This Week’s Must-see Art Events: Bask in the Obscure

The under-recognized Northwest School of American modernists that coalesced around WWII-era Seattle was a major influence on Japanese artists at the time. This seemingly unlikely relationship isn’t well known, but professor Izumi Nakajima of Hiroshima City University wants to change that. He’ll be speaking tonight in Brooklyn about the influence of the Pacific Northwest’s early modernists on the practice of Yayoi Kusama—whose career far outshined the movement that inspired it. Is there anything more fascinating than obscure art history? Seriously.

Last week, I wrote about Outlet’s exhibition Sight | Site | Cite, which seemed to suggest a shift for artists away from conventional considerations of “place” towards a small-scale, nomadic approach to inhabiting or defining space.

This week, check out the exhibition while listening to poetry and other readings from Jocelyn Spaar, Anselm Berrigan, Jeff Nagy, and Giovanna Olmos. The night is part of a series of performances and readings that function as an extension of the exhibition, which closes on Sunday.

Hidden behind the studios at 1196 Myrtle Ave, there’s an unassuming little out-building in the garden. Inside is one of the coolest spaces in Brooklyn. Otion Front Studio is an experimental performance space that hosts everything from dance classes to screenings, and it’s overall pretty magical. The studio hosts a rotating artist-in-residency program on a monthly basis. Presently, that resident is La Martelle, who will be performing teaching a Rectangle how to c for two lucky groups of 12 people, at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively. Pre-ordering tickets is encouraged.

The performance questions the desire to attain “self worth” through the production or consumption of culture—from artists performing for the market to the performance of gender for another. What exactly that’s going to look like, we’re not sure, but we’re intrigued.

Earlier this year, Paddy discussed how we like Basketball City as a venue for NADA—it’s accessible across class lines and doesn’t come across as “posturing”, as the fair’s Miami venue can. Now, the art dealers are returning to Pier 36 for a game of pick-up basketball that’s open to anyone. First-timers are encouraged to join in, but remember: the art world can be a competitive place.

Rhizome and the New Museum are launching an exhibition of digital paintings, Brushes, as part of the series First Look: New Art Online. On Thursday, Rhizome is hosting a discussion with artists Laura Brothers, Michael Manning, Giovanna Olmos, Andrej Ujhazy, and art historian Alex Bacon about the possibilities of screen-based display and distribution of digital paintings—a medium whose “hard copies” are increasingly gaining a foothold in the commercial art market. This looks like it’s going to be a good talk, and certainly one that’s relevant as digital artwork becomes more and more commodified.

Every month, all the galleries in DUMBO have coordinated receptions with refreshments. And many bars in the neighborhood offer drink specials too!  There’s a handy map of all the exhibition venues here. This month, be sure to stop by Usagi NY’s new digs from architect Sou Fujimoto. We checked it out a few weeks ago, and were wowed by the space.

Participating galleries:

• Gallery Gaia, 79 Hudson Avenue
  Vernita Nemec Aka N’cognita: Plastic Blues
• Light Year, Manhattan Bridge Anchorage
  Chimera Project
• MINY Media Center, 30 John Street
  Trips
  Featuring artists: TG Noise, Joao Vasco Piava, Karl Erickson, Thomas D. Rotenberg, Ryan Uzilevsky
• Museum Quality, 59 Pearl Street
  Christian Mateit: Exploration of Stillness
• Porter Contemporary, 145 Plymouth Street
  Johnny Romeo: Angry Birds
• Rabbithole, 33 Washington Street
  ISLAND TIME, Group show curated by Morgan Maher
• Sculptors Guild, 55 Washington Street #256
  #NotABox, Group show of Sculptors Guild Members and invited guest artists
• United Photo Industries, 16 Main Street
  Anderson Zaca: Block Party: NYC Soul of Summer
• Usagi NY, 163 Plymouth Street
  Infinitive White

Superchief Gallery is throwing a pop-up exhibition of work by Penelope Gazin at the Greenpoint bar Tender Trap. Expect this to be more fun than your average white box opening. Gazin is a talented illustrator who has been published everywhere, but this looks to be a great opportunity to see her personal work, which mines pulp iconography from comic superheros to alien erotica with a punk-show-flyer sensibility. Look forward to pin-up girls partying with sci-fi monsters, all rendered in a deceptively cheery palette. If you’ve ever wondered what The Misfits’ album artwork would’ve looked like had it been drawn in a fan’s Lisa Frank binder, you’ll probably love this show.

Paper Jam, now in its fourth year, is the awesomely-named small press, zine, and multiples fair hosted by The Silent Barn. This year, there are too many exhibitors to name [check out the Facebook event page for the full list] along with performances and all-around good times. Other great news: this year’s fair is free. It’s a prime chance to grab some inexpensive artwork, check out smaller, hard-to-find DIY publications, and support independent presses.