Art
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.
Daniel Larkin
A man once knocked Daniel Larkin off his bar stool and flung mean words. He got up, smiled, and laughed as the bouncer showed him out. He doesn't give anyone the power to rain on his parade. It's more important for Daniel to be happy than famous.
Art
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.
Art
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
Art
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. L
Art
The Awkward Joys of Anamorphosis
A towering nude man greets every visitor to Sperone Westwater gallery on the Lower East Side. This ten foot tall figure, also known as “Jim Revisited”, made in 2011, looks so realistic that it stops nearly everyone dead in their tracks upon entering the gallery. The people-watching is great as viewe
Art
Scott Kiernan's Faux Nineties Xeroxes
Scott Kiernan’s canvases want to be underestimated. Their initial impression is bland, but the longer one gazes at these pictures, the weirder and more fascinating they become. At his NURTUREart exhibition Once around the block (twice), Kiernan’s art reveals itself more slowly, doesn’t care if you o
Art
Weaving the Book of Revelations from the Koran
Meg Hitchcock spent 135 hours gluing letters on the wall, floor and ceiling of the Famous Accountants gallery in Bushwick. She adhered them one-by one and side-by-side. They form a cord that twists around and eventually intertwines, it weaves itself into a thick rope of words, which spells out the e
Art
The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Art
Despite Wednesday night’s snow storm, tough cookies crowded the Austrian Cultural Forum to near capacity for Alpine Desire’s opening reception. The wine was gone by 7pm but people stayed. Examining mountain imagery in contemporary art, as well as a few earlier modernist and romanticist paintings, th
Art
Looking Beyond Pollock's Drip Paintings
Abstract Expressionist New York shines a bright and bold light on Jackson Pollock. Although the selection on view is obviously not as extensive as MoMA’s major retrospective in 1998-99, the show is still a rare and precious opportunity to see many of Pollock’s paintings under one roof. His paintings
Art
Jim Herbert Is Big, Intimate and In Your Face
Jim Herbert’s paintings of naked lovers are not for the feint of heart. At first glance, viewers might want to look away as though catching a glimpse of a couple kissing. And some people will totally avert their eyes from these intense canvases. At the opening for the recent show at the English Kill
Art
Is Ornament a Crime?
A small coconut tree grows in the corner of Nurture Art. Simply titled “Coconut” (2009), and created by artist Gudmundur Thoroddsen, the leaves seem to reach towards the skylight. A certain twist makes it art — a few of the leaves are painted pink. It resembles one of Matisse’s colorful trees come t
Art
Does Cao Fei’s “Rabid Dogs” (2002) Age Well?
Everything that matters happens in an office these days. To survive in today’s world, one can’t help but burn with curiosity about why some rise to the top while others gets stuck at the bottom box of the organizational chart. The Office, Mad Men or The Devil Wears Prada all hit this nerve with verv