Weekend Review

This weekend was a flurry of activity.  Rather than focus on any one artist or exhibition, I thought it best to share some of the highlights:

Film and Theater

Karsh is History

How did Karsh become one of the 20th centuries foremost photographers? This is the question explored by the new film “Karsh is History.” Rather than the life of Karsh, I found myself pondering the extraordinary parallels between Karsh and Richard Avendon: Their fame was built on the same premise – photographs of powerful people. Commercially they set out to achieve the same goal, yet their approach differers in one distinct and critical way. When making portraits, Karsh was driven to show the ideal of the individual and the archetype of their public figure. Avendon wanted to capture a moment, a never before seen glimpse of the individual. Some might consider this a subtle shift, but I was struck by how deeply it impacted their individual bodies of work.

The Ghost Writer

I am increasingly drawn to films by european directors. In The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski weaves his magic to create a captivating thriller that kept me engaged until the closing credits.

Mr. and Mrs. Fitch

Urbane, smart, witty, and stylish. Enough said.

The White Ribbon

This film explores the origin of terror through the distant memories of a man living on the brink of WWI. Dark, powerful, and moving, it left me with an unshakable sense of disquite.

Exhibitions

Olafur Eliason at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

This show caused great debate amongst myself and another artist friend. She felt that Eliason was overtly similar to that of a 30 year predecessor James Turrell, yet lacked the sense of poetry and refinement that Turrell possessed. To her, the fact that Eliason hires a staff of architects to help manufacture his work is a discredit to his talent. Personally, I liked his work and felt that her opinion was just that – opinion. We ended the discussion agreeing that only time will tell. This show raised the recent Roberta Smith article and the responsibility of the galleries and museums to put the best art in front of the public. I would love to hear the thoughts of others on both the show, and the article.

Jacco Olivier at Marianne Boesky Gallery

Creative and vibrantly visual, Jacco combines film and painting into layered montages of movement.  While his work requires time to digest, it is worth the investment.

Wolfgang Tilman at Andrea Rosen Gallery

This show epitomizes a new trend in gallery display. A trend that I have noticed across the New York art scene with increasing frequency. In one show, Tilman exhibits a vast array of subject matter and themes. To some, they find this approach slightly manic and unnerving. Personally, I find it a refreshing break from the traditional.

Baron Adolph de Meyer at Robert Miller Gallery

Baron Adolph de Meyer is an Icon of elegant, early 20th century photography. Yet this exhibition captures little of his genius. His best work was suspiciously absent from the show making the collection at best banal and at worst silly.

Robert Adams at Mathew Marks Gallery

There is something wonderfully casual about Adams work. In an age of hyper-processed and excessively calculated imagery, his work is a tribute to the uncontrived. The small-scale photographs of night scenes harken back to a bygone era of simplistic authenticity.

Restaurants

Maialino at Ian Schragers Gramercy Park

The fried artichokes with a luscious anchovy-rich sauce are absolutely delicious.

Bar Pleiades at The Surrey

Thank Chef Boulud for divine canapes.

Sant Ambroeus and Bottino

I just can’t say enough good things about both of these places.

Final Thoughts

Since the death of my cat Sheva, I’ve had a recent surge of desire to be out and about. Indulging my inner social butterfly has been invigorating, yet as an artist I need solitude to create. It is solitude that makes me hunger for social interaction, and social interaction that inspires me to find solitude. I’ve never found a balance. All I can do is hold on and hope to thrive.