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 »

Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) tossed cymbals, banged gongs, and blew bird whistles into a microphone on Friday night at the Berkeley Art Museum as part four of the Gatherings series curated by David Wilson. Stewart aimed to create sounds inspired by “the night, animal calls, and quietness.” His performance was completely chaotic seeming to be propelled by nothing more than Stewart’s impulses creating an animalistic element.  The crashing cymbals, that even Stewart plugged his ears for, induced a shock that hastened heart rates, increased anxiety levels and seemed to put its listeners on edge. Upon closing my eyes a primal feeling arose inside me as if I were an animal being hunted in the night. Continue Reading More »

A tall slight man carried a blank sign through the sea of seated people silencing them in his wake. Then Liz Harris, of the music project Grouper, trickled through the crowd and the sounds began cascading down from the cement balconies that comprise the University of Berkeley’s Art Museum. Grouper’s installation performance piece SLEEP is part two of four Friday night ‘Gatherings’ curated by David Wilson at the Berkeley Art Museum. In this performance Liz Harris uses tape-collage, live instruments and the cavernous architecture of the Berkeley Art Museum to create a ‘downward-pulling current, lulling with the hiss and resonating pulse of watery sound and light’.

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Beautiful churches always stop me on my track. Situated on a peaceful residential street, the Christ Church of Cobble Hill may not necessarily stand out next to all the brownstones, but the postcard that said “Playthings Of The Gods” caught my eye.  This seductive title drew me to go see one of the shows on Thursday. Produced by the Vertical Player Repertory or VPR, the “Playthings Of The Gods” series is the vision of producer/director Judith Barnes. I had little idea of what to expect for the show except for what’s given in its title–Love’s Labyrinth: Music of the Spanish Baroque. It was a gracious excuse for me to take a respite from the heat and chaos. The music was performed by Anima Baroque Music Ensemble featuring a soprano singer.  Thirty minutes into the performance, my mind began to drift to a different time and place. Or as my friend described it, the whole experience was timeless and placeless.

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Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present is still going on face-to-face challenging herself and the audience in this intense performance.  I still have not made it to the MoMA yet, but was so inspired and touched by these beautiful portraits of individuals who were all “present” with Marina that I wanted to share some of them here with our readers.

(photos by Marco Anelli)

Here is a comment by one sitter Paco Blancas, who went back to sit for more than 10 times.

I think Marina’s piece has a very strong magnetism. It’s hard to explain but it’s almost like you feel this force, it draws you in, like a magnet. Sitting with her is a transforming experience—it’s luminous, it’s uplifting, it has many layers, but it always comes back to being present, breathing, maintaining eye contact. It’s an amazing journey to be able to experience and participate in the piece.

Also, I love meeting people in line. I’ve met a lot of people and have made a lot of new friends, many of them artists, but really all sorts of people. I keep in touch with them and we e-mail constantly to talk about our experiences. It’s like a little community of people who come to participate in the piece.

(excerpt from P.S.1/MoMA’s Inside/Out)