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:

W 22nd St

Why are so many galleries closed on Mondays? It’s dismally grey and rainy in Manhattan, and I was so hoping to find some mid-day inspiration from the galleries on W 22^nd Street. I guess in lieu of an actual walking tour (and in favor of staying dry), I will have to settle for a virtual one. Honestly, web browsing doesn’t do this work justice, but we do what we can...

First stop, CRG Gallery with their new Tomory Dodge show. The canvases are huge and the textures are incredible. I could spend a very long time searching these paintings for all the nuanced ways Dodge layers and applies his oil paints. There is a little section of A Slight Disappearance that I especially love where the paint peaks and folds off the canvas like little pennant flags. You just can’t help but get excited by the vivid colors, bold strokes and subtle details throughout this show.

Next stop, Dario Robleto’s solo show at D’amelio Terras. This show is full of really cool sculptures and mixed media pieces, which Robleto made largely out of vinyl records. He’s exploring his idea that your unique musical history, i.e. the music you were exposed to throughout your life and even before you were born, consciously and/or subconsciously influences your identity. There’s loads of underlying meaning in these pieces, and it’s almost as interesting to read the laundry lists of materials he used as it is to observe and explore the art itself. My favorite is, The Minor Chords Are Ours (detail), which included “vintage mason jars, vintage wooden spools, stretched audio tape, minor chords, linseed oil, willow.” He says, “The minor chords from a family’s 60-year record collection were isolated to audio tape, stretched into thread, and spooled.” Amazing.

Lunch is nearly over, but I just have to make a quick stop at DC Moore Gallery for Robert Kushner’s Wildflower Convocation. (Yes, it is STILL raining.) On display are big, bright canvases with gorgeous blues, plus there is a wall covered in hundreds of drawings of flowers, leaves and plants. I am happy to just soak it all in and daydream of an upcoming spring afternoon on the High Line.  

 

Ingredients: 
Venues: CRG; D'amelio Terra; DC Moore
Artists: Tomory Dodge; Dario Robleto; Robert Kushner
Streets: W 22nd; 10th & 11th Aves
Eats: (starving artist)
Map: