To New York With Love

JONAS MEKAS

James Fuentes LLC Gallery

55 Delancey Street

Another Gallery that relocated last week was the James Fuentes Gallery. They did it with a bustling opening on Friday night, showing work by Jonas Mekas. I remember Mekas from when I was a student at Blindern University (Oslo, New York) when he came and talked about Flux films in the 90's. It changed my perspective on film, it was so new and exciting to me although he began to create these films in the 70's.

The Gallery is presenting two new works by Jonas Mekas the first called Orchard Street (2010). 

For three years, 1953-1956, Orchard Street was my home. I loved its crowded, bustling existence. The footage in this installation, with the exception of brief images of myself and my brother Adolfas, comes from the year 1975, many years later, but the street hadn’t yet changed during the interval of years since I had lived there, on 95 Orchard Street. Change came many years later… "

                       -Jonas Mekas, from the James Fuentes Gallery press release.

                         

The second film is "World Trade Center Haikus" 2010. This one is incredibly gripping. 

Going through all his films, from 1975 - 1995, Mekas realised how prominent the Twin Towers were. 

This installation is my love poem to it. My method in constructing this piece was simply to pull out images of the WTC from my original footage, while including some of the surrounding scenes. The result I felt came close, albeit indirectly, to what in poetry is known as the Haiku.”

                    -Jonas Mekas, from the James Fuentes Gallery press release.

Enjoyable was also to see a few of his framed stills from his films, romantic, poetic and also slightly comical like this last one.

With Bug Love

Kristin

Sperone Westwater Gallery

Photos by Nigel Young for Foster + Partners

OPENING

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21st 2010

Arriving at the Sperrone Westwater Gallery on Tuesday I was thrilled to walk through the gorgeous front black metal and glass doors, peeking through them beforehand can give you a slight sense of the space and a glimpse of the painting at the far end of the building. 

The edifice is slipped in between two other brownstones, like a unique missing puzzle bit that suddenly makes the whole block light up. I call it "The Lipstick" since it reminds me of my Chanel red. With the red lift slowly coming up in the black compact beholder. The fact that we can see this lift/moving room/ gallery from the outside and as well as walk underneath it, makes this building even more unique. As a fact, one has never been able to walk underneath an elevator before. But, there it is, the moving Red Art Space that glows behind the prominent glass and steel frame.

Elevator, underneath and inside, photo by Nigel Young (Foster +Partners), Artwork by Kuitca

Inside, you are awed by how large the space suddenly feels. Like a hidden cathedral, with double height ceilings on the first floor, shouldered by a glass framed mezzanine.

This space creates a unique challenge for the artist. This is not the regular large square high ceilinged box that we normally get to experience Contemporary art in. This is a place for deep contemplation, a place for a one on one dialogue with the Art piece in front of you.

In this case it was Guillermo Kuitca who got the honor of opening the Show. It must have been quite nerve wrecking knowing that most of the other artists that the Gallery represents would also be there.

I met Bruce Nauman wandering around with a slightly nervous glare in his eyes, probably thinking of what he will be doing with the space when his opening comes up after Kuitca. He followed me and Michael Wurzel, Project Architect (Foster + Partners) around the building, refilling our glasses in the offices and at the end viewing the top floor, which contains the library. what a wonderful and warm man, I came to think.

We met Evan Penny a fun character that makes the most incredibly real but distorted sculptures.

His work made me think of an alternative version of Lucien Freud by the way he makes the skin on his objects so pale and see trough and at the same time, incredibly realistic.

"Michael" 2010

Evan Penny and his "Muse" Michael

Charles LeDray we met in the library, he only introduced himself with the name Charles so at first I had no idea who he was, but he kept telling me how much he liked my mini-top hat and after having studied more of his artwork I realized it is not strange. A lot of his artwork is related to strangely proportioned pieces of clothing.

I did get to have a conversation with Mr. Kuitca as well, we talked about his untitled painting on the mezzanine. A sort of battlefield layered by this light pink veil, which I sort of sensed was blood thinning out in the aftermath.

