Last weekend, downtown Atlanta (Georgia) kicked it off with urban grit and paint. Street walls came alive with art that was created for the Living Walls Conference, a grassroots project gathering street artists from all over the world. This Summer event, which is still in its beginnings, is like a carnival for artists and friends to come together and communicate through urban art (but also beer, pizza, and games). Unfortunately I couldn’t make it down there, but the photographer Jenna Duffy captured the essence of the scene.

Jesse

Gaia

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“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 »

(above images courtesy Leslie Heller Workspace)

Lior Shvil is a video artist. He is also a sculptor, director, actor, was previously an architect, and served as a marine in the Israeli military. Being brought up speaking four languages, this diversity is also apparent in his artistic practices. I came across Lior’s work at the Leslie Heller Workspace gallery in the Young Israelis group show. Captivated by a stark, clean, forced black and white print hanging on the wall, I immediately approached the gallerist about it. All of the images hanging on the wall are actually representations of all the videos that are in the Young Israelis show. 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 »

This past weekend was a special treat for us art lovers who did not have to be stuck in the city’s sweltering heat to see art.  The Wassaic Project’s Summer Festival – with an edge of hippy-folkness  – is much more than just a hippy fest. The founders Eve Biddle, Elan Bogarin and Bowie Zunino are all artists who are based in New York City. They understand how the art world works here and so this is somewhat of a reform to that system. Their mission is simple and straightforward: to revive this hamlet sleepy town with good art, and bring people together to have a good time for the sake of art. And all of the shows are free!  Here’s a photo recap of the event, more words to come after some sleep replenishment.

Wassaic Projects: wassaicproject.org
Thursday – Sunday 12pm – 6pm

Ky Anderson

Jason Jagel

I’ll be the first to admit to being slightly stuck in my ways. Though a proud resident of Brooklyn, when it comes to art, I confess to often ignoring my favorite borough. Though home to a strong contingent of artists, Brooklyn’s estimable galleries in Dumbo, Williamsburg, and Bushwick are often overlooked. On Thursday night I mustered my courage and set my art viewing horizons not on Chelsea or the Lower East Side, but boarded the G train ( an act of bravery in itself) to visit Williamsburg’s Cinders gallery. The reason for this madcap adventure was the opening of artist/musician Sonny Smith’s newest project “100 records.” In its second rendition after debuting in San Francisco earlier this year, the exhibition showcases the work of 100 different artists, each selected to produce a unique 7” record cover for a fictitious band. Sonny then concocted a unique back story, and wrote and recorded a song for each cover. Playing on a homemade jukebox throughout the show, the songs range from folk to surf and back. Continue Reading More »

There’s a hint of rapture in both Paul Mpagi Sepuya and Timothy Hull’s images. Although both the artists’ practices are completely different by nature, Paul– Photography, Timothy– multi-media collage, they were blended harmonically in their latest collaborative project: The Accidental Egyptian and Occidental Arrangements. What was initially a collage mashup project for Tokion Magazine’s January issue turned into an object of desire – a limited edition artist book – signed and numbered by both artists.

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