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An X-Rated Exhibition, In-Flight Creations, and More Art This Week

(image via Solas Studio / Facebook)

Smut
Opening Wednesday, February 20 at Con Artist Collective, 7 pm to 11 pm. On view through February 22. 

Many pieces of art are meant to be refined and cultured, prompting viewers to gaze at delicate brushstrokes and profound deeper meanings. But some art is just plain hot, and you sure can find a lot of that (plus some refined and cultured stuff, too) at the opening of Smut, a steamy group show curated by Liam Cotter and produced by Solas Studio featuring art ranging “from the erotic to the pornographic.” Of course, the line between those two descriptors is historically blurry, but it’s unfortunately common to see “fine art” insisting that porn doesn’t have a place in it, so the fact that that’s not the case here is refreshing to see. Over 40 artists working in all types of disciplines will be exhibiting as part of the show, so there’ll certainly be a lot to take in. Just make sure to keep it in your pants. More →

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Black Art Matters and More Exhibitions This Week

(image via Con Artist Collective)

August Summer Residency Showcase
Opening Wednesday, August 29 at Con Artist Collective, 7 pm to 11 pm. On view through August 31.

It’s the end of the summer, which means people are scrambling to get the last of their leisure time in before it feels less justifiable to do so. This often means less events and other artistic goings-on. After all, it’s hard to have an art show when you don’t want to leave the beach. But the restless vigor of Con Artist Collective continues—on any given day (including in the midst of the end-of-summer lull) you can probably find them up to something, whether that be the party-filled unveiling of a new art exhibition or something else entirely. Starting Wednesday night, the Lower East Side art space’s summer studio residents will be showing their latest creations. More →

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Art That Lulls You Into Relaxation and More Openings This Week

Image: Raul Valverde in collaboration with Muntadas, ‘Calendar for Travelling Artists’, 2018, 8 × 51/2 in. (20.32 × 13.97 cm). Courtesy of the artist. (via ISCP / Facebook)

Never Take a Vacation with an Artist Who Collects the Same Stuff You Do
Opening Tuesday, August 14 at International Studio + Curatorial Program, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through October 12.

The title of this new group show from ISCP conjures some immediate images: two artists, lounging on the beach. Their peaceful time is cut short due to the fact that they both really want to collect the same type of shells, but there are only a couple of those, so they start fighting over them. Dare I say, all shell breaks loose? I forget if you can even take shells from beaches, but still. The actual content of this show, which features nine artists from ISCP’s Ground Floor Program, appears to be more interesting (or soothing) than my strange musings about beaches. With a goal of “lull[ing] the viewer into a state of relaxation,” the show offers vacation-centric content like thoughts on summer road trips and an interactive piece that quite literally gives the gallery’s front desk staff a break from working. It’s summer, after all. More →

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Art About America and More Exhibitions Opening This Week

(image via Con Artist Collective / Facebook)

Amurikana
Opening Wednesday, July 4 at Con Artist Collective, 7 pm to 11 pm.

The 4th of July falls on a Wednesday this year, which for the people with Real Jobs means you probably have to drink less than you would if it was on a weekend. It’s also admittedly a weird and unsettling time to have a holiday that’s supposed to celebrate patriotism and America when in just the past week families were torn apart, children were kept in cages, journalists were shot dead at a local newspaper, and a Supreme Court Justice who occasionally voted in non-conservative ways announced his retirement. Even so, it can be comforting to come together for a little merry-making. If you’re looking for something to do before or after a rooftop party, backyard BBQ, or other outdoor activity, the artists of Con Artist Collective are putting up a show appropriately all about America, whatever that might mean to them. More →

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Colors of Childhood, Black Natural Hair, and More Exhibitions This Week

Naomi Clark (image courtesy of Cooler Gallery)

Milk Curd and Cherry Pits: Color Stories by Naomi Clark
Opening Tuesday, August 8 at Cooler Gallery, 7 pm to 10 pm. On view through August 25.

Not everyone has a favorite color, but surely there is a shade that reminds you of a specific time, place, person, or feeling. For those with conditions like synesthesia, colors can take on an even more tangible role in memories and associations. To others, they can just look nice, without being imbued with any sort of deep meaning.

In Milk Curd and Cherry Pits, her exhibition at Cooler Gallery, painter and textile artist Naomi Clark connects color with her childhood. Even the title itself conjures a simpler, more rustic time, when everyday items like the pits within cherries were new and surprising. She’s particularly drawn to yellows and blues, creating simple shapes on small canvases. To Clark, these works are associated with relaxed, childlike creativity. To you, perhaps something else entirely.

