Patrick Jacobs, Fairy Ring with English Daisies, 2010.
Styrene, acrylic, neoprene, hair, paper, polyurethene foam,
wood, hair, steel, lighting, BK7 glass [image via pierogi2000.com]

There will be an opening for the exhibition of new work by Patrick Jacobs Friday, January 21, 7-9pm. I will go so far as to say that whatever Pierogi Gallery in Williamsburg shows, it's worth going to see.

Thanks for the email, Pierogi. This will definitely be part of our Friday plans.


PIEROGI
177 N 9th Street (Bedford/Driggs Avenues)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
T. 718.599.2144

I happened to find this New York Post video today, and we're in it! Starting at minute 2:12. Pretty neat.


Paul Ramirez Jonas' Key to the City is a participant-based public art project that opened in Times Square last night at 6pm. The project "reinvents the civic honor of bestowing keys on luminaries" with a specially-designed commemorative "master key able to unlock more than 20 sites across New York City's five boroughs." You can't bestow a key on yourself, so be sure to bring a special someone. Or meet a fellow New Yorker in line and make friends. Participation in the ceremony and in Ramirez Jonas' art project is FREE (and magical). Keys will be distributed through a kiosk in Times Square, Broadway & 43rd Street, everyday from June 3 -27, Mon-Fri 2-8, Sat-Sun 12-8.

Through a series of fortuitous events and links, I learned about last night's opening on Twitter -- where else? And so my husband and I lined up at 5:55pm and serpentined our way through the line pretty quickly. At the presentation ceremony, a member of Creative Time officiated. We got goose bumps. It felt like a Times Square art version of our wedding. Today my mood has changed so much for the better. I truly believe Key to the City is a metaphor for unlocking possibilities in one's own life. And as my dad would say, "It's a happening!"

This is what I would call an annoying gloss-over of meaning. The host got caught up in the fabulousness, and forgot about the content. Dear host, the word is kawaii (cute), not kowai (scary) as you said. Hahah. But whatevs.

Definitely some interesting imagery here. And I see Murakami made a Louis Vuitton logo into a 3-d mythical Japanese creature called a kappa. His work is so saturated with references. I love trying to decode it.

[click image to enlarge]

For a little background information, please read the previous post, and come back. Ever since the time change, I have been getting projects done that have been stalled for a long while. Like restringing a pair of 50s lamps (next post). And hanging recent acquisitions. Yes, we are pleased with our new art wall. Now, just one more photograph to hang tonight. And one more 50s lamp to repair.

[L-R] Michael Pellew, Happy Holidays, 2009, ink on paper; Alicia Kachmar, Safety Cones, 2009, yarn, batting, thread, beads; James Hull, Map, 2000, pigment & gold on metal; unknown Toronto artist, Safety Pin, 1998, encaustic on canvas; Matthew Murphy, A Classic Setting, 1995, oil on board.

The best iced cookie I have ever eaten. By Alicia K.

Blurry Portrait of an Artist.
Her work to the right.

Crochet Safety Cones by Alicia Kachmar


I think I scarfed 3 whole cookies. Honestly I don't know what
came over me. I will never forget the taste of these cookies.
The icing was sooooooooooo delicious. And I normally don't like icing.

So here's the thing. I took one look at the blurry photo I took of soft sculpture artist, Alicia Kachmar, after I went to her opening back in October, got frustrated with my photography skills in that moment, and didn't want to post. But now that I look at this batch of photos again, I think they're a good representation of the event. So here goes.

In other news, I just "installed" my very own safety cones which I proudly purchased the night of her opening, and am very pleased with the arrangement. If I can snap some non-blurry pics, I'll show you. Even if they're a bit blurry, I'll show you.

Note: Some of my blurry pics on this blog are blurry on purpose. Some are just due to low lighting and the fact that I don't like the flash on my digital camera. Too harsh.

I loved these tiny photos by another artist in the show.
They were only about 2" by 2". And look at the neat case they come in,
below.

The photos. The question: who was the artist?

The artist herself!

Everyone at the show could don the orange safety vests and
do some investigating. Very festive.

The Chashama pop-up gallery space on W37th was teeny tiny, so the
show spilled out onto the street.

