I’ve just launched a new gallery site running on the ArtCat system:
Thomas Robertello Gallery (Chicago)
To give you a feel for how flexible my hosting system can be, both that and
are running the same software, with minor changes to HTML, CSS, and a bit of Flash in the case of Foxy Production.
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I’m too tired to post more at the moment, but based on all that I’ve seen so far, the Scope art fair is the one to see.
Tonight was the “new” opening after the problems of yesterday, and it was quite the scene. There was good energy, a lot of great art, and performances / installations / wandering artists galore.
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Valerie Hegarty installation at Guild & Greyshkul
We attended the press preview of the Armory Show today. It was called a press preview, but we often had trouble looking at work because of roaming packs of coifed collector women. I’m sure all the big name collectors were there, and I spotted the Rubells and Horts right away. I had heard from at least one gallery that they had had some difficulties with getting a reasonable number of passes for their collectors, but I guess plenty of them didn’t have too much trouble.
On to the positive!
My favorite galleries in the fair so far:
We only made it through most of one pier, so we have to go back.
Strangest overheard utterance at Armory:
Commercial. It’s the new non-profit.
I have no idea to what it referred. Perhaps the presence of non-profit art spaces selling work at the fair?
We tried to go to the press preview for Scope, but that didn’t work out.
Fountain had some fun stuff from several galleries, and a good mixed crowd, ranging from grungy art collective types to prosperous collectors.
I just put up a bunch of photos of things I liked, and could get decent photos of, on Flickr.
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I know everyone is distracted by the Whitney Biennial and the art fairs, but it has now been three years since the disastrous attack on Iraq. James and I will be attending this event tomorrow. I’ve been to other concerts by Ensemple Pi. They are amazing.
An event of contemporary concert music, poetry readings, and visual images, with showcases of several independent publishers including Seven Stories Press, The New Press, Akashic Books, Verso Books, and Autonomedia. Participant artists include composers Frederic Rzewski, Elias Tanenbaum, composer/performers Kristin Norderval and Philip Wharton in collaboration with Ensemble π, led by pianist Idith Meshulam. Poetry readings by Charles Bernstein, Carolee Schneemann and Peter Lamborn Wilson. Visual images selected from the archives of the art critic David Levi Strauss.
The event is made possible by the support of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Edward T. Cone Foundation, and Cooper Union.
Sorry to be commercial here, but I wanted to announce that the sites I host on ArtCat (see clients list) now have RSS feeds. As the galleries and artists add news items, or works (artists) or exhibitions (galleries), you’ll see new info in the feed.
What’s RSS you ask? This is a good link that explains it. I use RSS feeds and www.bloglines.com to keep up with 98 different web sites — mostly blogs.
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We’ll miss them, but I recommend two shows in Boston:
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Mindy Tucker
The artist’s description of the project:
The Lance Project consists of images of young men who resemble in some small way my friend Lance. The images constitute a composite portrait of him. Though I knew Lance for eight years, he died without my ever having his photograph.
The rest of it is here, and the artist has a web site too.
I found this moving and beautiful project via John Morris, who runs the Digging Pitt gallery in Pittsburgh. I first heard of him and the gallery via the artist (and Pittsburgh native ) Emily Noelle Lambert.
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This is the funniest photo I’ve seen so far from the Whitney Biennial.
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I forgot to mention one thing that surprised me about the press remarks at the Whitney Biennial press preview.
The only person who spoke to the press other than Adam Weinberg and the two curators was Jennifer P. Goodale, Vice President, Contributions, Altria Corporate Services, Inc. I realize Altria is an important funder of the arts, and I really appreciate how much money (however earned) is given by them to so many cultural organizations. However, it struck an odd note for me. I also see that the press release has a quote from Ms. Goodale as the third paragraph.
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Just Call Me the Queen of the World ‘Cause Just Got ROYALLY FUCKED!, 2004,
Ken Weaver
Oil pastel on paper
60 × 40 inches
James and I need to be cloned or have teleporting skills for days like this. Tonight, Plus Ultra and Schroeder Romero open in their new spaces on 27th Street. See ArtCal for more info.
In addition, Matt Wolf has curated an event related to the Downtown Show at NYU’s Grey Art Gallery. It starts at 6:30, and here is a description:
No Alternative:
New Downtown Art
Thursday, March 2, 6:30 pm
The Fales Library, Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South, Third Floor
Panelists in this discussion will reflect on the legacy of Downtown art. Performance, punk, feminism, and queer activism are among the current concerns of the young artists and organizers taking part. Examining their own work, speakers will reconsider the relevance of terms like “Downtown” and “alternative.” With JD Samson, Le Tigre, musician and artist; Dean Daderko, curator; Ulrike Müller, LTTR, artist; Jeremy Wade, Chez Bushwick, dancer; Nate Lowman, artist. Moderated by Matt Wolf; Carlo McCormick, respondent.
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