Notice: Function WP_Object_Cache::add was called incorrectly. Cache key must not be an empty string. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.1.0.) in /www/artspiel_344/public/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131

Las Gravitas at ODETTA

Photos by Sharilyn Neidhardt, unless otherwise indicated
A show of swirling color and geometry finds ways to discuss complicated issues of violence and social collapse.

What drew me to ODETTA on a very chilly Saturday were the colorful, pagoda-like structures in the main space. Human-scale structures that echo lanterns or birdcages are covered in awkward spiky garlands of colored plastic tubes. The festive air created by the riot of bright color seems fun at first, and it’s only on second inspection that a viewer realizes the color is coming from spent shotgun shells.

Margaret Roleke, ‘pop pop’ (installation view) spent shot gun shells, wire, zipties, steel boxes. 2 boxes each approx. 9’h x 5’w x 5’d

Continue reading “Las Gravitas at ODETTA”

Sarah Bednarek – ChiChi DooDad

In her sculptures Sarah Bednarek refers to minimalism with humor and love. She  turns minimalism’s aesthetics on its head – utilizing  minimalist language of precision to highlight the chaotic and unexpected . Her sculptures are on a human scale – witty and  visceral through playful material and form.  Bednarek shares with Art Spiel some insight on her life and her recent exhibition, ChiChi DooDad at Tiger Strikes Asteroid New York.

Sarah Bednarek, Hi There, 2018, mdf, velvet, paint, 33 x 68 x 10 in. , photo Courtesy of Yael Eban

Continue reading “Sarah Bednarek – ChiChi DooDad”

A Visit With Jaynie Crimmins

All photos by Catherine Kirkpatrick
Jaynie Gillman Crimmins in her studio

Just inside Jaynie Gillman Crimmins studio is a small table with a mirror, a piece of coral, and jar of shells. By the time you leave, you understand what they say about her inspiration and concerns. But they’re quickly forgotten as you go further, encounter the artist’s work and fall under its spell. Continue reading “A Visit With Jaynie Crimmins”

Austin Thomas – Lots of little things at LABspace

All images: Austin Thomas collages, photographed by the author

 

Austin Thomas’s drawings, Lots of little things, currently on view at LABspace, a small gallery in a tiny town, are diminutive in size but vast in scope.  Arranged in three irregular rows on one wall, these forty-odd drawings offer the viewer enough to look at for several hours.  I have been to the show three times and was sorry to leave each time. They seem to display almost everything drawing can be.
Continue reading “Austin Thomas – Lots of little things at LABspace”

Strange Girls at Garvey Simon

Artist Melissa Stern says that the chance to work with dancer Louisa Pancoast on their Strange Girls Dance project at Garvey / Simon was a wonderful bit of serendipity. They met at exactly the right time. Pancoast is the Assistant Director of Garvey Simon Gallery, but her real  passion is dance. “She is a gifted dancer and choreographer,” says Stern.

Melissa Stern, Clay, wood, resin, paint. 34 x 12 x 7 inches. 2018 Continue reading “Strange Girls at Garvey Simon”

Elisa Jensen: Gazing Inward

Elisa Jensen‘s imagery draws upon pre-historic narratives – ancient  rock art scattered in pristine Irish landscapes, a Danish bog person  sacrificed during the Iron age, or stone age burial mounds spotted in a Danish island.  Her paintings and sculptures bring to mind mysterious rites and myths salvaged from a forgotten ancient past or perhaps from the depth of our collective unconscious memory.  In her interview for Art Spiel Jensen shares some thoughts on her process, imagery, and context.

Elisa Jensen , Gold Boat detail, 2018, self drying clay, acrylic paint, gold leaf 2 x 7 inches, photo by Apiwich

Continue reading “Elisa Jensen: Gazing Inward”

Nancy Cohen – One Substance from the Start

Nancy Cohen‘s sensibility for the ephemeral is evident throughout her wide range of forms – from small sculptural pieces to large scale room installations. With fluid agility she utilizes diverse material such as glass, paper, rubber, and ceramics, to form a thematically rigorous body of work – both visceral and inquisitive. The artist shares with Art Spiel some of her ideas on process, use of material, themes, and projects.

Nancy Cohen, Merge, 2018, Handmade paper, 81 x 68 inches, photo courtesy of Edward Fausty

Continue reading “Nancy Cohen – One Substance from the Start”

Paint, Film, Thread: Three Current Shows

By Nina Meledandri

All Photos courtesy of Nina Meledandri

 

Louise Bourgeois, Sutures, 1993, Mixed Media

When an exhibition feeds you, enlightens you, or centers you, it remains with you. Each of the three shows below resonate with me for very different reasons and collectively they create a rich and thought provoking reminder of why we look at art.

Sutures at Mark Straus Gallery presents works which rely in some way on fabric, thread, weaving and/or sewing. The title is shared with one of the show’s focal points: a Louise Bourgeois sculpture, that is itself worth the visit. Continue reading “Paint, Film, Thread: Three Current Shows”

Katya Grokhovsky’s Rigorous Play

Katya Grokhovsky‘s performances and sculptural works embody raw energy fueled by her rigorous and uncompromising process. Grokhovsky’s work is  extreme, fearless, cohesive, and ambitious. With great agility she combines media like performance, video, drawing, and sculpture to create immersive environments that delve us deep into a chaotic unknown – the complexity of self, the duplicity of social norms, the twilight  zones of life and art. In this interview for Art Spiel Grokhovsky elaborates on her impetus, ideas, and projects as a prolific artist and curator.

Katya Grokhovsky,Bad Woman, 2017, video still

Continue reading “Katya Grokhovsky’s Rigorous Play”