March 2008 Archive

A tower grows in South Philly

Scott Pellnat with his rooftop tower in South Philly. Some time ago I paid a visit to Scott Pellnat in his South Philadelphia home and studio. Pellnat, a Brooklyn artist transplant, moved to Philadelphia some 5 years ago when his wife Nadine Heller got a teaching job at Drexel.  The couple have two children. They’ve made a home for themselves here, with Scott rehabbing the house and working construction jobs in the neighborhood.  One spectacular improvement he made to his own house is the tower on the second floor roof. The unique structure — made of scavenged materials and adorned ... More » »

Light fare at the fairs-Part 2

It’s easy to see themes when you see so much work all at once as we did in two days at four art fairs. I saw polka dots all over the place, I saw snail mail references in three venues and things about communities seemed to crop up everywhere. I guess it’s the anthropologist in all of us. We want to group things together and classify and study them. I have always loved doing it. And many artists seem to be doing this kind of armchair anthropology in their work at the moment. Part 1 of this post is here.

Light fare at the fairs-Part 1

Maybe we went on less crowded days this year but the four fairs Libby and I saw Thursday and Friday (Pulse, Armory, Scope and Volta) were less populated with lookers than when we went to the fairs last year. But because a fair has nowhere to go but up, the numbers of exhibitors was greater than ever (as was the number of fairs–I believe there were 13 this year). We swam through masses of booths with thousands and thousands of pieces of art and found lots interesting things, and some that made us cheer (singly or in unison). Libby will ... More » »

New York today and tomorrow

Isaac Lin’s cut paper and wall painting at Fleisher-Ollman’s Cave Painting show. Lin provided 3-D glasses to see the piece. Don’t miss it — and the other work in the very nice show. Dear lovely readers, we’re off to New York to the art fairs today. See you on the other side and stay warm and dry–it’s gonna be rainy today, well, in Philadelphia and New York at least.

Video Vox

This month’s Vox exhibit is nearly all video and really all pretty great! It looks like more and more video artists are part of the Vox membership, and this show reflects the shift. The only non-video in the show, a sculpture installation, is by Brent Wahl, who also makes videos. Here’s who and what: Black Hole, a video by Matthew Suib and Nadia Hironaka; I had to play with the image to show anything other than a pure black rectangle, so I’m afraid it’s a bit misleading.The first ever collaboration between married video-makers Matthew Suib and Nadia Hironaka is a ... More » »

Come on in my kitchen, then go see Vito Acconci

Chere Krakovsky serving coffee and lunch in her kitchen at International House. Ann is sitting down being served. When I walked up the steps and into Chere Krakovsky‘s kitchen in the lobby of International House, the artist was sitting at the table with a young man, having a conversation and drinking coffee. She got up, came over and welcomed me and then introduced me to her guest, a Temple grad from India who lives in IHouse and works in the financial industry. He drank tea, I had coffee. We talked about art and India (there are not many art schools ... More » »

Final Four Kisses for Mayor Nutter

Four more kisses for Mayor Nutter from artists affiliated with Sherman Mills and Building 32 there. Carol Wisker Hi Libby and Roberta,I most certainly support the creation of an Office of Arts and Culture in Philadelphia!! I have a studio at Sherman Mills where I am currently getting ready for my September show at the Third Street Gallery. I am also serving as the Education Advisor to the group of teaching artists at Building 32. Thanks to both of you for all that you do for Philadelphia artists! Best, Carol Wisker Stella Gassway HelloI am an artist at Sherman Mills. ... More » »

The citizen

My friend Wendy is featured in a story on the B-page of today’s Inky. She and her dog Nelly are giving out voter registration forms and Obama buttons in Rittenhouse Square. She (Wendy, not Nelly) is a one-woman campaign, and she’s an inspiration. Here’s the link to One woman’s very own grassroots campaign. There’s a great picture of Nelly (oooh, we all love dog pictures) and a great picture of Wendy, too.

Spacing Out at Space 1026

Aryon Hoselton demonstrating the flashlight by Sto. The flashlight stands by itself, without human intervention. The tent is by Kelie Bowman, and the papier mache objects are all by Sto. The two of them run Cinders Gallery. Space 1026 is hosting work this month curated by Brooklyn’s ultra-hip Cinders Gallery, and the show is hipster lovable. So I’m in love. Sto, My space my things, detailpapier mache objects The show if filled with work that mixes DIY and yearning for a simpler time; that brand of nostalgia is all over the place right now. But it’s definitely a tip-top example ... More » »

Around Philadelphia: Paintings and Performance

John Zurier Night 23 (2007), distemper on linen, 30″ x 20″ There’s fast painting and there’s slow painting; and some of what looks fast is actually the product of long labor. Two exhibitions in Old City show slow painting which reveals its labor, and both require slow looking. Just as the eyes must light-adjust to see anything in the dark, they must light-adjust to John Zurier’s series of Night Paintings at Larry Becker Contemporary Art (through April 19). A dozen 30″ x 20 “ paintings, all in distemper on un-primed linen, at first yield nothing but inky blueness. Some have ... More » »