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Category Archives: Contemporary Art

Highlights: Recommended openings for Jan 21 – Jan 24

The art machine calms down a bit this week as it rests up for the all the big openings coming up in February. That’s by no means to say there’s no shortage of goodness to go around this week. Maybe not as many openings as the last couple weekends, but there are two major shows opening after this coming weekend that will be turning many heads in their perspective locales – the multi-faceted return of the Grammy show and the Os Gemeos show in Italy. […]

Openings: Kevin Cyr & Jason Bryant – “Behind the Curtain” @ Raandesk Gallery

AM visited the Raandesk Gallery for the opening of a great show featuring two talented emerging artists, Kevin Cyr and Jason Bryant (previewed). Until recently, both worked as studio assistants for art star Kehinde Wiley, so it’s no surprise that they each have serious technical painting chops. Cyr, just selected as one of 10 winners of the 2010 West Prize, takes damaged and vandalized trucks and vans from the streets of NYC and depicts them realistically on a solid field of color – the isolation […]

Openings: Brian Alfred – “It’s Already the End of the World” @ Haunch of Venison

Brooklyn-based artist Brian Alfred opened his latest show “It’s Already the End of the World” last Friday at New York’s Haunch of Venison. In this new exhibition of painting, collage and animated video, Alfred puts a flat, pop veneer on the cult of personality and the globalized modern world. Many of the works are portraits of contemporary figures ranging from Burmese opposition leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi to Branch Davidian cult figure David Koresh to artists Dzine and Mickalene Thomas, while others are politically charged […]

Openings: Todd James – “Make My Burden Lighter” @ Gering & López

AM, along with almost everyone else in NYC, came out for the opening of Todd James’ “Make My Burden Lighter” at Midtown gallery Gering & López. Although “Burden” is James’ first solo show with the gallery, he of course has been a longtime fixture of the urban art scene under his street name REAS, co-creating Deitch’s seminal 2000 “Street Market” exhibition along with Barry McGee and Steve Powers. In this current show, James has created a new series of canvases and works on paper that […]

Openings: Morgan Slade – “Fist of Fear, Touch of Death” @ Shooting Gallery

Morgan Slade opened his new show, “Fist of Fear, Touch of Death” last weekend at San Francisco’s Shooting Gallery. Featuring ten new large scale photographs, Morgan’s latest body of work is most striking and provided a great introduction of his work to the Bay Area. His subjects, faceless models donning football helmets, stormtrooper masks, and mascot heads, pose playfully though it’s their anonymity and resulting lack of true beauty that perhaps grants such freedoms as modern day morettas. After photographing his models, Slade hand-distresses and […]

Preview: “Who Killed The Music” Grammy Exhibition

Camille Rose Garcia The best show no one is talking about right now is the “Who Killed The Music” Grammy group show coming up next week. Set to coincide with the 52nd Annual Awards (whose official artwork was designed by Shepard Fairey this year), the show will feature artwork from Camille Rose Garcia, Audrey Kawasaki (interviewed), Travis Louie (interviewed), Van Arno, Lola, Richard Colman, Mercedes Helnwein, Kris Lewis (interviewed), Paul Chatem, Nathan Spoor, Justin BUA, Jason Thielke (interviewed), Gregory Euclide, Sarah McColgan, and Ron Lipking. […]

Openings: Josh Keyes – “Fragment” @ Jonathan LeVine

AM was in Chelsea last night for the latest much-anticipated solo show by Josh Keyes (interviewed), entitled “Fragment,” at Jonathan LeVine Gallery. As expected, the large crowd was blown away by Keyes’ newest series of realistic-stylized portrayals of animals battling for survival against a hostile environment. And for the first time in a long time, Keyes included a human (non-statue) figure in one of his works – a portrait of himself presumably in a post-apocalyptic world – which takes a more direct approach in his […]

Releases: Poster Cause Project – Haiti Relief

The Poster Cause Project has just released three open-edition prints in support of the people of Haiti. Featuring the art of Dalek (interviewed), Shane Jessup, and Patricio Oliver, 100% of the profits from this sale will be donated directly to Doctors Without Borders.  All three prints are priced at only $15 each, so if you’d like to help a great cause, and get some good art on your walls, please visit the Poster Cause Project. Check out the other two prints after the jump.

Video: “Pringle of Scotland Spring/Summer 2010 campaign” – Ryan McGinley

Ryan McGinley, famed photographer, but also aspiring feature film director, recently directed a video (watch it after the jump) for luxury knitwear brand Pringle of Scotland.  It stars Tilda Swinton (whom McGinley has long admired) in a Pringle of Scotland dress and features signature McGinley scenes, such as forest, rocks, waves, and caves.  Sorry, no nudity this time.  It’s been a busy time for the artist, as he also recently had a showing at Art Basel Miami (where he was scheduled to speak) and is […]

Openings: Robert Hardgrave/Further Group Show @ Joshua Liner Gallery

Saturday night, AM had the pleasure of attending the openings of two exciting new shows at Chelsea’s Joshua Liner Gallery. In the main gallery was the “Further” group exhibition, which features Damon Soule, David Choong Lee, MARS-1, Nome Edonna, Oliver Vernon, Robert Hardgrave and Tomokazu Matsuyama. As we mentioned in our preview, the show consists of artists selected for an upcoming book of the same name highlighting contemporary abstract painting and themes of spiritualism and mysticism. Although the selected artists each has a unique and […]