for the Under the Influence competition as part of the 30 Americans exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Amber has been commissioned by the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum, WETA Television and AlJazeera to teach workshops, give commentary and present about her artwork. She was commissioned by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) to create a mural and granted an apprenticeship to create a public art installation.
ARTSLANT INSIDER* - Alexander D.C.D Smith
Alexander D.C.D Smith, Native Americans, mixed media, 4' x 8'; Believe, mixed media, 2' x 4'
Alexander D.C.D Smith - "There is a constant struggle for balance inside me that energizes my art. This struggle stems, in part, from who I am – a biracial artist who has had to contend with issues of identity and who constantly examines who he is. In my art, as in my life, I examine these issues of duality. To me, everything has an opposite: good and bad, positive and negative, flat paint and gloss paint, control and its loss. My work explores these dualities and challenges the viewer to do so as well.
"As ideas emerge for new pieces, so too do color schemes. I see the work in my head before a single drop of paint hits the canvas. The textures, however, evolve organically with each subsequent layer of paint, as my conscious mind and subconscious mind strive to create balance in the piece."
ARTSLANT INSIDER* - Margaret Brown Halsey
Margaret Brown Halsey, Magenta and Black on Green, 2011, watercolor, 24" x 18"
Margaret Brown Halsey - "My life has been devoted to the pursuit of art - painting, teaching, lecturing, writing, and designing. I studied at the Art Student's League in New York City, and received my Ph.D from New York University.
While living in Europe, I studied at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, the Academie Julian, and the Sorbonne in Paris. I also studied at the University of Pisa at Viareggio, Italy. My life has been enriched by my travels, which have afforded me the opportunity to view the works of the major art museums of the world. For a number of years I wrote as an art expert for the Annual Edition of the Encyclopedia Americana. I reported on the major exhibitions in American art museums."
Margaret Brown Halsey was born in Texas and has spent most of her adult life in New York City.
Thank you to all of the art fairs, galleries, organizations, institutions, curators and artists who bring us this New York extravaganza.
For more information on our Special Edition packages featuring ArtSlant Insiders and Watchlist for galleries, artists and art services, please contact Sunny@artslant.com.
