Valeri Larko – Sign of the Times at Lyons Wier

Valeri Larko in dialogue with Art Spiel

:In the Beginning on site in the Bronx for Art Spiel.jpg
Valeri Larko, “In the Beginning” on site in the Bronx, 2019, oil/canvas, 30” x 24” Courtesy of Lyons Wier Gallery

Valeri Larko’s paintings in Sign of the Times, her solo exhibition at Lyons Wier Gallery depict urban environments at the fringes, where motels past their time, colossal billboards with bombastic one liners, neglected industrial buildings, and dead trees pepper the landscape. The imagery is familiar yet uncanny. Valeri Larko shares with Art Spiel on the body of work in this show, what draws her to this landscape painting, and how she approaches her painting on-site. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic the show is available online but the physical exhibition has been postponed.

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Artists on Coping: Jada Fabrizio

During the coronavirus pandemic, Art Spiel is reaching out to artists to learn how they are coping.

A ferret on a table

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“All things big and small”

As a Multimedia Artist, Jada Fabrizio’s practice incorporates aspects of various disciplines, taking the form of set building, sculpture, photography and, when available, installation. Jada is interested making images and that communicate complex feelings and psychological dilemmas. The use of sculptural creatures makes difficult ideas somewhat friendlier or more approachable. She endows the animal-based figures with personalities or traits that could be considered more “human” Because the stories she is telling all have something to do with humanity and the connections we all share.

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A Romantic Comedy hosted by Wallplay

Steven Pestana in dialogue with Art Spiel

Installation View, A Romantic Comedy. L to R: Kevin Frances, Andrew Allison, Amanda Thackray

A Romantic Comedy, co-curated by Steven Pestana and Sophia Sobers , is a large-scale installation-based group exhibition which explores the mystery and ambiguity of romance in the 2020s through the actions and objects of everyday life. The opening takes place during Armory Weekend and the show runs throughout the end of March. Steven Pestana describes for Art Spiel the curators’ background, elaborates on the genesis of the show, then gives some background on its host, Wallplay, and its venue at 25 Kent street in Williamsburg.

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Kit Warren – Moments of Recognition

Altered States (untitled), 2019, Acrylic, flashe on birch panel, 36 x 36 inches, photo courtesy the artist

Kit Warren‘s works on paper present complex and elaborate visual cryptography – patterns of lines, dots, and bold colorful shapes. They evoke layered associations ranging from microcosmic to cosmic. Kit Warren shares with Art Spiel some of her ideas and work process.

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Todd Bienvenu – Stories within Stories

A picture containing canyon, valley, colorful, building

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Todd Bienvenu, Bain de Pâquis, 88x76in, acrylic on canvas, 2019 .
Courtesy Todd Bienvenu Studio

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.

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Lily Prince: Honing Plein Air

Lily Prince, Arles,1, Acrylic on canvas paper, 16”x16”, 2019, photo courtesy of the artist

Lily Prince makes lush plein air paintings depicting the essence of specific places around the world. By utilizing linear and color vocabularies, she creates pictorial fields which resemble disorienting topographical maps where time is fluid and frozen simultaneously. Lily prince shares with Art Spiel her background, ideas. process, and projects.

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