I am casting one last line into the fray here to say THANK YOU to those who have followed me loyally/attentively/blindly/accidentally in this forum.It has been a pleasure writing for you.More importantly, I want to draw your discerning eyes to a new blog, whose subject and substance is the upcoming exhibition ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.
The outstanding summary below was written by my new project assistant, Sarah Humphrey. She has summed up my feelings exactly about Escape From New York. I hope you will join us at the new site:
I know what you’re thinking.You’re thinking that our manifest destiny on this continent has long since been fulfilled; the railroads have been built, and the shores of the Pacific Ocean from Malibu to La Jolla have been peppered with the condominiums and bronzed progeny of the Western pioneers.You’ve seen the sublime American landscape of Fredric Edwin Church and Thomas Moran, from Niagara Falls to the Chasm of the Colorado, and you’re pretty sure the terrain has been stomped conclusively into submission under the incessantly pounding feet of Dancing with the Stars.As the natural synecdoche of the rest of the nation, this also applies to New York.You know this because your once-charming pied-à-terre in Bushwick is now a J.Crew, and you’ve heard that there will soon be subway service to alphabet city.
And though perhaps you have never been, you assume things are pretty much the same in New Jersey.Empire has run its course, so to speak, so you might as well just stay east of the Hudson and suffer the congested homogeneity of a Thursday evening in Chelsea.
The exhibition ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK offers both a literal and theoretical alternative to the threat of absolute homeostasis in the artistic biology of the five boroughs.It proposes that the answer lies in moving Westward, into the historic landmarks and wide open spaces of Paterson, New Jersey, and other cities like it. It presents the work of more than 30 contemporary artists in the sprawling space of what was once a silk factory.It seeks to transform the Western fringes of New York City from a locus of exile to a haven of exodus, and to expose the artificiality of the Hudson river border.
Follow this link for previews of the participating artists, curatorial musings, and the show’s vital stats:
Hi, everyone. Just a quick update on my activities as of late. I'm still alive and kicking, and have been concentrating majorly on my 70/30 Project, the day job and my Facebook profile, where I regularly post juicy art snippets, videos, photos and whatnot for the past 6 months or so. Request me, Olympia Lambert, as your friend, and you can see more of my activities. I have just been named a finalist in the Warhol Foundation Arts Writers workshop as well. So cross your fingers for me on this one.
Until then, as previously mentioned, this blog is closed until further notice. If you are wishing to employ my services, please contact me at pialamb@aol.com to discuss my rates for catalogue essays and/or reviews. Thanks!
Okay, thank you, 303 Gallery. I've been ridiculously anxious for what seems like a lifetime of waiting for Ms. Inka Essenhigh's return to the NY stage. Unfortunately, it's taken FOUR YEARS +++ to get her back with a solo show, but I'll forgive you this once. As they say, good things come to those who wait. I'm not going to post any images because she's a represented artist of 303, which has a well-noted Nazi copyright policy, but I can send you to this here link.
Below are the show details!
Inka Essenhigh January 23 - February 20, 2010 547 W 21 Street
Inka Essenhigh has had one person exhibitions at Salamanca Cuidad de Cultura Fundación Municipal, in Salamanca, Spain, 2005, at Sint- Luks Galerie, Brussels, Belgium 2004, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL and the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland both in 2003. Essenhigh has been included in exhibitions internationally including at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, ZKM / Museum Für Neue kunst, Karlsruhe, Germany, the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens, London, The Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA, Kunstmuseum Wolfsberg. This will be Essenhigh's third exhibition at 303 Gallery.
...please notify me and keep me in the loop of any and all PAID writing opportunities in the arts. That means 123 and counting "Facebook friends" who have obviously added me because of my blog, help a sister out.
This blog will continue to be on hold until further notice.
(image of poor Lady Liberty from flatbushnelson on Flickr)
Long story short, I'm a 6.5 year resident of Ditmas Park, one of the more recently annointed "it" neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Since 2004, a tiny, fairly dirty coffeehouse named Vox Pop has had a tattered Statue of Liberty replica out front. The previous owner tried to run the place into the ground with questionable business practices (amassing a ton of healthcode violations and fines) then cut his losses and ran, leaving the poor new manager to deal with his mess. In the end, it all turned out okay, because just like in "It's a Wonderful Life," concerned residents decided to cough up their hard earned money to pay the fines, reopen the place, and stake a claim in ownership.
Then several weeks ago, someone stole the statue from the sidewalk. Not too surprising, if you ask me. Its right arm was literally being held together by duct tape when last I checked. There is such a thing as industrial solvent, soder and paint to repair artwork properly (i.e., duct tape is not fairly archival material, per se). So much like the lawn gnomes held hostage who have ransom videos sent back to their owners, the thieves of the statue decided to post their "statement" on You Tube and a shitstorm has ensued.
Truthfully, I really don't care much about this story, which appears to be nothing more than mere vandalism and 15 minutes of fame for the perpetrators. As an art lover, I'm much more interested in the artistic merits of the video, which are dubious at best. To say not a lot of thought went into this piece would be the understatement of the year. I can't tell if their goal is to make a statement against U.S. interventionism overseas, or against Vox Pop itself-- i.e., "Die hippie scum." Truthfully it seems much more a punk-ass attempt at bringing back horrible memories of the slaughter of Daniel Pearl. From the crap-ass audio and pitifully poor lighting, to the sabotaging of poor Liberty's face from the blunt end of a baseball bat, this experience for me was the equivalent of watching an early episode of "Saved By the Bell," before A.C. Slater was a cast member. Like, seriously, what was the point? "We don't want your freedom?" Yeah? Well, I don't want to see your video, nor drink your victim's coffee either. It's almost as if you can sense the perpetrator just learned in Film 101 about subliminal frames and is so excited, he can't wait to share. Note to creator-- it's been done before-- and a hell of a lot better. (see the famed "The Exorcist" demon face as my example)
According to the Daily News, this is a huge deal, so check it out. In the meantime, as you can probably tell, I really don't care for the much lauded Vox Pop. Their coffee has a bitter battery acid taste, with no nutty undertones; they got rid of the best tea they ever had (a fantastic strawberry green); shut down their awesome summer BBQ guy; and continuously tout how environmentally conscious they are, yet blast two air conditioners with the door open on an open mic night where it was literally 60 degrees outside. Upon me asking the counterperson to turn down the air on the frozen solid 9 customers in the room, I was told, "It gets hot in here with all the customers." Ha. Liberty be damned.
For FB'ers, here's the link, because the video won't show up in the blog import. Enjoy.
(Editorial note-- Above is the correct image of Dana Schutz's "The Autopsy of Michael Jackson." Below is the work entitled "Presentation."
"The Autopsy of Michael Jackson." As much as I have been a Schutz detractor over the years, this piece is spot-on accurate. Anyone care to guess how much it's went up in value in the past 48 hours? My own guestimate would be at least into the $2 million range.
Independent New York art blogger living in Brooklyn, working in Chelsea, NYC. Has written for ArtCal Zine, and Hofstra University Catalogue essayist. I enjoy bringing art review to the masses.
