Filed under: New York, Portland, Review | Tags: Brian Fee, Fragment, Jonathan LeVine Gallery, Josh Keyes, Migration, New York, Portland
I was pleasantly taken aback by Portland-based artist Josh Keyes’ (NAP #49 & #67) vividly photo-realistic renderings of fauna in cleaved terrain in Fragment, his debut solo exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery last winter. In one fell swoop, Keyes juxtaposed Audobon-precise animals interacting with textbook-style bisected and angled landscapes overrun with premonitions of global warming, a mix of heady surrealism and acute future reality. To say I anticipated his return to the gallery, in Migration — which auspiciously coincided with my long weekend back in town — would be a grave understatement. What I discovered in Keyes’ new series of dissected environments was an even greater sense of realism, between the animals themselves and their depictions, plus the underlying warning signs of a planet headed towards environmental uncertainty. Read more from Austin Contributor, Brian Fee, after the jump!
Josh Keyes | Tangled IV, 2011, acrylic on panel, 30″ x 40″, Courtesy of Jonathan LeVine Gallery, New York.
Filed under: Los Angeles, Q&A, Spotlight | Tags: Ellen C. Caldwell, Ellen Caldwell, Frohawk, Frohawk Two Feathers, LA, Stevenson, Taylor De Cordoba
During a time when fiction dances eerily with fact, it feels appropriate to look to a contemporary artist from my generation who is using acrylics, tea-dyed paper, and a variety of mediums to blur, illuminate, disguise, and play with these lines. I first saw Frohawk Two Feathers’ (NAP #73) work at Taylor De Cordoba in 2006 and have followed him and his empire literally through many gallery and museum openings, and figuratively through 100’s of years, numerous battles, wars, and revolutions. Lives have been lost, prisoners have been taken, but Frohawk always comes out on top.
As current 30-somethings, Frohawk and I grew up in a murky time. For me, my 20’s were formative: besides being post-college and post-9/11, the 2004 elections, The 9/11 Commission Report, the United States’ invasion of Iraq, and Sarah Palin’s vice presidential nomination influenced my worldview largely. Bottom line: I don’t believe anything anyone says anymore. - Read more by Ellen Caldwell, LA Contributor, after the jump!
Frokawk Two Feather | Amir Al Bahr. Admiral Deucalion Of The Pirate Fleet of Batavia, 2011, acrylic and tea on paper, 30″ x 22″ Courtesy of Taylor Cordoba
Filed under: New York | Tags: Brian Fee, D'Amelio Terras, Joanne Greenbaum
Hopefully this burst of intimately scaled creativity by Joanne Greenbaum — as 1612, her first iteration of small-size abstract paintings at D’Amelio Terras (on exhibit through November 12th) — is just the beginning. Greenbaum’s masterful grasp of structure and fluidity and her daring, saturated color palette are not stymied by the canvases’ decreased dimensions, but rather revel in it, amplifying their intensities. Her performative methodology and resulting salon-style hanging of the 48 works, sprinkled like neon-emitting raindrops about the front gallery’s four walls, indeed induces a celebratory vibe. Let’s get to reveling. — Brian Fee, Austin Contributor
Joanne Greenbaum | Untitled, 2011, oil, acrylic, mixed media on linen, 16 “ x 12”, Courtesy the artist and D’Amelio Terras, New York
Filed under: Art Market, Art World, Oakland, San Francisco | Tags: Carl Andre, Great Tortilla Conspiracy, Hella Occupy Oakland, Jon-Paul Bail, Jos Sances, Liberty Plaza, Lucy Lippard, Martha Schwendener, Nadiah Fellah, No Comment, Oakland, Occupy, Occupy Oakland, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, Political Gridlock, Robert Morris, SF, Westlake Middle School, Youth Together
As the Occupy movement continues to grow, the lines between ‘artist’ and ‘activist’ have become increasingly blurred. Images, text, video and photographs convey the messages and events of the movement on every available surface, website, blog, and twitter feed. In fact, as Martha Schwendener recently noted, Liberty Plaza, or any occupation site for that matter, has “became a kind of art object: a living installation or social sculpture.” - Nadiah Fellah, SF Contributor
A story-telling booth in Oakland at which participants were invited to share their ‘99% Story’
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Filed under: Chicago, Review | Tags: Andrew Falkowski, Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Josh Reames
No More Heroes, Andrew Falkowski’s (NAP #35) first solo show at Andrew Rafacz Gallery, features a fresh body of work broken down into three parts: Napoleon Bonaparte, ransom letters, and geometric abstraction. Though the three bodies of work seem at first to be disparate, they turn out to be more like three Venn diagrams that overlap and inform each other while maintaining their individual properties. This allows for a tension-generating dialogue between source material and formal qualities. – Read more by Chicago Contributor, Josh Reames, after the jump!
