Culture

We walked around for quite a few hours today, going to Chelsea galleries. It’s hard to link, since a lot of galleries AREN’T BEING VERY WEB SAVVY. I need to get my planned galllery and artist web site hosting company off the ground soon. The first client (an artist) will go live soon — I’ll let you know when.

Recommendations, in no particular order:

Rob Fischer and Conrad Ventur (2 separate shows) at Elizabeth Dee Gallery

Gustave Kluge at Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert

David Schrigley at Anton Kern

Kiniko Ivic at Andrew Kreps — Grrreat!

Yoshitomo Nara at Marianne Boesky — I don’t really like the “cuteness” aspect of a lot of Japanese art in this genre, but I really think he manages to pull it off. I love his work.

James has a more comprehensive list of what we liked today.

I went to the opening of “The (S) Files” at El Museo Del Barrio. They have great opening parties — and the crowd, to quote Chris, was Hhhhhhhottttt.

It’s definitely worth a visit — one of the best group shows I’ve seen lately. Favorites: Alejandro Cesarco’s film of people playing scrabble, spelling out his influences (from Baudrillard to Leonard Cohen), Chico MacMurtrie‘s big robotic monkey, and of course Maria Alos’s Manhattan project, since James and I were in the group of models:

Eric Doeringer’s latest project is cool. I just added to my Eric Doeringer collection here at the Barry and James abode.

I finally saw Cindy Sherman‘s film Office Killer.

Wow. It really is awful. Good cast (Molly Ringwald, Carol Kane, Barbara Sukowa), some nice shots, great score, but it’s really a mess. I knew a couple of people that worked on the production, and they weren’t kidding about how badly it turned out.

An essay by a writer on his first muse: his Sicilian grandmother.

I saw this when it was just a workshop production at Target Margin‘s Ring Festival. I just got a card in the mail about a full production of it. I’m there!

I still have this flu-like thing going, but I went for a few hours to this DUMBO festival. It was pretty cool, and there were a HUGE number of people there. I think DUMBO is already becoming Williamsburg-esque.

Highlights:

Nina Levy sculptures at Metaphor

Fabulous design and furniture at a new architecture firm called FREECELL. Also, check out their cool bookmobile project with artist books and zines. They will be at Cooper Union October 29-31.

Open Studios (just for the festival) — especially Andrea Cohen, David Baskin, and Torsten Zenas Burns; and the current exhibit, from Smack Mellon.

Gay City News has an article on the lovely and talented Julian Fleisher.

When I wrote about his show earlier, I couldn’t link to images of his work because Nikolai Fine Art’s web site is having some technical difficulties. I found out today that he has his own web site, so head on over and check it out.

   

I might not post much for a little bit. I think I have the flu, or at least something unpleasant with a cough.

We saw a reading of a new screenplay called “Adam and Steve” tonight, written by Craig Chester, at Fez. The cast included Ileana Douglas, Nora Burns, Mike Albo, and Bryan Batt. It also featured the Dazzle Dancers. I half expected to see Dan’l there. It was very funny, and the cast really got into it.

Two favorite moments:

Two men go into a store in Chelsea, looking to buy a ring. The salesman asks, “Nipple, cock, pride, or finger?”

When asked what it was like to be in the city on 9/11, someone responds, “Oh, you know. The sky was all purple, there were people running everywhere.”

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I once had Craig Chester as a waiter for Florent‘s big Bastille Day celebration outside on Gansevoort Street. This was after Swoon, not before, and he said he was helping out a friend for the day. I remember this was the year that there were a lot of protests over the French resuming nuclear testing in the South Pacific. Chi Chi Valenti, during her performance, unfolded a big sign that said, “STOP FRENCH BOMBS!” The crowd went wild.