Post image for This Week’s Must-See Art Events: Queens Reigns Supreme

A decade ago, if you said that Manhattanites would be regularly heading to Queens for their culture fix it’s unlikely most people would’ve believed you outside of Long Island City. But now the borough is increasingly our go-to destination for art events. From Marni Kotak’s artist talk at Microscope Gallery tonight (just on the Brooklyn side of the Ridgewood border) to the surrealist pop-up “DEBTBANK” at the Queens Museum on Sunday, everyone should be spending most of the week East of the East River.

Other Queens highlights include Lex Brown’s solo show and performance at Deli Gallery on Friday night and a three-day preview of a Meredith Monk performance at Queenslab in Ridgewood. Arguably the most fun to be had, though, will be the 2017 Flux-a-Thon benefit in Long Island City. That interactive parade will wind from Flux Factory to neighboring Plaxall Gallery for prizes and an hours-long dance party.

Post image for Angela Bulloch at Esther Schipper: When Three Sculptures Feel Like a Ballet

The following might sound like a backhanded compliment, but stick with me. Angela Bulloch’s gorgeous new sculptures, on view at Esther Schipper, are happily in sync with what we traditionally think of as summer fare: big, colorful, distracting and kid-friendly. All that’s missing is the popcorn.

Post image for An Interview With Painter Alicia Gibson

Alicia Gibson’s paintings are messy in the best sense of the word. Aesthetically, their sloppy paint, muddy colors and worked over surfaces look as if Gibson deposited all her thoughts on a given subject one canvas. Emotionally, they pack the same unvarnished punch. Her paintings overflow with acerbic humor, saccharine sweetness, and an aggressive punk rock ethos that’s impossible to forget.

Now, as the inaugural show at Real Estate Gallery, a new gallery in Greenpoint, started by Lisa Cooley, Jeremy Willis, and Kenan Gunduz, this work is on view.

I sat down with Gibson and discussed her involvement in the feminist girl gang “Ladies in Heels”, the necessity for faux history in her art, and why “Jeff Koons Sucks”.

Post image for The Personal Finance Attitude Adjustment

In my last post, I outlined the basics of a personal finance plan. That article is the “what to do” where I answer questions about insurance, debt management, savings and investments. If you haven’t read it I suggest spending a bit of time with the post because it provides the foundation for getting your proverbial ducks in a row. This week, I’d like to get into the “how to do it” part. This part is about the mindset to get yourself on track. There are a lot of general principles for good financial health but what I outline below are the most time-tested. Since what I’m talking about this week is more about attitude, this is the part where you make adjustments and decide for yourself what works best for you.

Post image for Tyler Shields is A Terrible Artist. Kathy Griffin is Just His Accomplice.

Is a picture worth ten million words? That’s the question we’re faced with when considering the out-of-proportion reaction to a recent photo of Kathy Griffin holding the decapitated head of President Donald Trump. Enough commentary has poured across social, mainstream, and fringe media to fill a small library. But conspicuously absent from the discussion has been mention of Tyler Shields, the photographer who should be at the center of the authorship conversation, not the comedienne. For example, The New York Times published two reports on the subject, neither mentioning Shields by name, and one omitting any reference to a collaborator whatsoever. Would the discussion be different if the image were considered as an artist’s work rather than a celebrity publicity stunt?