A few highlights from NY

I spent the weekend at the art fairs in NY - visiting the Armory, Volta, Scope and the Dependent. As with any art fair(s), there is a huge range of work in terms of style, subject matter, quality, etc. The fairs were bustling and everyone you asked had a different opinion about which was best (my favorite was Volta). Overall, it was a great trip. Here are a few highlights:

Friend and fellow SCAD grad, Michael Scoggin's show at Freight and Volume

Alec Soth at Sean Kelly -where I also was able to watch the documentary "Somewhere to Disappear" :



The Soth show was my favorite gallery show - Soth describes it this way; "It's not really about running away, it's about having the desire to run away"

I liked these quiet, dry, semi-abstract paintings in the Norwegian section of the Armory (my favorite section) by Thomas Hylander ( pictured: "Donder", 2012, Acrylic on Canvas 16x20")

Fritjof Nansen by Gisle Harr at No gallery.

There were a lot of photographers in the fairs, but these dream-like painterly photographs by German photographer Stefan Krauth were my favorites- with all kinds of grain/dust/scratches


This painting (left) by Niall McClelland was a memorable one from Scope ("Trash Bulbs 1", 2011; aerosol paint and broken light bulbs on raw canvas; 56 x 40 inches) via Envoy Enterprises

Certainly there was a lot more art than I'm picturing here- I should also probably say that a lot of the great work being shown/made here in Denver easily stood up to what was being exhibited in the art fairs in NY - so you don't have to travel far to see great art. On that note, check out Mindy Bray's current exhibit at Rule!

Liberty

Me in front of lady Liberty in 1987 and again in this year.

Art by Danh Vo at Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel

More NY Highlights - from the High Line

Sculptural billboard works by Kim Beck

Dario Robleto at D'Amelio Terras

Probably my favorite show in NY was Dario Robleto's "The Minor Chords Are Ours" at D’Amelio Terras. While most of the works are aesthetically pleasing without the rich content/back-story, they really come alive after reading through his process. I think you will agree:

Dario Robleto
I Wish The Ocean Sounded More Like Dusty Springfield 1996, 2010
32 x 49 x 1 3/4 inches
81.3 x 124.5 x 4.4 cm
Apple blossom seashells, altered sound of shells, glue
A collection of seashells were grouped into a series of pairs. Each couple was then serenaded with a different Dusty Springfield song for 48 hours at a time. Each seashell’s partner was then returned to the shore

(center) The Remorseless Force 2011
dimensions variable
lithographic and digital prints in 32 parts, a collection of ephemera (posters, flyers, handbills, tickets) from live events of now deceased musicians

(left) Untitled (Don't Decay In The Wrong Arms) 2010
59 1/2 x 45 1/2 x 4 inches
151.1 x 115.6 x 10.2 cm
Silhouettes from grandmother’s and mother’s album cover collections, cut vinyl, polyurethane on wood

(back wall) The Ephemerist's Dilemma 2010
41 x 57 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches
104.1 x 145.4 x 5.7 cm
cut paper, lithographic and digital prints in 28 parts, a collection of ephemera (posters, flyers, handbills, tickets) from live events of now deceased musicians

(in the Ball jars) The Minor Chords Are Ours (detail) 2010
60 x 23 x 23 inches
152.4 x 58.4 x 58.4 cm
Vintage mason jars, vintage wooden spools, stretched audio tape, minor chords, linseed oil, willow
The minor chords from a family’s 60-year record collection were isolated to audio tape, stretched into thread, and spooled.

(image on wall) Dario Robleto
Candles Un-burn, Suns Un-shine, Death Un-dies 2010
46 x 65 1/2 x 2 inches
116.8 x 166.4 x 5.1 cm
Digital C-print mounted on Sintra, a collection of stage lights taken from the album covers of live performances of now-deceased musicians

In Detail

Details of paintings - in no particular order - photos by yours truly:

Courbet

Matisse

Pollock

Seurat

Guston

Bonnard

Inness

Twatchman

Balthus

Close

Johns

Bruegel

Picasso

Manet

Cole

Ryder

Hopper

Vermeer

Velasquez

Back from NY

I've spent most of my spring break in New York - where I saw an incredible amount of art and spent time with old friends. I'll be posting a lot of art from NY, but I'll start with what is probably one of my favorite sculptures of all time - "Liberty Enlightening the World." I was there yesterday before leaving the city:

the bottom two photos were taken through the 50 cent tourist binocular machines

Two Great Art Video Podcasts

While I've been spending most of my days in the studio, I've been keeping myself energized with some great video and audio podcasts about art. The MOMA has several audio podcasts to choose from (here). I'm really excited about these video pocasts as well:

Merrily Kerr's New York Art Tours

These short videos are great - succinct but not shallow. Merrily Kerr is thorough in her research and shares her insights while showing the viewer around the gallery. I think it is fantastic to get a short tour of NY galleries from all the way across the country. I'd highly recommend subscribing to this series (free). RSS feed here.

Vernissage TV. Well made video podcasts that include artist interviews and gallery tours. Recommended. RSS feed here.

If your mp3 device does not have video capabilities you can watch these videos on their websites - they are only a few minutes long and will be much more beneficial than watching another Sarah Palin parody on youtube.

Michael Schall's Drawings

Michael Schall, Volcano Fabrication Project, graphite on paper, 40" x 60", 2007.
(Detail) Volcano Fabrication Project, graphite on paper, 40" x 60", 2007.
Michael Schall, Community Tower East, graphite on paper, 26" x 36", 2006.
Michael Schall, Smoke Factory Malfunction, graphite on paper, 40" x 60", 2007.
(Detail) Smoke Factory Malfunction, graphite on paper, 40" x 60", 2007.
Michael Schall, The Last Hope, graphite on paper, 40" x 60", 2007.

These drawings are amazing. Check out his site to get a better understanding of how beautiful and labor intensive these works are - especially when one considers the huge scale of the works.