Daniel Larkin

Post image for What Does it Mean to Win in Video Game Art?

Until this Thursday, an arcade of interactive artistic video games is up at Postmaster’s Gallery in Chelsea. This mix of lo-fi and hi-res graphics, raw exposed circuit boards and games with clever gotcha moments, was a jolt of quirky joy on a cold Saturday afternoon.

Continue Reading >>

Post image for Boogieing Back to the 60s at Williamsburg 2nd Friday

Are the 60s still cool? Williamsburg says yes. This month’s 2nd Friday event convinced me that some things will never go out of style. For example, hot chocolate from Ella Cafe on a crisp November evening and the light sweet taste of cotton candy, thanks to the boutique and gallery Cotton Candy Machine. It also persuaded me that Williamsburg has a foot remaining in the 1960s. And it’s not just because everyone is wearing bull-horn black glasses.

Continue Reading >>

Museums

Traveling the Visual Highway

by Daniel Larkin on November 16, 2011

Post image for Traveling the Visual Highway

Day trips beyond New York City for visual art can feel decadent, especially with all the spectacular shows we don’t have time to see. And although it might be a small hassle to get there, the Brant Foundation’s current solo show of David Altmejd is really worth every minute of the trip to Greenwich, Connecticut. With his hallucinogenic and kaleidoscopic aesthetic, Altmejd also seems to be asking viewers to take a trip.

Continue Reading >>

Galleries

Monster Madness on Beat Night

by Daniel Larkin on November 3, 2011

Post image for Monster Madness on Beat Night

Picture it: a skeleton with a keen eye for color paints a Zombie-pin-up-girl with severe angular outlines against a cartoonish background. What is it? It’s Ryan Ford’s “Humanary Stew” (2011) at Factory Fresh, and it proclaims the talent of the undead. This comic scene is the perfect introduction to some intriguing new work on view in Bushwick this month.

Continue Reading >>

Post image for How Leonardo Went Viral and Other Classic Hilarity

A humorous show, Infinite Jest: Caricature and Satire from Leonardo to Levine, chronicling the history of caricature just opened at the Metropolitan Museum. It courageously mounts numerous prints and drawings that are unabashedly ribald, biting and comic.

Continue Reading >>

Street

An Initial Reaction to the WTC Waterfalls

by Daniel Larkin on September 12, 2011

Post image for An Initial Reaction to the WTC Waterfalls

Waterfalls now cascade and soothe at Ground Zero. Actually, the word “ground zero” may soon wither into an anachronism because the new memorial is a stunning work of art in its own right.

Continue Reading >>

Galleries

Making Art from WTC Dust

by Daniel Larkin on September 9, 2011

Post image for Making Art from WTC Dust

Xu Bing collected and saved the dust from the obliterated World Trade Center. Ten years later, this preserved dust is the centerpiece of a temporary art installation inside an empty storefront near Madison Square Park.

Continue Reading >>

Museums

Is the Color Gray Doomed?

by Daniel Larkin on August 16, 2011

Post image for Is the Color Gray Doomed?

On August 6, The Painting Center closed its summer show devoted to gray, Grey Matter. I guess it shouldn’t be any surprise that the show wasn’t widely reviewed as a summer blockbuster. It didn’t have nearly enough color for that.

Continue Reading >>

Post image for Understatement Surrounds City Hall

City Hall Park is an excellent venue for Sol Lewitt’s sculptures. In the white cube, the problem is that the artist’s three dimensional structures can blend in precariously well with the similarly minimal geometric space, camouflaging their distinctiveness from the viewer. It is good to see Lewitt’s work contrasted with the park’s lush greens and lavish beaux arts architecture. In this context, his works appear like precious and unique islands of understatement.

Continue Reading >>

Post image for Tribeca Film Fest Special: In Saint Laurent Film, Opposites Attract

When fashion impresario Yves Saint Laurent was once asked to name his favorite poet, he paused for a moment, smiled and spoke Pierre Bergé’s name in a soft tone. This “poet” was the designer’s devoted companion for over fifty years. He was also the impresario that ran the logistics of the Yves St. Laurent Couture House from day one in 1961 until its final bow in 2002. But his was probably his knack for finding the right word at the right time that enabled both their business and romance to last.

Continue Reading >>