Favorites '09

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'Pop-up'/DIY/artist-driven shows and spaces. Many of these shows were one-night only, or in gallery spaces which the artist-organizers created from extra live/work space -

*106 Green - one-month shows open on Sundays and by appointment in a space run by artist Mitchell Wright. I saw Whitey on the Moon, curated by Kanishka Raja.
*Apartment Show - one night shows, mostly in empty apartments between tenants, organized by artists Denise Kupferschmidt and Joshua Smith. Are these all archived somewhere? I went to Apartment Show XOXO, Apartment Show at Artist's Space, and Real Love Apartment Show.
*Daily Operation - one night shows curated by The Old Gold's Jon Lutz... I saw last year's outdoor sculpture show in a park (co-curated by Matthew Fisher) and Patrick Brennan's FAZES... most of the recent ones have been in the same borrowed space, ClIcK on the individual shows to see installation pictures and what you are missing. Many shared artists and friends between the Apartment Show and Daily Operation gangs.
*EXHIBITION - this was a months-long, multi-artist, ungoogleable and practically anonymous continusly-evolving installation in a an empty storefront that I just happened to stumble upon. It's over now and I never read anything about it anywhere else. Don't know what they are doing next or even who it was.
*HKJB - one-week shows organized by Benjamin King and Jay Henderson. I saw Bad Graphic Design.
*Real Fine Arts - okay this is an actual dedicated gallery space, but run by artists living in the back, only open on the weekends when they are free from their day-jobs or otherwise available. I saw Sam Pulitzer.
*The Sum and All Parts was a one-month show in a temporary gallery space curated by Jenny Borland and Beau Rutland. Listened to Leroy Stevens scream album.
*Use Your Illusion was what looked like (i missed it) an excellent one-week show in the back of a Bushiwck bodega, curated by artist Jesse Hamerman. Don't know if there is a website or if he has done any others, but the space is wicked.
* there is another ongoing one but I can't remember enough to find it... a basement space... where is that? what is it called? they had a group anonymous show recently.

TOP FAVORITE SHOWS
Joanne Greenbaum at D'Amelio Terras
Luca Buvoli at Susan Inglett
Sarah Braman at the Armory
Manzoni show
Apartment Show XOXO - LEGENDARY!
Small A Projects Upstate show

ONE MILLION PAGE VIEWS
anaba broke the one million page view mark... damn! not bad for an artblog... what other artblogs have had a million page views? definitely Tyler Green and Ed Winkleman, probably Fallon and Rosof(?)... I'm not sure if even AFC has it yet (she started a little later). UPDATE: oh wow AFC has it... she's had a million page views in the past six months(!).

FIRST (or Early) NYC-area SOLO SHOWs I WAS GLAD TO SEE -
Martha Friedman
Ida Ekblad
Josh Blackwell
Jonathan Van Dyke
EJ Hauser - at Pluto (not solo but many paintings), and at John Davis.
Jane Benson
Patrick Brennan
Barb Choit
Erin Shireff
David Kennedy Cutler
Jonathan Delachaux and Lizzie Fitch - okay, it was a 2-person show.


Joanne Greenbaum in Cave Painting 2.

MORE Favorite ARTISTs/work of 2009
Lance Rautzhan
Melissa Meyer
Deniz Ozuygur
Nicole Eisenman - at the Tang, and at Leo Koenig.
Ethan Greenbaum - in Abstractions and Contractions and Fresh Asphalt.. but missed his solo show.
Agathe Snow - at Canada, and at the Armory.
Arnold Weschler
Linda Francis - great interview with her.
Cosbe
Loren Munk
Stacy Fisher
Jeffrey Tranchell - in HKJB's Bad Graphic Design and Apartment Show XOXO.
Ivin Ballen - in Abstractions and Contractions, at Pulse with Winkleman, in Blackston show... unfortunately never got to his solo show at Winkleman, but Kai said it was fantastic and took some great pictures.
Patrick Brennan - in The Object Direct (at Heskin, curated by Matthew Fisher), in Apartment Show at Artist's Space, Solo Show with Daily Operation.
Joe Fyfe - and here
William Powhida - his Brooklyn Rail piece.
Joanne Greenbaum - at her studio, at D'Amelio Terras, in Cave Painting 2.
Rosanna Bruno - at Pluto and at John Davis.
Lauren Luloff
Keltie Ferris - these photos are mostly from 2008, but I am all-on-board now.
Sarah Braman - in Apartment Show at Artist's Space, at Museum 52 with Joe Bradley, at Armory Show with Museum 52, in Apartment Show XOXO, at Small A Projects show in Greenwich.
...i keep thinking of artists but i have to stop because i am just re-posting my whole blog.

