Contemporary Art and Culture
In dialogue with Jason Urban & Leslie Mutchler on their collaborative project at Nars Foundation
Artists Jason Urban and Leslie Muchler who have been collaborating on art projects since 2012, share with Art Spiel their ideas, process, and ways of collaborating on their current exhibition, Geochromatic Studies, at NARS.
Continue reading “Intermediate Geochromatic Studies at Nars”Art Spiel in dialogue with Rachel Owens on her sculpture exhibition at The Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport CT
Rachel Owens seamlessly incorporates rigorous research of history and place in her visceral sculptural environments, offering us not only a feast for the eyes – in form, textures, and color – but also engaging us in a mysterious space where detritus like broken bottles, abandoned coal, and even the dust left from marble excavation transform into new forms. Altogether her sculptures prompt complex ideas about multi layered and urgent social issues of race, gender, history and capitalism among others. Rachel Owens elaborates for Art Spiel on her thought process behind this exhibition.
Continue reading “Rachel Owens – The Hypogean Tip at the Housatonic”
No matter what Todd Bienvenu chooses to depict in a painting – a male nude lying on a bear skin rug in a Venus pose, a fearless female city bike rider, or a crowded water-park vista- his surfaces consistently pull you in by their bold vitality and idiosyncratic humor. Todd Bienvenu shares with Art Spiel some insights on his process, ideas and studio work.
Continue reading “Todd Bienvenu – Stories within Stories”Art Spiel in Dialogue with Cecilia Zhang Jalboukh, founder of Yi Gallery in Bushwick
The Bushwick based Yi Gallery evolved out of Cecilia Zhang Jalboukh’s experience and vision. At its current form it shares space with The Border at 56 Bogart. Yi Gallery’s founder elaborates on Annesta Le’s current solo exhibition, shares with Art Spiel the genesis of Yi Gallery, as well as her vision for the space.
Continue reading “Annesta Le at Yi Gallery”In Dialogue with Nina Mdivani on her curatorial project at Kunstraum LLC (Brooklyn) and The Assembly Room (LES)
Nina Mdivani is an independent curator, art writer, and current Curator-in-Residence at Kunstraum located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard neighborhood. Her rigorous curatorial process and research have recently culminated in a two-part exhibition, New York Meets Tbilisi: Defining Otherness. This dynamic group show pairs the works of Georgian and American artists to create multilayered dialogues across cultural identities. Nina Mdivani shares with Art Spiel some of her background, and elaborates on the premise for the upcoming group show she has curated.
Continue reading “Nina Mdivani – NY Meets Tbilisi: Defining Otherness Part I & II”In Dialogue with Andrew Woolbright
Andrew Woolbright, a NY based artist, curator and founder of Super Dutchess, shares with Art Spiel the genesis of this lower east side art space, sheds some light on its key organizers, and describes the philosophy behind it. He elaborates on Cartoon in a Cartoon Graveyard, the 3-person current show that he has curated at the venue, with an upcoming reception on January 10th.
Continue reading “Cartoon in a Cartoon Graveyard at Super Dutchess”Art Spiel in Dialogue with Margalit Berriet
Arts and Society launches a call for contributions for HAS, the new digital magazine in English and French for the Humanities and Arts in Society, to be published in Spring 2020. Arts and Society is a project launched on the initiative of UNESCO-MOST, the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH), Mémoire de l’Avenir (MDA), in partnership with the Global Chinese Arts and Culture Society (GCACS). Arts and Society is a global movement of artists and projects reflecting on the impact of creativity in society, using the arts and cultures as fundamental tools for improvement, innovation and transformation. The goal of this new publication is to analyse current challenges through the lenses of the humanities and the arts. Created for a wide audience, HAS offers a space of expression for the most innovative, enlightening, imaginative, creative and relevant initiatives around the world.
Continue reading “Margalit Berriet on HAS – The Magazine of Humanities, Arts and Society”
Milcah Bassel is an avid art learner whose curiosity leads to cross disciplines and techniques such as sculpture, performance, and bookmaking. She probes deep into her subjects and investigates her forms with rigor, but also with a playful approach. That playfulness is revealed throughout her diverse body of work, giving us a distinct flavor of her thought process and sensibility.
Continue reading “Milcah Bassel – Poetic Documents”Art Spiel in Dialogue with Steve Hicks
Painter Steve Hicks shares with Art Spiel his reflections on the body of work he is currently exhibiting at George Billis gallery, focusing on how he sees these paintings within the wider context of his overall work.
Continue reading “‘Fabrications’ at George Billis”Art Spiel in Dialogue with Jonathan Sims, curator of Solstice: An Exhibition of Works in Light
The group show “Solstice” at Flux Factory in LIC brings together ten installation, sculpture and performance artists who utilize light as a core element in their work. The gallery is darkened and the only light in the space will emanate from the artists’ work – LED, fiber-optics, incandescent, altogether “lensed into being.” The show features installations by Luba Drozd, Laurent Fort, Sizhu Li, Lindsay Packer, Ksenia Salion, Jonathan Sims and Performances by ÉMU, Night Shining, Paloma Kop, Testu Collective . Jonathan Sims, the curator whose work is also featured in the show, shares with Art Spiel the idea behind this project and some info on the venue.
Continue reading “Solstice at Flux Factory”