Catch the Loose Marbles rolling through Washington Square

Most weekends you'd find them at the corner of St. Louis and Royal Streets in the French Quarter. New Yorkers can taste the fruits of NOLA's street life this summer without enduring the its heat. This large collective of young old tyme musicians will be playing on each end of Washington Square simultaneously during a summer long excursion, New Yorkers should listen while they can because no two performances are collectives from the group are quite the same.

If you are interested in learning more about the Loose Marbles you can read about them in this New Yorker article.

Living the life

I spent this past weekend seeing what there was to see in the museums and galleries of our art city. It was a perfect respite in spite of the fact that many galleries were closed - and well, its the low end of the art season. Recent VCU grads were in two shows in Chelsea so there was the added attaction of seeing their work on the walls. The disparity elsewhere made their work look even better!

There a few exceptions to the norm: I wound up getting into Chelsea from the south since I spent a night on Wall St. I jumped off the 1 train at 18th near the entrance of the Affordable Art Fair... an ideal place to research galleries from across the globe since it features artists whose work sells for less than 10,000! I was most interested in the London and West Coast Galleries since I don't have regular access to that part of the world.

Another chance encounter led me into the studio depicted above. This woodworking sculpture has taken over a space not far from Edward Albee's theatre. He's covered the facade with recycled wood and created niche windows for viewing small examples of his work. It was very exciting and looked just like I would imagine the dream studios of many former VCU sculpture grads. More recent alums aren't so interested in these types of materials so I can't imagine what their dream atelier would look like. Their work is as eclectic as ever as it can be seen in the FRESH MEAT exhibition at Kim Foster gallery.

If I could have stayed longer I would have traveled to Soho this week and visited the Painting Center. Vic Colazzi has curated an exhibition which includes work by fellow blogger Anaba. Vic is an excellent painter and writer so I am sure it will be a show worth seeing.

Arcadia

I'll be spending a few days in NYC later this week. I hope to spend some time in by the Morgan Library with a show of early 20th C Berlin drawings on view. The Morgan also has one of the rare copies of the Declaration of Independence which I think deserves a little more attention than it's been getting of late.

If you click on the title of this post it will take you to the info page at the Morgan where you can learn all about the show - as well as click on the Declaration and see it up close and personal. Wow. I spent a lot of time looking for the ORIGINAL John Hancock but it seems this is just an official rare copy of the Declaration so there is no signature. What would such a document say if it were written today by men and women of strong opinion and intelligence? I can't imagine what it would say or who would write it. Please feel free to imagine and share.

Bill Viola

I took many photos of inspiring and not so inspiring work when I was last in NYC. I intended to post some images of Viola's show at the time and well, it just slipped by me. Now that the pool is open and I can hear air conditioners humming I find his work even more fluid and comforting... but I am a night swimmer so this work suits me even better than most.

Rauschenberg's follies

Everyone here is headed to DC to see the retrospective of Jasper Johns' paintings before it closes at the end of April. There was a time when I found great inspiration in John's work and sense of humor. His work doesn't do it for me these days. The last time I looked it seemed dated.

Last month I managed to make time while I was in NY to visit a small exhibition of Rauschenberg's early transfer drawings. I found them to be just as delightful in March as I did 20 years ago. Maybe I am a sucker for his mark-making? They remain to be current for me... even work made so long ago... and personal. It is work that combines the personal and the political with a vibrant curiosity about artistic boundaries, technology, etc. I haven't given up on John's work. His show at the National Gallery closes at the end of April. It deserves a visit and I hope to make the time to see it.

I've linked the title of this post to a great site I've just discovered. As much as I try to always look forward its just my nature to look back. This drawing and the music and graphics from this link were made within a very short time period of each other. Although each artist work comes from a very different place here is a sweetness in both that I find sorely lacking in contemporary art pop culture. Irony is a bitter pill and I've lost my appetite for it.

Drawing on the wall

If all things were possible I would jump on the Chinatown bus tomorrow morning and head to NYC to see the William Kentridge directed version of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" being performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this weekend. Kentridge is one of my artistic heroes. His drawings and animated film transcend medium and nationality. His work is timeless, timely, poetic, kinetic and as simple and pure as a mark on the wall. I would sacrifice comfort, sleep and other many good meals to see his production of this great opera. We'll see. It isn't likely but I haven't given up. Tax weekend. Too many things and not enough clock. I've already emailed the opera's production company to determine its US tour schedule (not promising.) Perhaps there will be a DVD? The Philadephia Museum of Art had its act together
and reserved an evening for Mr. Kentridge to speak at their museum on Friday, April 13.

later: I've added a link to the title of this post. It will take you to Roberta and Libbie's Phillie Blog. They attended the lecture and posted images of William Kentridge's presentation.

