ArtRx NYC
There's so much good stuff happening right now, it's hard to know where to start — maybe with a class on the Sumerians or a panel about the feminist legacy of painting?
There’s so much good stuff happening right now, it’s hard to know where to start — maybe with a class on the Sumerians or a panel about the feminist legacy of painting? It’s also your last chance to see a dazzling museum show of work by a pioneering Iranian artist. And don’t miss two big Hyperallergic events this week: Lost Lectures Number Two, which is shaping up to be fantastic, and Bushwick Open Studios, of which we’re a proud media sponsor.
Sumerian Innovators
When: Tuesday, June 2, 6:30–8pm ($10)
Where: Brooklyn Brainery (190 Underhill Avenue, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)
The Sumerians had a thriving city life, a language for writing, and even wheeled transportation, all six thousand years before our own society. This class at the Brooklyn Brainery, led by museum educator Andrew Coletti, gives those ancient early adopters their due, even throwing some poetry reading and music listening into the mix. It’s not every city that can host a Sumerian innovation class on a Tuesday night, so go support your local venue for continued education. —Allison Meier
Last Chance: Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
When: Closes Wednesday, June 3
Where: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1071 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan)
This first US museum show of mirror works and drawings by Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian is a complete dazzler: the pieces shimmer and shine and reflect and stun. Though the exhibition would benefit from more wall text contextualizing Farmanfarmaian’s practice in relation to the array of traditions she’s clearly engaging with — Western geometric abstraction, Turkoman jewelry and clothing, Persian coffee house paintings, and more — it’s a unique opportunity to see so much work by this pioneering artist gathered in one place in New York. Don’t miss it.
Feminist Legacy of Painting
When: Wednesday, June 3, 7pm (free, RSVP required)
Where: Maccarone (630 Greenwich Street, West Village, Manhattan)
Artists Cecily Brown, Rosy Keyser, and Joan Semmel, all of whom either currently have solo exhibitions (Brown and Keyser at Maccarone) or just did (Semmel at Alexander Gray Associates), discuss the intersections of feminism and formalism, painting and politics, in a panel moderated by Dallas Contemporary curator Alison Gingeras. Expect the conversation to touch on the experiments with abstraction in Semmel and Brown’s oeuvres, as well as Keyser’s radical break with the two-dimensional conventions of what we consider “painting” to mean. —Benjamin Sutton
The Artist as Activist
When: Thursday, June 4, 6:30pm (free, RSVP required)
Where: MoMA Library (Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building, 4 West 54 Street, Midtown, Manhattan)
“Artists can be activists,” reads the premise of this upcoming Artist as Activist conference, “but can art be activism?”
The question begs for an affirmative “yes,” though the conversation will likely be a dynamic one, with artists Coco Fusco from Cuba, Oleksiy Radynski from Ukraine, and Ram Rahman from India as the invited panelists. Each engages with activism in his or her work, which spans from performance art to film to poetry. The conference is organized by post, an international platform at the Museum of Modern Art dedicated to the neglected histories of art in Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The mission here is grandiose but worth exploring, especially through these artists who have come from far-flung corners of the world. —Elisa Wouk Almino
Three Decades of MTA Art
When: Friday, June 5, 6pm (donations accepted)
Where: Society of Illustrators (128 East 63rd Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan)
This opening reception launches a new exhibition at the Society of Illustrators featuring three decades of art and design commissioned by the MTA for New York’s public transit. New York View features earlier projects, like Milton Glaser’s 1986 geometric tile installation at Astor Place, and more recent illustrations from such artists as Béatrice Coron and Sophie Blackall, whose work you might see enlivening advertising spaces above commuter heads on the subway. —AM
Bushwick Open Studios
When: Friday, June 5–Sunday, June 7
Where: Various (Bushwick, Brooklyn)
It’s baaack — and as always, it’s better than ever before! The 2015 Bushwick Open Studios (BOS) has nearly 500 registered events … which is a lot of fucking events. Before you run away or start crying, don’t worry, we’re here to help. Check out our handy concise guide, compiled by Hyperallergic’s metro editor, Benjamin Sutton. And remember that BOS is not meant to be stressful; it’s meant to be fun — a chance to meet artists, see their spaces, and discover local art.
Lost Lectures Number 2
When: Friday, June 5, 7–11pm ($50 per ticket; early-bird tickets sold out)
Where: Secret location (TBA)
Friday marks Lost Number Two, Hyperallergic’s second collaboration with the London-based Lost Lectures. Brace yourself for an evening of intriguing presentations and libations! This year’s lineup includes artist Diana Al-Hadid, gonzo journalist Jon Ronson, activist and musician Andrew Kalleen, filmmaker Josephine Decker, and renowned New York band Blonde Redhead. The secret location will be revealed to ticket holders within the next couple of days (as promised, the venue is “no more than 40 minutes by public transportation from Union Square”). And of course, it wouldn’t be a Lost Lectures event without some extra surprises along the way… —Tiernan Morgan
The Wolfpack
When: Saturday, June 6, 8pm ($15)
Where: Industry City (220 36th Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn)
Rooftop Films returns to the top of the Industry City warehouses for more glorious skyline views and a screening of The Wolfpack, a new documentary about a most curious Lower East Side family. The six Angulo brothers grew up almost never leaving their apartment, only experiencing the rest of the world through film and television. The evening includes live music before the film and is followed by a Q&A with director Crystal Moselle, when she’ll hopefully reveal how she got such intimate access to an incredibly private family. —AM
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With contributions by Elisa Wouk Almino, Allison Meier, Tiernan Morgan, and Benjamin Sutton
