The title says it all. This weekend packs a playful punch with a bunch of new shows and artist panels on everything from environmental art to curatorial practice. Playful duos have formed between artists at Slag Contemporary and Good Work Gallery, and a group of tomboys rule the Bushwick art playground over at ODETTA.
TSA teams up with NURTUREart to host a panel on abstract painting this Thursday night then joins a discussion among curators with Kimberly-Klark and Transmitter on Friday, and lastly the ecological bio-artwork of Henry Sanchez closes the weekend with an informative talk on Sunday at Livestream Public.
Opening Receptions
Ben Godward and Catalin Moldoveanu “From the Depths” @ Slag Contemporary (FRI 7-9 pm)
56 Bogart Street
In a playful and investigative conversation between color and form, artists Ben Godward and Catalin Moldoveanu debut new works for “From the Depths.” Ben’s attention-demanding sculptures, described for their layers of “syrupy plasticine” and “over-saturated, candy-coated feel” inform us of the vibrant toxicity of American consumerism that surrounds us. On another layer Catalin’s colorful figures begin in monochrome until a palimpsest of colors are thickly layered on. They take on a dream-like approach, tapping into a Jungian philosophy of dream expression and the unconscious realm.
“Tomboy” @ ODETTA (FRI 6-9 pm) + Artist Talk (SUN 4-6 pm)
229 Cook Street
In observance of International Womens’s Month, ODETTA called on Ruth Hiller, Lisa Levy, Miriam Songster and Sarah Walker to rule the artist playground with their tomboy approach. The works by these four women display a fierce independence and a healthy ego towards creative play. Following the Friday reception will be an artist talk in the gallery on Sunday March 22 from 4-6 pm.
“Master & Lingo” @ Good Work Gallery (SAT 6-9 pm)
1100 Broadway
Good Work Gallery presents a floor-to-ceiling duo with Maren Miller and Saki Sato in “Master & Lingo.” These long-time friends and collaborators explore the meeting point where image is translated into object, and object into image. Watch for the literal and figurative intersection of their works as Sato’s sculptures originate from the ceiling and Miller’s begin at the floor, toying with figure, form and space.
Brenda Goodman: New Work @ Life on Mars Gallery (FRI. 6-9 pm)
56 Bogart Street
Achingly intimate and powerful imagery communicated through emotionally charged color make up the rich surfaces of Brenda Goodman’s works at Life on Mars Gallery. Michael David describes her as “a painter’s painter, Goodman takes the language of abstraction and bends it towards her will, creating a world of deep personal meaning,” while in the show’s catalogue artist/writer David Brody claims “no one around paints like her, with such unapologetically personal stakes.”
Artist Talks and Panel Discussions
In Conversation: Golden Age @ TSA New York (THURS 7:30 pm)
1329 Willoughby Avenue, #2A
TSA New York and NURTUREart will host a dialog on abstract painting’s critical reception today, and Brooklyn’s role in its recent importance in contemporary artistic production. Centered around the book Golden Age: Perspectives on Abstract Painting Today (published by NURTUREart last November) panelists Marco Antonini, Christopher K. Ho, and Stephen Truax, and moderator Alex Paik of TSA, will also frame the conversation around TSA’s current exhibition “Generative Processes.”
Golden Age features critical texts on abstract painting by Lane Relyea, David Geers, and Gregory Sholette in an attempt to summarize existing conversations about the eternal returns of abstract painting and how to further the impact, agency and relevance of contemporary art practices.
Panel Discussion with Kimberly-Klark Gallery & TSA @ Transmitter (FRI 7 pm)
1329 Willoughby Avenue, #2A
Transmitter gallery will host Kimberly-Klark and TSA with a casual panel discussion focused on curation. From conversations that arise between curators over lunch or at the bar, to the day-to-day of running an art space, the talk will also invite audience participation with curators and artists in the know. Panelists include Mary Birmingham from Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Robert Grand and Emma Hazen from Kimberly-Klark, Sara Reisman from the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation and Robert Walden and Henry Chung from Robert Henry Contemporary and will be moderated by Carl Gunhouse from Transmitter.
Artist Talk on the ENGLISH KILLS PROJECT @ Livestream Public (SUN 7 pm)
195 Morgan Avenue
Artist Henry Sanchez, whos ongoing environmental art venture the ENGLISH KILLS PROJECT was featured in Bushwick Open Studios and at Momenta Art last summer, will present an update on his work this Sunday evening at Livestream Public. This socially engaged bio-artwork about the life, ecology and impact on English Kills, which is an estuary of Newtown Creek that borders Bushwick, is also Henry’s re-imagination of the historically desecrated site as it could be on the verge of an ecological re-awakening. In addition to informing about new developments, Henry asks the question, “What do you want to see in English Kills?” and his collaborator, Dr. Sarah E. Durand will present the History of Newtown Creek. RSVP for free tickets through Presentation Party Night here.