Art Spiel Stew
We visited SPRING/BREAK Art Show in its new location in lower Manhattan on Varick St. We went independently, and then got together afterward to discuss our impressions of the fair, and the highlights we came away with. We have ruminated on possible trends and strong impressions that stayed with us long after the fair. Even though it has been almost a month past Spring Break Art Fair, the highlights resonated with us.
Y.A. What do you think of the new venue? I liked it much better because this location is easier to get to than the uptown spaces of previous years. I also liked the colorful carpeting and lighting in this space so much more. The natural light coming in some spaces was also a draw. The layout was a little confusing though, I felt. But overall, I liked the presentation a lot.
A.S. This reminds me of the earlier venue they had in TimesSquare. I think this clean cut venue suits the work better. I like the aesthetic of the unused sterile office building in contrast to the artwork.
Y.A.: I think you and I were in agreement overall about the booths that resonated with us most. My first encounter was with the Teleportal room, which I loved as a collective installation of works. I also appreciated that each artist met through a virtual sphere and created a collective of sorts, and the idea of showing work together evolved from there. It all flowed so organically in the space, which felt like a great extension of the premise of the project. The shifting across media, from neon, to wearable art and performance, to sculpture and video was done in a savvy way that worked seamlessly.
A.S.: I agree the online collaboration between the five artists is a pretty unique concept, and I think it manifests beautifully in the exhibition booth. This particular booth also is very much in the spirit of the gritty SpringBreak fair that we all know. This installation by 3RD SPACE is also very immersive and unlike some other spaces in this year’s fair, holds the viewer engaged for a long time. Just like you mentioned, the seamless transitions from painting to neon lights to video and overall atmosphere created by color in the room allow us as viewers to experience what the artists have been working on since 2021.
Y.A.: Michelle Jaslow and Jack Lahav worked their space beautifully, with colorful accents that lent an understated and elegant backdrop to Lahav’s paintings. They really brought it and did great things with the quality of the work and the intentional punctuations of color. That was another strong showing.
A.S.: This was one of my favorite booths partly because the work was so playful. The whimsy behind Lahav’s paintings that are centered around parental anxiety are a nice juxtaposition between the fun and the terrifying. The playfully colorful monster heads on the opposite wall accentuate that feeling even more. Perhaps my favorite piece is his self-portrait right outside of the booth with flowers adorning his head, a wild expression on his face and a shadow creeping up behind him.
Y.A.: I thought Erin Fostel’s use of charcoal on muslin and film was smart and effective in the booth curated by Sarah Perone. There was such a beautiful and deft handling of material and subject matter. The result was hauntingly beautiful and it lent a deeply nostalgic resonance. I was a fan of all the work, and the 1960’s colored frames adorning the smaller works as well.
A.S.: These were such delicate pieces, reflecting on light and shadow and just the pleasure and beauty of observation. I also found that the installation was quite clever with the reflection of light from the windows of the artist studio painted very lightly on the walls of the booth bringing the feeling of the studio into the viewer’s experience.
Y.A.: Jacob Rhodes’ curation of Terra Keck’s work emulated ethereality. The darkened room with the backlit glow surrounding the individual world created intriguing halos that framed the paintings in such a nice dreamy, hazy installation. It felt reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts written by celestial beings. I felt like I was privy to some alternate realm, which fit the concept very well.
A.S.: Ethereality is a very poignant word here. It definitely felt otherworldly and very clean and neat, almost polite. Speaking of neat and polite, I found that this year there was quite a lot of micro realistic painting and drawing that was beautifully rendered. In particular the booth that was curated by Fay Ku and included some of her work on mylar and small panels.
Y.A.: The cave booth was also an awesome addition to the fair. It felt like a welcome connection to the days when Spring/Break used to be at the post office.The drawings by Faye Ku and Samuel Evensen were thoughtful pairings with Chip McCall’s sculptures. The installation possessed a magical quality that endured long after the fair concluded. I really appreciate how each artist transformed the space into a place of excitement and inquiry. The embracing of the strange and surreal hit the right notes for me, and embodied the spirit of artists doing what they do best; which is etch their marks in the mundanity of daily life. This was a high point of the fair.
