Ok, so if there was any doubt left in anyone’s mind, summer is officially here — in full force. All around the neighborhood there are scenes of people attempting to install their window AC units without letting them plummet three stories; scantily-clad guys and girls trying to wear as little as they can get away with; and, of course, there is the ever wonderfully hot and sticky summer art opening. This weekend, the Bushwick art world will wake up from a holiday slumber with a number of exciting solo and group shows that are definitely not to be missed! Yes, there will be crowds of people slowly crawling from one gallery to the next, and YES, there will most likely be cold beer to make it all ok. There is so much going on that the Bushwick Daily team joined forces to bring you all of the best events! The newest exhibition from offers visitors the chance to participate in a mystical, celebratory performance. Established in the summer of 2012 by Greem Jellyfish and Alex Patrick Dyck, Noodle Beaches for Meeting Witches is a group of artists working around the themes of shared experience, community, beach culture, and the spirituality found in communing with nature. “Small Worlds of the Claiming Moon” is the group’s newest endeavor, and it opens Friday at Signal just in time to capture the heightened psychic energy of the full moon on the 12th. The exhibition includes multiple installations made with found materials from beaches, parks, and more for visitors to explore and interact with, and the artists have also built a communal altar, which visitors are encouraged to contribute to, for ancestors and the spirits of the summer season. Artists and non-artists alike know that feeling – the moment when you reach the pinnacle of frustration and sweet agony working on a project. That constant struggle of being exasperated and driven to keep going can only be described as existential, and often it is surpassing this obstacle that makes the victory that much better. Tommy Coleman new works in a variety of media all center on this liminal moment between breakthrough and heartbreak. While focusing on the process that goes into the making of a work, Coleman is also acutely aware of other aspects an artist must deal with, including social media, networking and the threat/hope of sudden fame and notoriety for their work. Channel your own inner Charlie Brown with a hand-palm: good grief! (Allison Galgiani)
#1 “Olivié Ponce: New Paintings” @ Pseudo Empire (FRI, 7-9PM)
This Friday, Pseudo Empire presents a solo exhibition of paintings by Bushwick artist Olivié Ponce. In his most recent body of work, Ponce continues to explore the aesthetics of the urban landscape, industrial zones, and city neighborhoods of his homes in Mexico City and New York. Blurring the lines between the inside and outside of industrial spaces, he uses materials and motifs from construction sites in his art, and incorporates public spaces outside of the gallery in his exhibition. As interior and exterior comingle, Ponce’s work prompts us to question where the surface ends and reality begins.
#2 “Elemental” @ Good Work Gallery (FRI, 6-9PM)
Organized by Sara Blazej, the nine artists featured in the exhibition all give their artistic voice to a single word: elemental. The artists respond through an array of work that covers everything from video, sculpture, painting, and drawing, each attempting to artistically express a concept that is in one sense straightforward yet intangible. (Allison Galgiani)
#3 “Noodle Beaches for Meeting Witches: Small Worlds of the Claiming Moon” @ Signal Gallery (FRI, 6-10PM)
#4 “Frozen Karaoke” @ Outlet Fine Art (THURS 7-10 PM)
Art-goers are in for a treat at Outlet’s opening for Frozen Karaoke, a group exhibition of abstract contemporary paintings and sculpture that tie in the show’s essential component: ice cream. The artists aren’t at all hesitant to toy with Outlet’s visitors, offering delightful, pleasurable experiences through their work—but don’t eat the art! According to curator Sarah Schmerler, “Like the act of singing in a karaoke club, they might be a bit wonky, off- register – and I hope, induce a bit of synesthesia. Taste is something we ought to re-think in the dog days of summer.” Works by Alan Wiener, Christopher Brooks, Gabriel J. Shuldiner and Lucas Moran will be complemented by a unique ice cream flavor called “Black Ash Licorice” created by ice-cream innovator and restauranteur Nick Morgenstern. Stop by to see more on this tasty collaboration! (Katie Killary)
#5 “Good Grief: New Works by Tommy Coleman” @ 99¢ Plus Gallery (THU, 7-10PM)
#6 “Hard Tangled Grammar: Sculpture by Stephen Williams” @ Wayfarers (FRI, 7-10PM)
In his first New York solo exhibition, Stephen Williams presents mixed-media sculptures that playfully point out the difference between what an object is made from, what an object looks like, and what an object truly is. Williams’s sculptures are made from crafts materials such as cardboard, epoxy resin, and wood, and they look like recognizable forms such as bird decoys and flowers, but in the gallery they are ultimately meant to be something new and distinct from these materials and appearances. Williams is an alumnus of Wayfarers and currently lives and works in Brooklyn.
#7 “Criminal Cinema” @ Honey Ramka (FRI, 6-9PM)
Curated by John O’Connor, “Criminal’s Cinema” is a group exhibition organized around the faculty of perception. Based on the “prisoner’s cinema,” or a phenomenon reported by prisoners in which people exposed to darkness for a long time experience visual hallucinations, “Criminal’s Cinema” includes art that challenges our powers of perception by presenting warped, distorted, and shifting forms. Participating artists include Gary Burnley, Dawn Clements, Matthew Northridge, Kanishka Raja, and Bruce Stiglich.
#8 “Multiplicity: City as Subject/Matter: Belfast, Hong Kong, New Delhi, New York, Tel Aviv, Tirana and Beyond” @ NURTUREart (FRI, 7-9PM)
NURTUREart director and curator Marco Antonini will present a select group of international artists all of which address the modern urban landscapes of their own cities. From Tel Aviv, New York, Hong Kong and other major international cities, the artists each present their own story through their work, yet it is the similarities between their experiences in these disparate urban center that tie the show together rather than their differences. (Allison Galgiani)
#9 “The English Kills Project” @ Momenta Art (FRI, 6-9PM)
From the estuary of Newtown Creek to the bordering terrain of Bushwick, various scenes from English Kills are highlighted this Friday night inside Momenta Art. The creeks and streams of this superfund site have been studied by Artist and SVA Grad Student/Professor Henry G. Sanchez, resulting in a socially engaged bio-artwork about the life, ecology and impact on this environment. According to Henry, “The English Kills Project is also a re-imagination of a site of historic desecration that is on the verge of an ecological re-awakening.” We caught a glimpse of The English Kills Project during Bushwick Open Studios 2014 when Dr. Lisa went to Henry for some BOS advice before the big weekend. Witness more on this re-awakening then check out the panel discussion The present and future of English Kills in the Bushwick community at Momenta Art on Sunday, July 13 from 2 – 4 pm. (Katie Killary)
