This Week’s Must See Events: Benefits, Boom Boxes and Bears

by Rhett Jones on July 18, 2016 Events

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It’s a light week for galleries that’s heavy on screenings. That’s just life in the middle of July. But fear not, these screenings are good. We’ve got some demented digital video art from Jacob Ciocci and a MoMA retrospective that promises to shed some light on modern New York. Two excellent online galleries have joined forces to go IRL and there’s a boom box party at the Brooklyn Museum.

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Mon

Aperture Foundation

547 W 27th St, Fl 4th
New York, New York
6:30 PM - 8 PMWebsite

Charlotte Cotton and Ultra Violet Production House in Conversation

Curator Charlotte Cotton sits down with Brad Troemel and Joshua Citarella to discuss their collaborative Etsy-store, Ultra Violet Production House. While Troemel first came to a lot of people’s attention through his solo Etsy-store, this is an entirely separate project. It consists of digitally composited works that have never been fabricated. Collectors who purchase are sent the raw materials, which are found through online retailers, and the instructions for putting them together. DIY, paint-by-numbers stuff isn’t entirely original but we like the work we’ve seen. Plus, donations go to the Aperture Foundation so it’s a win-win.

Tue

Light Industry

155 Freeman Street
Brooklyn, New York
7:30 PM - 9:30 PMWebsite

Eye and Ear Control: Esp-Disk' on Film

ESP-DISK’ was a record label that turned the world on to “Free Jazz”-inspired acts like Albert Ayler, Milford Graves, The Fugs, Patty Waters, and Sun Ra. Light Industry has pulled together a series of films that document the various performers in their 1960’s heyday. Plus, there’s a work called “New York Eye and Ear Control” by Michael Snow who can always be counted on.

Wed

New Museum

235 Bowery
New York, New York
11 AMWebsite

The Keeper

“The Keeper” brings together thousands of works to explore the phenomenon of collecting and preservation of objects. For example, the centerpiece of the show is “Partners (The Teddy Bear Project)” (pictured above) a collection of more than 3,000 photographs of people posing with teddy bears, and vitrines containing antique teddy bears. It’s a funny meta-premise when you consider that the New Museum doesn’t have a permanent collection.

Art In General

145 Plymouth Street
Brooklyn, New York
6 PM - 8:30 PMWebsite

Summer Benefit Exhibition Reception

Not only are Art In General our neighbors here in DUMBO, they also do excellent work connecting emerging artists with funds and exhibition space. The reception promises “wine, cocktails, light fare, music and an opportunity to speak with previously exhibited artists.” Two out of five those things are booze and you know that how easy it is to drop $35 bucks at a bar. Put your money to better use.

Thu

Brooklyn Museum

200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, New York
6 PM – 8 PM Website

Summer DJ Boom Box Residencies: Mursi Layne

It can be kind of awkward when museums try to bring people in with some hip new music. PS1’s Warm Up’s are one example of the music not particularly feeling connected to what’s going on at the institution. This series, though, seems pretty clever. The Brooklyn Museum has asked DJ’s to come and play music through the eighteen works that make up Tom Sachs’ Boombox Retrospective. It just makes sense.

Superchief Gallery

138 Sullivan Street
New York, New York
7 PM - 9 PMWebsite

Tensquared IRL: "Intersections IRL"

We love the work of Tumblr wunderkind Terrell Davis who turns club-flyer aesthetics into beautiful still lifes. We also love his internet-based gallery Tensquared which was formerly known as 100% Net Art. For this show, Tensquared is going double IRL by teaming up with sister-site Girls of the Internet Museum to present work by black artists who “engage with distinct aspects of contemporary living.” Among the 17 participating artists, there are AFC favorites Rafia Santana and Sondra Perry. Just based on the people involved, this is the pick of the week.

Fri

Microscope Gallery

1329 Willoughby Avenue
#2B Brooklyn, NY
7:30 PMWebsite

Jacob Ciocci, "Inside The Box"

Jacob Ciocci’s one of the most influential digital artists around, starting with his work in Paper Rad and going up to his current multi-media onslaught that is Extreme Animals. Microscope will be screening selections from his single-channel video work including two new shorts. I’ve seen the centerpiece, “The Urgency,” twice now and can highly recommend it.

Museum of Modern Art

7:30 PMWebsite

Thank You for Being Honest: The Films of Ira Sachs

Ever since I read the glowing reviews for “Little Men,” Ira Sachs latest film, I’ve been meaning to catch up with his work. Well, MoMA’s offering exactly that chance with this ongoing retrospective. Thursday will kick off with the 2005 film, “Forty Shades of Blue,” and they’ll be showing the rest of Sachs work through August 2nd. Critic Bilge Elbiri says that the filmmaker is to modern day New York what Scorsese and Spike Lee were in previous decades, so check it out.

Sun

Brooklyn Museum

200 Eastern Pkwy
Brooklyn, New York
3:30 PM - 4:30 PMWebsite

Workshop: How Can Cultural Institutions Support Communities?

It’s all there in the title people, but this is far from a simple subject. Aurora P. Robinson of Black Lives Matter Pratt/HEOP faculty and Pratt Alumni MA Arch will lead this two-part workshop that will first ask questions about what museums can do to fulfill the needs of its community and the second part will talk about how institutions have historically fulfilled that role. This workshop is part of the “Brooklyn Community Forum on Anti-Gentrification and Displacement” which will be held from 12–5pm and you can check out the full schedule here.

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