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Entries tagged with 'Art'
Posted May. 5, 2008,
Dan Attoe at Peres Projects BERLIN
By Ann Magnuson
One of my favorite young artists, Dan Attoe, has two shows opening this month. First up is the American painter's second Berlin solo show at Peres Projects BERLIN which opened over the weekend. The exhibition, called "Simple Thoughts and Complicated Animals," features new works in painting and mixed media sculpture and runs from May 2 until June 21.
Attoe's second show this month, "American Dreams" opens at Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León, MUSAC in Leon, Spain and will be on view from May 17 – July 6, 2008.
Posted Apr. 2, 2008,
Tseng Kwong Chi Opening at Paul Kasmin in NYC Tonight!
By Ann Magnuson
If I were in NYC I'd be at Paul Kasmin Gallery tonight when the resurrection of the late, great photographer Tseng Kwong Chi begins! (If you have PAPER's March issue laying around read my L.A. Woman column for the inside scoop!) Kwong was a dear friend of mine during the glory days of Downtown NYC and we shared a lot of laughs (and tears) from 1979 until his untimely death from AIDS in 1990. According to the gallery's press release, the show will be "a comprehensive survey of Tseng’s pioneering series of self-portraits featuring 100 large-scale, black-and-white photographs, some of which will be on view for the first time."
Kwong Chi had a magnificent eye and an equally magnificent sense of humor. Dressed in a vintage Communist Mao suit he would insinuate himself into iconic American (and worldwide) landscapes creating arresting tableaux that are simultaneously ironic and beautiful. Check 'em out! (And try to make the opening which I'm told will be a scene reminiscent of the good ole daze. I'm so bummed I can't be there! But I'll just commune with Kwong's delightful spirit here on the left coast, somewhere under the Hollywood sign!) FYI to those of you across the pond: the show will also be in London from April 15-May 31 at Ben Brown Fine Arts!
More about the show (which runs until May 3) from the Paul Kasmin Gallery:
Posted Mar. 6, 2008,
Act up. Sign up for Agathe Snow's "Stamina: Gloria et Patria," a Week Long Dance-a-Thon at the Armory
By Carol Lee
Performance, performance, performance! That's what the Whitney Biennial 2008 is all about with the Park Avenue Armory and Art Production Fund joining forces and getting in on the action. Though there will be a parade of special events at the Biennial off-site the Armory, one can't-be-missed orgy of decadence and resilience is Agathe Snow's mad-as-a-hatter "Stamina: Gloria et Patria," a week long dance-a-thon starting this Sunday, March 9th through March 16th. It's free and open to the public, and goes on everyday from 11 a.m. till 11 p.m., except on the last day when it'll be a 24-hour bender! So start your special ballroom diet, dust off those dancing shoes and get ready to get seriously physical. Over 50 DJs in rotation have been lined up to bust out their best jams for this historical gathering. This is going to be completely B-A-N-A-N-A-S! So in the words of the mistress of ceremony Agathe Snow: Dance! Dance for a Change! Dance for a Cause! Dance to Win!
In order to participate you need to pick up your free dance card at the Whitney Museum's Visitor's Service Desk or the Park Avenue Armory's Information Desk. You can also sign up and see the footage from the Stamina 2005 at www.stamina2008.com.
Posted Mar. 6, 2008,
Whitney Biennial's Opening Night Party Is a Boozy, Arty Fest
By Carol Lee
Yes, it's here -- to be celebrated and to be scrutinized -- the Whitney Biennial 2008. Tuesday night I went to the preview party, which is a great occasion to congratulate, to see, to be seen, to drink and to complain a bit. But no matter what one thinks of the show, the energy is so infectiously effervescent that it's hard to be a sourpuss on this night. I give props to anyone who manages to soak in the art because most people (this one included) are too busy boozing it up and chatting up whomever's around. Here are some snaps from the affair by our "Artist Residency" photographer Aubrey Mayer and myself. So the art season in New York has officially kicked off. Now if only spring would hurry up and get here already!
Picture above: Installation by Phoebe Washburn
Rirkrit Tiravanija & Hanna Liden
MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE JUMP >
Posted Mar. 5, 2008,
Artist Residency (Whitney Biennial 2008 Edition): Olaf Breuning
By Aubrey Mayer
In his regular feature, "Artist Residency," Aubrey Mayer takes a photo of one of his favorite artists and ask him/her a series of simple questions. Here is Swiss-born multi-media artist Olaf Breuning who is part of the Whitney Biennial 2008.
