Armory Arts Week may have come and gone in New York, but there’s still loads going on in Bushwick! Always keeping pace, we here at Bushwick Daily know that the Armory was sooo last week! With the promise of spring in the air, inspiration is abounding and Bushwick galleries are alive with new shows, discussions and performance. This week as you walk around the neighborhood, check out these six art events that will engage, challenge and even invite you to join in! Only in Bushwick!
#1 EF2: Epic Fail 2nd Edition @ The Active Space (FRI, 7-10PM)
In its second iteration, the folks over at The Active Space have put together a show of artists working with themes of systemic failure and entropy. While working in a variety of mediums, the artists all share an interest in this natural tendency towards, destruction, chaos, disillusion and collapse. Rather than being depressing, this show is more likely to demonstrate what Frou Frou said: “There’s beauty in the breakdown.”
#2 Not In My Backyard and Subtle Adornments @ Honey Ramka (FRI, 6-9PM)
Jason Reyen’s large paintings on canvas are a whirlwind of abstract expression and intensity – you can almost imagine the artist feverishly working. While possessing a certain immediacy, the works are also profound, with layers of painted and drawn elements that create elements of a narrative, but never fully satisfy our desire for an explanation. In the project space, artists Zoe Field and Heather McKenna will also be mounting a collaborative, site-specific installation, Subtle Adornments.
#3 Baby You’re Never There: A 24 Hour Performance by Vincent Tiley @ Glasshouse (FRI 6PM- SAT 6PM)
In the ultimate dance-a-thon, performance artist Vincent Tiley will test his dance moves and endurance as he grooves to live dj sets for 24 hours straight, part of the Glasshouse’s 24 Hour Fridays Curatorial Project. Tiley’s performances tend to investigate desire and its power to transform the body and how we perceive other forces around us. Acknowledging the skin as a barrier between a person and the world, Tiley also often dons different “skins” that change the way his body acts in space. The 24 hours of dance are sure to test the limits of both him and his audience.
#4 Hypnogogia: Joshua Ben Longo @ Wayfarers (FRI, 7-10PM)
Enter into the fantastical world of Joshua Ben Longo this weekend at Wayfarers, as the artist constructs his wildly imaginative creatures and images into our three-dimensional space. Paintings and sculptures represent this profound and wildly original world of Longo, and recall the color and animation of comic books and cartoons but also the darker tendencies of Surrealist artists like Salvador Dali and Max Ernst.
#5 Edge Over Easy by Jerry Walden @ Robert Henry Contemporary (FRI, 6-9PM)
Jerry Walden’s paintings explore the structure and the formal qualities of his materials. Investigating the canvas, stretcher, and even the paint itself, Walden’s composition reflect a deep understanding of the materials he uses and always maintain their integrity and essentialism. By playing with the same concept of the structure of the painting’s foundation, Walden is free to explore different effects of color and overlay of pattern, while always coming back to his origin.
#6 Beautiful Beast: The Life & Work of Geoff Pease @ Brooklyn Fireproof (FRI, 7-10PM)
Marking the tenth anniversary of his death, Beautiful Beast will honor the vivid, albeit brief, artistic life of Geoff Pease. The show chronicles Pease’s career, from his expressive depictions of Lucy Vincent Beach of Martha’s Vineyard, to the works he continued to create after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The show is meant to celebrate Pease’s life and his beautiful talent through his painting and the lives that he touched. An avid skateboarder in life, all proceeds from the sale of works from the show will go to the Martha’s Vineyard Skate Park in furtherance of a new half-pipe in Pease’s honor.