Pittsburgh – Art Spiel

May 4, 2022May 4, 2022, by Etty Yaniv

Natalie Westbrook: Faces at Zynka

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Natalie Westbrook’s exhibition at ZYNKA Gallery in Pittsburgh features new paintings on canvas and drawings on paper. Westbrook depicts faces as thick lines immersed in saturated hot pinks, greens or monochrome gradations—altogether fluctuating between the monstrous and the angelic, the scary and the pathetic. Sometimes they are solitary and sometimes they indicate twins or perhaps a fragmented self. In her catalogue essay on Natalie Westbrook’s work, Larissa Pham observes that Faces “come for you, leering, grinning, mouths a garish lipsticked rictus of joy, embedded flat against the canvas, their features seeming to emerge from the psychological fabric of the painting itself.”

May 19, 2021May 12, 2021, by Etty Yaniv

Natalie Westbrook: Surface Tension at Freight + Volume

In Dialogue with Natalie Westbrook

Natalie Westbrook in her studio, 2021.Image courtesy the artist. Photography Johannes DeYoung.

The Pittsburgh based painter Natalie Westbrook’s solo show at Freight + Volume in Tribeca features her recent body of bold and highly energetic paintings ranging from monochromes to vivid colors. Jeffrey Grunthaner writes in his essay for the show that Westbrook’s works “confront the limits of what painting makes possible.” The show runs from May 21^st to June 26^th, 2021.

May 3, 2020May 1, 2020, by Etty Yaniv

Artists on Coping: Tom Sarver

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

*Tom Sarver with paintings from his 2019 series. Opening of Pretty Ugly at James Gallery, Pittsburgh.*

Tom Sarver uses an array of approaches, including puppetry, events and site-specific installation to explore social issues and social interactions. His work is often inspired by life in Pittsburgh, where he lives and works. He has been featured in several projects at the Mattress Factory, including an installation in a row house that he occupied for two years. His work in puppetry was featured in Paulina Olowska’s installation at the 2013 Carnegie International. His Art Olympics event series featured live-action art making and community interaction at venues throughout Pittsburgh. He is currently working on a drawing series documenting Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods.

April 5, 2020April 5, 2020, by Melissa Stern

Artists on Coping: Vito Desalvo

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

:untitled folder:Simple PsychoMS.jpg — Simple Pyscho- Vito Desalvo

Can we ever really know another person? I ask myself that frequently when thinking of the great Vito Desalvo. Though I have known Vito for nearly 60 years, he is still an enigma to me. A huge fan of his work, I tentatively approached Desalvo about this interview. He demanded a carton of cigarettes in return for sharing his thoughts. I then turned to his friend and colleague Stan Klein who graciously agreed to approach the inscrutable Desalvo on my behalf. The following is the result.