Articles by .

Anthony Cudahy: The Inflections of Somebody

Anthony Cudahy: The Inflections of Somebody
It begins with a space. The original, creaking floors of GRIMM’s Tribeca space brings out something special in the viewing of Anthony Cudahy’s paintings, a show I wanted to see before speaking with the artist on the brink of another show, his museum show, Spinneret, opening at the Green Family Art Foundation this fall. Cudahy paints emotion and something quite moody, and when you circle the gallery, the timeworn floorboards enhance the intimacy of the works on view, evoking an intimate sigh as you find yourself quietly trying not to disturb the characters, not quite sure if you should be privy to what is happening in the scenes around you.

Poetry and Paintboxes in Provincetown: Documenting the Legacy of The Fine Arts Work Center

Poetry and Paintboxes in Provincetown: Documenting the Legacy of The Fine Arts Work Center
Art residencies are like idyllic adult summer camps, and although the Fine Arts Work Center has a fulsome summer program, their fellowships take place when a knit cap and down vest are appreciated. That hardly discourages the writers and visual artists who attend, as expressed by poet John Murillo; “One thing is to have a good idea for a poem or image that is resonant or impactful, but that’s not enough. You need something else to push against or to interrogate. Something about a place like this is that if you sit quietly enough, those things will kind of insist upon themselves.” I marveled at the magic FAWC, founded in the 1960s to nurture the small community of Provincetown and…

ZEPHYR: Graffiti Blackbook/Scrapbook 1978 And Beyond

ZEPHYR: Graffiti Blackbook/Scrapbook 1978 And Beyond
The beautiful part of graffiti is that it’s such an ephemeral art form; most of its greatest works only lasted days, if not hours. But the archives are rich, and what remains are historic and essential. ZEPHYR, one of the most influential graff artists of NYC, kept a scrapbook that would become pivotal to the history of the graffiti, and weighing 7 pounds with 243 full-color pages, ZEPHYR: Graffiti Blackbook/Scrapbook 1978 and Beyond is an exact reproduction of the most essential years of artistic discovery. “I’m hopeful that there is content here—historical and/or sentimental,” ZEPHYR says. More importantly, it’s the real thing.

David Byrd: Bad jobs can produce very good pictures

David Byrd: Bad jobs can produce very good pictures
Anton Kern Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of works by David Byrd (1926 – 2013) coinciding with the release of Volume 1 of the late American artist’s catalogue raisonné. Occupying the third floor gallery, this presentation aims to illuminate the interconnections between Byrd’s paintings, drawings, and assemblage sculptures, and provide a glimpse into his creative process. Special attention is paid to the portraits Byrd sketched on notepaper while on the job and painted years later, of the men and women at the Veterans’ Affairs hospital in Montrose, NY, where he worked as an orderly from 1958 – 1988. The exhibition also includes paintings of the landscapes he passed on his daily commute to and from work, and scenes of small town life in Sidney Center where he would…

FifthWallTV Does a Deep-dive into Graffiti with Rafael Schacter

FifthWallTV Does a Deep-dive into Graffiti with Rafael Schacter
On the occasion of his latest book, Monumental Graffiti, Rafael Schacter sat down with our good friend Doug Gillen of FifthWallTV to talk about just that, his love for graffiti and his book that “focuses on the material, communicative, and contextual aspects of these two forms of material culture to provide a timely perspective on public art, citizenship, and the city today.”

Watering False Flowers: Erin M. Riley’s Textiles Debut in Paris

Watering False Flowers: Erin M. Riley's Textiles Debut in Paris
Years ago, in an interview with Erin M. Riley, she told us “For a long time, I tried to remain respectful, but finally realized that while my work is made on a loom, these pieces are not traditional by any means, and rather than call them tapestries, I have just started describing them by the materials they are made with. I do love talking with the students who are studying textiles currently. They are excited about the work I am making, and I am glad they can see a different way of using materials that have been untapped and underappreciated for so long.” Why this stood out to me, years later, as Riley opened Watering False Flowers in her debut in…

HUSKMITNAVN: A New Day @ V1 Gallery, Copenhagen

HUSKMITNAVN: A New Day @ V1 Gallery, Copenhagen
There is something so comforting about a HUSKMITNAVN show at V1 Gallery. Not that the work is comfortable, but that you know HUSKMITNAVN will paint about domestic life in a way that feels relatable, or create a collective sense of anxiety and humor in his illustrations. It’s comforting because you know he has an eye out for us, he’s paying attention, he gets it, he gets what is going on at home. He has always had an empathetic eye, and in A New Day, that understanding of the mundane being profound is ever so apparent. As the gallery notes, “There is a joyful defiance in A New Day, a sort of call to arms to appreciate and celebrate our daily lives. If…