W 19th St Update: ISLAND

While you are on W 19th Street enjoying Jennie C. Jones’ Absorb / Diffuse at The Kitchen you have to stop in David Zwirner for Yutaka Sone: ISLAND. It’s like taking a micro-vacation to a fantastical island where relative size is variable but scale is constant. It’s magical. 

Sone initially trained as an architect, which is undeniably clear in the way that each piece is obsessively detailed. His work toes the line between realism and perfection. It is simultaneously natural and artificial. Light in between Trees #1 is a marble sculpture depicting rays of sunlight as geometric forms cutting through tall trees. Contrastingly, Tropical Composition / Travelers palm no1 is a life-size tree made from natural rattan and paint around a wire frame. The juxtaposition is powerful.

From afar Little Manhattan is like a Renaissance drapery study with its 2.5 tons of magnificently smooth white marble. Go closer, though, and you’ll discover that the top inch or so of this elegant form is a to-scale rendering of Manhattan. (Well, almost to scale…the Empire State Building is purposely oversized.)

Afterward, ease back into reality with a stop at Omai for a Vietnamese lunch. Everything is super fresh and super tasty (if slightly inauthentic). I discovered their delicious lemongrass-crusted tofu thanks to the Underground Gourmet. Trust me/them and just get it! 

Ingredients:

Venues: The Kitchen; David Zwirner

Artists: Jennie C Jones; Yutaka Sone

Streets: W 19th St, 10th-11th Aves

Eats: Omai

Map:

Broome St - Despaña, China-ism II: Democracy or Economy, Vertical Neck

The bocadillos (sandwiches) at Despaña, with their imported ingredients and artisanal bread, are pretty much little works of art, so start there. If you can’t decide between the scrumptious-sounding options, they offer flautas and pintxos (aka mini-‘wiches), which are perfect for tasting a few.

After you’ve savored your last tasty morsel at Despaña, head over to White Box for a heavy dose of China-ism. This show, China-ism II: Democracy or Economy, features work by Anton S. Kandinsky (a non-Asian artist) and Ai Weiwei (a Chinese artist who was recently detained by the government.) “China-ism” is Kandinsky’s term for “artistic interpretation of contemporary China,” and this confrontational show begs the question, “If China is already changing the world, will the world change China?" Shake your Magic 8 Ball, and let me know what it says! 

Down the block at Simon Preston, Michelle Lopez’s Vertical Neck is like a study of what happens to minimalism over time. With Blue Angel, her aluminum monoliths look more like flimsy, sagging sheets of Mylar. So, is the conclusion of this experiment that minimalism behaves like all natural bodies over time? Gravity kicks in and things go south? I hope not!

Ingredients:

Venues: Simon Preston; White Box

Artists: Michelle Lopez; Anton S. Kandinsky; Ai Weiwei

Streets: Broome St, Eldridge –Lafayette Sts

Eats: Despaña

Map:

57th St & 5th Ave – Detouring, Shaping Light, Retrospective

Warning: Standing before Erik Benson’s massive canvases, you may experience feelings of secession. Tapping out at 72 by 90 inches, they are the kind of vividly detailed paintings that totally envelop you, enabling your mind to drift. Experience for yourself at Edward Tyler Nahem where Detouring explores the harmony and conflict between nature and urban development. In Benson’s landscapes the vibrant colors do not come from the flora and fauna but from the playground jungle gym, the fence, the plastic bag caught in the tree branches. So, where is this detour taking us? And is it a temporary diversion or a permanent shift?

For an entirely different perspective on urban representation, visit Frederico Seve (two floors up in the same building) for Emilio Sanchez: Shaping Light. Sanchez focused on the geometry of the form and the relationship between shadow and light. His New York is abstracted and simplified to its most basic elements. The resulting compositions are powerful and beautiful. Plus, he achieved these straight edges and perfectly even shades using watercolor!! How did he do that?! 

From rigidity to full tilt quirkiness: head to Nohra Haime for a massive Niki de Saint Phalle retrospective. Maybe you’re a fan of Saint Phalle’s whimsical furniture or vibrant assemblages, or maybe you’ve never heard of her before. (She made that incredible “Monster” slide in Jerusalem… that’s how I always think of her.) Whatever your association, now is your chance to get fully acquainted. This vast, effervescent show has it all!

