Queer Arab Art Today
An exhibition by queer artists from the diaspora, what we need from NYC’s culture commissioner, Lunar New Year events around the city, and more.
In an exhibition across two Manhattan galleries, queer artists from Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and their diasporas come together to invite us to "find one another in the dark," Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar writes.
As you can see, Valentine's Day is technically over, but love in all its forms is still very much in the air (or is that just the first 40+ degree day getting to my head?). Check out the many lovely ongoing exhibitions related to the subject across the city, such as one on sex and cults and another by the fairy godmother of queercore. (Think: giant penis bedecked in baby-pink frills).
Plus, this week also brings the Lunar Year, Ramadan, Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras, and ... a lunar eclipse? Suffice to say, there's a lot going on, and the many exhibitions and events we round up below speak to that abundance.
Queer Arab Artists on Their Own Terms
“The show is about giving the pen back to the writer, giving the paintbrush back to the artist, during this time of genocide,” Ridikkuluz told Hyperallergic. “And when there’s been so much censorship, these are artists that might not have been able to do this anywhere else.”
NYC's Cultural Future
NYC Deserves a Culture Commissioner Who Cares
Heading the Department of Cultural Affairs isn't just an administrative job, Gonzalo Casals and Mauricio Delfin write. It is about transparency, predictable processes, follow-through, and above all, governing as partnership.
Matthew Bogdanos Awarded Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for Repatriation of Stolen Artifacts
The leader of the Manhattan DA’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit is acknowledged for his lifelong dedication to recovering and safeguarding looted antiquities.
From Our Critics
Julia Curl
Ocean Vuong: Sống at the Center for Photography at Woodstock
"Vuong has an eye for quotidian details that punch you in the stomach when stated plainly: the crumpled Dunkin’ Donuts bag framed by Buddhist statues in his mother’s nail salon, the hand grasping a doorway by a stickered whiteboard with five handwritten life goals."
Seph Rodney
The Seventh AIM Biennial: Forms of Connection at the Bronx Museum of Arts
"The two previous iterations of the Artist In Marketplace (AIM) Biennial also featured work that sought to visualize groups underrepresented in mainstream culture, more or less via a strategy of mimesis .... But this genre of art reads to me as overly sentimental, and tends to conflate the urban with the underclass — not the same social group, though they often overlap."
John Yau
John Altoon: Drawings at Franklin Parrasch Gallery
"Altoon believed that [drawing] could still be inventive after Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Arshile Gorky. I love that he was right."
What Else Is Happening?
- MoMA PS1 announced the 53 artists in its Greater New York exhibition.
- The Studio Museum in Harlem announced that Simonette Quamina, Taylor Simmons, and Derriann Pharr will be its artists in residence, beginning in March.
- Debra Wimpheimer was named executive director of the Queens Museum, following Sally Tallant's departure to lead London's Hayward Gallery.
- In defiance of President Trump's orders, activists and NYC officials have returned the rainbow flag to the Stonewall Monument.
- Artist Kwan Queenie Li and curator Kelly Ma will be in conversation about Weeds: A Germinating Theory, a new book about architecture, at Head Hi. (Tues Feb 17) [aaari.info]
- Yu-Wen Wu will be delivering an artist lecture at Brooklyn Navy Yard, as part of a series hosted by Pratt. (Tues Feb 17) [eventbrite.com]
- Artist sTo Len will be present for a screening and discussion of Discard Records, an in-progress documentary about NYC's waste management systems at the Library for Arts & Culture in Brooklyn. (Wed Feb 18) [bklynlibrary.org]
- The Museum of the City of New York is hosting an exploration of the sculpture and life of Emma Stebbins, who created the Bethesda Fountain. (Thurs Feb 19) [mcny.org]
- Bread & Puppet — along with Jamaica Kincaid and Dan Chiasson! — will appear at Pioneer Works for the launch of the latter’s book on Bernie Sanders. (Thurs Feb 19) [pioneerworks.org]
- Ruth Gebreyesus, Shellyne Rodriguez, and Mahdi Sabbagh will be in conversation around the terms "decolonial,” "barrios” and “genocide,” for an issue launch of the Funambulist. (Thurs Feb 19) [wendyssubway.com]
- This Friday, more than 50 art spaces will be open late for Winter Art Night. (Fri Feb 20) [maps.google.com]
- Celebrate Audre Lorde's birthday with zine workshops, a community altar, and healing services. (Sat Feb 21) [alp.org]
- MoMA PS1 is hosting a free Neighbor Night this Saturday, including family artmaking activities, music, salsa dancing, and more. (Sat Feb 21) [momaps1.org]
- The Museum of the Moving Image is hosting puppet performances by Chinese Theatre Works, plus a thaumatrope-making workshop! (Sun Feb 22) [movingimage.org]
- NYC Off-Broadway Week brings half-price tickets for the next month or so. (Feb 16–Mar 12) [nyctourism.com]
