By Katarina Hybenova

Photo via Nordemaan flickr.com

We are taking it by subway stops. That was a decision when wondering how we could possibly write a guide to Bushwick Open Studios 2012. Over 540 participating locations aren’t easy to cover. Here is what we won’t miss off the Morgan L stop:

#1 The Bogart Salon: Isha A Tell All Tale

You can either hate or love the 56 Bogart building filled up to the edge with galleries and studios, but you certainly can’t miss it when strolling through BOS2012 participating art spaces. We promise an unlikely art and cultural experience at The Bogart Salon. Meenakshi Thirukode, Peter Hopkins and the crew will be filming a Bollywood style soap opera about the art world and the perils of a young woman, right there on the set in the gallery.

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#2 Robert Henry Contemporary

Robert Henry Comtemporary is a brand new gallery at 56 Bogart. When in the building go check out their inaugural show Centuries of Noon by Andrew Zarou. (Wink wink – keep your eye on Andrew Zarou. We predict some sparkles and stars shooting around him…)

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#3 Carol Salmanson Studio

Carol Salmanson is a truly interesting artist who likes to use light, glass and electricity in her work. Her studio happens to be in 56 Bogart building, so check out her work.

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#4 CRE8

On the 3rd floor of 56 Bogart building, visit CRE8. CRE8 features visual art from resident artists, Modesto Flako Jimenez among other. Modesto is a Bushwick-raised poet and cabbie in his spare time. This super-smart and super-talkative guy talks about gentrification in his art. He created a documentary to be featured during BOS that everyone should see!

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#5 This Is So Fucking Temporary

There is a lot going on at McKibbin lofts as well. Make sure you don’t miss Daniel Greer’s surrealistic posters, large scale drawings, music and readings on Friday and Saturday nights.

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#6 Centotto

Take a quiet moment from BOS insanity and visit Centotto, Paul D’Agostino’s apartment gallery across the street from Roberta’s. Paul has prepared an exhibition that looks really beautiful and features Austin Thomas, Meg Lipke, Josh Willis, Gili Levy, Cecco Angiolieri, and Charting the Not.

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#7 Rafael Fuchs Studio

L’enfant terrible of contemporary photography, local icon, and a very sociable man of Israeli origin has his studio on Bogart Street right above Swallow Cafe. Pay him a visit and let him tell you all about Bushwick since he moved here in 2005.

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#8 Bushwick Dimensions

Jean Luc Van Damme invites you to explore a survival game played on the streets of Bushwick!! Visit BushwickDimension.com on your smartphone and start playing now!

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#9 Brooklyn Fire Proof Film Series

Over at Brooklyn Fire Proof they have prepared a film festival consisting of old and new films celebrating life. This could be a nice change of festival pace. Visit The Seltzer Room Studio 3 Screening Lounge.

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#10 Gili Levy

While at Brooklyn Fire Proof complex, visit artists’ studios located there. Gili Levy will be showing her gentle abstract paintings and welcoming guests.

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#11 Ethan Petit Contemporary

Ethan Petit Contemporary is a brand new gallery in Bushwick that will open during BOS2012 for the 1st time. In their innaugural group show Ethan Petit will feature many of our favorite local artists.

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#12 The Living Gallery

One of the very new galleries and art spaces in Bushwick, The Living Gallery, is located in The Loom. Nyssa Frank is hosting photographer Meryl Meisler who collaborated with writer Vanessa Martir. Defying Devastation will be an exhibition that is an absolute must if you’re interested in Bushwick and its history. Vanessa Martir grew up in the streets of Bushwick in the ’80s when Meryl Meisler used to take photos in the streets. As it turns out, Meryl took a picture of Vanessa as a child playing in the street, and Vanessa learned about the existence of this picture through Bushwick Daily. We will bring more on this fascinating encounter on Bushwick Daily soon.

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#13 Storefront Bushwick

All-time favorite gallery in a storefront on Wilson Ave, Storefront Bushwick will bring works by Abdolreza Aminlari and a sculpture by Drew Shiflett. Abdolreza is a an artist of Iranian origin explores ideas of cultural memory and identity, specifically the idea of “home” in relation to the Iranian Diaspora.

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#14 Two Coats of Paint

The founder of the blog Two Coats of Paint, painter Sharon Butler has recently moved her studio to Bushwick. Additionally, she invited Austin Thomas of Pocket Utopia to curate a painting show there for BOS.

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#15 Truck Yeah

Truck Yeah Meet Up is a very cool project whose goal is to transform any location into a creative gathering. Visit Pine Box Rock Shop on Saturday and Sunday and have fun!

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By Katarina Hybenova

Colorful lights on the walls have inspired many people stop since the afternoon. Diego was about to get a haircut at a neighboring barber shop when he spotted the lights of six different colors. He had to come in and look at the artwork of Carol Salmanson at Storefront Bushwick gallery. Moreover, he promised to come back with his little daughter. Last Friday at the dawn, I felt like Diego – absolutely mesmerized by the colorful light at the walls of a tiny gallery at 16 Wilson.

Carol Salmanson has a studio at the newly famous building at 56 Bogart. In her work she likes to experiment with lights and other reflective materials. Salmanson creates dreamy, almost magical worlds by taming electricity and light. Her works at Storefront Bushwick  were created using LED lights. Carol told us that the lights come in six different colors, many of which have been discontinued. Carol buys them online in large quantities. She was trained as a painter, and the illuminated pieces all started as gestural drawings. These were subsequently recreated as illuminated maps of the drawings.  Storefront also exhibits a set of her paintings and some of her charcoal drawing. We can see where all the abstraction comes from based on the more traditional media.

In the project room, Stephen Truax is exhibiting his Xena series. These geometric abstract paintings speak to the viewer through the unlikely mix of honesty and vagueness, closeness and distance. Stephen is a master of color combination and color blending who creates fresh, attractive, almost addictive spaces.  The paintings are made in gouache and pencil on stretched and prepared paper.

Carol Salmanson & Stephen Truax in the project room at on view at Storefront Bushwick through May 20, 2012.