ArtRx NYC

Lynne Tillman as Madame Realism

When: Tuesday November 22, 7pm
Where: 192 Books (192 Tenth Ave, Chelsea, Manhattan)

Writing about art can sometimes feel like writing fiction: you search for the characters, the underlying story, and translate images and feelings into words. For Lynne Tillman, art criticism has always been a form of storytelling; she writes in the third person, through the perspective of an invented character named Madame Realism, whom Tillman claims sometimes “felt as if she just didn’t exist.” Semiotext(e)/ Native Agents has just published The Complete Madame Realism and Other Stories, which collects some of Tillman’s other work that borders on fiction and essay. Much like her character, Tillman is eloquent, expressive, and has a sharp sense of humor, and it should be a pleasure to hear at the launch at 192 Books. —EWA

What Is a World Without Work?

When: Tuesday, November 22, 7–9pm
Where: Miguel Abreu Gallery (88 Eldridge Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan)

Postcapitalism. Late Capitalism. These terms are bandied around all the time. Both insinuate that capitalism is coming to an end — but if that’s true, then what comes next? What form should a fairer future take?Tonight, authors Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams will discuss their book Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work with philosopher Alain Badiou. The book traces the rise of the right, while critiquing the left for its failure to proffer an alternative to neoliberalism. Inventing the Future‘s core ideas are compelling: the automation of work, reducing the working week, a generous universal income (a hotly contested issue), and the active diminishment of the work ethic. —TM

Dystopian Reality TV

When: Tuesday, November 22, 7:45pm
Where: NURTUREArt (56 Bogart Street, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

In The Myth of Layla, audience members are participants in a new reality show, Activists in Sexy Solidarity (ASS), which is the creation of The Network, a “big-brother media conglomerate” that also happens to run the national government. Their co-star is Layla, an Iranian-American activist dreamt up and played by the artist Amy Khoshbin, who started working on this performance before the election of Donald Trump; now it feels even more frightening and timely. —JS

Still from Martin Arnold, “Haunted House” (2016) (courtesy Pioneer Works)

Experimental Animation

When: Saturday, November 28, 5:30pm
Where: Pioneer Works (159 Pioneer Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn)

You could let the multiple helpings of turkey, stuffing, and pie you’re about to eat this week settle in while binging episodes of Black Mirror — but Pioneer Works is hosting a festival of experimental animation that will be well worth a trip from your couch. Eyeworks this year presents about two dozen videos that span the classic to the contemporary, from artists of a variety of backgrounds, from Austria to America — although, somewhat unsurprisingly, Japan is heavily represented. Note that this is a night of animation, but adult content will pop up, so it’s better suited for those without responsibility for young relatives this holiday weekend. —CV

Sontag at the Camera

When: Saturday, November 26, 2pm & 6pm; Sunday, November 27, 4:30pm
Where: Metrograph (7 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan)

Susan Sontag’s only documentary, Promised Lands, was filmed during and immediately after 1973’s Arab-Israeli war. It unflinchingly captures the ravages of the three-week conflict, from wrecked military vehicles and scorched bodies to freshly dug graves. Shot in a spare, observational style, it juxtaposes traces of the conflict, commentary from Israeli intellectuals and officials, and scenes of daily life in both Israel and Palestine. In other words, it’s ideal fare for those families that can’t choose between Moana and Bad Santa 2 for their Thanksgiving weekend movie. —BS

Thinking of American Indians on Thanksgiving

When: Sunday, November 27, 1–2pm
Where: National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green, Lower Manhattan)

Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with family and loved ones to eat copious amounts of food. It’s also a good time to stop and reflect on the fact that white colonizers did not “discover” the United States; they stole it from the people who were already living here (and continue to do so). After you’ve had your fill of pumpkin pie, spend an afternoon at the New York City branch of the National Museum of the American Indian, where a tour led by Museum Ambassador Ruth Rosenberg will introduce you to hundreds of Native art objects and artifacts, from cultures spanning North, Central, and South America. —JS

Negar Azimi on Tokenism

When: Monday, November 28, 6:30–8pm
Where: Vera List Center for Art and Politics (The New School, 66 West 12th Street, Union Square, Manhattan)

In this year’s AICA/USA Distinguished Critic Lecture, Bidoun senior editor Negar Azimi will delve into the issue of tokenism, taking up such questions as: “How do critics make sense of cultural difference? How to grapple with variance in language, experience, form, and format? What role does taste play? What of political histories hovering in the background?” These have been hovering over art criticism and discourse for some time now, and feel increasingly pressing today. Azimi should have some insightful answers. —JS

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With contributions by Elisa Wouk Almino, Tiernan Morgan, Benjamin Sutton, and Claire Voon