A.S.: It was definitely a great curation, and I appreciate how it would float organically into the hallway installation of mostly drawings.
Y.A.: I was a big fan of how All Street curated its space that focused on the work of artist Aleksandra Dougal. Even on an overcast day, the room was brimming with natural light, which highlighted the beauty of the paintings. This space balanced the energy and grit of the city with the butcher-papered floors and the cinder block pedestals upon which the paintings were placed. I also liked the ad-hoc curtain that filled much of the window space. This was easily a favorite of mine, because it came in with fierce originality and intent. It’s D.I.Y. aesthetic centered the magnificence of the paintings in an understated way, and the feel of the studio felt ever-present. This was a solid presentation in originality and execution.
A.S.: That space was a painter’s dream! The gorgeous light definitely added to the essence of the installation and it felt like I was walking into a working artist studio. I really enjoyed the work; Aleksandra Dougal’s paintings are all about light and experiencing the space and this particular installation could not have been better.
Y.A.: You and I were also both enamored with the Nickerson Projects booth. Ashley Addair’s work was messy, intuitive, and delightful. I really enjoyed how there was an embracing of the space by blending the odd wires coming out of the wall into the work, as well as not attempting to conceal the projector by simply putting it in full view in the tent. That was a dynamic presentation that stayed with me.
A.S.: Nickerson Projects booth featuring work by Ashley Addair was very authentically in the spirit of Spring Break. It was gritty and raw, yet had elegance in the way all the materials came together. I love the transcendence between paintings, installation, and sculpture. Overall I think this booth, Bobby Anspach Studios Foundation booth, 3RD SPACE’s installation and of course the ode to the grandma in Lauren Wolchik’s booth stuck to the original expectations of Spring Break Art Fair, full of raw experimental energy and the slightly absurd.
@springbreakartshow @radarcurator @jaclahav @jacobrhodes74 @fay.my @bob.jon.bovi @samuelevensen @all.st.nyc @ali_dougal @nickersonprojects @herlovelyface @erinfostel @snaretrap
About the writers:
Yasmeen Abdallah is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, curator and educator examining history, contemporary culture, materiality, reuse, memory, and space. She has been a visiting and teaching artist at institutions including New Museum; Pratt Institute; Sarah Lawrence College; Residency Unlimited; BRIC; Kean University; Parsons; Columbia University; Children’s Museum of NYC; El Barrio Artspace; Fairleigh Dickinson; and University of Massachusetts. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology (focus in Historical Archaeology) and in Studio Art with honors, with a Minor in Women’s & Gender Studies from University of Massachusetts; and received an MFA in Fine Arts, with distinction, from Pratt Institute. Exhibitions include Art in Odd Places; the Boiler; Bronx Art Space; Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center; Cornell University; Ed Varie; Elizabeth Foundation; Nars Foundation; Open Source; Pratt Institute; PS122 Gallery; Spring Break; University of Massachusetts; and Westbeth. Publications include Anthropology of Consciousness; Ante Art; Art Observed; Bust Magazine; Emergency Index; Hyperallergic; Papergirl Brooklyn; Free City Radio; Radio Alhara; Tussle Magazine; the Urban Activist; and Transborder Art. Her work is in public, private, and traveling collections in the U.S. and abroad. @86cherrycherry
Anna Shukeylo is an artist, writer, educator, and curator working and living in the New York Metropolitan area. She has written for Artcritical, Painters on Painting, and ArtSpiel. Her paintings have been exhibited in solo exhibitions at Kean University, NJ, Manchester University, IN, and in group shows at Auxier/Kline, Equity Gallery, Stay Home Gallery, among others. @annashukelo