WORST '09
Jerry Saltz. this isn't a popular position but it just got worse and worse for me...
* slammed Marlene Dumas for years, not in reviews but in sideswipes, and when she had a solo show at MoMA all he could manage was a spiteful Facebook note.
* i added Saltz on Facebook because I'd heard he'd written that note about Dumas and wanted to read it. I quoted it critically and was immediately 'de-friended'... guess you can read his facebook criticism as long as you do not disagree publicly? this is where he really lost me, with trying to control who can see what he writes AND punishing dissenters.
* Bravo show... it might be good, but I doubt it. Samantha Mathis and Kyra Sedgwick? Someone told me that Jerry wants to be the new Tim Gunn. i wish it would just happen already and he can move on.
* feminist crusade -sorry, it's creeeepy
* 'challenging' Glenn Beck to curate two shows with the promise to "secure a first-rate New York venue for each exhibition" and to write about each show in NYMagazine. WOW. Thankfully that never happened. Glenn Beck's producers are pretty good at sniffing out the fame-whores. Sorry, Jer!
* three defense of New Museum articles in a week, the last one a ridiculous deflection.
* suddenly this month his Facebook wall has become visible, not sure if it is intentional or if he missed adjusting the privacy settings. Jeez I had been pissed I was missing something.... shouldn't have worried... my prophets, my children of Thebes, my darlings. BARF! No surprise after my January de-friending to see that almost all the comments are adulatory, from the same few hundred or so 'friends'... I'm assuming his remaining 4,400 'friends' are reading along thinking WTF? and wisely keeping silent.
(this will be edited later)

RELATED: Favorites '08, Fantastic Four 'o7, more '07 faves, Worst Art Things 2004.

Evidence of the Paranormal

Luca Trevisani, Weaving Constellation, 2005 - i think ideally there is supposed to be more helium in some of the balloons and it should look a little more magical, half-suspended in space...(someone from the gallery has photos on his flickr site)... they must switch the balloons and colors when they realize it's become listless.

Evidence of the Paranormal, curated by Chris Sharp, at Klaus Von Nichtssagend Gallery, CLOSES 1/10.


Marianne Viero, Room No. 18, 2007 - fool the eye. the wooden circle is so sharp and clear it's like inlay, even close... but in fact it's a photo of a table placed on a bed, poltergeist-like.

HAD to see this show to see what Chris Sharp would do... he's the guy who reviewed Joe Bradley's show and wrote "it doesn’t get much more retarded than this".

sooky

RELATED: Joy Garnett has compiled a list of the ten most scathing critical zingers of 2009.

Face of Jesus

The face of Jesus in my bedroom, RVA, three years ago. 38,042 youtube views since 3/1/07.

COMMENTS

- WOW -A wall
- That is'n Jesus!
- Respect Jesus-don't know wether this vdo is true but Jesus is truly a messenger of Allah so respect.
- i see aface ....cool
- Jesus Son Of God
- The face of Jesus? That looks like the face of a burn victim in the ICU. Jeez...
- My God is that thing ugly or wat...just like ur mom
- who is the father of jesus? if he is the son of god?the father must be the god
- you people are crazy
- poor old jesus, the shroud must have been on a bit too tight
- Looks more like bart simpson.
- WAHT ARE WE SMOKIN TODAY?
- WTF it looks like someone has been sick on the floor and you got your cam of crack head
- ill have what you had that day what was it crack marijuana hashish ????
- For people of this intelegence, church can teach any thing and collect enough of their hard earned money.
- i dont see a feace, it looks lie me ass
- LOL ! omg what a waste. That isnt jesus , noway. Jesus is handsome and has brown eyes.
- how can u even know that jesus have brown eyes??? U can answere in 2 different sentences:1. damn thats right nobody can even know how jesus looks like.or2. I saw all these pictures made 1400-1600, so they should know how jesus looks like cause how could they even be able to do some pictures. (just for information, mabye in 10000 years Micky Mouse will be a God, cause someone said that and it must be true)
- Dreams, I have seen him in my dreams, more than once , few times. And also that he saved me from dying :)
- think about this: mabye its just a dream of a picture and u thought that is jesus. why don't u think about this: jesus was white, had long brown hairs, brown eyes and he was the only one in jerusalem who was white?
- That just satan playing his dirty tricks on you....
- thats cause they left out the part in the bible that the semi-virgin mary drank and toked it up while she was pregnant.
- THATS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE. Jesus (when we see him) will be a beautiful work of ART not that thing.
- You should see my house it is nearly falling appart.
- If thats fuckin jesus then i want 2 go 2 hell..by the way iz that b4 his death or 2 years after wen they resumed him??
- this kid is high or has seeing problems and needs help!!!!that is not jesus that is a fuckin peice of shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- estas pendejo eso parece mas bob esponja
- guys i will tell u 1 thing no 1 saw god ar any1 u believe in so all these crap are fake bt i will tell u 1 thing wat i learned from my islam no 1 saw god and no one will see him till the day he wants us to see him will come
- That aint the face of anyone, you just need to re decorate your hall mate
- man thats a insult to Jesus fool take it back!
- It seems to me the face of the giant Marshmellows' man you can see in the Ghostbusters movie.
- Looks like Pikachu with leprosy splatted against the wall...0_o
- ive seen like all of these "face of jesus" videos, wtf???are you retards kidding me, the "faces" KIND OF look like horribly drawn smiley faces, why do you jump to the conclusion its jesus??
- where the fuck is the face????
- That's not Jesus that's a crap hole.Fix that crap. Where do you live so I can have your crackhouse condemned.
- That is absolutely Jesus, but it could be Mohammed also!
- THATS ONE UGLY JESUS LOL
- pala bapaq ang petervr09 .....plahotak hang tu Muhammad! babi la ngko
- i cant see Jesus... and i see his face in everything... but all i see is a camel... =/
- I didn't know Jesus is that ugly

Suzanne Goldenberg

Suzanne Goldenberg, at PS122.

