Book of Hours

A book of hours. In fourteen large scale photographic prints, Sternfeld documents weather and atmospheric effects in a field in Massachusetts over several seasons. They are ascheewed depictions with no implied meaning or pretense. They are surreal documents and are experienced as such. Joel Sternfeld's Oxbow Archive has "The idea of Place, long a second fiddle to Time in Western thinking, comes to the fore in this deep reading of a hidden but culturally resonant patch of earth." It however, suggests the changes in climate- it is not metaphorical- not statement-but implied. "When Thomas Cole painted the Oxbow, he meant it to be a warning about “progress” in the form of clearing of wilderness for farms and factories. Two hundred years later climate change may prove Cole’s concerns valid – and the seasons may never manifest themselves the same way in this field again." The opening will be held tonight at Luhring Augustine Gallery from 6 until 8 pm. Go see this fine document- this book of hours.

Collages by Poet/Artist John Ashbery

What is the difference between collage and poetry? The poet John Ashbery has an exhibit of his collages which, in stark contrast to his poetry, have clear plot with pristine images and intent. However, they still ring true to the surrealism that exists in his writing. He is primarily a writer and is loved by writers. His collage highlights the impulse for the poet to arrange images, paying attention to contrast, structure, and aesthetic. Ashbery brings us to a place where we can finally see the manifestation of the close relationship between writer and artist. A friend of mine takes Polaroids (much like the snapshot achieved in a stanza or entire poem) and then covers portions of the photograph with paint. What is left is the lines left in, what is painted over- the white space. Collage is an amazing sight- one of my favorite genres. The exhibit will be held tonight from 5-7 pm at 724 5th avenue between 56th and 57th and the exhibit only lasts until October 4th. Go discover for yourself this amazing parallel.

Between Worlds

The Nomenus Group currently has an exhibition up at the Dactyl Foundation. It is a group exhibit that uses several different mediums to juxtapose and parallel the different effects of art. There will be featured works of painters, designers, and photographers that will question the idea that art, beauty and commerce cannot interact productively. They bring together the different aspects of life proving that art can mean business. "Purely aesthetic pieces are placed along side the semiotic, and contemporary design invades poetry and paint." The show comes from the Nomenus Quarterly which is a publication that merges fine art and fashion. Check out the axhibit anytime between now and September 21st.

Artist Transforms into Prize Winning Show Cat

Artist Tam Ochiai turns himself into prize winning feline, Tiam O'Shian IV. You will barely notice the change. They are the same. The letters, almost identical. He tricks the eye. The claws scratch the page. The works , drawn on paper with the spirit of a cat will be on display at the Team Gallery from Septermber 2nd at 6PM until October 4th. There will be a reception tonight as well.
"The style changes to fit the content, from wispy fashionable figures to aggressive abstractions of cat scratches. The installation at Team will include about seventy framed drawings, along with two very large sculptures which can’t help but alter the movement of a viewer attempting to move simply from drawing to drawing. The sculptures serve to foreground the role of the human body and of architecture in the 'reading' of drawings." It is obvious the relationship with language that exists in this exhibit. The play on words, misspellings, the play on image, the emphasis on "reading". You cat miss it.

New Worlds

Adventures. Adventures right here in New York. Explore new worlds. September 4th there will be an opening reception for an exhibition entitled "Welcome to Tartarus, Welcome to Valhalla" by artist Nathan Skiles. He created these two places which juxtapose each other. I think this explains it best: " The sculptures come from a frustration with the dichotomy between affirming the legitimacy of democratic diplomacy while also preserving hostility to and from other countries. The sculptures speak of a convoluted culture... A tire distillery is formed as a machination of miraculous change usurping its popular conception as a means of prohibited libation. " Skiles does not describe these places but offers artifacts for us to use our own inference and imagination.

artLab

Tonight at the Siemens artLab in the Bronx there will be an exhibition opening from 6:30pm until 9pm. The artist to be shown, Petra Feriancova combines text and image, working in the intentions of post-production.
"Aside from some sort of reconfiguration of the “existent”, which is one position of her work, she collects „images“, shots where the story is dominant. Images which she “uncovers” communicate with her aim to discover, name, sort, archive, to “read” retroactively." Working in a concrete place allows her to use the surrounding, inferred space to work.

The artist will be in attendance.

Glasslands

The Glasslands Gallery is a magical place located in Brooklyn on Kent Ave. It's an art space created by Brooke Baxter to hold events. However, she doesn't like it when people call it a music venue. It's an place for "experimental artistry." It is always changing with artists' dreamy murals , sculptures, paint, and other textures scattered around the space. It's rented out by people to host events, usually friends of one of the artists. It's got a stage, a balcony, couches, and several rooms. Young people roam the space and take advantage of paint cans scattered around, expressing themselves (which may not always end well in Brooklyn.)