The Brooklyn Army Terminal is open of many spaces you can visit during this weekend’s Open House New York (photo by Joshua Bousel, via Flickr)
This week, more of our favorite annual fall events roll around, including the Art in Odd Places festival and the architecture and design–focused Open House New York. Otherwise, it’s an eclectic bunch, with discussions of new queer cinema, Vladimir Lenin’s relationship to Dada, and vernacular criticism; a celebration of the original 1913 Armory Show; and an examination of video remixes and mash-ups. The same as ever, New York keeps it interesting.
Another Abstract Painting Show
When: Opens Tuesday, October 8, 5–8 pm
Where: Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery, New Jersey City University (Hepburn Hall 323, 3rd floor, 2039 Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City)
It’s clear that abstract painting is undergoing something of a renaissance right now, but it’s not entirely clear why. Hyperallergic contributor Brendan Carroll has curated this group show, Out of Step, which begins with the question: “Given the new media of today — Internet art, generative software, digital projection mapping — why do artists continue to paint? And why do they continue to explore abstraction?” You’ll have to go to Jersey City to find some answers, but we bet it’ll be worth the trip.
Foundational Moments of New Queer Cinema
When: Tuesday, October 8, 6:30–8:30 pm
Where: Buell Hall, Columbia University (515 W 116th Street, Morningside Heights, Manhattan)
The story goes that film critic and professor B. Ruby Rich coined the term “new queer cinema” in a Village Voice article in 1992. Earlier this year she released a book on the topic, and tonight she’s celebrating the genre at Columbia University. Rich brings together filmmakers Sadie Benning, Rose Troche, and Stephen Winter, as well as scholar Amy Villarejo, to discuss where queer cinema’s been and where it’s at right now.
Dada + Lenin?
When: Tuesday, October 8, 7 pm ($5)
Where: Artists Space: Books & Talks (55 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan)
A curious fact of history: at the same time that Lenin, living in exile in Zurich, was preparing plans for a revolutionary Russia, just down the street, Dadaists were leading a nightly art revolt at the Cabaret Voltaire. Did the two have anything in common? Interested? Collecting years of research and thought, Rainer Ganahl has produced DadaLenin, a 600-plus-page comprehensive look into Lenin, the Dada artist. To celebrate the book’s launch, Artists Space is hosting a conversation between Rainer Ganahl and art historian Boris Groys. The [art] truth is out there. —JP
No Longer Empty Goes Solo
When: Opens Thursday, October 10, 6–8 pm
Where: 196 Stanton Street (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
No Longer Empty has been mounting thoughtful, site-specific group shows in abandoned public spaces since 2009. This week it inaugurates a new program, called NLE Presents, which will focus on solo exhibitions. The first one opens on Thursday, featuring the work of Israeli artist Jan Tichy. Tichy’s explorations of light through projection, video, and more should be a perfect and potentially eerie fit for a disused Lower East Side space.
Armory Show at 100
When: Opens Friday, October 11
Where: New-York Historical Society (170 Central Park West, Upper West Side, Manhattan)
In the history of American art, the 1913 Armory Show marks a sea change: there’s everything that came pre-Armory and then everything else, post-Armory. You probably already know this, though — you’re an art lover. If only you could have been there! Well, the New-York Historical Society has an exhibition to celebrate, featuring 100 works from the original show itself: The Armory Show at 100: Modern Art and Revolution revisits those heady days when the American art world was changed forever. —JP
Art in Odd Places
When: Opens Friday, October 11
Where: East 14th Street from Avenue C to the Hudson River (East Village, Manhattan)
Art in the streets! Well, one street. A few blocks of it. Anyway, we love Art in Odd Places. This year’s theme is “Number.” Go see what these artists have done with it.
Jody Servon’s “Dreams for Free” will happening at Art in Odd Places. (via number.artinoddplaces.org)
Vernacular Criticism
When: Saturday, October 12, 3 pm ($8)
Where: New Museum (235 Bowery, Lower East Side, Manhattan)
Art writing, like the rest of the art world and perhaps all professional criticism, often gets accused of existing inside a bubble. But there are exceptions to the rule. Take, say, Brian Droitcour’s practice of reviewing art spaces on Yelp, which he began early last year. On Saturday Droitcour will talk about his hilariously brilliant endeavor and other examples of art writing outside the professional mainstream.
Open House New York
When: Saturday, October 12–Sunday, October 13
Where: Throughout New York City
It’s that time of year again, when spaces and buildings throughout the city open their doors for the Open House New York weekend. Some tours are already fully booked, like one of the perimeter of the new Whitney Museum site and another of the Newtown Creek wastewater treatment plant, but there’s plenty more to discover, including the Brooklyn Army Terminal, the Hindu Temple Society of North America, and Edward Hopper’s one-time studio.
Last Chance: Cut Up
When: Closes Monday, October 14
Where: Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Avenue, Astoria, Queens)
Appropriation and remixing are not exactly new forms, but they’re increasingly becoming one of the most common methods of cultural expression. Cut Up, at the Museum of the Moving Image, might be the first museum show to examine the current phenomenon of re-editing, specifically in video, and for that we are thankful. The exhibition breaks down different categories like songification and supercuts while also putting them in the context of what came before.
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With listings by Jeremy Polacek
