NICELY NICELY: A Walk Through Chelsea

The thaw and the need to pick up art brought us to Chelsea today. While in the neighborhood we saw:


Joel Sternfeld "First Pictures" @ Luhring Augustine (531 W 24) - As the title announces, the photographs in this large exhibit all date from 1970 to 1986, many of which have never before been printed for exhibition, and set up the vocabulary the photographer would refine in later work. Nearly encyclopedic in volume, the prints themselves are modest in size; representing four separate "volumes" of work, there is a nostalgic, yet witty quality that makes you know you are looking at one man's work. I find the shore photos particularly charming and the show is a wonderful chronicle of some awful low-end fashion and styling. This show ends February 4th so catch it if you can!

Joel Sternfeld "First Pictures"

Shirin Neshat @ Gladstone (515 W 24) - Voluptuous large black-and-white photographs, mostly portraits, all inscribed with either text or drawings based on a classic Persian epic "The Book of Kings". A 3-channel video from 2010 entitled "Over-Ruled" runs in the back: A panoramic panel of a judge and his "assistants" is flanked by an oud player on one side and a singer on the other. I found the proportions of the work rather stunted and might work better as a larger projection. Closes February 11th.


Damien Hirst "The Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011" @ Gagosian (all galleries) - The title says it all: a preposterous amount of dots shown in a preposterous way (the true Hirst-Heads can earn a free signed print if they make the effort to see all 11 exhibits before March 17th). Of the two downtown spaces the one on W 21 Street is the more intriguing selection; a wide selection of sizes and densities show the fun playfulness of this conceit (a small canvas packed with tiny spots is particularly giddy). The pretentiousness of the conceit comes to the forée on W 24th Street where too much of the same thing in the same room shows their vapid side. The most effective section here is the back gallery with the tondo paintings, circles on circles were a nice 60's flashback! In NYC until February 18th.

Hirst Spot Paintings on 24th St

Chris Martin @ Mitchell-Innes & Nash (534 W 26) Paintings - The third show by this Brooklyn-based painter at this gallery is a provocative mix of some of the painters earlier tropes with newer ones, including a grid of newspaper on the surface of the paintings, a Jamaican flag color palette, and curious cut-outs. The contagious silliness that drew me to Martins work previously is lacking in these new works, but still on view in some of the largest canvases. Don't forget to pat the lucky lawn troll in the corner. Worth a peek.



Also seen:
Bosco Sodi "Ubi sunt" @ Pace (545 W 22) The unique signature style of this Mexican-born, Brooklyn-based artist is hard-worn ugly deep-pile shag carpet. This work reminds me of Arte Povera surface paintings or Yves Klein texture paintings in colors that go well with peoples sofas. Ugh!!

THE WEDDING (THE WALKER EVANS POLAROID PROJECT) WITH RONI HORN/A curatorial composition by Ydessa Hendeles @ Andrea Rosen (525 W 24) A high falutin' show for a lot of mediocre SX-70 nicely displayed. Roni Horn should register a protest. It's closing SOON!!


Clay Ketter @ Sonnabend (536 W 22)  Lush, large-format color photo show of decaying Spain. Nice work from this photographer. Worth a peek.

HAPPY NEW STUFF!!

Welcome to 2012, the year we all die, according to Mayan prophesy!!


In the meantime, let's live, laugh and love! Since it is Winter and cold we are staying close to home these days. But I was lured out for dinner last week at Bin 5 (1233 Bay Street at Maryland), the new establishment that took over the space occupied by long-time Island favorite Aesop's Table. The new owners are part of the Da Noi Italian Restaurant group and what they might turn this charming dining spot into was causing me great apprehension.


I'm happy to report my fears were unjustified. The interior has been totally revamped, replacing the bright pressed-tin walls with dark wood and paneling. The bar area has (rightly) been moved to the front of the main dining room and the areas once taken up with tacky window arrangements has made room for cozy, romantic seating. The room has been transformed into a warm, inviting boîte. The menu has a foothold in Italy, but is brave enough to venture into other culinary worlds. The duck and scallion rolls with hoisin sauce aren't the most imaginative thing on a menu, but they were crisp and hot, the duck was juicy and the sauce didn't overwhelm the dish. Salad greens were crisp and clean. My entree of Veal Cannellini, veal scalloppines stuffed with white beans, was simple and flavorful, as was the nightly special of Shepard's Pie! There is an extensive bottled wine list, and the by the glass selections were very good! Looking forward to a return visit soon.

Last night was the first Second Saturday Staten Island of the new year and if it was indicative of what's ahead for the arts on the Island, then I foresee an interesting and provocative year. We were finally able to find the DOORWAY gallery where Gayil Nalls had an installation called "The Smell of a Critical Moment". The few grids of photographs showing people silk-screening and wearing T-shirts designed by Nalls identifying the wearer as part of the 99% does not prepare you for the impact of the main part of the installation. Nalls worked with Occupy Wall Street protesters, providing them with white cotton T-shirts to wear and adorn. Each shirt hangs pristine on a rack in the rear gallery, along with a tag that shares some of the wearer's experience. Nalls is an artist who has been interested in olfactory experience as art and after two minutes or so in the rear gallery you begin to fully take in the invisible ambiance that takes over the space. I appreciated the effort to collect a moment in time; the idea that the 99% is characterized by sweat and perspiration may not be new, but the slightly antiseptic showroom quality of the display, along with (some of) the wearers' tags helps to brings a face and focus to a movement many in the Media call vague.


At Deep Tanks (150 Bay Street), Island artist DB Lampman performed a piece called "Brain Furniture". I had encountered some of Ms. Lampman's work out at the Freshkills Park not long ago, but I missed the performance she did with the strained bio-morphic figures she installed there. Here, working in a small confined space, she interacted with four torso-like light sculptures. Dressed in a youthful pinefore, Ms. Lampman interacted with these objects, controlling their light levels, raising them up and down and generally exploring and creating a neural network. Well scored, the piece was bright, fun, and concise, all positives in the world of performance. The piece had a strong feminist voice that was neither strident or clichéd. Drawings and paintings accompanied the installation and performance. Brava!!