Roof Piece

Yesterday evening, ten dancers of the Trisha Brown Dance Company, quietly emerged after a summer downpour and scattered themselves across the rooftops of the West Village to perform “Roof Piece.” The dancers will re-emerge to re-perform tonight, rain or shine, best and most accessibly viewed on the south section of the High Line (south of 13th Street). On the 40th anniversary of its creation, this choreography of this version is new and original based on the improvisational quality of the work itself. High up and far away, one dancer, facing south, begins the movement. Another dancer further north, mimics the movement of another dancer in view, yet slightly delayed, and adapted to their own body and style. This chain of dancers continues north and crosses through the High Line, creating a sort of spiral. Half the fun of viewing this performance is filling in the puzzle pieces, searching for spots of red,  playing a game of “Where’s Waldo” for the ten dancers (I could only find seven, but perhaps you’ll find more).  “Roof Piece” literally surrounds the viewer, the High Line, and the entire neighborhood. This performance is a must see!

Performances will take place  Friday, June 10 at 7pm, and Saturday, June 11 at 5pm and 7pm.

Courtesy of the Artist

Ryan Wallace is a painter and mixed media artist who lives and works in Brooklyn.  His body of work spans a range of influences, re-purposing a variety of art historical and popular references into a fluid vocabulary of rough, playful abstraction. His paintings vary in size and medium but are united by their alternating notions of fragmentation and unity and by a moody, often diffuse tone. His compositions reflect the payload of modernism viewed through the dust covered lens of a gritty, sun bleached kaleidoscope. His interest in the way information is presented, transmitted and stored results in a sensibility that is equal parts science, mysticism and high fives. I had a chance to stop by the artists Greenpoint studio recently to talk with the artist.

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Courtesy of Morgan Lehman

To be honest, I haven’t found myself spending very much time in Chelsea as of late. For one reason or another I find myself chasing the promise of art in the Lower East Side along Orchard Street, or running through the galleries scattered across Williamsburg.  This said, I was happily surprised when I walked into Andrew Schoultz’s opening last week at Morgan Lehman gallery. The gallery features primarily young, emerging artists and the exhibition felt all the more vibrant considering its 23^rd street environs. Continue Reading More »

10 Chancery Lane Gallery

The 2011 Hong Kong Art Fair in its 4th year, is the biggest fair to date, and has been extremely well received on many sides. Compared to the previous year, the 2011 fair has a tighter selection of galleries (I’ve been told the quality of art went up as well), better organization of events and a spacious layout of fair grounds, with superb marketing and service. On day one of the fair, while trying to tackle the jet lag many gallerists from New York seemed somewhat nervous, but by the final day many have completely mellowed out and happy with their results. Many say they look forward to returning next year, especially being speculative about the merge with Art Basel. The fair is separated by the main section of galleries, emerging galleries in Art Futures, and a focus on Asian artists in Asia One. Red art is speckled here and there, and so is the talk of Ai Weiwei. Organizers and galleries have been giving out “Where is Ai Weiwei” tees and buttons, although so far I haven’t seen anyone wear them in China.  Leaving the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, and arriving in an artist village hideout in Shenzhen, China, I’m finally able to reflect a little on the events.  Enjoy the photos. Continue Reading More »

E3-HS9, 2011

Tree Drawings, Nightwalks, Insect Flight Paths, Restorative Device, For the Baron, Postal Works, and his latest Recorded Delivery.  Those are the work titles of UK based artist Tim Knowles. You can pick up on the artist’s sensibility simply from those titles – simplified to bare bones – no more, no less. When I first experienced one of Knowles’ Nightwalks photographs at Bitforms Gallery, I was indeed speechless. One could easily muse at Knowles’ Nightwalks images and be inspired to write. Understanding the process behind this creation though, shows us a slightly different story. The artist uses all the natural elements as his materials, which forms a spontaneous and performative act. No, this has nothing to do with performance art, more like behavioral studies. Looking at Knowles’ body of work all together leaves me at this comfortable space that is somewhat ambiguous yet extremely familiar. Who would have the guts (or time) to wire-tap the inside of a package with audio/visual recording devices and send it off on a 902 mile journey?  I wouldn’t. It must’ve also required a period of trial-and-error before the package is ready to set off. The result, “an artwork which captures the topsy-turvy world of a parcel in the post.”  Recorded Delivery, created with permission from the Royal Mail, is currently on view at the Bitforms Gallery, NYC, until the 27th of May. Continue Reading More »

Enjoying the undercover street vibe of the Pheonix Hotel, we headed into the imaginative re-purposing of this Miami-esque hotel to report back on the ArtPadSF experience. Continue Reading More »

Guy Dill

Popular criticism of art fairs is hardly new, the supermarket like conditions and the favoring of blue chip, easy to sell work over experimental emerging artists. SF Fine Art Fair is no exception.   The exhibition space was adorned with all of the requisite  Picasso, Miro, Lichenstein, Warhol, Stella, and Calder. The environment was for the most part quite conservative. However, there were some gems for the dedicated viewer. Continue Reading More »