Music
Fagen's Critical Catalogue (April 2014, Part 1)
In part 1 of this month, reviews of Karmin, Perfect Pussy, Sunkil Moon, and Todd Terje.
Review
Performance
Wagner with Quotes on: Richard Maxwell's 'Isolde'
Director/writer Richard Maxwell was included in the 2012 Whitney Biennial, an unusual, though not undeserved, honor for a theater director. His Isolde, now running at the Abrons Arts Center, is a departure from his recent work, a surprisingly conventional play, which he presents in his customary fla
Art
Monsters’ Ball: Peter Saul and the Company He Keeps
The great iconoclastic painter Peter Saul, for the first time ever, has turned his hand to curating, gathering together nearly two dozen kindred spirits for a show that revels, as to be expected, in the libidinous and the ravenous, the stunted and the scared, the blinkered and the grotesque — that i
Art
Pace Gallery Plugs Into Silicon Valley
MENLO PARK, California — I'm going to be honest: I haven't been much of a fan of Pace Gallery in the past, or many of the blue-chip/dynastic galleries, for that matter; I find the programming too centered on celebrities in an attempt to garner press and sales.
Books
Taking Identity to the Guillotine with Yinka Shonibare MBE
Yinka Shonibare MBE's decapitated mannequins in their vibrant batik fabric outfits cavort through a collage of influences that the British-born, Nigeria-raised artist has excavated from the complicated history of culture.
Art
How Laurie Simmons Makes Dolls Lie
Laurie Simmons isn't the first photographer to snap pictures of dolls, but she has a way of getting them to look eerily emotive (and making them take selfies). She pulls off the uncanny by aestheticizing several layers of lies.
Art
The Sound Of Two Borders Dissolving
HONG KONG — Unlike the Berlin Wall, which began with the division of post-World War II spoils, or the Israeli West Bank barrier, which divides parts of Israel and Palestine, the Shenzhen/Hong Kong fence, or “Frontier Closed Area,” has as much security power as wet tissue paper.
Art
The Power of Tiny Paintings
At the age of 27, painter Eleanor Ray has already made something of a critical splash. As of this writing, her second show of 40 paintings at the gallery has very nearly sold out.
Art
Wade Guyton and the Post-Media Question
PARIS — A backshift in the Parisian weather, from spring warm sun to cold gray, complemented the opening of Wade Guyton’s back-titled 26 avril - 7 juin 2008 exhibition at Galerie Chantal Crousel perfectly.
Performance
Ballet Meets Folk for a "Cornbread Duet"
With old-timey string tunes that’ll lift your spirits and your knees, the Carolina Chocolate Drops know how to get the party hopping like no other revivalist band can.
Art
Silicon Valley Gets an Art Fair
Another day, another art fair. There has been, in recent years, a massive influx of art fairs, to point where it seems like every major city (and some boutique-y destination cities) has their own. Thus was born Silicon Valley Contemporary, which took place April 10–13 at the San Jose McEnry Conventi
Art
Mind Your Awareness
LOS ANGELES — As I made my way to the Hammer Museum, I was very aware of the fact that I would arrive late to the event — but something told me to go anyway.