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Art Openings: Love Positive Women, Virtual Quilts, and More

(by David Shama, via Con Artist / Facebook)

(by David Shama, via Con Artist / Facebook)

Supernatural
Opening Wednesday January 25 at Con Artist Collective, 7 pm to 11 pm. On view through January 27.

Inspired by the popularity of Netflix’s Stranger Things and other popular culture in genres that like to bring on the chills, Con Artist Collective’s Supernatural exhibition is a quick weeklong endeavor showcasing all things that go bump in the night. So, you’ll bear witness to ghosts, werewolves, demons, vampires, and other otherworldly creatures, but this won’t only be literal manifestations of the theme. Some artists will choose a more metaphorical path, rendering feelings of fear, suspense, or uncertainty through color, shape, or something else entirely. Boo! More →

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Week in Art: Black Women Artists for BLM, Weaponized Art, and a ‘Gallery Intervention’

(image via The Kitchen)

(image via The Kitchen)

Black Women Artists for Black Lives Matter: Holiday Screening & Reception
Monday, November 28 at The Kitchen, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Sondra Perry: Resident Evil on view through December 10.

Black Women Artists for Black Lives Matter, aka BWA for BLM, is a fairly self-explanatory “collective force underground” group formed in July 2016 in response to the continual systemic violence perpetuated against black bodies in America. This evening, the group is taking over experimental performance and art space The Kitchen to show a series of videos, both archives of past performances the group has done and videos created by members of the group, all while beats by DJ LotusMoon infiltrate your ears.

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Art Openings: Pins N’ Patches, Cheap Art, Magazines IRL

(via Strike Gently Co / Facebook)

(via Strike Gently Co / Facebook)

The Pin and Patch Show
Tuesday, August 2 at Chinatown Soup, 16 Orchard Street, Chinatown. Opening reception 6-9pm, show on view through August 9. More info here. 
Gallery and art space Chinatown Soup will host this event that’s part art show, part pop-up shop showcasing the work of 10 local companies who make pins and patches. Don’t expect vintage band logos or anything of that sort, as this is a show of new, original work by artists. The first 50 who come to the opening will receive a free pin or patch from Strike Gently Co., and free PBR will be a-flowing. Get there feeling eager, and leave full of beer with a slew of cool new accessories for your denim vest, tote bag, or whatever you’d like.

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LES Gallery Scene Is Hot, But This Newcomer Is Prepared to ‘Lose Money Every Month’

(Photo by Kavitha Surana)

(Photo by Kavitha Surana)

“People are going to come and say: ‘How does this place stay in business?'” Brian Shevlin, the founder of Con Artist Collective said, talking a mile a minute and gesturing around Lazy Susan, the new itsy-bitsy gallery at 191 Henry Street still in the midst of a “mini facelift.” But that doesn’t bother Shevlin– maybe it won’t manage to stay “in business” in the traditional sense, but he hopes it’ll succeed as a rag-tag, largely artist-run project space that’ll surprise and delight in a way more bottom-line driven galleries don’t. 

“We thought: wouldn’t it be awesome if Con Artist Collective could have a space that we could just sort of have the keys to and give it to an artist and say: do whatever the hell you want, you’ve got this many days?” Shevlin said. “It doesn’t matter what they do. They make money or they don’t make money. They sit in the room or they don’t open at all. It doesn’t really matter, it’s your space.” 

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Con Artist Has Art So Cheap You Can Eat It, Trust

"The $20 Art Show" at Con Artist Gallery (Photo: Nicole Disser)

“The $20 Art Show” at Con Artist Gallery (Photo: Nicole Disser)

I’d never seen art move so quickly off the walls as I did last night at Con Artist Collective‘s Lower East Side gallery. Things were so hectic that it was difficult even to talk to founder Brian Shevlin about the unusual exhibition. His eyes were too busy darting to and from the small, rectangular pieces of art as they were gently taken off the walls, wrapped in red plastic bags, and quickly replaced by more art works. It felt like a feeding frenzy, and I couldn’t help but join in. Snagging some art myself, I realized I’d never even considered buying art in a gallery before this. I mean, definitely the $20 price tag had something, a lot, to do with making an already appealing piece of work feel accessible. “We did this based on Bread & Puppet Theater’s Why Cheap Art? Manifesto,” Shevlin explained. “Basically, we believe that artists should be required to make cheap art.”

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