Art
Visually Mining the History of Guano Off the Coast of Peru
In the mid-19th century, the Chincha Islands were at the center of a now-forgotten resource war that involved major world powers.
Reviews
Books
Reader's Diary: Mary Mothersill's ‘Beauty Restored’
Last summer I found this copy of a book I’d long been curious about on the “discard” shelves of the East Hampton Library.
Art
Fresh Geometry: Gary Stephan and Alina Tenser
You know something is going on when you stare at work hanging on one wall and forget to look at what is on the gallery’s other three walls.
Art
Why David Hammons Might Find It Necessary to Be Elusive and Difficult
Many writers – including, most recently, Peter Schjeldahl in the venerable magazine, The New Yorker – have characterized David Hammons as “elusive” and “difficult.” According to Schjeldahl: “The artist spoke with me, bracingly and delightfully, for a column in this magazine, in 2002. He wouldn’t do
Art
Paint Is the Language of God: The Gospel According to Gustave Moreau
What’s Gustave Moreau doing hanging out with John Currin, Wade Guyton, and Damien Hirst?
Performance
Camera Obscura: Jackie Sibblies Drury's 'Really'
Really by Jackie Sibblies Drury had its world premiere at Abrons Arts Center on March 18.
Art
Space, Containment, and the Realms of Existence: Berlinde De Bruyckere at Hauser & Wirth
The experience of De Bruyckere’s work is not unlike confronting monumental works of Minimalism, such as Richard Serra’s leaning or torqued sculptures, which create a sense of unease and endangerment within the gallery space.
Music
Techno Mix: Madrid Plastic, Chicago Minimal, Intergalactic Maximal, and Detroit Analog
El Guincho's "Hiperasia," DJ Slugo's "Cocaine Music," "Star Wars Headspace," and Moodymann's "DJ Kicks."
Art
Take Me to the River: William Buchina’s Redemption Paintings
Buchina keeps us guessing without falling into obscurantist traps, if for no other reason than the horror he depicts is steadily being eclipsed by the horror of actual events.
Art
An Artist Navigates the Capitalist Code of Global Shipping
Art history is full of seascapes depicting the ocean as either a thoroughly charted territory over which nations fight and do trade, or an unknowable force that is forever beyond human control.
Art
The Catastrophic Inbreeding of the Habsburgs as Digital Degradation
When digitally editing an image, quests for improvement can cause more damage than good, whether saving a JPG so much that it distorts through compression or sharpening the photo until it pixelates.
Art
Mechanized Art that Makes a Mop Talk and a Medicine Cabinet Tell Time
Even a plank of wood has kinetic possibilities in the art of Tim Hawkinson.