W 26th St - Mahber Shaw'ate, Yours, Uncursed

What is it about empty boxes? When you give a kid a present, she’d often rather play with the box it came in. When you give artist Dawit L. Petros a few cardboard cubes, he toys with your perception of the world. In his landscape photographs, on view at Alexander Gray, Petros uses boxes in formation to mark sea level, obstruct sight lines and make you think differently about what you’re seeing. The effect seems to highlight what’s not there, the loss of something that should have been included. 

For an entirely different take on geometric formations, stop by Mitchell-Innes & Nash for Sarah Braman: Yours. Using an cut-up camper and her signature plexiglas cubes, Braman sculpts striking, funny pieces that only get better and better as you weave through the gallery and explore them from several angles. Everyday life is celebrated, and somehow the burden of debris is lifted.  

Before you head over to Pepe Giallo for one of their delicious paninis, pop into Galerie Lelong to experience Yoko Ono: Uncursed. Through this installation of doors and screens and transparences, Ono is wishing for “seven good fortunes and eight treasures.” You know you want to get in on that!

Ingredients:

Venues: Alexander Gray, Galerie Lelong, Mitchell-Innes & Nash

Artists: Dawit L. Petros, Yoko Ono, Sarah Braman

Streets: W 26th Street btw 10th & 11th Aves

Eats: Pepe Giallo

Map:

W 21st St – Paula’s Pleasure, Jim Hodges, Gentleman’s Relish

When you walk into Paula Copper Gallery, you pass by the long front desk, you turn right then turn left and then … WOW! Paula’s Pleasure smacks you in the face! Mark di Suvero (remember him from Governers Island this summer?) traps you in the force field of this massive new sculpture. You can’t help but circle around, cross under and explore from every angle. It’s enthralling! It’s enormous! And it has a swing!

Next door at Gladstone Gallery, Jim Hodges creates a similar allure. Hodges presents a simple, beautiful grouping of four huge granite boulders, each of which is inlayed with colored, reflective metal. The exterior of this formation remains stagnant, solid rock while the core refracts and evolves in a blend of shimmering color. The result is a mystical, earthy interaction of the elements, and it is powerful stuff!

Before you head back to the real world, pass through Matthew Brannon’s film noir adventure Gentleman’s Relish. This is a collection of prints, paintings and sculptures in varying shades of gray and pink that tells the tale of a private eye and his prime suspect. It’s cheeky and fun and quite lovely to look at (especially with the gallery walls painted a smoothing French Grey).

In the spirit of saucy film noir, treat yourself to a little Spice lunch special. I love the veggie dumplings for the accompanying plum dipping sauce and the SPICE cashew nuts entrée. What’s your favorite?

Ingredients:

Venues: Paula Cooper, Casey Kaplan, Gladstone Gallery

Artists: Mark di Suvero, Matthew Brannon, Jim Hodges

Streets: W 21st Street, btw 8th &11 Aves

Eats: Spice

Map:

Wooster & Grand Sts - Kindred Spirits, Through Excess and Ruin

How fantastic to find Jackson Pollock on the list of modern and contemporary artists influenced by Native American art?! I had no idea! Sure enough, his Untitled, 1946 is among the many gems in Kindred Spirits, Native American Influences on 20th Century Art at Peter Blum Soho. This exhibition is brilliant because juxtaposing exquisite tribal pottery and textiles with iconic contemporary photography heightens every piece involved.

Sumner Matteson’s absorbing Man Weaving At Loom takes on new depth when presented with vibrant Navajo rugs. Ansel Adams’ Moonrise gives us a stunning geographical context for the work at hand. The experience is profound. Bonus: Get some holiday shopping out of the way and pick up the fantastic exhibition book! 

Switch gears and swing by Team Gallery’s Grand Street space for Cristina Lei Rodriguez: Through Excess and Ruin. With her mixed media abstract sculptures Rodriguez expresses the fine line between trash and treasure. This is both insightful and timely as the

excessive madness of Black Friday outshines the gratitude of Thanksgiving. If only this combo always resulted in such a skillfully crafted controlled chaos.

Break away from the gluttony of the season with a warm lentil salad from Lucky Strike. (Any other week of the year, I’d suggest their turkey burger. It comes on an English muffin with a huge side salad or fries and it's delish!)