Between the East and West Side I found Currier and Ives

Sunday afternoon I left Harry and our bags at the NYC Historical Society where he spent time with NYC Divided - a timeline of the city during the civil war. It reminded me of Gangs of NY with real artifacts. We had several shows to see before our departure at 4:30 so I made my way across Central Park and found it to be even more enchanting than I expected. The roads had been cleared and were closed to automobiles so my journey was much easier than I assumed it would be. There were bagpipes, saxophones, joggers, strollers, dogs wearing designer galoshes and horse and buggies... it even had a soundtrack!

I tore myself away from all that to see the Lorna Simpson and Gordon Matta-Clark exhibitions at the Whitney. I encountered NO LINES! This was a first. I quess Whitney Lovers don't like snow. There proved to be nothing new for me in either of these shows since work by these two artists has been reproduced endlessly and both are well known. A few pieces stood out because they don't translate accurately photographically... particularly Simpson's photo silkscreens on flannel panel. I love those things. They have a quality that reminds me of the new tapestries Chuck Close is doing - though more subtle.

All in all it was a perfect afternoon made even richer when I dashed BACK across the park and came across a group of bagpipers from Quebec. (I am assuming this was their point of origin since French was being spoken.) Harry and I left the Historical Society and walked downtown to the ICP to see a collection of Louise Brooks photos (Harry's a Brooksian fanatic) and Cartier Bresson's scrapbooks. There was a wonderful video interview with Bresson I would have loved to have stayed for... maybe I'll find it on Netflix. Years ago I would dream of running into Bresson on the rue Rivoli and I was staying on rue de l'Hotel de Ville. Too late for that now.

We had an easy walk to Penn Station from there but barely managed seats on our bus at 33rd and Seventh. A lovely woman gave up her seat so we could sit together and that proved to be a real blessing. Sharing our dinner across length of the bus would have been true theatre. BTW, the Gyro place across the street from the bus stop is excellent!

Hanging out with St. Patrick

Vik Muniz installation, PS1, Long Island City, NY

Saturday was full of adventure with St. Patrick revelers filling the subway and delaying the trains. We spent a good part of the day in Chelsea after a very satisfying breakfast at the Empire Diner on Tenth. Those people know what they are doing in the egg department. We headed over to PS 1 for the Vik Muniz and other exhibitions. He's a photographer whose work I didn't embrace the first time I witnessed it but really, he is a zen artist with a photographic vice. He reminds of an urban, pop Andy Goldsworthy because ee draws things, makes things, imagines things and then photographs them before destroying them. His stuff is great as much as I love Andy's and I didn't think that was possible.

The NOT FOR SALE was also interesting in that it exhibited unlikely images from artists personal collections. It was one of the few shows I see these days where the title panels make a real difference in understanding what one is looking at and why.
My favorite piece in the PS1 collection is the Wiliam Kentridge piece installed on the stairs. Its just great. Between shows I kept trying to connect with my friend Carole. We had reservations for a restaurant in Inwood for 7pm. We had planned to meet up for breakfast but that didn't happen.

We may be old fashioned or stubborn or just cheap because we don't have cell phones. If I could find a service like the one I have in France I'd have a cell phone - but no, corporate greed prevents me from buying in and getting another phone. (I've had a few but they just don't suit my life - unless I'm traveling.) Anyway - a lovely staff member at PS1 helped me find the address and subway stop for the restaurant where I understood we were to rendevous... problem is, it was the wrong restaurant!!! We made our way there in a very timely fashion but our party wasn't there. It turns out they were at the New Leaf near the Cloisters. It was close enough to walk, even with the snow. The lamb was the best ever. It was a lovely evening topped off by Alan dropping us off at Park Terrace East. Ahhhhh. St. Patrick, thank yee for blessing us with a wonderful Saturday in the city! (sorry... it was a red wine night and we didn't consume our share of guiness with shamrocks
... we'll make up for it in 2008!)

William Kentridge installation, PS 1, Long Island City, NY

Chelsea in the snow and sleet

I met a painter from Alaska as I exited the 23rd St subway this morning. Joan and I made our way across Chelsea to 24th St and witnessed some very compelling art. I loved this installation of drawing, photography and sculpture. Maybe it was so effective because the artist lives in a place with real winter snowfall. It mirrored the streets in many ways and kept our attention for much longer than most anything else.

We also loved the William Wylie show at Charles Cowles Gallery. This installation of painting, drawing and assemblage work didn't grab me as much as his last show there but it was still warm and wonderful and funny and a nice respite from the sleet. I've decided that I prefer his work on paper or slate more than his work on canvas. His large paintings feel more laborious and lack the compression of the smaller work. That's not to say I don't enjoy many of his large canvases - but in general I prefer the smaller stuff.


above: William Wylie assemblage, Charles Cowles Gallery, Chelsea

Dreams and Possibilities @ Whitney @ Altria

This show runs until the end of next week. If you are in NYC please take time to check it out. The Whitney at Altria is located right next to Grand Central Station right across the street from the Central Cafe. (The Cafe under the bridge across from one of the exits at Grand Central) Harry and Carole both showed up with me at different times and were interviewed by the Praxis Team. It was interesting meeting other participants from around the country.

Open source concepts are a very new idea for people who aren't involved with computers as part of their livelihood. Thirty - forty actors showed up everyday to participate in the performance aspect of this installation and many of them were not comfortable with the idea that their interviews would be uploaded to the internet... even if the results promised a feature length film. That's where we're headed, people. That's where WE are - you, and I. Its a bridge AND a wall... an idea I find very compelling in its inherent contradictions. Like any tool (I read this as fool in a rereading....hmmmm...), it depends on how one uses it and how one thinks about it.

Praxis, Snowbunnies and Birthdays in NYC

"Message in a Bottle" (Journal Series)
1999 - present graphite on paper - Amie Oliver

I've been pounding the pavement in the big apple for several days now... dodging puddles, slush and snow damns in search of good art. It was a hit or miss selection of exhibitions but well worth the effort. Favorite evening this far: viewing the Picasso to El Greco show with Harry and Carole at the Guggenheim for a second time and then walking down to the Met to catch the Barcelona Art and Design show. Wow!

Harry came up on the CT bus this afternoon, we stopped by the Whitney at Altria to participate in the Praxis Project and then made our way up to the upper east side to meet Carole at the Gug. Afterwards we landed near Soho at the Noho Star, had dinner and then were fortunate to spend some time with her client in his Noho studio. His new tapestries are amazing!


above: Bill Viola installation at MOMA

Praxis Studios: Dreams and Possibilities

Have I written about the Praxis Studios Project I've been participating in? It is a collaborative interactive video project which utilizes web-based technology to produce a feature film. (I've since learned that the project is being filmed in 16mm which makes it even more of a hybrid affair.)

I've been uploading video for their project since last fall and took some time in Madrid to conduct a few video interviews. It was great fun. During the past few days I've been laying low with this bronchial thing so its been a good time to reteach myself iMovie in order to create a trailer for their project. The Praxis website, linked above, contains links to several trailers that have been produced for this project.

For more info you can also visit the Whitney Museum website.

Art Resources to Note

Angels and Infidels MCDLXXXII
Amie Oliver
graphite, gouache and watercolor on paper
18" x 12" 2006

Artdc.org and Artists Space both have wonderful interactive databases that allow artists to upload their work in order to have a presence on the internet. Curators, collectors and artists can get an idea of what kind of work is being created in the region and contact info if the artist chooses to share that information. Hey, getting the work out there isn't easy so anything that brings the artist and the rest of the world into the same universe is a great resource.

Too good to be true?

Excerpted from the NYT and invented by the Double Seven, a meatpacking-district cocktail bar:

This drink is made by melting chocolate in hot milk, then mixing it with shots of Brugal rum (from the Dominican Republic) and Caffé Lolita coffee liqueur. The mixture is warmed with steam from a cappuccino machine and topped with heavy cream shaken to the consistency of yogurt.

According to the NYT, the sweetness of the rum and liqueur rounds out the bitterness of the dark chocolate (and of course I'll use at least 80%) and sipping this concoction through a layer of cream only intensifies the experience. YUM. I can't imagine that this would be better than the famed Cocao Africane from Angelina's Tea Room in Paris... it gives one a buzz without the spirits and I do not exagerate! Still, its worth a try since it isn't likely I'll be tasting Angelina's chocolate chaud this holiday season. If I get the chance I'll make a point of stopping by the Double Seven this winter for the Hot Domincana.

Hot Dominicana
Adapted From the Double Seven
serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

10 ounces Debauve & Gallais or any good 60 percent cocoa chocolate disks
(62 1/2 disks, to be precise)

3 ounces Brugal rum

3 ounces Caffé Lolita coffee liqueur

3/4 cup heavy cream.

1. Scald milk in a saucepan over a medium-low flame and pour into a saucepan containing chocolate. Stir with a whisk over medium-low heat until chocolate has melted.

2. Add rum and coffee liqueur to a metal cocktail shaker and heat quickly with the steam nozzle of a cappuccino machine. (Or scald rum and coffee liqueur in a saucepan over a medium-high flame.)

3. Stir hot liquors into hot-chocolate mixture, then divide among four glasses. Shake cream in a squeeze bottle vigorously for 45 seconds (or beat in a bowl with a whisk for the same length of time), and gently pour into glasses so it sits on top. Optional: garnish with chocolate shavings.

Does anyone know a good substitute for milk? I wonder if goat's milk would work? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The Norman Rockwellization of Porn

Harry and I attended John Currin's vernissage at Gagosian Gallery on November 11. Currin's technique gets better and better - but his subject matter swings from one cliche to another. There are mountains of irony and kitch - all painted to masterful effect. My first impression was that Currin is taking on the Musee D' Orsay's painting L'Origine du monde (1866) by Corbet as part of his goal of assuming the mantle as America's Lucien Freud or Bacon. History repeats itself here with Rockwellesque scenarios and suburban vanitas. Other work addresses art historical and cultural references... from early American portrature to porn.

Eric Fischl spoke at VCU last week. I asked him what he thought of Currin's show. His comments are posted here. If you love figuration you'll probably find things of interest in this show but there isn't a lot of heart in the work. That's Currin's general failing in my book. Ambition over heart - it's his mojo and its a winning one in Chelsea and most every other art market or art school. His paintings are novel but could they ever stand up to a Rembrandt?

The opening was quite a scene... its a shame we had to rush back downtown my friend Goxwa's opening but that's the way it is - everything happens at once.

The VCCA turns 35

It isn't often I can be in the city for a VCCA reunion. This year everything fell into place: my Parisian friend Goxwa would be in NYC for her vernissage and it dovetailed nicely with the VCCA birthday celebration. I was thrilled to meet some of the new VCCA staff since my time at Moulin a Nef was amazing. I met up with Sally and David among the many people who came together in Chelsea to celebrate the VCCA, the life of Robert Johnson, the VCCA staffer who recently passed away and of course being in the city at the same time, place, etc.

Afterwards I hung out at the Half King while I attempted to telephone the painter Linda Dennis. We met at the Vermont Studio Center in 1999 and I was curious to catch up with her and see her new loft, new work, etc. I never managed to catch up with Linda but I had a tall Guiness and a basket of fries over an interesting conversation with a young fashion designer and his friends. We talked about Project Runway, the pros and cons of the Chelsea meat market. At the end of the day there was my friend Carole who has always been there for me when my flight has been canceled or delayed. She is my savior!

The Whitney Biennial: DAY for NIGHT

ANGELA STRASSHEIM
Untitled, 2004 C-print
40 "x 30 "
courtesy Marvelli Gallery, NYC

I wish I could say that this Biennial did half as much for me as Angelina's, the tea room described in the Night and Day post made earlier this year. Valerie, a New York artist I've followed since her student days told us, "Well, you 've got to see it to hate it..."

The problem with the Biennial this year is that most of it was so forgettable I can't remember it well enough to muster up the emotion of hatred. I do remember one piece that was so bad I know it would have received an automatic F if it were turned in from any of my art or design students.

The most memorable piece was the WRONG GALLERY installtion which many museum goers missed since it could only be accessed from the permanent collection on the fifth floor of the Whitney. I loved wandering through Calder's "Circus" on the way and then also discovered an amazing Milton Avery painting of the Seine which I'd never seen before.

The Wrong Gallery consisted of an installation of art depicting evil doers and angels; titled DOWN BY LAW, something I can relate to in my own work. It includes painting, sculure, assemblage, conceptual work, etc by more than forty artists and included several artworks from the Whitney's permanent collection.

I pleasantly surprised to discover Angela Strassheim's work included in the mostly forgettable Biennial. She had a studio in the 23rd St. loft with Susann and I. I knew she was very talented, she was working on very interesting projects and then when I learned she was headed to Yale it was obvious she would have a real career. Her work was a highlight of this hodge podge collection.