by Michael Anthony Farley on December 12, 2016
This week there’s not a lot of art stuff happening beyond holiday parties and craft fairs. One could say NYC’s taken an unexpectedly Middle-American turn in that regard, were it not for how morbid so much of the week’s happenings are. Tuesday night, scholars Sam Tanenhaus and Richard Wolin perform a post-election autopsy on the American Republic and speculate about its afterlife (hint: It’s not looking good) at CUNY. For a slightly less depressing evening, head to Ubu Gallery where German artist Heide Hatry is opening a new series of drawings made with the ashes of human remains. If that’s not enough mortuary holiday cheer for you, Con Artist Collective is throwing a fake memorial art show for the comedian Bill Murray (one of the few national treasures that hasn’t died in 2016). Thursday night we’re looking forward to a subversive holiday group show at Kate Werble Gallery, and a six-hour night of discussions about Art After Trump at Housing Works.
Friday night, things get a little less bleak city-wide. P! and Beverly’s are hosting events for a Bard CSS project that sprawls across Chinatown and continues with satellite events all weekend. At Brooklyn’s Orgy Park, a group show invites painters to make something collaborative, and in Queens, MoMA PS1 is throwing a holiday party for artists that looks totally bonkers. Have some spiked hot chocolate. After a week of thinking about Trump and death, you’re going to need it.
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by Michael Anthony Farley on September 13, 2016
One of the great things about the art world is its permeability with other fields. Except that can seriously compound one’s #FOMO when one’s art calendar gets squeezed by spillover from Fashion Week in Manhattan, three publication fairs across the East River, political organizing, and art-film screenings. Phew.
Wednesday, catch some more conventional art openings uptown and in Chelsea with solo projects from Henry Hudson and Oscar Murillo, respectively. (Actually, Murillo’s vaguely haunted-house sounding installation promises to be anything but conventional). Thursday, check out Jessica Stockholder’s latest work at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, gender-bending in the Garment District, and black-metal-meets-science-fiction-literature from Cuban artist Yoss (how’s that for interdisciplinary?)
That night, Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair is having a preview party. It will be running all weekend, along with the new Independent Art Book Fair in Greenpoint. Friday brings us group shows about failure at TSA New York and Radiator Gallery and Saturday there’s a mysterious fashion/art event at Romeo with an all-star cast to raise funds for Planned Parenthood. Finally, Paddy Johnson is hosting an anti-gentrification panel discussion in Sunnyside, Queens that’s an absolute must-attend. And if you want to remember why we want to keep the city weird, end the day in the immersive-subversive film installation of Jon Moritsugu at Ramiken Crucible in the LES.
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