We, The Outsiders is an art exhibition that explores several perplexing questions: “Can it be said that art has a consciousness of its own? And if such a consciousness were independent of us, where would it place us in relation to itself?” I have no idea what that means, but I do know that the exhibition revolves around a gigantic egg—which probes, like the classic chicken-and-the-egg conundrum (I prosaically assume), where consciousness begins and ends when it comes to art. Curated by Chus Martinez, We, The Outsiders brings together works (including the above video) by an international quartet of artists, and will be on view at the physical gallery space of e-flux (the publishing platform, archive, artist project, curatorial platform, and enterprise founded in 1998) through September and October. If you enjoy contemplating the philosophy of art and the potential solipsism of creativity, consider attending the opening ceremony, where Martinez will be in conversation with Boris Groys—noted art critic, media theorist and philosopher.
Art + Culture
Kick to the Spine: Shakespeare & Co. Being Replaced By a Foot Locker?
(Photo: Kirsten O’Regan)
Shakespeare & Co., the beloved independent bookstore on Broadway, could close as early as tomorrow. And it might be making way for a Foot Locker, Bedford + Bowery has learned.
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Partake in Literature and Libations at Lit Crawl Manhattan and Brooklyn Book Fest
Crawlers read their maps between phases of a previous Lit Crawl (Photo courtesy of Ky Huynh and Lit Crawl)
If your dream evening revolves around a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a Pynchon novel—or your idea of getting ruckus involves regaling amigos with Ginsberg-ian incantations after a couple stiff drinks—these upcoming literary and libation-friendly events are sure to make your heart sing. Say hello to not one but two bookish extravaganzas: Lit Crawl Manhattan and the Brooklyn Book Festival.
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’90s Style Was ‘Exciting’ (Maybe) But the Fashion World Is a Horrible Place
Things you can learn at this weeks stellar readings and talks.
Thursday, August 28
That’s When the Knives Come Down with Dolan Morgan
Greenpointer Dolan Morgan will read on home turf for the Brooklyn launch of his debut collection That’s When the Knives Come Down. A surrealist glance at cities, relationships and lives gone awry, the stories are billed as simultaneously “absurd, harrowing, and inimitable.” According to Catherine Lacey, “Dolan Morgan queers the every day and leaves a sinister domestic scene behind.” He’ll be joined in discussion by B.C. Edwards (The Aversive Clause) and Chelsea Hodson (Pity the Animal).
7pm, WORD Books (126 Franklin St, Greenpoint), FREE, Facebook RSVP here
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We’ll Drink (and Eat) to This: Firehouse Becoming a Cultural Center
(Photos courtesy of NTHCCC)
The Northside Town Hall and Community Center (NTHCCC) will, once it’s completed, function as a social, cultural and political hub for the Williamsburg-Greenpoint community. And, crucially, it will enact this role from Engine 212, a defunct firehouse on Wythe Avenue that played a central role in the neighborhood’s history.
Get Some Fine Art With Your Morning Egg-and-Cheese
A Number of Names art gallery on Avenue C and East 7th (Photo: Kirsten O’Regan)
If a defunct bodega seems an unusual space for a curated art show, how about the wall outside a still-functioning deli? ANON (A Number of Names), the newest unorthodox art venue to materialize on Avenue C, shuns interiors entirely in favor of a door-sized vertical in the heart of Alphabet City.
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A New Exhibit Has Turned This Avenue C Bodega into a Beau-dega
BEAU’s mural on the bodega exterior (Photo: Kirsten O’Regan)
Oh hey, street art lovers and bodega loiterers: here’s an opportunity to double down on your favorite pastimes. Specials on C—that corner deli turned art gallery/event space—is currently hosting a joint exhibition of works on paper and canvas by street artists BEAU and JMR.
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Readings and Talks: Secret Societies, Southron Turncloaks and Storytellers
Since everyone cool/loaded has left the city for a summer get-away and you’re still here, what better way to pass these lazy days than by learning to battle the Illuminati, showing off your mad fanboy language skillz or getting acquainted with Emperor Augustus.
Thursday August 21
Julie Schumacher + Ethan Rutherford
Dear Committee Members, Julie Schumacher’s eighth novel, is an epistolary satire of academia that has been earning—as the title of a Slate review puts it, “Strongest possible endorsement.” Made up of letters of recommendation written by a beleaguered literature professor (whose promising career in fiction is now just a fading memory), the book is a bitingly witty portrait of a dying English department and the embittered man who dwells in its decomposing innards. More →
Would You Sign Up For an Art CSA?
Print by Jonathan Hull
Broke art collectors don’t exist, and broke artists can only exist for so long. Enter: Brooklyn Community Supported Art + Design (CSA+D). Putting a twist on the idea of Community Supported Agriculture, where subscribers get a weekly supply of fruits and veggies from a farm or community garden, CSA+D is a program where shareholders purchase stocks in local artists in exchange for pieces of art and design.
Guerrilla Art Show On a Subway Platform? Now That’s Worth an Exclamation Point!
Bashful Bags on display at the old Apostrophe gallery (Photo: Raspberry)
Apostrophe, the underground art space/party den that was shuttered last September, may be temporarily between galleries but that doesn’t mean it’s out of action.
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