Ingredients:

Venues: Peter Blum Soho, Team Gallery

Artists: Jackson Pollock, Ansel Adams, Sumner Matteson, Cristina Lei Rodriguez

Streets: Wooster Street, Grand – Prince Streets

Eats: Lucky Strike

Map:

W 125th St – Studio Museum: The Bearden Project

It’s the season for giving thanks, so it is a perfect time to visit The Studio Museum in Harlem for The Bearden Project. The exhibition is a tribute to collage artist Romare Bearden on the 100th anniversary of his birthday. It presents a range of contemporary artists working in a wide variety of media who were challenged to create work inspired by Bearden’s life and legacy. Of course, next to Bearden’s work these tributes barely hold a candle, which only adds to the charm of the project.

Romare Bearden, Prelude to Farewell, 1981

Leonard Drew: "In 1982, my teacher and mentor Jack Whitten introduced me to Romare Bearden. It was an eventful day. A moment of clarity. It was like a door opened and I stepped through it."

Leonardo Drew, Untitled, 2011

John Outerbridge: "Bearden at times could be a most serious humorist, with a backlog of skillfully rendered drawings, quick sketch notes of merit—loads of original archival material that most focused collectors would give up land for. Romare created, in the genre of the Harlem Renaissance, tales of folksy customs that stick."

John Outterbridge, Godfather, 2011

After the museum, have lunch at Red Rooster Harlem. The reviews have been mixed since Marcus Samuelsson opened this comfort food joint, but you could make a very nice lunch of the delicious corn bread with tomato jam ($5) and the spiced pumpkin turnip soup ($11). On the other hand, one block away, there’s Sylvia's, which has been serving up tasty fried chicken and other southern staples since 1962. It's an influential piece of Harlem, just like Bearden himself, and the lunch special is only $8.95 for a main and two sides. What do you think: "authentic" or authentic?

Ingredients:

Venue: The Studio Museum in Harlem

Artists: Romare Bearden, Leonard Drew, John Outterbridge

Streets: W 125th Street & Lenox Ave

Eats: Red Rooster Harlem, Sylvia's

Map:

W 22nd & 24th Sts – eyes for voice, Working Together, Dryland Farming

‘Tis the season for overbooked schedules and 4-hour-long meals, but don’t forget to go see art! Not only will you keep your creative juices flowing and walk off some of that pumpkin cheesecake, but you’ll gain invaluable fodder for holiday party small talk. CRG Gallery presents eyes for voice, a show of giant layered paintings and extraordinary sculptures by LA-based artist Tom LaDuke. The paintings are a compelling mash-up of movie stills, home photos and colorful bursts of thickly layered oils and acrylics. My favorite piece is a sculpture of a handkerchief made of salt and superglue. The detail is simply incredible and photos cannot do it justice. You must go see it!

In the spirit of family gatherings, check out Claire Fontaine’s Working Together at Metro Pictures. It is a collection of work that turns a critical (and cheeky) eye on the networkers and collaborators of the world. Giant clear plastic bags of empty aluminum cans hang from the ceiling and paintings are installed behind scaffolding bars. One video, The Assistants, is so still and meek it is barely comprehensible and easily dismissed, which is exactly the point. This is undoubtedly a “love it” or “hate it” kind of show, and I’m on the fence. What’s your feeling?

Stop by Bryce Wolkowitz for a very different feeling altogether. For Dryland Farming photographer Edward Burtynsky expertly captures the bold colors and textures of the beautiful farmland in northeastern Spain. Step back and take in the patterns of the whole terrain, then get closer to pick out the electrical wires and olive trees.  

For lunch, take a decided detour from traditional holiday fare with a little take-out Chinese. Make your way across 24th and call ahead (212-620-5200) to Grand Sichuan International for the  $5.95 lunch special.  Ask if they have the sautéed pea shoots. They’re not always on the menu, but they are fantastic! 

Ingredients:

Venues: CRG, Metro Pictures, Bryce Wolkowitz

Artists: Tom LaDuke, Claire Fontaine, Edward Burtynsky

Streets: W 24^th St between 10th & 11th Aves

Eats: Grand Sichuan International

Map: