017. zen inspiration real
48 hours on the New York Art Week periphery.
There is a “New York Art Week,” similar to Fashion Week, during which many art fairs are held, galleries tend to open shows, and events are hosted at museums. It’s quieter than Fashion Week—there is no “street style” and the influx of people feels less dramatic than during September or February.
If you live in the city, you might not have even known that over the week/weekend, Frieze, Independent, NADA, TEFAF, Future Fair, and Esther art fairs were taking place in Manhattan. Money quietly transferring from wealthy patrons to galleries (albeit, more cautious, scant money than years past, thanks to our volatile global economy). Thank GOD Gagosian made some money off this Koons (supposedly around $3M), I was worried about them :’(
I have regrets. I wish I had gone to Independent, where many galleries I like had booths. Tickets were $35, on par with any museum in the city, but for that fee you could discover so many contemporary artists and small galleries.
I *did* go to Tribeca Gallery Night on Friday. While I waited for a friend, I had the most delicious brown sugar milk tea drink (clearly designed for teenagers) at HEYTEA. They had perhaps my favorite art of the night hovering blandly on the wall:
It was miserable weather but certain galleries on White Street were packed. I darted through the crowd at Grimm avoiding a former lover who is maybe unavoidable at these things. No more art guys, I told myself, as I retreated to James Fuentes next door.
The next day, my friend Courtney and I went to The Estonian House (delightful!) in Murray Hill (less so) for Esther II, an art fair featuring small galleries including some familiar NYC names (like Margot Samel) alongside unfamiliar names from all over the world. It was fun, free, and refreshingly not scene-y at all.
We took the 6 downtown to see the newly opened Salman Toor show at Luhring Augustine and I did a re-see of some things from the night before, including the hastily-viewed Louise Giovanelli at Grimm knockout.
I went to The Odeon for the second time in 24 hours and my friend mentioned making ramp pesto, which reminded me of
, who everyone should subscribe to and read:
So, here’s a rundown of everything I’d recommend seeing right now. There’s quite a lot going on and I PROMISE I will do some Chelsea/Uptown exploration this month because I WANT TO!
Pierre Huyghe at Marian Goodman (385 Broadway) - I actually want to write a longer thing about this because I found the viewing experience so startling and profound. If you’re interested science fiction, horror, robots, automation, “the liminal state in which the human is radically de-centered” (totally)… this one’s for you.
Emily Furr at Sargent’s Daughters (370 Broadway) - My friend (who likes way cooler, more hardcore art than me, like Huyghe above) was mixed on this show, but I really loved it. These paintings teeter on the edge of corniness, which is a sweet spot I happen to really enjoy. I think they are interesting, precise, and a fun assortment of NYC-skyscraper-worshipping paintings that would look way better than a black-and-white NYC skyline photograph in a finance bro’s apartment.
Karice Mitchell at Silke Lindner (350 Broadway) - Sexy and abstract, multidimensional, Mitchell’s work incorporates wall decals and zoomed in shots from Players Magazine. I love how tight and specific her visual language is—anyone who lived through the 90’s and early 2000’s can almost hear these works.
Louise Giovanelli at Grimm (54 White Street) - Often imitated, never duplicated. Giovanelli paints sparkles and pixels with an infectious affection that many of her blurry-figuration peers lack. The evidence of her fixation - in paintings of film scenes that are near-identical, maybe a few frames apart - demands a close look.
Bonus - you can buy posters of these film-inspired paintings via Metrograph, in small editions.
Salman Toor at Luhring Augustine (17 White Street) - I didn’t realize this show spans BOTH galleries so I am going to make a trip to Chelsea for round 2. I went to the Tribeca location. Toor’s work is pretty undeniable in my book—he just has that way with lines, it’s like looking at one of the old masters’ preparatory drawings or sketchbooks. These are rough and fast works on paper, which sometimes jumble into a surreal slurry of limbs, objects, caresses, and connections. My friend and I discussed that feeling when admiration turns to desire, when you go from appreciating a work to wanting to live with it in your house every day. These pieces certainly strike that chord, I am sure they will find loving homes.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Olivia Jia at Margot Samel (295 Church Street) - Beautiful small paintings for our “small paintings era.”
Turn (group show) at James Fuentes (52 White Street) - Highlights include Carol Bove, Ian Swordy, Alison Knowles. SCULPTURE!
