Chuck Close

Pace is an art gallery synonymous with New York City. Having moved here in the 1960s from Boston, owner Arne Glimcher has built it into something of a dynasty. This September marks the gallery’s 50^th year in existence. To celebrate, Glimcher has organized a massive exhibition sprawling across all four of his Manhattan gallery spaces. The show features influential and important paintings from across Pace’s five decade history. The uptown space has been organized into a mini retrospective of notable Pace exhibitions. The other three spaces in Chelsea are ordered based on a rough chronology, featuring contemporary art, abstract expressionism and pop art, and “minimalism and post modern art” respectively.

Dan Flavin

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As an American teenager it’s not easy to escape high school without suffering through countless cheesy metaphors maintaining the relevance of sports to life. For this reason I generally eschew sports themed anything, be it movies, art, or theater. This week, I’m truly glad I made an exception. Wednesday I attended the opening of “Horatio”, a new multimedia performance piece playing until the 18^th at Here in Tribeca.  “Horatio” is the theatrical counterpart to a documentary of the same name which is scheduled for release next year. Both pieces focus on the Corporal John A. Seravelli Playground, also known as Horatio, perhaps New York’s most famous public basketball court. Continue Reading More »

Courtesy of Yvon Lambert

Zilvinas Kempinas is a name that has been popping up in New York for several years now. Since he graduated from Hunter in 2002 his art has been easily recognized in museum, art fair and gallery exhibitions on both coasts. He is best known for his signature material, unwound magnetic tape, which he uses to sculptural effect in both kinetic and static installations. I have come to admire Kampinas as the master of material simplicity. His work often reaches overwhelming complexity with a graceful economy of means.

His latest exhibit, Ballroom, which opened on Thursday at Yvon Lambert, was a pleasant surprise. I found Kempinas’ familiar style tempered with a sense of discovery. Though the installation falls within range of the artist’s interests it is imbued with a sense of color and rambunctious energy which seems altogether new. Continue Reading More »

As I descended the basement steps of the tiny one room Y gallery on Thursday night I had few expectations.  I was there to see “Golden Cage” a seven day performance by New York artist Hector Canonge, which opened on Wednesday. The project is inspired by the 18^th century poet Sayat Nova’s descriptions of growing up as an immigrant in the USA. Canonge describes the project as a reflection on the lives and experiences of illegal immigrants, who often forsake human rights and basic freedoms for the materials gains offered in the west. Continue Reading More »

Metal Rouge. Photo by Lemule Barbour

Matthew Mcauley. Photo by Carissa Pelleteri

When I arrived at White Slab Palace, a stripped down art space in the heart of the lower east side on Saturday night, I had little idea of what to expect. The event, Paradise Now! curated by Artcard’s own Helen Homan Wu, proved to be a cultural tour de force, combining the work of six musicians, three visual artists, and the improvisational poetic styling of poet/writer/DJ Anavelyse. Continue Reading More »

“Amor & Pysche” a new opera by the Vertical Player Repertory and Opera Feroce opened Thursday night at the Christ Church in Cobble hill. As mentioned in an earlier post, it might be impossible to find a more humbling venue. The church – a breathtaking space of yawning gothic arches and sparkling Tiffany stained glass which is over 160 years old – is a truly inspiring if unusual backdrop for performance. Continue Reading More »