When I saw “The Reader” for the first time, I gave in to it completely, and undeniably, I was in tears. Little did I know that the subtle orchestra, which provoked my emotions, was music composed by one of America’s youngest classical composers, Nico Muhly. He also lives right here in New York City. Although his work is based on classical traditions, his renditions and variations in rhythms are highly contemporary, which makes it compatible with a broad genre of music. Nico has worked for Phillip Glass from 1999 to 2008. His collaborators include Bjork, Jónsi of Sigur Rós, Grizzly Bear, and Anthony and the Johnsons. Besides “The Reader” (2008), he also scored for the film “Joshua” (2007). I recently saw his latest piece “Tell the Way” at St. Ann’s Warehouse, which is “loosely based on medieval and colonial English travel narratives, the work draws from American folk sources, prayers for the Royal Navy, early colonial diaries, Mandeville, Herodotus and Marco Polo”. Commissioned by Brooklyn Youth Chorus, the ensemble included an eclectic mix of talents: a 45-member choir, guitarist Bryce Dessner, British singer Bishi, the unexpected appearance of a sitar, Nico’s sense of humor, and of course, him playing the piano throughout. His full length albums include Speaks Volumes (2007) and Mothertongue (2008), both released under the artist-run label Bedroom Community. In the midst of writing two operas, I was fortunate to get a brief interview with the artist. Continue Reading More »
Courtesy of Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, gift of Helen Hesse Charash, 1979. Photograph by Abby Robinson
(from the Press Release..)
The German-born, American artist Eva Hesse (1936–1970) played a central role in the radical transformation of sculptural practice in the 1960s. Hesse belonged to a generation of artists, including Bruce Nauman and Andy Warhol, who expanded the conceptual and technical possibilities for art. BAM/PFA is extremely privileged to present a group of rarely seen sculptures that show the inner workings of Hesse’s studio practice. The objects, both small and large, range from raw material experiments to works in their own right, all of them revealing process and the moments between thinking and making. Organized by The Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh, this unprecedented presentation of Hesse’s small-scale experimental works has traveled to London, Barcelona, and Toronto before its appearance in Berkeley. Continue Reading More »
When I walked into Thierry Drefus’ aged mirrors firmly planted on the wooden floors of the Invisible Dog – it was during the opening of (naked) absence – (blinding) presence, which also coincided with their holiday dinner party back in December. The entire space being spliced by these large reflections, instantly drew me to knowing who was the artist behind the installation. Eiji Sumi soon joined the party, and over a bowl of homemade cocktail, the artist Thierry Dreyfus introduced himself and advised us to see his other piece in the back of the gallery. Walking through the door, the room opened up to something of a lucid dream. The diffused light changed the dimensions of the air, and without knowing what to expect, I became in sync with the heartbeat that was intensely thumping in the background. Peaking in and out of the white shadows is a godly figurative sculpture. Then, hearing muffled voices from other human figures, the magic spell was broken. A few weeks later, after the artist returned to Paris, I decided to investigate Sir Thierry Dreyfus, an internationally renowned and respected artist, through the eyes of a New York based emerging lighting artist, Eiji Sumi. Both artists, living in influential cities, tell their stories using the element of light. Continue Reading More »
Yarisal & Kublitz is the artist duo Ronnie Yarisal and Katja Kublitz from Switzerland and Denmark, respectively. Working with time-based elements, their ideas are often based on intensifying the moment…”a reminder of the unbearable fragility of the moment.” I was drawn to their deadpan format of storytelling using elements that are stripped down to the core. At the opening to their latest show “Doubter II” at Kunsthalle Galapagos, Ronnie insisted that I must go back to experience the installation without the crowd. He described it as a “happening”, which changes according to the moment. There is certainly a zen quality to their artworks, in which the subject and audience can do nothing but to accept. Continue Reading More »
On a chilly December evening in Williamsburg, I stepped into Momenta Art, with audiences huddled around a solo dancer, trancelike, swaying her body as if she’s a tree. Her gazeless eyes told us that she moved according to the music, the surroundings, and her intuition. It was a dance movement which I haven’t seen since my days in Japan — Butoh. The minimally dark installations by Nina Lola Bachhuber provided a surreal universe to the performance artist/dancer Pamela Herron. Continue Reading More »
Opening tomorrow is a very special series of sound art performances and installations entitled Dead of Winter Works #1-6 presented by Splatterpool Artspace. The project, which is curated by renowned avant-turntabalist Maria Chavez, envisions garnering a collective of multi-media talents for individual and collective introspection (basically to be entranced) during those “dead of winter” months. As we are already being wrapped in to the winter’s darkness, a series of experimental multi-media performances curated by an avant-garde sound artist already sounds pretty amazing. Kicking off tomorrow night is Richard Garet and until the end of February the line-up of artists include Shelley Burgon, David Linton, Byron Westbrook, Thomas Dexter, Future Archeology, Sarah Lipstate. And of course Ms. Chavez herself will be present throughout the performances. Complete details and the entire schedule is up on Splatterpool.
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