When an Artist’s Body Breaks Down Human Relations Become Crucial Michael Mandiberg’s Timeframe exhibition gives the viewer a window into a period of time when they had to deal with the breakdown of their own body. by Seph Rodney December 22, 2021 Michael Mandiberg, “My doctor has prohibited me from doing any more work”(Zorn Palette) (2020) oil and inkjet on canvas 12 x 9 inches There is a way in which the human body functions like a machine, and the…Read More
Council often uses humor as a political tool to expose systems of power and inequality in a society in which even death carries a high price tag. by Ksenia M. Soboleva “It’s absolutely wild that this is the first time I’ve directly referenced Twitter in my work,” wrote Pamela Council on their Instagram the day before the opening of their survey show, Bury Me Loose, at Denny Dimin Gallery (which has announced its representation of the artist). Over the past decade, Council…Read More
The opening of Ariana Papademetropolous’s solo exhibition included the release of domestic doves into the city, where they are susceptible to predators and malnourishment. by Sarah Rose Sharp September 15, 2021 Some images below depict birds injured as a result of being released into environments to which they are ill-suited to survive. The ethical conundrum of using live animals as art materials is not a new issue in the art world — a place where aesthetics are considered a cause worth dying…Read More
by Cassie Packard, August 31, 2021 Your list of must-see, fun, insightful, and very New York art events this month, including the Armory, Bushwick Open Studios, and the New York Film Festival. Pamela Council: Bury Me Loose Pamela Council, “Red Drink: A BLAXIDERMY Juneteenth Offering” (photo by Ronald Llewellyn Jones, courtesy Denny Dimin Gallery) When: September 10–October 23 Where: Denny Dimin Gallery (39 Lispenard Street, Tribeca, Manhattan) Pamela Council brings together Black vernacular camp, pop culture, horror, and humor in their visceral, ongoing exploration…Read More
Tracing Networks of Political Corruption in Sheida Soleimani’s Slick, Hyper-Stylized Tableaux “Hotbed” zeroes in on the places where these power relations and abuses between the US and Iran make themselves most visible. by Cassie Packard December 18, 2020 Installation view of Sheida Soleimani: Hotbed, Denny Dimin, 2020 (all images courtesy Denny Dimin) The compressed, hyper-stylized images in Sheida Soleimani’s first New York City solo show bring a critical eye to the tense relationship between the US and Iran, as well as the corruption that…Read More
by Clarity Haynes I first saw multidisciplinary artist Pamela Council’s work at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 2015. Council’s sculpture “Flo Jo World Record Nails,” constructed of fake nails, formed an arc that evoked the sensation of taking flight, and paid homage to late track and field athlete Florence Griffith Joyner. I’ve since followed their work, which explores Black joy, grieving, grooming, and memorials in extraordinary ways. I was happy to have the opportunity recently to discuss Council’s work…Read More
How Graffiti Influenced Elizabeth Murray Given some historical context, the impact graffiti had on the paintings Murray made during the 1980s is plain to see. By: Jason Andrew Posted on: October 25, 2017 Read on Hyperallergic The 1980’s were a bodacious, hellacious, and most radical decade. Mötley Crüe got it right titling the era (and their greatest hits compilation album) the, “Decade of Decadence!” Intertwined with the rise of hip hop culture and a myriad international styles riffing off the energy…Read More
Photograms that Capture Darkness and the Flicker of Fireflies Michael Flomen’s first photographs were made with the light of fireflies, inspiring a series of work that converses with rain water, earth, and plant life. By: Seph Rodney | October 2, 2017 Read on Hyperallergic. Michael Flomen,”Two Step” (2004), gelatin silver toned print, archival mount on museum board, framed with museum glass, 34.5 x 36.25 in; artist proof from edition of 4 + 1 AP (all images courtesy Michael Flomen and…Read More
