On New Year’s Eve I found myself ringing in 2014 at Outlet gallery in Bushwick, watching Miao Jiaxin’s performance piece “News.” It was a fitting choice: “News” elicits a hollow catharsis not unlike a New Year’s Day hangover.
Robert Cicetti
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Posted inArt
The Shock and Awe of George Grosz
George Grosz in Germany, on view at the New York Studio School Gallery, offers a rich overview of Grosz’s development as an artist and dissident.
Posted inArt
A Post-Apocalyptic Art Conspiracy Theory
It’s December 21st and the world as we know it is still here. The Mayans probably stopped their calendar because they thought by now we’d have a better grasp of the cosmic forces that lie beyond the scope of human reason, but as much as we know, it’s not like we’re more advanced. Indeed, because we now depend on data to make sense of all that is nebulous, from trading stocks with bots to finding a soulmate before the first date, our deference given to algorithms is hardly different than a shamanistic belief in spirits, Nate Silver being our high priest.
Posted inOpinion
An Escape Pod for the 1%
Wes Heiss’s presentation of “Chariot” at Vox Populi, an artist-run gallery in Philly, is a modest proposal for an uber-wealthy escape pod. Offering all the trappings of a trade show, Heiss’s exhibition convincingly makes a case for protecting oneself from a plebeian demise.
Posted inArt
When Natural History and the Artist’s Studio Collide
The American Museum of Natural History in New York is legendary for its examples of exquisite taxidermy and assemblages of bones, but these artifacts owe much of their vital aura to the museum’s trompe l’oeil murals, which offer sweeping panoramic visions of a land before time. Despite their flat surfaces, they can be more immersive than any faux-fur facsimiles, and yet, by virtue of their own being, readily fade into the scenery.
Posted inArt
Fuck Paintings #NSFW …As If You Needed to Know That
Sex is fundamental to our existence, but expressing it always involves some pussyfooting around — otherwise we’d have to come to grips with gonads and gestation, when fulfilling our biological purpose is the last thing on our mind. Even the word “sex” is often too straightforward, so we rely on euphemism and innuendo to obfuscate the obvious for the sake of modesty. There has always been one haven, however, for letting it all hang out: art, from antiquity on, has made disrobed humans look more like demigods than animals.
Posted inArt
Just Arrived! Your New Aesthetic Survival Guide
With the dawn of the New Aesthetic upon us, survival in this brave new world is paramount. Here is what you need to know.
Posted inArt
MTV Sucks and Other Thoughtz from an Art Micro-celebrity
Jayson Musson aka Hennessy Youngman aka Mr. AKA’s might proclaim himself to be many things (including Mitt Romney’s drug dealer), but Tuesday night at Electronic Arts Intermix’s (EAI) screening of his web series Art Thoughtz, Musson seemed reluctant to embrace his identity as an art world celebrity. He pointed to the fact that in total, his videos had only received a little over two million views, which is nothing special in comparison with other viral video stars.
Posted inArt
Hoping for a Nexus of Creativity in New Orleans
The New Orleans Museum of Art hosted a luncheon today for members of arts community that amounted to something much more than the usual meet and greet.
Posted inArt
Occupy Is Back!
Yesterday’s May Day protest in NYC might have failed to shut the system down, but it did successfully galvanize Occupy’s disparate interest groups into one powerful amalgamation, proving the movement’s lack of cohesion, more accurately its complexity, is a strength that defines it.
Posted inArt
Speechless: Arne Quinze at Vicky David Gallery
Speechless is an evolving series that reviews, discusses and/or comments on art works and exhibitions using images, screenshots, videos and other visuals.
Posted inNews
Occupy Museums Offered Free Art at Armory
Last weekend during the New York art fairs, the OWS-affiliated Occupy Museums group reminded attendees of the 2012 Armory Show that having a big bank account wasn’t the only way to enjoy or obtain the artwork of others.