by Helen Homan Wu on September 30th, 2010
If you’re around the Lower East Side tomorrow, join the opening ceremony for Mall-terations, a community urban art project launched by Hester Street Collaborative. Try out the brand new roller benches made from found and saved materials installed on hand-painted maps. Read more about it on our previous post here.
Friday, October 1st, 2010 at noon
Allen Street Pedestrian Malls (between Houston & Delancey)
by Megan Seelie on September 14th, 2010
painting by Sylvia Ji
A thick cloud of people accumulated outside The Luggage Store Gallery (SF) on Friday night to witness the 10th anniversary of Fecal Face. Fecal Face started back in 2000 when the punk rock skater kid, John Trippe started showcasing artists he thought were rad online at fecal face dot com. Since 2000, Fecal Face has developed a cycle in which “the artists that gravitate towards us are also the same artists that we lean towards” (Trippe).
The Luggage Store Gallery
by Helen Homan Wu on September 7th, 2010
Clown Soldier and Gaia
Gaia and Clown Soldier have just gotten back from the Living Walls Conference in Atlanta. They told me the event was amazing, hanging out and connecting with other street artists, and just having the freedom to create on the streets. Photos from a previous post here.
by Helen Homan Wu on August 10th, 2010
Last week, while walking south of Houston (SoHo) I noticed a group of people huddled around a circle, looking bogged down from the heat waiting to make a move. They turned out to be architects and local artists creating a series of urban mini-landscapes down the narrow strip of Allen Street in the Lower East Side.
by Helen Homan Wu on July 13th, 2010
The anticipated LUSH LIFE opened this past Thursday in nine galleries spanning through the Lower East Side. The curators of this project Franklin Evans and Omar Lopez-Chahoud cleverly used the novel written by Richard Price as a connecting thread. Each of the nine galleries represent a different chapter in Lush Life (2008), which is a psychologically gripping tale about a murder investigation and concerning the gentrification of lower Manhattan. Basically it reveals some of the ugliness behind today’s yuppified Lower East Side. This is the neighborhood where I first landed as child, so I can definitely relate to those changes first hand. Now that the bodegas, hosiery and leather shops have moved on to be replaced by pricey wine bars and boutiques, it’s nice to see a new wave of galleries coming in. Which brings in a whole different dynamic to the area, and you can feel it while walking down the streets at any time of the day, it’s such a unique mixture of energies in the LES that is unlike anywhere else, because it has gone through so many layers of changes, just like those stickers plastered everywhere. And this exhibition is unique in a sense that these galleries have created a sort of ensemble, which attracted a flood of people, some who had never been to any of those galleries before. Of course the artists and the work matters just as much, but what’s more remarkable is the unity of the event as a whole–the bigger picture. Perhaps it is what the downtown galleries need right now, to generate some action, especially since those hungry sharks in the bigger art market usually gets all the attention. If you haven’t seen the show yet I advise starting from Chapter One: Whistle at Sue Scott Gallery. Closing dates vary depending on the gallery, but here’s the list: Sue Scott Gallery, On Stellar Rays, Invisble-Exports, Lehmann Maupin, Y Gallery, Collette Blanchard, Salon 94, Scaramouche, Eleven Rivington. Don’t be overwhelmed, there is a free map that you can pick up at any of those galleries. (more pics after the jump…)
by Helen Homan Wu on July 2nd, 2010
(Gee Vaucher 2010)
The group exhibition appropriately entitled Shred curated by Carlo McCormick opened yesterday at Perry Rubenstein. This slightly informal exhibit houses an eclectic collection of collage work (i.e. Jess, Bruce Conner, Leo Fitzpatrick) mixed with edgy urban art (i.e. Swoon, Shepard Fairey). The show is definitely a stand-out, drawing downtowners (there is one Dash Snow piece) as well as skateheads from the Lower East Side. Although collage as a medium is not something new, lately it’s seems to be resurfacing and Shred exhibits a rare grouping of established artists together next to emerging local artists. I’m a fan of the ex-Beatnik Bruce Conner (1933-2008) who produced inspirational works in a diverse range of mediums from found materials collages to experimental film-making. Also drawn to the newcomer Leo Fitzpatrick’s subtle assemblages, which at first sight doesn’t seem like much, but on closer inspection they reveal a hint of wisdom.
(Leo Fitzpatrick 2010)
by Helen Homan Wu on June 25th, 2010
Yesterday was a big day of openings. Despite the heat and humidity, people were enthusiastic about seeing art, cooling off inside galleries, while smoozing over wine. My favorites were Jack Pierson’s gorgeous photographs (nailed into the walls) at Bartolami and The Tell-Tale Heart (Part 2) at James Cohan curated by Elyse Goldberg. I just had to check out Andy Warhol’s Rain Machine (Daisy Waterfall) at Nicholas Robinson, which was surprisingly empty but offered a moment of comtemplation. Ended the warm evening to see friends’ works at Leo Kesting in a group show featuring street art called Dead Letter Playground. It was like a mini art fair happening in Chelsea, and so good bumping into you all! (more photos after the jump…)
Frank Webster (artist)
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