More gallery goers.

And more.

And more.

If you know about the NYC summer food truck explosion
you will want one of these. Trust me, you will.

Well, what I was going to talk about in that last one about my getting back to Twitter was that I stumbled upon Big Gay Ice Cream Twittering his little heart out (even though it's the ice cream off-season and Big Gay is a bassoonist in a symphony in the off-season) and properly maintaining his awesome indie brand which he built so cleverly this summer. If I had any sense, I wouldn't have stopped blogging and Twittering recently, but I kinda got busy with teen blogging for a well-known denim company with whom I am currently employed. So yes, good reason, but I do love my blog, and feel terrible when I don't write down some thoughts and ideas and finds here. So here's what I found today: Alicia Kachmar, whom I wrote about this past fall, made a Big Gay Ice Cream ornament, which is so darn cute and lovely and sweet, that you want to just impulse purchase one right away! Don't you? I do. And the great part about the ornament is that it is so New York sub-culture street culture indie culture that you feel good being in-the-know about it.

The traffic cones hold a meeting. It looks serious.
Crochet by Alicia Kachmar.
[image by Alicia Kachmar]

I just learned that there is a fun new show to check out in Midtown today. "How to Enjoy Traffic Cones" at 266 W 37th Street. The more I read the press release, the more I realize it is less a gallery show than a window show. Well, I am not exactly sure, but I am going. Well maybe it is a gallery show, because it says it is "at one of the Chashama spaces." Now I'm rambling.

I first learned about NYC-based artist, Alicia Kachmar, through a certain Mister Softee ice cream truck I have been following. No, not Miss Softee. Another famous one, recently nominated for a Vendy Award. If you want to further investigate Alicia's projects and ideas, she has 2 Etsy shops, a blog, and a Twitter feed. Oh, and check out her Flikr set entitled, "Park(ing) day + Safety Cone Adventures."

I want this little guy. Oh wow, there is also a traffic cone with a cowboy hat! I must get the pair!

[all images from Alicia Kachmar]


!

Boiler @ Pierogi

Maybe you're out of the Williamsburg Gallery loop these days, but no matter. That can be quickly remedied by reading this post, and perhaps a few other choice publications. Back in March, Pierogi Gallery opened Boiler, a satellite exhibition space just down the street in a former factory boiler room (boiler still included). The old giant boiler, a Type H Stirling Boiler built in 1937 by the Babcock & Wilcox Company to be exact, is a magnificent sculpture in itself, and worth a look. Recently on view at Boiler was Jonathan Schipper Irreversibility (through June 28) featuring an installation of a very slow-moving car crash entitled The Slow Inevitable Death of American Muscle which apparently began on May 15, the first day of the exhibition. We arrived on the last day. Very interesting.

So what's next at Boiler? Recent paintings by Yoon Lee in the Fall.

Jonathan Schipper, The Slow Inevitable Death of American Muscle

Payless Shoe Source advertising poster, detail 1


Artist, Takashi Murakami 'posterizing' his signature eyeball in Superflat,
a show in 2001 that Murakami curated and exhibited


Payless, Evolution of a Logo, (my title, not theirs), detail 2


Takashi Murakami, Jellyfish Eyes - Black 4, Offset Lithograph, edition of 300
[image from Blind Angle]

I don't know about you, but I see a clear similarity between Takashi Murakami's Jellyfish Eyes - Black 4 and the current advertising poster for Payless Shoe Source, Evolution of the Payless Logo (my title, not theirs).

After all, why wouldn't Payless want to plant the Louis Vuitton/Takashi Murakami seed in their customer's minds? "Luxe for less" (copies) is their concept, isn't it? When you look at images of Murakami's and Payless' side by side, the reference seems overt.

The Payless Logo Poster in a traditional Japanese two-panel screen format,
on display in the window on 39th Street (corner of Fifth Avenue)


Murakami's signature eyeballs mixed with Louis Vuitton icons and logo
in a print the artist made for the luxury handbag maker.

Still from Guest of Cindy Sherman by Paul H-O [left]

A film recommendation for art enthusiasts: Guest of Cindy Sherman playing at Cinema Village on 12th Street in the Village. We saw it on Sunday. Two thumbs up.

