The Bushwick art scene has been atwitter lately with more people than ever coming to the neighborhood to see what the hype is about. Rightly so, as each week I continue to be impressed with not just the number of galleries popping and becoming more active, but also by the quality of the curation of the art on the walls and in the space. This weekend has TONS to offer in ways of exciting openings that reach far beyond the Morgan stop. Along with some exciting events at the 56 Bogart building, I suggest first venturing a little farther off the beaten track and work back in- see if you can catch ’em all!
1. Esther Ruiz: Marking Time @ Wayfarers (FRI 7-10PM)
Constructing what she called “settings,” artist Esther Ruiz conflates an entire array of different sources into unique, futuristic sculptures. Working with materials reminiscent of Dan Flavin’s neon and John McCraken’s plexi, Ruiz’s intimate and refined pieces each set up their own world that could be a model for a construction on a remote planet in a not-too distant future.
2. The Psychic Triangle @ NURTUREart (FRI 7-9PM)
The third gallery in the past few months that centers around our natural environment (see Associated Gallery’s You are my Sunshine from a few weeks ago), this new group show, curated by Jessica Cannon, focuses on the ambiguous point of conflict between humans, the natural world, and the designed world, known as the psychic triangle. The show’s featured artists will focus on such themes as power, destruction, and anxiety as they explore this precarious balance.
3. Repackaged by Richard Garrison @ Robert Henry Contemporary (FRI 6-9PM)
Based on a mathematically generated formula, Richard Garrison’s magnificent works on paper reflect the amount of a color in any given Sunday newspaper section and consumer packaging, dictating the size and position of each color in the composition. The conceptual foundation of these works is juxtaposed by its pop culture reference, conflating the visual imagery we are bombarded with daily into beautiful abstract combinations of shape and color.
4. Meg Hitchcock: The Land of Bliss @ Studio10 (FRI 7-9PM)
Meg Hitchcock’s painstakingly cut out letters and words from the Bible in order to recreate elements from the Sukhavati-Vyuha Sutra, a Buddhist holy text in this absolutely stunning work. While the words and letters come from one constructed meaning and are transformed to another, the visual effect is remarkable, as the letters used become like tiles in which the artist is building into its own pattern or structure. Although Hitchcock was raised Evangelical Christian, according to Studio10’s press release, she says she does not relate to particular faith. She has tremendous respect for individual spirituality and faith, which is very much apparent in her own artistic practice.
5. Tim Kent: The Gambit @ SLAG Contemporary (FRI 6-9PM)
So eloquently put by their press release I had to restate: “Bound together in a visually spectral narrative merging cross-referential complexities à la Borges with metaphorical vividness and chess references à la Nabokov, Tim Kent’s new body of oil paintings tell an enigmatic tale of objects and interiors that subtly shimmer with time-tarnished illustriousness; of an heir who is at best indirectly apparent; of a steed that has long since shed its bridling; of a MacGuffin-like heirloom that sparkles and looms; of an anonymous knight whose portrait, pendent in the backdropped midst of the series’ keystone work, is the lone human visage throughout so many rooms.” With this kind of description, what more can I say???
6. Women of Song: Ana Wieder-Blank @ Honey Ramka (FRI 6-9PM)
With a vibrant and expressive style, Ana Wieder-Blank’s paintings possess an energy and frankness that is immediately recognizable. Taking scenes from the Bible, Wieder-Blank recreates these tales in brightly colored narratives. Told with humor and candidness, the paintings also present a revised vision with all women, causing the audience to rethink the old adages.
7. Da Baker’s Dozen @ Lowbrow Artique (FRI 7-9PM)
Presented by A Dying Breed NYC, Da Baker’s Dozen is a group exhibition curated by New York-based graffiti artist Sen2. Sen2 will bring together a myriad of incredible artists that demonstrate the diversity and the richness of their different styles. Each of the thirteen artists will present thirteen original works – hence the baker’s dozen reference, which also harkens back to Sen2’s former Bronx-based grafitti shop, Da Bakery.
8. DADSEX @ OUTLET (FRI 9PM)
OUTLET Gallery presents a one night musical performance and art installation by Dadsex, a collaboration from artists Steven Charles and Jeff Hall. Characterized by their experimental post-punk New York ambient electronic sound, these two artists work with familiar and not so familiar sounds in order to express a characteristically city vibe. Listen to some of their work here.
9. Oscillator by Tim Bruniges @ Big Law Countryclub (FRI 6-8PM)
In addition to Dadsex and OUTLET, another music-based installation will be on view Friday night at the pop-up Big Law Countryclub inside Silent Barn. The Oscillator, the name of the single installation, is a device built to pick up ambient sound and vibrations through a hanging microphone that is then translated (in complex ways that I will NEVER understand) into the pulsing speakers, that we cannot audibly detect, and a faint white light, that we cannot very easily see. The work subtly demonstrates the connection between sight and sound, the audible and the inaudible in a minimalist but profound way.
10. Nocturnes @ Parallel Art Space (SAT 6-9PM)
Four artists, Lee Lee Chan, Matt Mignanelli, Paul Simmons, and Frank Webster, explore the genre of the nocturne, a rich and aesthetically profound style that dates back to the Romantic period of the 19th century. Often evoking a sense of mystery, darkness, or secrecy, one thing that works from the genre was their profound use of light within dark. These four artists all focus on light by reducing or concentrating with their predominant darkness.