Andrew Falkowski’s Installation at Andrew Rafacz Gallery
Filed under: DC, New York, Q&A | Tags: artsauce, Benjamin Edmiston, Brooklyn, Christopher Daniels, DC, Matthew Craven, Matthew Smith, Michigan State University, Natalia Yovane, Nick Van Woert, NUDASHANK, Paper Chasers, Sam Adams, Stacey Rozich, SVA, The School of Visual Art
Much of Matthew Craven’s meticulous work exists as both colorful abstraction and surreal historical document. His transformation of images appropriated from history textbooks nudge and reconfigure the original historical narratives. And his modular treatment of familiar forms unexpectedly activates their hidden potential for abstraction. Painting, drawing, collage and installation are linked in Craven’s practice through his fastidiously precise lines, which run across works and from project to project. Last week I caught up with the Brooklyn-based artist — whose work is currently in the group show Paper Chasers at Nudashank — to talk about his work, his influences, and time travel. Our conversation, and lots of images, after the jump. -Matthew Smith, D.C. contributor
Matthew Craven | wooden teeth., 2010, mixed media, 17″ x 13″ courtesy of the artist
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Filed under: Art World, Interview | Tags: Afghanistan, Baghdad, Glasschord, Interview, Iraq, Noah Post, painting, Steven Mumford
Glasschord posted a terrific interview with artist Steve Mumford. Noah Post spent time with Mumford discussing his time working in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Steve Mumford recently returned from his fourth trip to Iraq, where he spent some ten-and-a-half months drawing. He was embedded with numerous units in the U.S. Army, and also spent time with Iraqis, particularly in Baghdad, where he got to know many young artists. Through drawing Mumford hoped to depict the day-to-day experience of the war zone, from the point of view of both the soldiers and the Iraqis he got to know.” - Read the entire interview on Glasschord
Steve in Iraq drawing, Courtesy Glasschord
Filed under: Art Fairs, Chicago | Tags: Alex Ebstein, Chicago, MDW, MDW Fall Showcase
Chicago’s MDW Fall showcase is the second presentation in the past seven months of the loosely structured art fair and projects organized by Illinois non-profits Threewalls, Roots and Culture, and the Public Media Institute. An even mix of performative pieces, non-commercial installation, small presses and cleanly presented 2 and 3D works for sale, the quality of the art was consistently high, while approach and project goals varied. The fair, which ran concurrently (although separated by floor) with the Hand in Glove conference on DIY arts organization, alternative funding and sustainability, encouraged networking and camaraderie, while building steam to perhaps become a destination for savvy collectors interested in work by emerging artists. The fair featured many amazing galleries, including Nudashank, run by our Baltimore contributor, Alex Ebstein. Pictures after the jump!
Steven Ruiz covered the fair for Artslant, a link can be found here: http://www.artslant.com/chi/articles/picklist#p28480
Paul Nudd, Western Exhibitions’ Booth at MDW
Filed under: Competitions, MFA | Tags: Alma Ruiz, competition, LA, MFA Annual, MOCA, Senior Curator
MFA ANNUAL EXTENDED DEADLINE: November 7th, 2011
We are currently accepting submissions for what has become our most anticipated publication of the year. The MFA Annual will feature painters that are currently studying to receive a Master of Fine Arts or recent MFA graduates. Even more exciting, we have an amazing juror for this year’s competition. New American Paintings is thrilled to have Alma Ruiz, Senior Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, ready to review submissions and select the best and most promising artists to watch.
If you have received your MFA in 2011 or you are a current candidate, you are eligible to enter! The extended deadline is November 7th, 2011 (Midnight EST). So apply online now! Or, visit competition page and follow the instructions. Submitting is easy! Just have four jpegs, less than 1200 pixels at their greatest dimension, and a credit card for the entry fee.
You may download a PDF of our postcard announcement here (ignore the original deadline). Good luck!
