All Tomorrow’s Parties: M. David & Co. at Art Cake

photo story
A room with art on the wall

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Installation view

Lou Reed’s song All Tomorrow’s Parties, featured on the Velvet Underground & Nico’s debut studio album, was allegedly inspired by the musician’s observation of Andy Warhol’s ‘Factory,’ an epicenter where camp, craze, and creativity flowed in abundance. With a tangible sense of energetic exploration, M. David & Co.’s mega-scale group show at Art Cake echoes this creative exchange by articulating the dynamic intergenerational connections between emerging and established artists across media.

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Art Spiel Picks: Chelsea Exhibitions for July 2024

HIGHLIGHTS
Crossings, partial Installation view at Kasmin, photo by Etty Yaniv

Chelsea has multiple exciting shows this summer, ranging from large group shows to solo retrospectives. We will highlight three shows with different curatorial premises. The Swimmer, a large-scale group show sprawling over the 9th and 10th floors of the FLAG Art Foundation, centers around the narrative of John Cheever’s short story from 1964, presenting works that dig into its themes and imagery. Another impressive large-scale group show surveys the increasing presence of weaving, textiles, and embroidery in contemporary art, featuring an international and intergenerational group of artists whose works push the boundaries of these traditional mediums. Lastly, at Pretzel, there is a beautifully curated retrospective of Malcolm Morley, offering a glimpse into the fascinating work of the late artist (1931–2018).

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Nexus, Echoes, and Connections – Stefano Caimi, Rachel Frank, Gayoung Jun, Kirstin Lamb at SARAHCROWN Gallery

Nexus, Echoes, and Connections, Installation Shot 2, Courtesy SARAHCROWN NY

The second-floor Sarah Crown Gallery in Tribeca features a group exhibition with work by Stefano Caimi, Rachel Frank, Gayoung Jun, and Kirstin Lamb. The show immediately draws viewers in as 3 drawings by Gayoung Jun grasp the eye with striking blue tones and dual circular shapes that seem to be moving in the optical illusion. The work is only made more impressive upon closer inspection as the eye reveals the minor flaws of the hand.

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Women Heavy at Gardenship Gallery

In Dialogue
Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, QUALIA – YOU MATTER TO ME, immersive installation, UltraHD, color, sound, 10 minutes, 2024. Courtesy of the artists

Throughout the group exhibition Women Heavy at the Gardens Gallery in Kearny, NJ, curator Donna Kessinger references contemporary and second-wave feminist ideas. The curator aims to create a clinical and visceral experience by investigating broad concepts and featuring among many notable others work by Charlie Spademan, Gwen CharlesJeanne Brasile, Josh Knoblick, Judi Tavill, Kasia Skorynkiewicz, Charlee Swanson, Lauren VroegindeweyKristin J. DeAngelis, Michael Angelo, Richard GainesSuzan GlobusVikki MichaliosA.V. RyanDonna Conklin King, Anna Ehrsam, and Doris Cacoilo. In our interview curator D. Kessinger sheds some light on her curatorial vision.

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The Philosophy of Physical Existence at Tutu Gallery

A room with a fireplace and a rug

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Installation view of Gentle Mist group exhibition at the Tutu Gallery, Photo Credit: Yulin Gu and Yuhan Shen

The exhibition titled Gentle Mist at the Tutu Gallery in Brooklyn could be mistaken for primarily being idea-driven, in which case the ideas precede artwork production, along the lines of artists working with clarity of vision, such as the Conceptual artist Sol Lewitt and the Minimalist artists Tony Smith and Robert Morris. However, upon closer examination of the works by this group of New York and Baltimore artists, we realize that the makers of the art objects are more intuitively engaged with their art. There is a great deal of trial and error and improvisation in the creative process, and the ideation and production processes integrate up into a complex maneuver or dance.

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Travelers, Liars, Thieves at Garrison

Photo Story
A group of white bears statues

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David Packer, Bears that Dance, ceramic with glaze, each 12” high approx, 2024

The three-person show Travelers, Liars, Thieves at Garrison presents the work of artists Margaret Lanzetta, David Packer, and Niki Lederer, who also curated the exhibition. Margaret Lanzetta’s paintings, crafted with acrylic on satin, cotton bedsheets, and sari fabric, explore the fusion of decorative traditions from various cultures, reflecting interconnectedness between cultural and political narratives. Niki Lederer’s artwork, made from repurposed discarded materials such as umbrella canopies and nylon threads, highlights environmental concerns. David Packer’s bear sculptures serve as a metaphor for personal, economic, and political upheavals. Collectively, the three artists re-imagine the world with united boundaries, new environmentalism, and migrating identities.

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A Tribute to Friendship at the Reinstitute

Photo Story
Installation view

Through their group show at Re Institute, Julia Kunin, Barbara Zucker, Meg Lipke, Catherine Hall, and Joanne Howard reflect on how a supportive community and friendship nourish the often solitary act of creating art. Their lives have intersected over many years, and their approach to art cross-pollinates on multiple levels.

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Over-Compression in Ridgewood Open Studios, curated by Eunice Chen

featured exhibition
Image Courtesy by Rocio Segura

Over-Compression, a group show featured in Ridgewood Open Studios, is the culmination of Eunice Chen Yuyue’s curator-in-residence program at Level Gallery, supported by Rockella Space. From February to April 2024, Eunice visited over 20 artists in their studios at One Eyed Studios and Brown Bear Studios. The exhibition highlights the work of Brooklyn and Queens artists, including Christine Abraham, Luis Aguilera, Britt Harrison, Ben Blaustein, Alexander Brewington, Sir, King David, Karryl Eugene, Yunierki Felix, Joe Gray, Kristen Heritage, Jason Karolak, Teddy Lane, Sheila Lanham, Sfera Louis, Spencer Patrick, Jean Rim, Alejandra Rojas, Chimera Singer, Md Tokon, and Amanda Valle. Over-Compression is displayed across five galleries at One Eyed Studios, running from May 3rd to May 19th, 2024.

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Behind the Mask: Women Welders at the Culture Lab LIC

Featured Exhibition
Installation view, photo courtesy of Janet Rutkowski

At Culture Lab LIC in Queens, NY, the exhibition Behind the Mask: The Art of Women Welders, curated by Janet Rutkowski and Karen Kettering Dimit, is transforming perceptions of welding as a male-dominated field. Running until April 28, 2024, the show highlights the contributions and creativity of women in welding, with over 50 artworks by 30 artists.

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Among Friends

In Conversation
Co Curators of Among Friends, 2018, 2019, 2022

In the summer of 2017, Beth Dary and Patricia Fabricant visited the Museum of Modern Art to see the Robert Rauschenberg show Among Friends. As they were looking at the exhibition, they separated and later found each other at the installation of Hiccups, which consisted of ninety-seven sheets of handmade paper with original Xerox transfer collages zipped together. “At that moment, we both had the same thought—we could hand out zipper papers to our friends to create a great collaborative show,” they recall. Patty had been simultaneously talking with Alexandra Rutsch Brock, who was similarly inspired by Hiccups and had even gone so far as purchasing some zippers. They reached out to their friend groups, and it took off from there. “We had no idea how it would turn out, but we knew it would be a fun adventure,” the co-curators say. Since this art project initiative started during the Trump administration, when women’s rights were under attack. it was important for them to include a charitable component such as Planned Parenthood.

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