Photo by Nigel Young, Foster + Partners
Artwork "Untitled" 2008 by Guillermo Kuitca

Later in the evening we celebrated with a fabulous italian dinner at the Pulino restaurant on the corner of Bowery and Houston.

It was an absolutely packed event where we had the honor of sitting at the table with among others Kim Dingle and Tom Sachs. At the end I also had a chance to meet the legendary Malcolm Morley.

Malcolm Morley

Me at the Gallery with James Lindon from Pace Gallery

With Love

Kristin

Today, is the opening of:

The Sperone Westwater Gallery

...And I am terribly excited.... This is the building my "Husband" has been pre-occupied with the last year as a Project Architect. Michael Wurzel works for Foster & Partners and is heading their New York office.

Last night he took this light test picture of the building, and I think it's absolutely stunning.

The Gallery is on Bowery next to the New Museum downtown. I think it will be marking a turn for Galleries to become more centrally located again. 

Today the opening of the Sperone Westwater Gallery, will be celebrated with works by Guillermo Kuitca, a fantastic Argentinian Artist. I can´t wait to tell you all about it tomorrow.

I, the drama Queen had to design a hat to honor the occasion (of course). Made by the fabulous Millinery Jill Courtemanche. She also did my wedding hat. Will post the wedding pictures next week.

First I will be wearing this:

A mini Top-Hat

LOVE

 

Grey Area

Middle Grey 2007-2009

JULIE MEHRETU

"The paintings of this exhibition...Inspired in part by Berlin, the city in which Mehretu created the work, the paintings evoke the psychogeography of a place and the effects of the built environment on individuals, while at the same time contemplating the past and the surviving traces of lived history."

                 -from the Guggenheim web. site.

At the Guggenheim last week the rotunda was completely empty, waiting for it´s next exhibit but at the 2nd floor there was/is one bussing room with 6 large Julie Mehretu canvases.

I have always been curious about Julie Mehretu an artist born in Addis Ababa in 1970, what is so special about her? Now I know, you will have to see yourself.

Berliner Plaetze, 2008-2009

I think the best way to discover her work is to go all the way close and study the details, then move out from the canvas and let the whole impression play its own magnetic game with you.

The details are incredible, the intensity and the decision of every single line is admirable and when you get to sit down and just breathe it, it feels like music. Like a city that is in a continuos evolution and which dances it´s own unpredictable dance.

"Atlantic Wall" 2008-2009

"I think architecture reflects the machination of politics...
I don´t think of architectural language as just a metaphor about space, but about spaces of power, about ideas of power" 

Julie Mehretu´s own words, from the the Grey Area book that I tried to buy at the museum store but it was unfortunately sold out. The Woman behind the counter said, it is incredible, every time we have put out a few new ones they are gone the next minute.
I understand why. I would like to keep this memory with me as well:)

All the works are:

Commissioned Work by the Deutsche Bank
in consultation with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
for the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin

With Love! Kristin

Nobody's Fool

"Nobody's fool/for Dan Penn & AL" 2010

YOSHITOMO NARA

"Nobody's Fool"

Asia Society Museum

I was so excited when I discovered that the Asia Society Museum just opened a retrospective of the Japanese Artist NARA. I ran over there as fast as I could and enjoyed myself immensely.

Nara spent a lot of time by himself when he was a a child and I guess you can still see this in his artwork,  he can't stop painting mischievous kids and they are all high on the rock music I grew up with, like the Clash and the Ramones.

"Midnight Vampire" 2010

"Dulcimer/For Jean Ritchie" 2010

Installation... a little cabin filled with drawings and with a circus feeling.

Could not get an answer for the title...But possibly:

"Drawing Room between the Concord and Merrimack"

I was able to take a few pictures, but only from the newest collection, but there were Artwork there from the 80's up until now. I managed to take a quick pirouette picture in the 4th floor of the installation (all the rest of them are taken from the 3rd floor) of one of the girls in the cloud pictures (I think, see below)... but I got so nervous that I did not even dare to go back and check the title... 

Still feeling like I am one of these girls I guess, naughty and rule bending... I just don't smoke anymore but still want to rock!

If you want to go back in time and think of the devilish child inside of you, I promise you will enjoy this show. Entertaining, fun and uplifting. 

With love! 

Kristin

A short Life of Trouble

Marcia Tucker

"A short life of trouble,

forty years in the new york art world"

(edited by Lisa Lou)

I lived myself into the life of Marcia Tucker like I could meet her tomorrow. Maybe suddenly she would be standing in front of me at an opening in Manhattan, I thought. Then I would not hesitate to tell her how inspiring I thought her book was and how much I actually cried while reading it.

Then I realized Marcia Tucker is not here anymore.... I will never be able to meet her.

Architects:

Seijma & Ryue Nishizawa

SANAA 

Marcia Tucker you could say culminated in the building of the New Museum on Bowery.

After having been fired as an secretary at the MoMA really young with these words:

"why aren't these sharpened" Lieberman asked (after she would not come back to work on a Saturday)

"Because you are not doing it the right way. You stick them up your ass and turn hard, that's what does it"

Broke, daring and not compromising. She went on to assist a portrait painter, and gradually by meeting the right people and throwing herself with passion into the Art World, it lead her to an incredible carrier at the Whitney.

How i wished I could have seen some of the exhibits that she curated. She brought forward artists like Bruce Nauman and Richard Tuttle in the 70's. As a strong feminist Woman of the time, she managed to arrange solo exhibits for Ree Morton, Gladys Nilsson, Nancy Graves, Jane Kaufmann, Lee Krasner and Joan Mitchell. Thinking this was nearly 40 years ago, it is quite amazing, since still there are still few and far between the female solo shows.

When her exhibitions became to progressive for The Whitney, they fired her. 

But, here comes my favorite part, instead of letting that bring her down. She put the little money she had left about $1,200 and began her adventures with "The New Museum". Building a new Museum from the bottom up.

Although she resigned her position as the Director of the New Museum in 1998 and died in 2006.

There would have never been a "New Museum" as we know it without her daring enthusiasm to start it and bring it forward.

The New Museum is still a progressive place where they give new Artists Solo shows. Like Urs Fischer and Rivane Neuenschwander.

Dear Marcia Tucker! 

I wish I had met you! 

You are one of those that tells us: 

"Yes, You can do it too!"

  

BANG BANG

TYPOE in front of "Dope" 

Mixed media sculpture

TYPOE

Spinello Gallery

Miami, opening September 11th 2010

First I have to apologize for having kept silent about the Art world for so long, all due to my fabulous three day wedding... a wonderful dream really! 

Enough excuses said...:) and back to what this little spot in the Universe is all about: ART.

My "Husband" and I went to Miami for a few nights this weekend and there among lots of plastic, wonderful cocktails and the pool at the Delano we buzzed ourself out for the Art Walk. 

Touring the more "stuff in as much art as possible" art galleries we sighed in appreciation when we found the Spinello Gallery and my face turned into a grin. This is where all the interesting people in Miami are hanging out. I knew I would find them somewhere!

The solo exhibit of TYPOE is all black and white in the front room, the lemon slices for the drinks the only exception. The Gallery gladly pointed me to TYPOE, who was the sweetest guy in the middle of the dark art that he has created and posed friendly for a picture, although not without his signature scarf.

(insert) "Surgeon General" 2010

Mural

Power Icon, 2010

TYPOE a "World" famous street artist is presented with these words in the press release:

"Cast between worlds of opposing values, at once an anonymous prestidigitator and high-ranking glitterati, TYPOE straddles an unseen fence.  His handiwork, which swaths billboards, public arenas and buildings literally rotting with neglect, has expanded from the crumbling edifice of a cultural misnomer into the social spotlight......"BANG BANG" is where these fetishistic, narcissistic articles resonate with devastating potential and beget insurgent thoughts"

"Confetti Death" 2010

(insert) Confetti Death

There we are with a great "BANG BANG" starting off the fall Art Scene.

So excited about all there is to see!

Love Kristin