Last week in New York was truly full of incredible exhibitions, meetings and lectures.
It all started with the fact that Christine Kuan (CEO of Sotheby's Institute of Art & Director, Sotheby’s Institute of Art-New York) shared a link to an ArtNews.com with a list of events for the whole week in her stories. I chose the brightest of them, slip on the most comfortable heels and ran.
The first stop was at the Upper East Side, in the spacious place hosted by Ballon Rouge Collective where was a personal exhibition.
Carmen Argote called “Warm is a Black”
Mexican artist who turned the space into perfection from avocado. Her main idea was to show how “avocados and iron were traditionally used to create black dye.” Today, avocados have become an integral part of the luxurious lifestyle; the ever-present demand for them has led to the replacement of foreign varieties instead of local crops. Avocados are now called “green gold” in Latin America, and ideal crops are for export only. Warm black means the warmth of the dye, as well as the transformation of this substance into color.
Instead of shiny black industrial paint, Argote's warmer, more opaque, more natural tones reflect both the materials and the process it uses. The name also refers to the generosity of the spirit that is found in many economically marginalized communities, despite their difficult circumstances. We must pay tribute to the curator Kathy Battista, who has devoted time to everyone in the exhibition space.
Jane Kaplowitz
The next stop takes us to the Fortnight Institute gallery with Jane Kaplowitz's first solo exhibition in 19 years.
How we could miss it? In colorful shoes and t-shirt with “Queer” sign cute Jane runs from guest to guest. The exhibition space speaks for itself - literally a few feet in length and a couple of feet in width where 40 beautiful works of drips can be seen from floor to ceiling. The curator Alison M. Gingeras wrote about the exhibition in a press release “Heritage” and “Creatives”. It’s not a problem.” I believe this is the most awaited exhibition and you should definitely visit it at 60 East 4th St.
Jennifer Packer at Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
Thursday was the hardest day.
Two openings: Jennifer Packer at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. and Eileen Myles at the Bridget Donahue, concert: John Zorn at Guggenheim Museum and talk: Hal Foster and Richard Serra at 192 Books.
I picked one opening: Jennifer Packer at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. and public talk: Hal Foster and Richard Serra at 192 Books. Both events were quite close to each other, which was not difficult to visit both on time.
In the white space of Sikkema Jenkins & Co. the exhibition of the Jennifer Packer “QUALITY OF LIFE” we can find beautiful bright pictures that remind us of flowers, but at the same time the plots on some of them are tragic, and in spite of the variety of colors, the frozen story of the cut of life is read “Loss and trauma”. This incredible exhibition will be right up to January 19, 2019 at 530 West 22nd St., and I strongly recommend to come and experience the dramatic colorfulness on yourself.
192 Books Richard Serra
Looking beyond 10th Ave towards on 192 Books, you hope to meet your biggest inspirer Richard Serra, but unfortunately he did not show up, and Hal Foster who is a remarkable historian, professor of Art and Archaeology was ready to endlessly answer questions about their joint of book with Richard. In a crowded bookstore Hal read out many dialogues lines between him and Serra, and shared his impressions of working with Richard. Of course, it was an incomparable pleasure - firsthand to know the depth of the great sculptor.
Author: Irina Chistikina
IG @iraira