Kanad Chakrabarti: Sites of Exchange

Kanad Chakrabarti in front of his installation  Derivative Work (Clifford Torus) (2014-2018), installation shot, mixed media, Photo courtesy of  Etty Yaniv

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”

OnEdge at The Painting Center

Audrey Stone, Double Pour

OnEdge” at The Painting Center features ten contemporary painters who interpret the notion of ‘edge’ in their abstract paintings, conversing with mid-20th century abstraction sensibilities like Op Art and Washington Color, or early Mondrian.  Patrick Burns, Anthony Falcetta, Astrid Fitzgerald, Lori Glavin, Celia Johnson, Julie Karabenick, Richard Keen, Scot Sinclair, Audrey Stone, and Jennifer Woolcock-Schwartz  explore the tension between separation and union with color and line.  In her curatorial note,  Susan Post says that the shift between separation and union triggers the sensation of being ‘on edge’ – a prevalent state of mind at the moment.  Continue reading “OnEdge at The Painting Center”

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”

Quotidian Metamorphosis at the Rockland Center for the Arts

As part of their Spring exhibits addressing Climate Change, The Rockland Center for the Arts features three exhibitions – two solo shows: Quotidian Metamorphosis featuring works by Jaynie Crimmins  and Aqueous Remains  featuring  Aurora Robson as well as The Tipping Point, a group show featuring J. Henry Fair, David Maisel, Alison Moritsugu, Richard Parrish, and Jill Pelto.

Jaynie Crimmins, Accumulations #4 , 12” x 12” x 12”D,  shredded household mail, thread over armature mounted on wood, 2016, photo courtesy of Cibele Vieira

Continue reading “Quotidian Metamorphosis at the Rockland Center for the Arts”

Meet the artists at Wave Hill’s Open Studios

Tamara Kostianovsky, trunk 4. photo courtesy of the artist

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”

Then She Did at The Plaxall Gallery

Allison Sommers, photo courtesy of the artist

The mixed media exhibition “Then She Did” at Plaxall aims to speak instead of shout, invite discussion instead of criticism. It presents diverse approaches on sexuality, strength, femininity, independence, support,  societal norms and roles, methodology, art, and activism.  Curators Lori Zimmer and Melissa McCaig-Welles  say that the featured artists  Alexandra Momin, Alice Mizrachi, Alison Mosshart, Allison Sommers, Audrey Dimola, Caitlin Harris, Chinon Maria, Elizabeth Winnel, Indie 184, Janette Beckman, Joanne Leah, Karen Dimit, Kathryn Rose, Katrina del Mar, Kendra Heisler, Lady Pink, Marne Lucas, Paola Martinez, Queen Andrea, Rebecca Reeve, Swoon, Vahge and Vicky Barranguet  choose who they want to be,  how they want to think, and how they want to influence others. They take us on a journey through the personal revolutions of everyday women in America, whose diverse methods and beliefs are only stronger when unified.  Continue reading “Then She Did at The Plaxall Gallery”

Cultivate Your Own Garden at the Painting Center

Ashley Garrett, No Exit
Ashley Garrett, photo courtesy of the artist

The exhibition “Cultivate Your Own Garden” curated by Patricia Spergel and Shazzi Thomas at the Painting Center features artworks by twelve contemporary artists whose work references garden and landscape in diverse sensibilities – traditional observational painting, narrative paintings with subtle political commentary, and paintings that lean more towards abstraction.  Cecile Chong, Elisabeth Condon, Daniel Dallmann, Carlo D’Anselmi, Lois Dodd, Ashley Garrett, Xico Greenwald, Eric Holzman, Wolf Kahn, Judith Linhares, Carol March and Ruth Miller all share in their work a love for nature, paint, and rigor in transmitting that passion. Continue reading “Cultivate Your Own Garden at the Painting Center”

Planet Ax4+1 at David&Schweitzer Contemporary

Planet Ax4+1, Installation overview
Planet Ax4+1, Installation overview

Concern with Climate Change and how it impinges on our planet links the five artists featured in the impressive sculpture show at David&Schweitzer. Running the gamut from minimalist to narrative sensibilities and from found objects to fabricated materials, the sculptures created by Ruth Hardinger, Babs Reingold, Rebecca Smith, Kelin Perry, and Christy Rupp, engage the space in juxtaposition to one another – visually situating the overall exhibition at the intersection of natural history and archaeological excavation, thematically layered and at times poetic. The artworks in the show refer to the underground, trees, atmosphere, underwater, and animals- each of the individual parts that is essential for life on Earth. Continue reading “Planet Ax4+1 at David&Schweitzer Contemporary”