Westbeth Gallery – Art Spiel

May 21, 2026May 25, 2026, by Etty Yaniv

Still Abstract at 90: American Abstract Artists

American Abstract Artists turns 90 this year, an unusual achievement for an artist-run group. Its anniversary show, Abstract by Definition: An Index, opened in April at Art Cake in Brooklyn, curated by Saul Ostrow, who brought 88 current members together under a single roof: a curatorial puzzle, an organizational feat, and a long-running argument about what abstraction can be. A companion exhibition at D. Wigmore Fine Art on West 57th Street focuses on the group’s founders and work made between 1936 and 1950 and runs through July. Here, painter Jacob Cartwright, who serves as AAA’s Secretary, reflects on the group’s nomination-only structure, how a show this size actually comes together, and where he wants AAA to go next.

April 9, 2024April 9, 2024, by Etty Yaniv

Mind Leaves Body at Westbeth

A large room with art on display

Description automatically generated — Gallery partial view, main entrance

When Elisabeth Condon noticed an Open Call for a show at Westbeth, she immediately thought of artists Alyse Rosner and Susan Luss, whose process-oriented approach perfectly matched her vision for a collaborative project. They all agreed to come together, planning to let the installation unfold over four days, allowing their work to merge and shape the exhibition dynamics. Their setup process—discussing, reshaping, and improvising in the gallery—revealed more profound interconnections. The trio’s improvisational method produced an exciting viewing experience analogous to a live jazz ensemble with distinct leitmotifs.

June 1, 2020November 2, 2022, by Catherine Kirkpatrick

Artists on Coping: Meer Musa

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

*Meer Musa at his live-in studio in Washington Heights. Photo: Odvar Daley*

Meer Musa graduated from Parsons School of Design with a BFA in Communication Design and studied at the School of Visual Arts. He is a co-founder of Trans-cen-der Art Group, a monthly curated artist talk and slide-share event that takes place at Brooklyn Fire Proof. He has exhibited in the Luhring Augustine Gallery, NYC; Sikkema Jenkins & Co. NYC; ZieherSmith Gallery, NYC; Westbeth Gallery, NYC; The Border Project Space. Brooklyn; David and Schweitzer Contemporary Gallery, Brooklyn, among others. His art is inspired and deeply informed by people, nature, and spirituality.

April 20, 2020November 2, 2022, by Catherine Kirkpatrick

Artists on Coping: Diane Drescher

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

DD_Highline Hotel_adj.jpg — *Highline Hotel, 2018*

Diane Drescher‘s light filled landscapes straddle the line between traditional and modern. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and continued her art training at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Student’s League, and the National Academy in New York. A 10-year period of traveling to Europe to research design trends for fashion projects provided the opportunity to study the tradition of landscape painting in the museums of Paris and London. Inspired, she began refining her style using vivid colors, thick application of paint, and distinctive brushstrokes.

September 27, 2018November 15, 2020, by Etty Yaniv

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

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