Art
Grim Vistas of Present and Future Dystopias
In Anna Conway's paintings, subtle evocations of the past highlight the tensions of our current moment.
Review
Performance
An Inspiring Performance About the Recipe a Migrant Carried with Her
Carmen C. Wong has been organizing “tactile” food performances for roughly a decade, and she is now hosting unique events centered around the deeper philosophical meanings of meals.
Art
How a Jewish Storytelling Tradition Is Reflected in Contemporary Art
With varying degrees of success, a show at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco looks at how storytelling can help us access spirituality.
Art
The Haphazard and Playful Worlds of Mark Dion
In this retrospective there’s no question about Dion’s aesthetic eye and his capacity for the subtle, intuitive kind of taxonomy-making that artists engage in.
Books
On Impious Poetry and Poetic Faith
Navid Kermani puts his finger on what’s divisive in poetry and culture.
Art
Stage Struck: Marc Chagall's Theatrical Designs
Chagall's dynamic costumes and experimental sets inspire a reconsideration of his entire body of work.
Art
Four Bay Area Iconoclasts and Eccentrics
For New Yorkers, the artists Jean Conner, Wally Hedrick, Deborah Remington, Franklin Williams range from little-known and neglected to unknown altogether.
Art
Totems for a Religion of One
Michelle Segre’s rejection of commodity fetishism and a society that worships shiny surfaces is to be admired because she does it with such verve.
Art
In Japan, Issei Nishimura Paints the Blues
Nishimura paints, plays music, and enjoys the companionship of his cats, but rarely ventures out.
Art
The Frozen Gestures of Lynda Benglis
Benglis always carried the painting process into her work, resulting in a visual representation of material in action.
Art
The International Modernisms of World War I
Ephemera provides an important history lesson, especially for a war that is disappearing from America’s collective memory, but the most affective works in World War I and the Visual Arts are those that convey the pathos of the war experience.
Art
Michael Landy’s Art of Destruction and Renewal
After destroying everything he owned in 2001, Landy seems to be rushing to fill the vacuum.