By Allison Galgiani and Katarina Hybenova
It has taken us all a few days to convalesce after the excitement surrounding the plenitude of events, openings and parties that surrounded Armory Arts Week. The whole city seemed to come alive as artists, gallerists, dealers and arts enthusiasts actively engaged and buzzed around all corners of the five boroughs, and our own home-grown Bushwick Armory Gallery Late Night was no different. Despite the fact that many of the galleries were also participating in other events including Volta, Fountain Art Fair, SPRING/BREAK and Scope, thirty galleries rallied to stay open past their normal business hours to welcome the swarms of visitors who participated in the gallery tour.
Because there is always too much good stuff to see, Katarina Hybenova and Allison Galgiani decided to divide and conquer, choosing some of their favorite shows of the night to share.
The Active Space
566 Johnson Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11237
Brian Matthew: The Weight of All My History
On view until March 31st
In a more modest gallery, the large format multi-canvas compositions of Brian Matthew might have overwhelmed the viewer. However, The Active Space provides an ideal outlet for these massive compositions that demand enough space in which to view them. Each composition connects its disparate canvases together through the use of a singular color scheme—i.e. red, yellow and even grisaille—which in turn unifies them thematically in what first appears to be unassociated images. Matthew presents a burning tree, for example, next to a vintage image of nurses at work, and a shadowy depiction of a person descending a staircase below a cowboy herding cattle on a dusty plain. The lack of cohesion between the various images only adds to their intrigue, and allows the viewer to create his or her own connections between them. (AG)
Robert Henry Gallery
56 Bogart Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Sharon Lawless: Steady-State
On view until March 17th
Sharon Lawless singlehandedly overwhelms the gallery space at Robert Henry Gallery, seamlessly binding together her individual compositions into a unified installation. She refuses to let the edges of the museum board, on which these works are constructed, be the boundaries of a composition and instead draws and paints directly onto the white walls of the gallery space to physically connect her works. The installation works so well together that it is almost impossible to imagine a single disparate work existing without its neighbors. Referencing the cosmological tenants of Steady State Theory, Lawless’s installation literally runs with the idea that new matter is continuously created as the universe expands, allowing her to create endless connections and links between existing matter in what could be an endless, neverending chain. (AG)
Interstate Projects
66 Knickerbocker Ave
Brooklyn NY 11237
Rachel de Joode: The Whole and the Lump
On view until March 17th
Rachel de Joode’s playful exploration of material properties typically associated with sculpture—volume, texture, scale and space—creates both a whimsical and unnerving exhibition. de Joode disrupts our assumptions that clay has a texture (by presenting it as a photograph) and that the base of a sculpture should possess volume (by printing it) causing the viewer to question his or her concepts of what constitutes matter. The pieces are particularly effective in Interstate Projects’ new location on Knickerbocker, with its uber-white walls and ample space. (AG)
Studio 10
56 Bogart Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Kate Teale: The Sea is All Around Us
On View until April 7th
Kate Teale‘s works, primarily graphite on paper, possess a wonderfully subdued quality that allows the viewer to practically be engulfed by the warm folds of her bed linens and sea swells, the subjects of the various compositions. Teale juxtaposes the concepts of intimate domestic space with the awesome natural power of water in her quiet, understated freeze-frame quality. It is nearly impossible to differentiate between domestic and environmental landscape, as both the creases of a bed sheet or mists of a waterfall meld into the same abstracted concept. In both instances, whether naturally occurring or manmade, Teale pushes the boundaries of what constitutes environment and causes the view to second-guess ideas of scale and power. (AG)
OUTLET Fine Art
253 Wilson Ave.
Brooklyn NY
Molly Costello & Mercedes Inez Martinez: Things I Can’t Deny
On view until April 6, 2013
Chicago-based artists Molly Costello and Mercedes Inez Martinez drove from Chicago to Bushwick to create one of the best shows currently on view in the neighborhood. Costello and Martinez’s complementary works are intimate, gentle, feminine and refreshing. Costello creates enchanting representational collages based on invented star constellations embedded with mystical female figures. Mother? Natural and cosmic element? Perhaps. Martinez’s black light star constellation is a beautiful addition to an unforgettable cosmic night. (KH)
English Kills
114 Forrest St. Ground Floor,
Brooklyn, NY 11206
SEE THE PYRAMIDS ALONG THE NILE
On view until April 7, 2013
Chris Harding and English Kills gallery did it again. This wonderful, exciting art show comprised of pyramid-shaped works of some of the English Kills all-star artists is a must attend. See the Pyramids Along the Nile will surprise the viewer with its exploration of the magical pyramid shape across various media and artistic approaches. Some particular visual treats come from the studios of Nate Anspaugh (a labor-intensive paper layered pyramid), Deborah Brown (alas! we can never get enough of her works), or Jason Peters (a gigantic fluorescent pyramid, which is really something to lay your eyes on)! (KH)
Signal
260 Johnson Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Reade Bryan: REFLEX
On view until March 31, 2013
It is highly advised that you not miss Signal, a gallery located in a huge warehouse deep on industrial Johnson Ave. Unlike many Bushwick galleries, Signal has an enormous space, which allows them to showcase large works of art and complicated installations. Reflex is a solo show of a remarkable local artist, Reade Bryan, who creates abstract sculptures made of rubber and stacked plywood. Organic shapes, hinting at a human body seen from atypical angle, are an eye-pleasing surprise when contrasted with the industrial environment of East Williamsburg Industrial Park. (KH)