Bouquets Highlight Plants Used to Control Women’s Reproductive Health An exhibition looks at plant remedies that women have used to control their reproductive lives. by Claire Voon April 10, 2017 Ann Shelton, “The Vixen, Ginger (Zingiber sp.),” from jane says (2015-ongoing) AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Delicate and dainty, Queen Anne’s Lace is a popular pick for wedding bouquets — but the white flower also has a long history as a naturally occurring contraceptive. The alleged power of its seeds, when…Read More
“Where Do Banks Go When They Die?” By Seph Rodney, on September 29, 2016 Did you know that since the start of the last recession that over 527 banks have failed? How would we know? When a bank fails there’s no dying cry, no elegy written for it, no sense that it leaves a hole in the community where it once was. Where does a bank go when it dies? During the process when a bank is absorbed by United…Read More
“ArtRx NYC” By Jillian Steinhauer on September 13, 2016 This week is all about books, as Printed Matter’s beloved art book fair touches down in Long Island City, while a new satellite fair pops up in nearby Greenpoint. Plus, don’t miss the celebration of a pioneering performance series and the first retrospective for maintenance artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles. The FDIC’s Failed Banks When: Opens Thursday, September 15, 6–8pm Where: Art-in-Buildings Financial District Project Space (40 Rector Street, Financial District, Manhattan) Michael Mandiberg, “FDIC Insured (First Priority, Bradenton FL,…Read More
“Retro Refrigerators as Totems to Our Food Storage Habits” by Claire Voon on August 22, 2016 Read on Hyperallergic I’d expected the exhibition of 45, wood-paneled mini-fridges at the Lower East Side’s Denny Gallery to offer a literally cool breather from this sweltering summer, but none of them were running. The gallery has opted to leave them off for the obvious environmental reasons, but it does, however, offer visitors an uncommon gesture: an invitation to touch the art — to open each fridge and…Read More
“An Artist Serves Up Decadent Feasts for Wild Animals” by Allison Meier, February 1, 2016 Read on Hyperallergic Over the past few years, New York-based artist Dana Sherwood has organized a picnic for wild baboons on the South African coast, left banquets for raccoons in the suburbs of South Florida, and concocted a molded terrine of jellied spam, beef, hot dogs, and marrow bones for coyotes. Most recently, she made elaborate confections of meat, fish, and local produce for ocelots,…Read More
The Pursuit of Art, 2015 by Thomas Micchelli on December 26, 2015 Read on Hyperallergic. 2015 was the Year of the Whitney. Within a swift, seven-month span since the Mayday opening of its new headquarters on Gansevoort Street — a light-filled, magically flexible space designed by Renzo Piano — the museum has dominated the New York art world’s conversation with a rapid-fire succession of major exhibitions, including its sumptuous inaugural show, America is Hard to See, followed by Frank Stella’s…Read More
Read on Hyperallergic Going Meta: Art after the Death of Art by Thomas Micchelli, August 22, 2015 Terminology is slippery, and using it as the premise for an exhibition can be slipperier still (witness the Museum of Modern Art’s recent stumble with “atemporality” in The Forever Now: Contemporary Painting in an Atemporal World). But the concept underlying Metamodern, a group show at Denny Gallery on the Lower East Side, actually holds the potential to enrich an already strong array of works…Read More
Read on Hyperallergic. By Allison Meier, March 4, 2015 Jam-Packed Spring/Break Art Show Pulls into Moynihan Station Brent Birnbaum’s installation of painted treadmills, curated by Elizabeth Denny & Craig Poor Monteith at the 2015 Spring/Break Art Show (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic) In its fourth year, Spring/Break Art Show is temporarily transforming the disused offices of Moynihan Station into an art fair based on the theme of “transaction.” With more than 80 curators and over 100 artists, it’s more a series…Read More
Installation view, “Wendy White: Pix Vää” at Leo Koenig, Inc. (all images courtesy Leo Koenig, Inc.) What do you call Wendy White’s most recent works, which are made of two or more panels that rest on the floor, hug the wall and at the same time protrude from it? Combines and hybrids are the obvious answers, but those familiar designations hardly tell the story. There is something fresh about White’s work that these familiar designations don’t account for. The panels…Read More
