Gregory Coates’ bold and colorful installations raise questions rather than offer explanations. Through his abstracted forms and unabashed use of alluring colors he creates “social abstractions” which can be read as affirmations of life – beautiful and poignant at the same time. Continue reading “Gregory Coates, Claiming Feathers”
Jamie Martinez, a Triangle on Its Own
Jamie Martinez, who has just launched THE BORDER at the 56 Bogart building in Bushwick, is a prolific artist, curator, blogger, and now – gallerist. In his interview with Art Spiel, Martinez shares a bit about himself, the genesis of his multiple activities and his exciting plans for the near future. Continue reading “Jamie Martinez, a Triangle on Its Own”
Kanad Chakrabarti: Sites of Exchange
Kanad Chakrabarti’s sense of cultural rootlessness translates into his video and installation work in complex and thought provoking ways, combining analytical approaches with visceral sensibility. After a stimulating conversation about his installation work at SpringBreak art fair, curated by Jason Andrew from Norte Maar, we had the following interview. Continue reading “Kanad Chakrabarti: Sites of Exchange”
Farrell Brickhouse: Counter – Punching with Paint
I have been following Farrell Brickhouse’s work since 2014, when he showed his work at Life on Mars in Bushwick. You do not just “view” Brickhouse’s paintings, you experience them on a deeply intimate level. He unabashadly talks about painting in relation to “soul” and “subconscience”. As a painter who can show an outstanding body of work which convincingly resurects these modernist notions from oblivion, he also freshens these notions for the next generation of artists. Farrell Brickhouse graciously conducted with me the following interview. Continue reading “Farrell Brickhouse: Counter – Punching with Paint”
Meet the artists at Wave Hill’s Open Studios
Wave Hill* is a twenty eight acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the spectacular Hudson River and Palisades. Wave Hill aims to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts. For the ninth consecutive year, Wave Hill opens Glyndor Gallery as workspace for selected New York-area artists, giving them the unique opportunity to explore the winter landscape and develop innovative work based on direct observation from nature. Continue reading “Meet the artists at Wave Hill’s Open Studios”
Dialogue between Art and Life: suggestion, that is the dream
In response to Arshile Gorky’s colored drawings exhibition, an ARTnewsreviewer back in March 1947 declared that Gorky is in no sense a draftsman and that his drawings “must be appraised as doodlings, for psychological rather than formal interest.” More than sixty years later, an exquisite Gorky drawing from 1946 on loan to Outlet gallery, serves as a starting point for a vibrant dialogue between more than thirty contemporary artists with strong and distinct personal iconography and some shared formal concerns. Continue reading “Dialogue between Art and Life: suggestion, that is the dream”
An Odd Symbiosis: Action in Non-Action
Charged with urgency, precision and an acute sense of place, Tirtzah Bassel’s luminous oil paintings at Slag capture figures lingering in uncannily familiar public spaces. Whether the subject matter of these canvases are crowds, couples, or single figures, the related verbs are of present continuous tense; standing, sitting, resting. These paintings, waiting in line at Trader Joe’s, sitting on an Ikea sofa to check a text message, or stretching horizontally on a bare mattress in the bedroom section, all entail the action in non-action. Although the commercial spaces these figures populate are filled with utilitarian objects such as red (and empty) shopping carts and a row of colorful sofas or beds, these interiors convey a strong sense of void. Objects multiply, proliferate and are caught along with their creators at the same space in an odd symbiosis. Continue reading “An Odd Symbiosis: Action in Non-Action”
Artist-Gallerist-Curator Katerina Lanfranco: Fine Lines at Rhombus Space, a Change of Perspective
Katerina Lanfranco, the artist-gallerist-curator who runs Rhombus Space, has wanted to curate shows and run a space for a long time, but the right conditions never presented themselves as clearly as they did this year. When her grad school friend left their shared Red Hook studio space, Lanfranco needed to decide what to do next. Knowing that she would be in an ebb period of her studio practice after a successful show at Nancy Hoffman Gallery a few months earlier, she chose to use some of her art sales to start Rhombus Space. Continue reading “Artist-Gallerist-Curator Katerina Lanfranco: Fine Lines at Rhombus Space, a Change of Perspective”
John O’Connor Artist Profile: A Voice of His Own
At first it seemed odd to discuss basketball free throws with the artist John O’Connor in relation to his art work. Yet, athletic performance is an important part of O’Connor’s process. He energetically explains how a successful free throw involves magic and science, chance and control, practice and improvisation; themes that John O’Connor has been exploring in his paintings, drawings and sculptures since his formative years as an artist. Continue reading “John O’Connor Artist Profile: A Voice of His Own”