Aubrey Mayer: Where are you from?
Olaf Breuning: Switzerland
AM: Where do you live?
OB: Manhattan
AM: How did you become an artist?
OB: Tuck a canvas and a brush and made a painting… no that is only a joke.
AM: What is the oddest job you've ever had?
OB: Working in a bank
AM: Who's your favorite non-living artist?
OB: Berthold Brecht
AM: What book are you reading at the moment?
OB: Cool It! by Bjorn Lomborg
AM: When are you happiest with your work?
OB: When I cant’t stop working.
Posted Mar. 4, 2008,
The Whitney Biennial's Off-Site Armory Show Is a Roomy Survey of This and That
By Carol Lee
Just checked out the Armory (where Aaron Young had his motorcycle collaboration with Tom Ford back in September 2007) installment of the Whitney Biennial 2008. The curators, Henriette Huldisch and Shamim M. Momin, took a leap of faith a few blocks down on Park Ave. and 67th St. and gave the Biennial a lot more room to breathe. Though that may have been the intention, my overwhelming first impression after a quick glance was that the art strewn about in this powerhouse landmark is hard up to compete with the majestic building itself, which really exerts its personality in a rumbling and brooding way like John Huston in Chinatown.
In a show where the venue is a co-star, there are some great works of art too. Carlo McCormick and I agreed that DJ Olive (Gregor Asch)'s somber, cryptic and musical installation was one of the best -- it's the Urs Fischer piece of this Biennial. The key is to really take your time and savor each room (every artist/collective gets a room) for what it is -- don't try to look for the glue that binds everything together, it's not that kind of show. I have not seen the main event yet -- I'm saving it for tonight! So this is by no means the last word on the Biennial but -- dare I use the C-word -- watch out for the curmudgeons, I think we're in for some controversy!
Picture above: Installation by Bozidar Brazda
MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE JUMP >
Posted Mar. 4, 2008,
Noble & Webster Erect "Electric Fountain"; Alan Vega and A.R.E. Weapons Rock Jeffrey Deitch
By Carol Lee
The dark-humored British artist duo Noble & Webster (Sue Noble & Tim Noble), famous for their light bulb sculptures in the shape of dollar signs and words like "Yes" (you might have caught this in Jay-Z's "Blue Magic" video) and "Forever," have erected "Electric Fountain" in Rockefeller Center last Wednesday. The "fountain" is a steely sculpture installation that sprinkles 3,390 LED bulbs worth of electricity, weighs 61,000 pounds, is 35 feet tall, and is on view through April 4. The sight of this $1 million (thank you Lexus and Jeffrey Deitch) outdoor project is as exciting, novel and gaudy as the famous Christmas tree and the fountain at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas –- you must go see it!
Posted Dec. 21, 2007,
Last Chance to See Urs Fischer's Hole at Gavin Brown
By Carol Lee
Do yourself a favor -- take a break from the holiday shopping madness and stop by Gavin Brown's Enterprise tomorrow for it's the last day of Urs Fischer's "holy" show "You." The experience is sublime, disorienting and strangely calming. You'll regret not having seen it if you don't!
Posted Dec. 6, 2007,
Phranc's Art Show at CUE in NYC (With Free Hootenanny with Phranc & Ann!)
By Ann Magnuson
I am so happy to report that the flu I had for one terrifying week has abated and I will be winging my way east to support PHRANC at her first New York solo art show this Thursday Dec. 6 at the CUE Foundation gallery in fabulous Chelsea! (There must be one or two of you who aren't going to Miami!) CUE asked me to be one of their two guest curators for the month of December and I could think of no better artist to invite than PHRANC! (Read all about Phranc, her art and the show in my L.A. Woman column in the December issue of PAPER!)
See the fabulous and whimsical and socially relevant 3-D art from the Cardboard Cobbler, a.k.a. The Jewish Lesbian Folk Singer, a.k.a Tupperware Lady Legend, a.k.a All Around Great Gal, a.k.a Phranc!
Posted Nov. 10, 2007,
Mark Mothersbaugh's L.A.
By Alexis Swerdloff
Mark Mothersbaugh is a man of many hats. He performs in the still-going-strong band that he founded in 1972, DEVO (for which he is famous for donning a red "Energy Dome" hat), he composes movie scores (he’s Wes Anderson’s go-to music man), he creates postcard art and most recently, he’s taken on rugs. An exhibit of his art-rugs, “Rugs During Wartime and Peacetime,” taking place at Scion’s Installation L.A. Gallery beginning Nov. 17, explores “the imagery we choose to bring into our homes and how we interact with it for the purposes of comfort and peace-of-mind rather than an esoteric sense of art for art’s sake.” Take a look at the designs pictured above! We asked him to guide us through his favorite L.A. spots and he kindly agreed. So without further ado, Mark?
My favorite places in L.A. have changed throughout the years, for reasons that include having adopted two children in the last two years. But, some things never change. So, minus the benefit of a night's sleep (DEVO just flew into Sao Paulo last night for a concert), here goes.
BOOKS: I still am a long time fan of Book Soup. The staff is helpful, and even if I don't have something particular in mind, there is always something there to take home.
Posted Oct. 19, 2007,
Check Out Kenny Scharf's Donuts at Paul Kasmin
By Kim Hastreiter
Don't forget to stop in to the Paul Kasmin Gallery (293 Tenth Avenue) to check out my friend Kenny Scharf's new show with a donut theme. (Ya gotta love it.) I had dinner with Kenny the other night, and he was complaining about how hard he was working to get the show finished and especially how long the paintings of the donuts with sprinkles took him as opposed to the ones with simple icing. He kept moaning that it took him like five hours longer to do sprinkled donuts because he had to paint every single sprinkle and put a shadow on it. He had just finished cranking out a bunch of them for his show. Here's one of his iced donuts. Check out his show -- I really like what he's been doing.
Posted Oct. 11, 2007,
PAPER in 3D
By David Hershkovits
Isn't it nice that someone would be thinking of us like this? No lie... This video is from Metacafe.
Posted Oct. 3, 2007,
"The Opening" at Reena Spaulings Is a Show About Nobody
By Carol Lee
Art shows are back in swing now which means catching up with the folks that we were hiding from all summer (JK!). I went to a beautifully disastrous opening last weekend at Reena Spaulings. There were people smoking on the fire escape, trying to uncork a champagne bottle with teeth, and hanging out and not really looking at art... that is until some guy started splattering buckets of black paint all over the blank canvases on the wall, creating a huge mess on the floor and writing sarcastic messages like "Relax It's Only a Crap Reena Spaulings Show" in a sloppy handwriting. Then he walked out of the room and everyone went back to drinking, smoking and blabbering. Well, that "some guy" was the artist Merlin Carpenter and the show was simply and facetiously called "The Opening." I loved this rude "happening" and the general battitude that was all around -- coming from both the artist and the spectators. It was, how shall I put it... very downtown. O.K., so Reena Spaulings, IS very downtown (it's on the corner of East Broadway and Essex -- it really doesn't get much lower than that), but you know what I mean. Maybe it's just that I was coming off of a socially-challenging summer and happy to see my friends again, but being at this show that celebrated nobody in particular felt very festive.
Posted Aug. 14, 2007,
RIP Elizabeth Murray
By Kim Hastreiter
I was sad but also glad to read the op-ed piece in the New York Times today about Elizabeth Murray, the painter who passed away earlier this week from lung cancer. Elizabeth was one of my art school mentors when I was a graduate student at Cal Arts in the '70s and I always really loved her. Although I was not a traditional painter, she was such a wonderful and generous teacher supporting all my crazy multimedia and conceptual art projects I attempted in those days with gusto. I used to bump into Elizabeth every once in a while in the Village and we'd have a quick chat, but our lives never really crossed again after school. But every time I would read about her success or her shows or her retrospectives, I'd smile because she was a lovely, lovely and beautiful person and deserved it all. Ask anyone who knew or had the chance to meet her. Whether the op-ed writer or one of her student interns. RIP Elizabeth.
Posted Jul. 27, 2007,
Devastating News About Artist Couple Theresa Duncan & Jeremy Blake
By Carol Lee
The tragic and disturbing news (The New York Times article) of the art star couple Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan has caught us all off-guard. The 40-year-old Duncan who committed suicide on July 10 was a digital artist who created the award winning CD-Rom Chop Suey and a blogger of The Wit of the Staircase. Her boyfriend and digital/video artist Jeremy Blake was last seen at the Rockaway Beach on July 17 supposedly walking into the ocean leaving his clothes, wallet and a suicide note behind. The mysterious disappearance of Blake and the many speculations on the reasons of their demise have unnerved the art and media communities. The latest L.A. Times report reveled on a theory that the couple had been in a Scientology-related state of paranoia before their last days. They even contacted Beck who is a well-known scientologist and whose Sea Change album cover Blake designed. PAPER has followed and written about the works of Blake and Duncan in 2003 and 1999 respectively. We’re deeply saddened by the loss of our friends and two of very talented and vital members of the art world.
Photo of Theresa Duncan by Joshua Jordan
Photo of Jeremy Blake by Donald Graham
Posted Jul. 23, 2007,
Art and Fashion Collabs Are Everywhere
By Kim Hastreiter
Art is certainly ruling the fashion world these days. Marilyn Minter's new Tom Ford ad campaign is gorgeous (see photo at left) and Cindy Sherman's piece for Carine Roitfeld's French Vogue is outrageous (see photo at right). Levis is collaborating with Damien Hirst for a fall show. Where will it stop? I think Versace should collab with Kehinde Wiley -- wouldn't that be amazing? And oh yeah, Jeff Koons with Marc Jacobs. Just imagine how great that would be... (thanks by the way to WWD for the photos of Cindy Sherman)
Posted Jul. 10, 2007,
Party Train: Summer Is Awesome!
By Carol Lee
I LOVE summertime in New York City -- so much fun stuff to do! I've been a total spaz running around from this to that. My brain is too fried from the heat, so without much ado, here's a visual recap of all the fiestas I've been hitting up.
Picture Above: Opening at Joseph Latimore's gallery Sensei on E. 1st St.
Posted Jun. 29, 2007,
Happy 100th Birthday to Charles Eames!
By Ann Magnuson
This year marks the centennial of modernist designer Charles Eames' birth. Together with his wife Ray, the Eames' created some of the most enduring modernist architecture and furniture in the world. This story in Thursday's LA Times celebrates their unique vision, which you can see on display in their own films (Powers of Ten is one of my all-time faves), including the above video.
House is a whimsical document the couple made after five years of living in what is now viewed as one of the most important architectural works of art in southern California (and the world!). Ironically, the Eames' (who celebrated the beauty and artistic merit of everyday objects) were anti-elitist and it's a shame their creations have been fetishized and turned into expensive object d'art for the super-rich and the Design Nazis currently taking over Beverly Boulevard. But how fitting that Charles and Ray Eames have become the legends they deserve to be!
Posted Jun. 19, 2007,
L.A. Man: Randy Focazio (and His Art!)
By Ann Magnuson
Randy Focazio is known around these parts as our #1 Commentator! Randy is a man of many opinions and insights. Well, did you know he is also a visual artist? It's true and he's got a big art opening this Wednesday at The Burgendy Room that everyone MUST go to! (in Hollywood at 1621 1/2 Cahuenga; 8 p.m. til 2 a.m. The show will be up for a month, FYI!) Randy's surreally expressionistic and deliciously disturbing paintings will satisfy anyone with a Kafka-esque itch that needs to be scratched (preferably with razor-sharp fingernails painted black!). I particularly like his absinthe-drenched numbers (green being my fave color) like the spooky painting above. See more of Randy's art here on his MySpace page! Or just see ya at The Burgundy Room Wednesday night!
Posted Jun. 13, 2007,
"I Like to Watch" Opening Night at the Canal Chapter
By Carol Lee
This past Saturday was the opening night for "I Like to Watch," a group show that I co-curated with Carlo McCormick at the Canal Chapter. It was hot as hell but we all had a great time laughing and sweating. Here are some pictures... actually lots of pictures by Caroline Torem Craig, who is also one of the artists in the show.
MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE JUMP.
Posted Jun. 4, 2007,
Damian Hirst's 100 Million Dollar Bling
By Kim Hastreiter
"For the Love of God", Damian Hirst's latest piece of brilliant and outrageous art, was unveiled at his latest show called "Beyond Belief," at Jay Jopling's new gallery, White Cube 3, in London's West End. The piece, which was seen in magazines and newspapers around the world this weekend is, according to the artist, the "most expensive piece of art ever made" (the price tag is 99 million dollars). It was even given a full page photo in the New York Times Magazine's Style section. Is this fashion? is this jewelry? Is this bling? WHO WILL BUY THIS? WHAT an amazing and loaded object to put out there in the world. He financed the work and he will make the dough on it when it sells. "For the Love of God" (called this because this is what Hirst's mum supposedly said when she heard about it for the first time) is a human skull, cast in platinum and encrusted in 8,500 diamonds, including a 50 karat pear-shaped gem plopped on the forehead of the skull.
I must admit, although many of my friends hate Hirst (especially his dead aniimal stuff), I think this is one of the most brilliant pieces of art I've seen in a while. Yes it's hype, but yes, it's also so so smart and says so much about art, the artworld, money, greed and our sick society. I just can't stop thinking about this amazing piece of art. I mean LOOK AT IT! It's completely blown my mind.
Posted May. 29, 2007,
Portfolio: 15 Photographs by Mark Likosky
By Carol Lee
Mark Likosky has been traveling the world with a more personal style of reportage photography. These photographs were taken within the last few months on a half-frame camera while Likosky passed through several U.S. states including Virginia, South Carolina, Michigan and Massachusetts. An archive of his work is currently being compiled into a series of books. www.marklikosky.com.
Posted May. 24, 2007,
Summer of (Art) Love
By PAPERMAG Editors
Here's a report from our special correspondent Gary Pini...
Art freaks from around the world will be heading to Europe this summer to celebrate the rare confluence of four major events: the Venice Biennale, documenta 12, Art Basel 38 and skulptur projekte munster 07. The 52nd edition of the Biennale has the theme "Think with the Senses - Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense" and was curated by Robert Storr -- the first time by an American. Storr was formerly in the department of painting and sculpture at MoMA. Seventy-seven countries will participate and it will feature a show dedicated to African contemporary art. Documenta, which is only held every five years, takes place in Kassel, Germany. This year's version is under the artistic direction of Rodger M. Buergel and is curated by Ruth Noack. You can find more info about all four shows including dates, hours and prices at their jointly sponsored website www.grandtour2007.com.
Posted May. 23, 2007,
About Last Night... Strippers, Max Fish, RTX, China Chalet & Closing Party at Participant
By Carol Lee
This is more like "About Many Nights Last Week..." PAPER's incorrigible Carlo McCormick and I had a raunchy date last Tuesday at Headquarters strip club where they were having a book signing party for Filthy, Funny and Totally Offensive. A few cocktails, an egg roll, a lap dance and an awkward encounter with a co-worker later, we headed down to -- you guessed it -- Max Fish where I ran into more people including my friends Simon and Sophie. They were both wearing fun sunglasses (pictured above). Then I cruised on over to see Jennifer Herrema's band RTX at Club Midway where I ran into an old friend Jess Holzworth who's been holed up on Sonoran Desert out in Arizona for the past few years. She's been on the road with Jennifer who's on tour to promote the new album Western Xterminator. I missed The Jewish who opened for RTX.
Posted May. 22, 2007,
Portfolio: 12 Photographs by James Ryang
By Carol Lee
James Ryang is a photographer based in New York City who has spent the past year traveling to Tokyo for personal visits and assignments. These images are selections from a book that he's working on about his time there. He currently works on fashion, advertising, and editorial assignments and is a contributor to BlackBook, i-D and The New York Times. www.jamesryang.com.
Posted May. 17, 2007,
Wear & Tear: Getting Ready with Glynnis McDaris & Nicole Lombardi
By Carol Lee
Welcome to the first episode of Wear & Tear, a new show on PAPER TV hosted by me!! Each show will feature girls getting ready for a night on the town... before a party, an art opening, a dinner, a benefit, a gala, what-have-ya's. On any given New York night, there's always something fun to do, which is why we love this town so much! The legendary Diana Vreeland once said, "There is no such thing as unconscious dressing." I'll have to agree with her wholeheartedly! Even if your modus operandi is "casual" or "sporty," there's a reason why you put on those drawstrings and the windbreaker.
I recently checked in on my friends, photographer Glynnis McDaris and musician Nicole Lombardi, to see what kind of fashion mood they were in for the opening night of Glynnis's show "Rising and Falling Forever" at Fake Estate Gallery. Unfortunately the show is over already -- but it was really great! You can take a peek at her beautiful photos right here and on her web site!
Posted May. 15, 2007,
Art Attack: "Dig Cunt" & Creative Time's B-Day Party at the Bowery Hotel
By Carol Lee
This weekend, I headed out to Coney Island to check out Gelitin's "Dig Cunt" project. The unpredictable Austrian collective decided to dig three six-foot-plus holes on the beach everyday (then cover them at the end of the day) for a week as part of Creative Time's 33rd Anniversary bonanza. The whole concept seems Zen in a very western sort of way. It was such a fun time to be out on Coney with gorgeous weather and a mellow crowd, that is until I almost lost an arm on the bumper car.
Creative Time has really been celebrating its birthday in style. Last Thursday, they threw a big benefit auction/dinner at the chic Bowery Hotel. One of the honorees was Amanda Burden who looked smashing in a strapless red number. Co-host of the night David Byrne (the other was Debbie Harry), clad in a flamingo pink suit, worked the lottery cage and greeted the guests in his sweet but shy way. Artists whose work raised the most money were Vik Muniz ($62,000, live auction) and Matthew Barney ($15,000, silent auction). My favorite encounter of the night was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial architect Maya Lin. She is so ageless! Well, congratulations to you, Creative Time and here's to another 33 years!
MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE JUMP >
Posted May. 15, 2007,
Frisco Day Two: Part I
By Kim Hastreiter
Yesterday was fun. Started out meeting my friend, artist Tauba Auerbach, for lunch at the Slanted Door in the Ferry Building. (amazing.) Tauba brought with her the amazing Laurie Lazer of Luggage Store Gallery fame. I have wanted to meet Laurie for years now and can't believe I've not met her till now. She's awesome. She and her partner Daryl have been running their awesome gallery for 20 years now out of a store front in a still-ungentrified, slightly shabby Market Street area (see the painted door above) and has launched careers of so many artists that have gone on to fame. Laurie and Daryl actually created a legendary show years ago that was the precurser to the "Beautiful Losers" show and helped define the super special moment in the Northern Cali school of art by showing kids like Barry McGee, Margaret Kilgallen and Chris Johanson. Tauba A was an intern there when she was a Stanford student and of course LS gave her her first show. I LOVED this woman Laurie.
Posted May. 14, 2007,
Portfolio: 15 Photographs by Kazumi Asamura
By Carol Lee
Photographer Kazumi Asamura was born in Tokyo, Japan and has lived and worked New York City for the past seven years. Her work has appeared in Tokion, Tokion Japan, Dazed and Confused Japan and Studio Voice, among other publications. She also contributes to several Japanese magazines as a writer, introducing the New York underground scene to Japanese audiences. Her Polaroid project series, "Newyorkster," in which she documented over 100 downtown New York artists, was featured in PAPERMAG's "MANHATTAN" exhibit in 2005. www.nyster.com.
Posted May. 14, 2007,
HELLO SAN FRANCISCO
By Kim Hastreiter
I hopped to San Francisco for a few days (where I am now) to see my great friends Ben and Chris Ospital and to attend a benefit for some of my favorite artists in the world. The program is called Creative Growth, and I've been working with these guys on their advisory board for over 15 years. CG is an arts program for mentally handicapped adults and is located in Oakland. Ben and Chris, who own the coolest clothing store in San Fran called MAC (Modern Appealing Clothing), turned me onto Creative Growth decades ago. Since the first day I stepped into the industrial building in Oakland in the early '90s and met the artists and saw the amazing work they do, I was hooked. I have been collecting art and rugs since that day and have amassed quite a collection. The two artists I am especially taken with are William Tyler and William Scott -- see their work above.
So here I am. Ben and Chris know *everyone* in this town. They've had their store for over 25 years and are just culture vultures. I'm so lucky to know them because whenever I come to town they roll out the red carpet, and literally every hour of my time is spent doing something fabulous and new. They drag me around to meet amazing people -- from artists to chefs (that's a big thing here) to museum directors to gallerists to designers...
Posted May. 8, 2007,
Portfolio: 15 Photographs by Debora Mittelstaedt
By Carol Lee
Welcome to our new series "Portfolio," where we'll be showcasing work by fantastic up-and-coming artists. New York City is constantly bubbling with creative spirit and bustling with the energy of industrious minds. Now look no further and meet our first artist Debora Mittelstaedt:
Photographer Mittelstaedt was raised in Cologne, Germany and studied photography at University of Essen before settling in New York City in 2006. Her work has been shown at group shows in Germany and New York and in publications such as Sleek, A4 and Pin-up. Mittelstaedt was recently named one of PDN magazine's "30 Emerging Photographers of 2007." www.debora-mittelstaedt.de.
Posted May. 5, 2007,
Art Attack: Murakami, assume vivid astro focus and Gelitin
By Carol Lee
There were many, many art shows that opened this week. The climax was yesterday's assume vivid astro focus show at John Connelly Presents (pictured). It's not too often that you're asked to take off your shoes before entering the gallery. But that's what happened, and once you've walked past a friendly drag queen who handed you a 3-D glass-mask with a half of her face on it, it was well... I won't spoil the fun for you.
So the word on the street is that the market is still strong (surprised?)!! Apparently, the buying frenzy is so potent that gallerists need more artists and more work to sell, and supposedly at the Takashi Murakami opening at Gagosian Tuesday night, prices kept morphing on the small flower plates (see below) as the demand continued to escalate. I don't know what's crazier -- New York City real estate market or the art market!
But never mind all this waxing on capitalism... beginning this Monday, art renegades from Austria Gelitin (pictured right, below) will be subway-ing to Coney Island with shovels in hand to dig a hole as part of Creative Time's anniversary extravaganza. We give you the message from the horse's mouth:
Posted May. 2, 2007,
Two of My Favorite Arists: Karen Kimmel and Tauba Auerbach
By Kim Hastreiter
Two of my favorite artists -- who I am lucky enough to also call friends -- just finished their websites, and I can finally show off why I love these two women and what they do. Go and look at both of these sites and really spend some time looking at what they do.
1) Karen Kimmel is one of the most amazing artists I have ever met. Her work is brilliant and really hard to explain to people. Whenever I try to explain it I realize that its useless unless you experience it. Her work is performative and experiential. She carries through her amazing pristine modern visual aesthetic into everything she does but that is really only the surface of her work. I wont try to explain it... just go and look at her "social sculptures." These are situations that she sets up with very vigorously defined boundaries and aesthetics but she invites others to enter the experience and make decisions/choices that effect the end art product. She, in essence, gives away control of some of the art decision-making and then takes the results back and repurposes it into her art. Hard to explain. Just go and look. Its amazing. Look at her site here. Spend some quality time really exploring what she does. It is mindbending.
2) My other favorite artist who I can't stop talking/writing about is the San-Francisco-based artist Tauba Auerbach whose work is incredible. Auerbach's inspiration is the alphabet and language. She has done everything from spelling out the alphabet (see above) to alphabatizing the bible (REALLY!). Her work is extraordinary and a treat to look at it all on her amazing site. Check out her new website. It's also a mind-blower.
Posted Apr. 23, 2007,
Eight Items or Less: Kate Moss, Pete Doherty and Ryan McGinley Get Down
By Carol Lee
1. Who would be in your dream threesome? According to the rumor mill, heartthrob photographer Ryan McGinley just shot Kate Moss and BF Pete Doherty nude for the upcoming issue of W.
2. Art stars of today Elizabeth Peyton, Tony Just, Maurizio Cattalan, Dan Colen, Cecily Brown and Clarissa Dalrymple all came out for the Turner Prize winner Brit Jim Lambie's opening at Anton Kern Gallery last Thursday.
3. Fergie's lady humps were caught in high-waisted body-squeezing jeans by Judi Rosen of downtown boutique The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as reported by the fashion bible In Touch.
4. Vogue's Alexandra Kotur has a tough job of deciding who makes Style.com's Ten Best Dressed List each week. Look who made the cut last week!
1) Kirsten Dunst
2) Chloe Sevigny
3) Miuccia Prada
4) Coco Rocha
5) Doo-Ri Chung
6) Lisa Airan
7) Hilary Rhoda
8) Camilla Belle
9) Lauren DuPont
10) Demi Moore
5. Name Change: On a more, delicate note... Over this weekend, when rendering the Virginia Tech shooter's name, The New York Times decided to go by Seung-Hui Cho, rather than the easternized-style Cho Seung-Hui, which has been the official name used by the media world-wide since the release of his identity. There have been many whispers on the Internet among sensitive Korean-Americans about this uncouth placement of his surname.
Posted Apr. 23, 2007,
Guerilla Girls Go Apeshit at Museums
By Kim Hastreiter
I got an email from the only Guerilla Girl I have actually ever corresponded with today named Frida Kahlo. For those of you who don't know, the Guerilla Girls are a super-old-school feminist art collective made up of anonymous female artists whose sold mission is to point out how fucked up the art world is when it comes to women... they do amazing stuff, performances wearing guerilla masks, and take on the names of dead female artists.
