Author: Art Spiel

Posted on

Margaret Koval: The Uncanny Valley of Everyday Life at ArtWRKD

In Dialogue
Margaret Koval in her studio. Photo courtesy of Kate Hammett.

The paintings in Margaret Koval’s latest exhibition, The Uncanny Valley of Everyday Life, capture a sense of disorientation—recognizable urban and suburban scenes where something is slightly off. They are rich in color and composition, drawing viewers in with pleasing views, yet an underlying unease lingers. Like waking up to find someone has rearranged your furniture overnight, they create a feeling of estrangement within the familiar.

Continue reading “Margaret Koval: The Uncanny Valley of Everyday Life at ArtWRKD”
Posted on

Beijing Stories at the Liu Shiming Art Gallery

A sculpture of a building AI-generated content may be incorrect.
Residential Building. 2005. Copper. 12.2 x 10.3 x 8.7

In 2021, a group of friends, family members, and former colleagues of the renowned Chinese artist Liu Shiming (1926-2010) banded together to form the Liu Shiming Art Foundation, an organization dedicated to both preserving the artist’s legacy and furthering his dedication to the power of the arts. The Foundation has undertaken an ambitious program of granting scholarships to university students around the world with a goal of funding 100 scholarships per year. They also have opened a gallery space on 15 East 40th Street in Manhattan to showcase Mr. Liu’s work and eventually to showcase the work of pan-Asian artists.

Continue reading “Beijing Stories at the Liu Shiming Art Gallery”
Posted on

Devon Gordon: OBSESSED at Zepster

featured project
Installation shot: Paul-Sebastian Japaz, Inés Maestre, Lanyi Gao. Photo courtesy of Tyler Ward.

OBSESSED, the group exhibition Shelby Nelson Ward curated at Zepster in Bushwick, Brooklyn, is inspired by Mariah Carey’s hit song Obsessed and the developmental impact of social media on the millennial generation. This exhibition explores how contemporary culture influences our understanding of self-worth and authenticity. Devon Gordon, the gallery founder gives us an insight into the venue and the current show, which runs through November 17th, 2024.

Continue reading “Devon Gordon: OBSESSED at Zepster”
Posted on

The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita at Flinn

Previewing
Kumi Yasmashita, “Strings”, 2016. Wood panel, brads, seven colored threads, 16x12x1 in. Photo by Paul Takeuchi

The Flinn Gallery’s 2024-25 season kicks off on September 19 with the solo exhibition The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita, curated by Leslee Asch. Situated on the second floor of the Greenwich Library, the Flinn Gallery is known for its commitment to high-quality contemporary art, offering a space for both emerging and established artists. The Flinn Gallery’s 2024-25 season opens on September 19 with the solo show The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita, curated by Leslee Asch.

Continue reading “The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita at Flinn”
Posted on

Everything Ends Eventually: Precious Objects for Eschatonic Times

featured project

R+R artists’ paths converged during their 2019 residency at Millay Arts. United by their passion for sculpture and approach to life, they became fast friends committed to keeping their long-distance friendship going. E.E.E. is their inaugural project, for which they were awarded an LMCC Creative Engagement Award. Through their curatorial project, they aim to foster community by merging their NY/Miami worlds. As artists, they felt strongly about producing in-person experiences and giving their peers autonomy over their narratives—”Real people, real objects, real connections.” They envision E.E.E. to be more than just a group show.  It is a home base where, for two weeks, they host events and set up communal artwork. “We hope the show will be the first step in an ongoing dialogue that does not end when the exhibition doors close,” said the show curators, Rina AC Dweck and Richard Moreno.

Continue reading “Everything Ends Eventually: Precious Objects for Eschatonic Times”
Posted on

Nicola Ginzel: How Do You Restructure Form?

Featured Project
Composite AS.jpg
Process on-site and view of Palais Equitable in Vienna. (right image): from the Wien Museum’s Online Collection taken around 1899.

In March 2020, Nicola Ginzel arrived at the Q21 Art Residency at the Museumsquartier in Vienna, Austria. This residency, which hosts international artists and selects one American artist every two months with the support of a Fulbright Scholar Grant, is designed to foster creative exchange through collaboration, networking, and studio visits.

Continue reading “Nicola Ginzel: How Do You Restructure Form?”
Posted on

The Sam & Adele Golden Foundation Auction’24: Dedicated to the Art of Paint 

Featured Project
A group of people sitting at a table Description automatically generated
Artists in residence in a training session at the Golden Lab

In 2012, the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts introduced a one-of-a-kind residency program dedicated to the art of paint. Situated in the heart of central New York, mere steps from the Golden Artist Colors manufacturing facility, a 19th-century barn was transformed into a space that seamlessly blends history and modernity. It offers spacious studios and private apartments, providing a haven for artists to engage with materials and technologies that define contemporary artistic practice. The Golden Foundation Residency Program is a deliberate endeavor to aid professional artists in their quest to explore and master innovative materials and techniques. Each year, the Foundation hosts six Exploratory Residency Sessions, each lasting four weeks and accommodating three artists at a time.

Continue reading “The Sam & Adele Golden Foundation Auction’24: Dedicated to the Art of Paint “
Posted on

Intimate Space, Entangling Threads – Sharon Liu and Hanna Hirakawa with Naomi Okubo

In Conversation
Naomi Okubo, Little Mama – Closely Glazed Space, 2024, acrylic on canvas, ©Naomi Okubo, courtesy of Fou Gallery

Naomi Okubo has been creating works that explore the themes of identity and relationships with others. Her paintings, sculptures, and installations often feature multiple portraits of herself in imaginary, fantasized settings full of decorative patterns and vibrant colors that blur the boundary between the self and the surrounding environment. This ambiguity regarding identity stems from her experiences of struggling to establish selfhood in relation to others during her adolescence. One of her turning points was when she developed her interest in Wardian cases or what she calls “closely glazed spaces.”

Continue reading “Intimate Space, Entangling Threads – Sharon Liu and Hanna Hirakawa with Naomi Okubo”
Posted on

Tom Fitzgibbon: Icebox4

In Dialogue
Installation view, Pull~Push, Kylie Heidenheimer, Matt Blackwell, Dorothy Robinson, Jackie Shatz, Louise P. Sloane (left to right)

The rise of larger mega galleries and art fairs in NYC marks the end of the intimate, clubby world of established gallerists. Tom Fitzgibbon, artist and co-founder of the art hub Icebox4 in Brooklyn, reflects on this shift: “Back in the day, I could walk into OK Harris and watch Ivan Karp playing poker in a smoke-filled back room or meet Robert Miller’s family at their Manhattan residence. Now it’s big money all the time, except for some smaller galleries like Karma, Steven Harvey, James Fuentes, and others keeping it grounded.”

Continue reading “Tom Fitzgibbon: Icebox4”
Posted on

Rukh Art Hub

Featured Project


Merging with the Garden Art Show by Rukh Art Hub. Mriya Gallery, Tribeca, NYC. Photo by Lesia Dutchak

The word Rukh stands for Movement in Ukrainian. Rukh Art Hub, the creative initiative promoting Ukrainian contemporary art in New York City, focuses on giving Ukrainian art momentum and a voice to Ukrainian creatives and curators. Polina Kuznetsova, Mariia Manuilenko, and Olga Severina are leading Rukh Art Hub, a project dedicated to cultivating and promoting Ukrainian art and culture in New York City and beyond.

Continue reading “Rukh Art Hub”