Saw this show early in the month, shortly before it closed. This was a fun show.




fragile sculptures made from throw-away things all over... on the walls, on the floor, hanging... it was a big messy installation. like being in a web of windswept treasure.


Suzanne Goldenberg.

Nicole Eisenman!

Nicole Eisenman at Leo Koenig through THIS WEDNEsDay 12/23!! Do not miss.


biergarten




where's picasso?




spaghetti and meatballs school of vuillard.




self-portrait

all the detail shots are from the two paintings posted...

Party at Chris's House

Katherine Bradford, USA, 2009

Party at Chris's House, at Janet Kurnatowski, curated by Phong Bui. Follow-up to last year's loved and much subsequently referenced Party at Phong's House, curated by Chris Martin.

PartyTWO has less work but more artists, maybe fifty artists(?)... PartyONE had eighty-something paintings by more than thirty artists. PartyONE was a better show... more boisterous and a generally more interesting selection of work... but there is plenty of good stuff to see in PartyTWO.


KB - and i liked that astronaut on the moon-rock she made.


Loren Munk, Pollock Matrix. Loren Munk Studio.


Ron Gorchov, Lady Murasaki, 2009 - always like these.

CLOSES SUNDAY DEC 20th! Nice walk from Southfirst to Kurnatowski to Real Fine Arts.

shows to see

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can't, but want to see...

Soft Edge, at Camel Art Space, with Peter Acheson, Nora Griffin, Chris Martin, Anna Rosen, Rachel Salamone, and Maria Walker. I've only seen one Maria Walker painting... want to see more. Closes Dec 20th.

Jr. and Sons, curated by Joe Bradley, at Zach Feuer. Peter Acheson and Joe Bradley are in this one also, together with Jason Fox, Steve DiBenedetto, Michael Williams and some other dudes. Joe Bradley curated Peanut Gallery at Journal Gallery.

Martin Wong at PPOW, through 1/31.

Erin Shirreff

Erin Shirreff, Landscapes, Heads, Drapery, and Devils, at Lisa Cooley Fine Art.


These sculptures look like hard marble but are made from compressed ash.


Clouds of compressed ash. Looks like it would feel so soft. I didn't touch.


contradictions.


Video of Jim Turrel's Roden Crater, filmed not on-site but multiple stills of a single photograph. She manipulates light on the photo; different colors, reflections... creates volume and movement... shifts temperature and time.



Right down the street from Barb Choit at Rachel Uffner.... both shows close December 20th. I skipped Abreu.

Christian Sampson and Ariel Dill

Christian Sampson

Christian Sampson and Ariel Dill, Inglenook, at Southfirst. Closes December 20th.


detail of first image


Ariel Dill paintings on wall, Sampson and Dill collaborative works on stands.


Nice room to walk into on a cold grey drizzly day.


INTERVIEW on The Old Gold.





It's an easy walk from Southfirst to Janet Kurnatowski Gallery to Real Fine Arts.

Barb Choit

Barb Choit, Nagel Fades, at Rachel Uffner Gallery.

Patrick Nagel posters exposed to tanning beds, lamps, and bleach, re-photographed and printed. Click the photos to enlarge.


Barb Choit had some nice studio set-up photos of lights in a show at Lisa Cooley last year; can't find my photos of them. Erin Shireff is up now at Lisa Cooley - right down the street from Uffner - also an excellent show. Both shows run through December 20th.


Dushko Petrovich at Rachel Uffner, Josh Blackwell at Rachel Uffner, Jennifer Cohen at Rachel Uffner, Roger White at Rachel Uffner, Amy Yao at Rachel Uffner... wow I like this gallery.

Anya Keilar is listed as having a future exhibition. That will be good and is a little surprising.


Like the palette, same as my MEGAMillions tickets.

Patrick Brennan

***Art-Stars attend Patrick Brennan's exhibition FAZES***


Saira McLaren.


Patrick Brennan. Patrick interviewed on The Old Gold.


Inna Babaeva and Wendy White. Inna interviewed on The Old Gold (and part 2), Wendy interviewed on The Old Gold.


Mike Hein. Mike interviewed on The Old Gold.


Kai Vierstra.


Ned Colclough.


JJ Garfinkel.




Stacy Fisher and Fran Holstrom. Interview with Stacy Fisher on The Old Gold.




Jon Lutz and Ned Colclough. Smiling Ned HERE.


Christian Sampson. Go see Christian Sampson and Ariel Dill at Southfirst.


Carrie Pollack and Gina Beavers. Carrie interviewed on The Old Gold.


Denise Kupferschmidt with Patrick Brennan.


sweeeet paaaiiinntings.