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CANADA

The Venice Biennale, Viva Arte Viva: The Pavilions, Part One

by Paddy Johnson on May 11, 2017
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Today we spent the majority of our time looking at the Pavilions and we’ll be spending much of tomorrow similarly. Overall, there seem to be fewer people visiting the pavilions and Biennale this year—as evidenced by shortened bathroom cues and the ability to get a cup of coffee in less than hour. It’s hard, though, to discern the reasons for this. It’s not like anyone knows in advance what the shows (or weather) will be like. Still, I wondered if the poor quality of this year’s biennale might have depressed some enough that they took the day off. And perhaps the Americans here are too worried about the President’s recent firing of FBI Chief James Comey to focus on art? I know it’s an issue for me as well as many others I’ve seen over the last two days.

As for the pavilions, it’s a mixed bag—some good, some bad, and some stinky. I mean that literally. At least three pavilions this year need stench warning signs for those with allergies.

I’ll be discussing a lot of the work in greater depth in a separate post. In the meantime, here’s a sampling of what we saw this afternoon.

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The Best of Everything, 2016

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on December 30, 2016
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We were pretty sure 2016 was a stinker until we sat down to reflect on all that was good. Going through the images on our phones and our archives, we learned there’s actually quite a bit to celebrate. So much so, in fact, it took us an entire week to assemble this post. That’s quite a bit of time, but it was worth every minute. Here’s to all the artists, curators and performers that made our days and lives better this year.

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This Week’s Must-See Art Events: Old School Survival

by Paddy Johnson and Rea McNamara on June 6, 2016
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Urban survival, whether it’s the cost of living in New York or even riding along Sag Habour in a self-sustaining houseboat, looms largely in this week’s events. Tonight’s lecture at the Morbid Anatomy Museum suggests that this dates back to Weimar Berlin’s era of anarchy and decadence, where fake fakirs — religious ascetics who live solely on alms — got by with their gnarly nails and pins piercing. Flash forward to Saturday’s MoMA opening of Nan Goldin’s famous 1986 visual diary “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency”, and those piercings became the battle scars of surviving the East Village’s punk bohemia. Today, we’re thankfully more practical in eking out our incomes: we look to the sun and its instruments (see this Thursday’s opening of the “Heliotropes” group show at Geary Contemporary) or envision terrible futures in our analogue pasts (“that old school dystopia” at Theodore:Art on Friday). But sustainability, if we quickly cut to the chase, really involves supporting each other, which is why this weekend’s workshops around the nuts and bolts of artist finances or even writing and editing an artist statement will get you ahead. No need for any physical scars.

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Frieze New York in Pictures

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on May 4, 2016
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Every fair has its share of highlights and Frieze is no different. A few images of the art, the people and, yes, the food, for your enjoyment.

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We Went to Frieze: Ate Shit, but Didn’t See the Ass

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on May 4, 2016
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One could more or less have the same experience of Frieze by looking at documentation of most of the work. This, despite the fact that visitors can sample dystopian “food” products and see a live donkey (sometimes).

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Skin Game: An Interview with Michael Mahalchick

by Irena Jurek on April 27, 2016
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There may be nothing more distinctive than a Michael Mahalchick show. In the past, his exhibitions have included a mural made during a performance in which he affixed piece of bacon to the wall with their own fat, a stack of Playboy Magazines topped with a hypodermic needle, a gallery full of objects arranged as though they were simply the refuse in a used hotel room of a rock star.

For his fifth solo show at CANADA Gallery, Skin Game, Michael Mahalchick continues to find inspiration in sex, appropriated media, and the history of rock and roll to create a gallery full of darkly romantic pop culture shrines.

We sat down and discussed the significance and the meaning behind the ephemera, and discarded objects he chooses. We also discussed his performances, which have always played a vital role in his work; the last iteration will be taking place May 1 at the gallery

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This Week’s Must See Events: So Many Open Studios

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on April 26, 2016
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Okay, this map above might be hard to read at this size (big one here), but it gives you an idea of the scale of Greenpoint Open Studios, which runs this weekend and will feature hundreds of artists. That kicks off tonight (Tuesday) with a meet-and-greet happy hour at Le Fanfare. Before that starts, head to Hauser & Wirth for a retrospective of midcentury painter Philip Guston. Wednesday, laugh (or maybe be scared) with Nao Bustamante at MoMA. Thursday, there’s a solo show of Anthony Cudahy’s funeral-inspired paintings at Mumbo’s Outfit in Geary Contemporary and a group show that positions artworks as set pieces at 99¢ Plus in Brooklyn.

The weekend begins with yet more open studios at SVA’s MFA program, followed by the IRL reception and performances for AC Institute’s current online exhibition. More online/offline fun is to be had late night in MoMA’s lobby, where social media artist/rapper Yung Jake presents a multimedia art and music experience that sounds like it will be quite the party. If you’re not too hungover, head to Greenpoint Open Studios on Saturday, followed by a bizarre-sounding Yale MFA show at the Abrons Art Center and a Xiu Xiu performance of music from Twin Peaks at the Kitchen. In a week of “must-see” events, that stands out as a can’t miss. Sunday, Michael Mahalchick’s solo show at CANADA promises to be weird and wonderful, and Greenpoint Open Studios wraps up with yet another party. Wear layers—the weather, like so much art, is going to be unpredictable while you’re trudging around North Brooklyn.

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