the last frontier - NY


Marcel Dzama Originally uploaded by dressform.

i think i can pack in the rest of my trip into one more long post.... 1...2...3... deep breath....

above is marcel dzama.... one of my all time favs [loved by masses i think]. i almost don't want to love him anymore he's so revered [yes he's the one that beck used for his record cover]. but i couldn't help it. he sucked me in... i am just charmed by the 1940's inspired colors and the idea of monsters and bat tales.... sigh... at david zwirner . i feel lucky that i could afford my action figure tree....

Nara - Inside the shed

also in chelsea... another artist that makes my heart pitter patter... yoshitomo nara. at marianne boesky . i have seen several amazing shows there over the years.... there are 4 more nara photos on flickr [although i took like 10....] the whole idea of making an artist studio in a gallery just really struck me. it's fake, but it's not. obviously being the big art star his studio is not that tiny - but there's something nice about it looking like it's a little hole in the wall... like he's still a student..... there's also something oddly weird about it - but... i bought it. [maybe i'm a sucker]

other hightlights of chelsea: bellwether , clementine gallery , heidi cho gallery , danica phelps at zach feuer gallery , roebling hall .... all good. there's just NO WAY to see it all in chelsea. it's impossible!

i also went to the whitney . with my grad school pal tam [who is smart as a whip and an incredible artist. she was making pieces involved with language and text and toxins if you will... she made paper out of poison oak, and apparently just finished the matching poison oak pen to write with... [don't start itching just thinking about it]. we have a really soft spot for robert smithson - who was having a retrospective there - because we did a project together on him in school. here are words to think about when approaching smithson: entropy, crystal [s, azation, ize], boring, monument, earth.... known most for "the sprial jetty" it was fun to see what a museum space would show of his. i'm not a fan of his non-sites [he brings rocks and mirrors from a particular place inside], but i loved the map drawings that they had [never seen those!] and there was this strange room full of his "non-mature" work. it was STRANGE and didn't really jive with everything else. where/when did that shift happen??

also at the whitney was a pretty interesting show called "remove viewing". my favorites being pieces by franz ackermann and julie mehretu . there was also a strange installation by goth rocker guy banks violett [a salt church in a black room... with sound] and a good show called "off the grid" a re-interpretaion of pieces from the collection.

also went to the the met . which really is a place that you can spend 2 weeks in... it's giant and massive and full of wonders [like egyptian stuff? no problem. medieval table settings? no problem. modern art? no problem]. what i really went for was the matisse and fabric show. man - what he a guy after my own heart... loved the premise... here are the fabrics that inspired him. look at them next to the paintings that he made.... yeah. smart. and the fabrics were strikingly beautiful. and matisse? well what new can be said about him? i always show him to a beginning student who is stuggling with color - or composition [flatting out space? he's the MASTER!]

also at the met was sol le witt on the roof:
Sol LeWitt on the roof 2
Sol LeWitt on the Met Roof

i love sol's 1960's cube sculpture stuff.... and the quiet paper pieces... and a few of the big rainbow wall pieces... these things really did make me smile and giggle. they looked so funny in conjuction with the ny skyline.... smiling at art is good!

also at the met was a tony oursler project.
Tony Oursler

this was the first big projection piece of his i've seen [i've only seen smaller works - talking stuffed heads]. it was pretty intense - and funny and spookey...

williamsburg - trashed books
chair in williamsburg

onto williamsburg art [since we covered the shopping and the folks there!] we'll call the above mood shots.... i have a think for abandoned chairs on the street... i take a photo of one almost everytime i'm in NY....

gallery highlights: 31 grand . i'd seen them at a few art fairs and really like the mix of artists. the space is lovely and the gals who work there seem super nice! pierogi . the world famous flatfiles are a sight to see.... and they had another mark lombardi for me to see.... sigh....

so remember that about glamour place i told you about for shopping? [cute cute cute] they also have a gallery in the back so it was a double whammy of goodness... this is what we found there:

George Boorujy

george boorujy. nuff said.

i spent the day walking around with the countess... she is lovely in mind heart and spirit.... i instantly felt super safe with her.... and even though we are far far apart i feel oddly connected to her.... i don't even know how to thank the desert people that somehow knew that we should meet.... it is so nice to know that there are people who have good intentions and who see clearly and help you find moments of wonder....

that, my friends, is the end of the NY tales.... it will be back to regular programming from here....

Comments

Anonymous said…
I was practically breathless trying to keep up with the pace of what your wrote and must have experienced. Thanks for sharing such an AMAZINGLY wonderful time you had there.

Feeling safe with friends is a treasure worth savoring for a lifetime. You are blessed...but then so are they for having found you in their lives.
Anonymous said…
wow sounds like you had a very inspiring trip!

took a further look at the Marcel Dzama paintings online and they are great...

thanks for the george boorujy link...

...and julie mehretu!!
andrea said…
had to come back a coupla different times to read this (as one can only take so much goodness in one post!)... still working my way through some delicious linkage (thank you) and I lovelovelove your street shots. I love that you always seem to take photos of abandoned chairs...
Anonymous said…
I am going to have to do a couple of Lisa days in the city and see all that you took in!!
I forget that there are so many amazing things at my finger tips!!
Thank you.
Anonymous said…
Ah...I could have commented on everything in your post, the art is so impressive! I would have LOVED LOVED to see the Marcel Dzama stuff - amazing!
I almost bought the famous Nara ashtray a couple of times but didn't really want to encourage anybody to smoke...:) Speaking of Nara:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/myernestito/81181.html
Isn't that funny? Ha! :)

You saw so much, your head must still be spinning! Thanks for your detailed posts and pictures! Such wonderful links, I could spend hours clicking and reading...
LadyLinoleum said…
You saw many of my faves. I too love Marcel Dzama and Tony Oursler. OMG, you saw so much! That's what I do when in NY too. I am on my feet from dawn until the wee hours of pre-dawn seeing as much as I can. You go girl!

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