equity gallery

Arts & Culture, news No Comments

Art This Week: Lines, Cut Paper, and Low-Tech Glitches

By

thecatamites, Magic Wand, 2016, Video game, Dimensions variable (still) (image via apexart)

Dire Jank
Opening Wednesday, March 20 at apexart, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through May 19. 

It’s usually considered good and impressive for something digitally created to look flawless, almost like it wasn’t created by humans to begin with. Usually this process is time-consuming; it almost always involves some sort of expensive software, or equipment, or graduate degrees. Dire Jank, an exhibition of games, videos, and digital art curated by Porpentine Charity Heartscape, celebrates pretty much everything that isn’t that. Pixelated images, old Photo Booth filters, outdated Flash games, glitches, and more are put on a pedestal here, valued more than the glossy, hyper-realistic creations that modern technology can create. More →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Arts & Culture, news No Comments

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

By

(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 →

Tags: , , , , ,
Arts & Culture, news No Comments

Art This Week: Pleas For Peace, New Sculptors, Motherhood

By

(image courtesy of The Untitled Space)

Defining Form
Opening Wednesday, July 11 at The Untitled Space, 6 pm to 9 pm. On view through August 1.

When one thinks of sculpture, it’s likely the old masters of yore come to mind: Donatello, Michelangelo, Bernini, even more modern creators like Duchamp and Calder. Something else these artists have in common, in addition to their acclaim and skill, is their gender. Surprise surprise, like most art historical figures, they’re all men. New group show Defining Form seeks to introduce the public to a new, more diverse generation of sculptors. Over 50 artists are participating in the exhibition, which features common motifs of feminism, unconventional materials, and technologically-advanced ways of creating art, such as 3-D printing. So, come and have your notions of what it means to be a sculptor expanded. More →

Tags: , , , , , ,
Arts & Culture, news No Comments

City Planning Weapons, The Internet’s Queer Future, And More Art This Week

By

Zhang Enli
The Broken Sofa, 2017
Oil on canvas
220 x 180 cm / 86 5/8 x 70 7/8 in
© Zhang Enli
Courtesy the Artist and Hauser & Wirth

The Garden
Opening Thursday, January 25 at Hauser & Wirth 22nd Street, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through April 7.

Some abstract art is indeed just blotches of color, shape, and brushstroke. But some art that looks abstract, such as the works of Zhang Enli, could in fact be a version of hyperrealism. The subjects of Enli’s paintings are often recognizable landscapes, such as the gardens peppered throughout Shanghai, zoomed in far enough to become unrecognizable and in doing so, take on a new type of beauty. However, there’s only the partial presence of hyperrealism in Enil’s works, as they’re modeled off of real imagery but imbued with his own personal interpretation. Is that swirl green because it was originally green, or does it look that way because the artist made it so? You can give your best guess, but not knowing is part of the fun.

More →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Arts & Culture, news No Comments

Art This Week: Selfie Voyeuring, Searching For Terry, Reduced ‘Crapitalism’

By

Andrew Gori & Ambre Kelly, Couple – Teotihuacan, Mexico, 2014 © Andrew Gori & Ambre Kelly (image via NY Artists Equity Association)

Andrew Gori & Ambre Kelly, Couple – Teotihuacan, Mexico, 2014 © Andrew Gori & Ambre Kelly (image via NY Artists Equity Association)

Andrew Gori and Ambre Kelly, Sightseers
Opening Tuesday, October 18 at Equity Gallery, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through October 29.

Arielle de Saint Phalle curates a show of work by Andrew Gori and Ambre Kelly, founders of the SPRING/BREAK Art Show among other projects, curatorial and otherwise. For the first time, the two artists will be showing a series of collaborative photographs they’ve taken over the course of five years. The photos are described as a chronicle of “the self-portraiture practice of travelers and tourists,” which is essentially a fancy way to say you’re taking pix of people taking selfies in various locations. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. As selfies have become more and more ubiquitous throughout the world, a documentation of how people take them, especially in international travel hubs and beyond, sounds certainly intriguing. Sure, it’s definitely a little weird and voyeuristic to be showing them in a fine art space, but I suppose it’s just a more permanent form of people-watching. In stark constrast to the high-tech smartphone, which is prime vehicle for selfies, all of the photos on display were taken with 20th Century prosumer film cameras. So no, that’s not just a vintage Instagram filter.

More →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,