The collective was invited to create a page for yesterday's Washington Post and you can see here what they did. The numbers are shocking, no? Ninety-eight percent of the National Gallery's art seems to be made my men, and 99 percent is made by white artists. The GG claim that when the Washington Post called to fact-check these numbers, the National Gallery began to scramble through their archives, desperately searching for art made by women and people of color to throw up this week. Ya gotta love the Guerilla Girls.
According to Frida, the Guerilla Girls will start blogging next month for the Huffington Post!!!
Posted Apr. 13, 2007,
About Last Night... Eyejammie Gallery Opening
By PAPERMAG Editors
Even though we are tired of exhibits featuring the same object decorated by a posse of artists, we stopped by the Eyejammie Gallery (516 W. 26th St.) last night for an exhibit of 54 skateboard decks by everyone from Krink and Haze to Sacha Jenkins and Cycle (pictured). Curated by Cey Adams, the show was a little out of the ordinary for former Def Jam publicity maven Bill Adler's gallery because he normally focuses on photography. It's up until May 5th, so stop by if you're in the hood. All the decks in the show are available as a group for $30,000. Gary Pini
Posted Apr. 13, 2007,
Cali Comes East: From Tom Ford to Surfer Kids
By Kim Hastreiter
Sometimes I stop and think about how much I love my truly yin yang life, doing what I do here in New York City. Take this week, where I swung from moviestarhollywoodland to OC surfercutieland... from saying "hey" (and swooning when I saw how gorgeous he is looking lately) to Tom Ford up at his new super luxe over-the-top mens emporium to stopping into a fun surf art show called The Happening and meeting all the newest cutest long and shortboard champs and the punky artist/surfers who have been putting a super new cool aesthetic vibe on that world.
When we hit the new Tom Ford shop Tuesday evening for a preview, the first person we ran into was Richard lambertson and Dawn Mello, who, for those who aren't familiar with Gucci history, were the first people to begin to drag Gucci out of the stone age in the early nineties. Dawn was hired by the Gucci company (it must have been in the early nineties) and she hired Lambertson as a consultant (who I knew quite well from his days designing at Geoffrey Beene) to come up with some ideas to bring Gucci into modern times as their demo was at that point geriatric. I remember I went nuts when I saw Richard's first collection because he'd taken the traditional Gucci suede loafer and offered it in jelly bean jewel tones like hot pink, turquoise, bright yellow, kelly green. He also designed a simple Gucci suede backpack in these same colors. I bought four pairs of shoes and three backpacks IMMEDIATELY. (I still have them to this day.) Of course I wrote about them immediately in PAPER too. Then a few years later, Mello took an even braver step and hired the then very young designer Tom Ford and the rest was history. When I saw Richard and Dawn at the Ford shop this week, we gabbed about those backpacks and shoes. I should donate them to the Met or something! (They're in my closet still.)
Then last night, at the opening party for "The Happening" (the show/party was organized by one of my old friends Randy Hild who runs the cute girlie surfer collection Roxy), I fell in love with the work of two artists I saw there and can't get it out of my mind. One guy is called Jeff Canham and he's a surfer living in San Fran who works as a sign painter as well as at the super cool surf shop Mollusk there. I ADORE THIS guy's work (see a photo of him and his stuff below). The show will up from 6-9 p.m. at the MILK gallery (450 W. 15th St.) today (Friday the 13th!). There's also a huge party at the Maritime tonight with lots of surf-friendly music. (check the website for more info.)
Posted Mar. 29, 2007,
Chapmans, Condo & McCarthy -- Meet the Artists
By David Hershkovits
In some circles, this is big news! No lie, it is to me. Jake and Dinos Chapman, George Condo and Paul McCarthy come together under the auspices of the Deitch Projects for an exhibition of a collaborative project wherein all the artists get to work on each other's paintings. Art provocateurs The Chapman Brothers and Paul McCartney, join the wily veteran Condo and I, for one, can't wait to see the results. The game -- roughly modeled after the surrealists collaborative endeavor the Exquisite Corpse -- is played something like this:
The project commenced in March 2006 when four large-scale canvasses, four small-scale canvasses and four etching plates were delivered to each artist’s studios -- two in London, one in Los Angeles and one in New York. The artists then had one month to paint before their paintings and etching plate were collected and rotated to the next artist in a prearranged sequence." Learn more here. Anyway, it should be fun. Through April 28.