Why do I always gravitate towards the Japanese artists? via BOOOOOOOM!

Yuri Shimojo is based in Brooklyn among other places.


Great Artists Live in Brooklyn Every design magazine, fashion magazine and art magazine I read lately features some important directional artist making big contributions to their genre. And where do they live? Brooklyn!

Scope New York from above [image from scope-art.com]

So many art fairs, so little time. I used to do fashion trade shows for my line, and become so disappointed when traffic was down. Now I can see why. There are too many competing shows on at the exact same time. It is too much. Take this weekend for example. How many art fairs were going on concurrently in NYC? We opted to see Scope at Damrosh Park, Lincoln Center Friday night. It was a small, very walkable show, with a lot of good things. I wanted to see Pulse the next day, but alas, time got away from us. Couldn't one show have extended their dates to, say the 10th? UGH.

At last the Krampf Gallery has relocated. And the current show, Ma Jun: Pop Dynasty, is one I have been waiting for quite a long time to see. Unfortunately, the night of the opening was like 10 degrees, and the location was in NYC's Far East where the cold winds off the East River are rather gripping. I am going to try to see this show this weekend, when it is warm. I totally recommend it!

Ma Jun: Pop Dynasty at the Krampf Gallery, February 19-March 15, 407 E 75th Street, 646.649.4593, www.krapmfgallery.com

The Haves vs. The Have-Nots. Ticket holders
got to stand under Chanel umbrellas while they waited.
The rest of us used $10 generic varieties.


The Well-Heeled, waiting to get in to the Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion Saturday.


Yes, these heels do indeed say Chanel.
Many attendees dressed in Chanel for the event.

Last Saturday was the second to last day that the Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion would be in New York. Rain showers were predicted. I had no ticket. But I did have some time to invest. I didn't think fashion people would want to wait in the rain. They don't like their outfits getting wet. But I was wrong.

I woke up at 6. Was out the door by 7. A world record for a Saturday. When I arrived at 8, the line was already three hours long.

I got to see the show at 10:30. Only two and a half hours later, not three. All in all, a good time. I met the nicest people in line and we talked the whole time. And then we got to see the show together and talked some more. Worth the wait? I am not sure. I felt compelled to see it, and would have regretted not seeing it. Yes, fashion succeeded again in creating a deep desire for something I did not have.

We saw Jeff Koons on the Roof at the Metropolitan Museum back in August, and it was a scorcher. I think I might like to return to this spot in a few weeks to view the Fall foliage. Hmm. That is a good idea.

a subway stop on the g line

Perhaps it is because Brooklyn-based artist Bede Murphy is my friend, and I have loved his work since the moment I saw it one Spring day in 1993 in Boston's South End, that I look at this 'work' in the subway and see it as Murphy-esque. Click on this link to view his art. I call him Matt.

Although you may be inclined to think so, this work is not by Tara Donovan.


This is (click here), but the above pictured is not.

Dear Tara Donovan,
Did you know that someone at the BCBG store near Bryant Park is a big fan of yours, to the point of um. Well. Appropriating the piece you just showed at the Metropolitan Museum and using it as a backdrop behind the register on the first floor? They missed the point though. Instead of using Mylar, the unnamed designer used an inflexible metal of some sort and did not capture the ephemeral quality of your work. I think you may want to investigate tout de suite.

Signed,
A concerned citizen.

[page print from flavorpill.com]

My fourth piece is up on Flavorpill. For full details about the show, and directions to the Anna Kustera Gallery in Chelsea, click here. I will be at the opening (6-9pm) this evening!

Brian Mallman, Meeting, graphite on board, 24"x24"
[image from Migration: A Gallery]

Speaking of art fairs (you will see what I am talking about when I post again in a moment), I meant to show you the piece we acquired at the Affordable Art Fair a few weeks ago from a gallery in Virginia called Migration. Our piece is not the one pictured, but is of similar size, subject matter and materials, by Brian Mallman. It is of a businessman sitting with legs crossed in a swivel chair. I will have to show you at a later date. In the meantime, check out some of Mallman's work on the Migration Gallery's site.