029. Artmaxxing
Must-see, closing soon downtown...
I learned about Clavicular against my will a few weeks ago. Although it’s unpleasant, it’s probably important to understand what is going on with young men in America right now. Clavicular and his ilk are somewhat responsible for the “-maxxing” suffix proliferating internet speak. “Looksmaxxing” is their game. Smash the bones in your face to expand your jawline. Do hard drugs to stay lean. If you want to learn more about it, the Adam Friedland interview with Clavicular is probably the most palatable place to start (although none of it is really palatable).
On Saturday, I had a day I can only describe as “artmaxxed”. I’m talking about listening to music on the way to a film and swinging by a gallery after and sitting on a bench reading before going to a show in the evening. I’ve been flooding my mind and heart with as many mediums as I can access. I wouldn’t say it’s all a distraction, per se, but maybe it’s a bit of a response or counterbalance to reading the news and needing a reminder that humans are also capable of doing good things. Witnessing so much creation in the face of horrific destruction is a privilege I probably don’t deserve but will take advantage of anyways.
I ended up walking around East Village/Chinatown/Two Bridges to catch some shows I’d been meaning to see, then I met a friend for dinner and a performance by the Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s dance company, Rosas. I’m new to dance and trying to find some entry points via my friends who have been fans for decades. de Keersmaeker’s work has already had a profound impact on how I think about dance, performance, and movement (her seminal piece, Rosas Danst Rosas, linked here for your viewing pleasure). She has a distinct style that continues to expand and evolve over her decades-long career. It’s exciting to see her building on her own expressive language. Familiar controlled movements and tight rhythms giving way to some joyous, angry, unbridled outpouring of explosive dance. It was a really stunning show and if you ever get the chance to go to one of her performances, I highly recommend it.
Sharing below a few special things closing soon - hopefully you’re able to catch them while you can!
“Elemental Hours” & passerby archives at Sliphouse (246 East 5th Street - until 3/28) - a delightful group show featuring four very different painters on floors one and two, and all the way upstairs on the third floor, a selection of Clémence Poles’ photographs from 10 years of her Passerby interview series. I remember when Passerby first started and I would spend my lunch breaks during my internship at Glossier (the year the company launched!) poring over the website, reading interviews with women who seemed impossibly cool and interesting. It’s nice to see the photographs on display without text, printed, presented in a giant web, to fully appreciate Poles’ portraits, each one as special and intriguing as its subject.
The Greta Wallner painting on the second floor—the cherries—is also quite perfect.
“Subject Object” at Palo Gallery (21 East 3rd Street - until 3/28) - Curated by the gallery’s founder, Paul Henkel, “Subject Object” is centered around the topic of ambiguity. There is a lot of beautiful work in this room. A drawing by Vija Celmins I could stand in front of and study for hours, in her careful, obsessive style. A golden-hued, soft focus painting by Danny Sobor, whose work I’d love to see more of. A self portrait of Matvey Levenstein showing the artist in retreat, walking away or leading the way. A waxy-looking Yuwei Tu panel shows us a spine, tender and exposed.
Kate Hargrave at Karma (22 East 2nd Street - until 3/28) - this one is jaw-dropping. Hargrave’s paintings are complex arrangements of mostly nude women, children, angels, cherubs, babies, dogs, horses, cows situated as if onstage, acting out scenes of domestic and pastoral disarray. You don’t see paintings like this every day or even every year—combining classical technique and references with a modern knack for subtraction.
Hannah M. Brown at Hair and Nails (39 Henry Street - until 4/4) - I have a soft spot for drawing, my first love. There is something so deliciously SHARP and LUMINOUS in Brown’s work. Brilliant perspectives, compositions designed to keep the eye darting from place to place, unable to rest with so much that is fun to look at. Go see these and maybe buy one!
ENJOY SOME ART this weekend! xx