Contemporary Art and Culture
During the slow and hot month of August, Art still thrives through ChaShaMa in unexpected places around midtown. ChaShaMa – a nonprofit organization that provides studio and exhibition spaces for artists in midtown real estate and other venues throughout the five boroughs – empowers unique and surprising opportunities for installations across the City.
Continue reading “Art Spiel Picks: Midtown Exhibitions in August 2024”
This August in Philly, there are some unexpected gems in what is a typically quieter art season. If you want to experience artwork that recasts the familiar in fantastical ways, spend time at Paradigm Gallery + Studio in Old City with Megan Rea’s reimaginings of Italian frescos. North of the city, at the Woodmere Art Museum, the 82nd Annual Juried Exhibition showcases exceptional Philadelphia artists meditating on what it means to “belong.” Finally, the Institute of Contemporary Art in University City presents an emotionally intense video and photography installation by Polish artist Joanna Piotrowska.
Continue reading “Art Spiel Picks: Philly Exhibitions in August 2024”
Jan Dickey moved to New York City during the pandemic by way of Hawaiʻi, where he completed his MFA from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In New York, he has shown his paintings at My Pet Ram, D.D.D.D., and Below Grand gallery among other locations. Recently he completed a materials-based residency at the Sam and Adele Golden Foundation (2023) and this interview seeks to delve deeper into his unique use of hand-mixed natural painting mediums like rabbit skin glue, casein, egg tempera, and oil paint. Currently he has an exhibition of new work at Bob’s Gallery, an experimental space in Bushwick: “The Generations” on through August 18th, 2024. Dickey is also the newest member of Artcake, an art center in Sunset Park that provides artists with affordable studio spaces and artistic programming.
Continue reading “Jan Dickey with Amanda Millet-Sorsa”
August in LA may be the hottest month of the year, but definitely not so hot for the art scene. Still, while many choose to spend the month traveling, some of the most unconventional and interesting spaces in town are putting up excellent summer shows that gather a lively crowd for their openings. Some standouts are Make Room, La Loma Projects, and Track16.
Continue reading “Art Spiel Picks: Los Angeles Summer Group Exhibitions”
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”
August is the height of summer and a great time to see art. The city is quieter and less crowded (I went to the First Friday openings and actually got to talk to people AND look at the art!) and the satellite exhibitions throughout the region are exceptional. Museums and galleries continue to host dynamic summertime events and there’s still a calendar full of community festivals and block parties that will highlight some of Boston’s most talented artists. Here are a few shows to have on your radar as you travel in and around the Boston area this month.
Continue reading “Art Spiel Picks: Boston Exhibitions in August 2024”
August in New York is nothing without its heat waves and epic weather. While many escape the city, there are lots of wonderful gems to behold. Here are some cool current exhibitions not to miss downtown that will bring some good energy on those hot days.
Continue reading “Art Spiel Picks: LES in August 2024”A. E Chapman with Magdalena Dukiewicz, Bang Geul Han, and Georgia Lale
UNCOMMITTED at Stand4 focuses on civic literacy, engagement, and social matters which affect and reflect the daily lives of folks within Bay Ridge. This local lens also overlaps with national issues surrounding the 2024 presidential election. In particular, these artists examine concerns related to health care, migration, conflict, tensions between state and federal voting rights, the role of technology, surveillance, and advocacy. Art Spiel invited the curator of the show, A.E. Chapman, to elaborate on these concerns and their relevance within each of their works in the exhibition.
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I’ve been following Erika Ranee’s work since the mid-90s after I saw a handful of her works in person throughout a collector’s home. I recall a few key elements from that earlier work: medium to large scale, painted using a poured technique, and figurative or rather stenciled elements like references of figures and faces. Early on, Ranee’s work recalled a similarity to Donald Baechler’s. Think of a series of expressively painted applications layered upon one another and then codifying with a silhouette or stenciled image atop the coated process. I lost track of Ranee’s work for over a decade, then I came across it when she had a studio at The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Program in 2011. I’ve been following her work and have had the pleasure of seeing it evolve steadily. Since my first encounter with the work, she has done away with a direct reference to figuration and seems to use titles to locate outside influences. Her work has grown, and her career is blossoming.
Continue reading “Erika Ranee: Feelings at Duck Creek”
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?”