Since there isn't time to trek out to Red Hook, you can get your lingonberry fix at FIKA. Try the Göteborg. It is the embodiment of what you envision would happen to IKEA's Swedish meatball sandwich if it moved to the Upper East Side, and it's a pretty great option for a day when you're feeling like "something different." Embrace the adventurous eater within!

Ingredients:

Venues: Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art; Frederico Seve; Nohra Haime 

Artists: Erik Benson; Emilio Sanchez; Niki de Saint Phalle

Streets: 57th St & 5th Ave

Eats: FIKA

Map:

Inspirational Links: September 18-24, 2011

What inspires you? 

Five thought-inspiring things found online last week. 

New York street artist James De La Vega has a new collaboration with Tory Burch. All items benefit the Tory Burch Foundation, which provides economic opportunities for women and their families in the United States. "YOU ARE THE BEST INVESTMENT."

Myoung Ho Lee photographs real objects (trees in this series) with canvases hanging behind them. Like shooting sculpture against a white wall for an exhibition catalogue, Lee uses the canvas as a way to highlight the intricate detail of the "artwork" that is the tree. [via Let Me Draw You a Picture] 

Pakayla Raw Biehn suffers from a vision impairment that prevents her eyes from focusing on a single point. She uses this double vision to paint incredible photorealistic paintings that look hauntingly like double exposures. [via Design Taxi]

Dominique Falla’s We are All a Part of the Same Thing. As chronicled on her blog, it is made of colorful thread strategically woven through a grid of nails, and she created it for the 2011 Positive Posters contest. Positive Posters' mission is to highlight international social issues. Peruse the top-rated contest entries here. [via designworklife]

There have been a flurry of time lapse videos from the International Space Station all over the interweb. Have you been watching? This footage is unbelievable. This video ends with a game of chicken between the sun and your eyes. It grows brighter and brighter and brighter until... [via GOOD (one of my all time favorite magazines)]

Leave a comment and share the links that inspire you. 

W 34th St – Affordable Art Fair

The Affordable Art Fair needs a new name. A) It is way more cool/interesting than the name implies. B) The price range is $100-$10,000, with 50% of the work priced above 5 grand. C) Thanks to the MakerBot display in the lobby (here printing a 3D bust), it is immediately clear that this art fair, despite the burdensome title, is actually going to be fun!

It’ll take you a solid thirty minutes to case the place. Do a loop around the whole thing, and then circle back. See if those pieces that caught your eye on the first go-round get you again. Then, start looking more closely and maybe even ask some questions. Upon finding Duong Viet Nam’s stunning impressionistic oil paintings of old quarter Hanoi at the Aibo Fine Asian Art booth: “Tell me more about this artist!”

Nearby, skin illustrator, photographer, sculptor, etc Emma Hack is giving a live demo of the painstaking work that goes into prepping her model before the photography even begins. Honestly, I have so many more questions for the model, like, “What happens if you have to pee?” Seriously!

AAF started 12 years ago in London and has grown into a year-round, 10-city event. They are focused on helping you collect art that you love. They offer programs throughout the fair on buying for your home, curating a solid collection and caring for it, to boot. Check the schedule to take advantage. One fair-goer brought pictures and measurements of a space in her apartment that was calling for great artwork. I walked past as she was sealing the deal on a major floral piece. It got me thinking about this painting by Tomoro Kawai at Peng Gallery’s booth. It would be perfect above my couch (if I could find a benefactor to buy it for me). Alas, it was spoken for (plus no backer in sight), but I did get to chat up the friendly folks at Peng and learn about the artist.

This guy is leaving with two huge canvases, so he must be heading home. I’ve got nothing more than my AAF catalogue and a fabulous collection of free postcards, so I’m stopping in Nanoosh for some hummus and BabaNanoosh! 

Ingredients:

Venue: Affordable Art Fair

Artists: Duong Viet Nam; Emma Hack; Tomoro Kawai; Various Artists

Streets: W 34th Street, 5th Avenue

Eats: Nanoosh - Madison & 34th St

Map: