Posts By cate fallon
Two Quiet Guys in New York – Rob Matthews and the late Bill Walton
Two Philladelphia artists, Rob Matthews and the late Bill Walton currently have one person shows in New York. Although nothing (but Philadelphia) really connects these two shows, it seemed like a good pairing as both artists fill their respective gallery spaces with a range of small and large exquisite works. And while both shows are basically monochromatic, they feel rich and textured with thoughtful visual constructions. First, to the late Bill Walton, who is the inaugural exhibition at JTT, a new gallery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side (LES). Seen in conjunction with additional pieces installed a few blocks away at ... More » »
Naked City man – Weegee in Chelsea and at the International Center of Photography
The idea of social documentary photography seems to have a certain resonance with the current times. Images from Occupy Wall Street have put the lives of the vanishing middle (and burgeoning lower-middle) class on our websites, blogs, twitter feeds, the daily television news and local newspapers. So it seems almost an odd turn of fate that there are at least three simultaneous showings of the work of the mid-20th century news photographer Weegee at this time. With two exhibitions in New York and a third in LA at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the face of the average mid-20th century ... More » »
Sophie’s Room
On a beautiful October weekend – ripe with the scent of the fall vegetation now enveloping the local greenmarkets and some end-of-summer nostalgia for warmer, sunnier days, I followed the directions in a press announcement to a small hotel on the upper east side. The hotel, located on a tree-lined street off Madison Avenue, was smart and orderly and seemed very European – like an international transplant of exacting good taste. The small lobby was bustling. I felt as though I was setting out on adventure with great expectations. When I requested directions to Sophie’s Room, the staff immediately responded ... More » »
Savage Beauty – Alexander McQueen at the Met; and waiting in that long line to see it
Savage Beauty, the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the Met is something of a curio cabinet from McQueen’s studio. Sam Gainsbury and Joseph Bennett, the production designers for McQueen’s fashion shows, served as the show’s creative director and production designer, bringing a dramatic and potentially-narrative structure to the exhibition, all the while echoing the theatrical aspects of McQueen’s work, his thinking and his collection presentations.
“Flight” on the staircase – Liz Magic Laser’s flight of fancy in Times Square
“Flight,” a performance piece of scenes lifted from classic films, collaged and re-staged by Liz Magic Laser hits the great white way this weekend, or rather it lands on the red staircase in the heart of Times Square. The piece, originally performed at PS1 in 2010, has been refined to meet and respond to the parameters of this most theatrical of intersections and as one of the Times Square guides said to several tourists – “It’s a live show going on – It’s something different.”
No Longer Empty at 4th and Broadway – Part 2
When I went past “Never Can Say Goodbye” later on Friday night just before 8 there was a line outside, and half a block down a crowd had formed at the door with people spilling out onto Broadway – looked like a good night was ahead. It was heartwarming to see such a familiar experience and it made me realize what a social scene and life force the Tower Records store had been.
Not buying a best buy
Artist Man Bartlett was born in Philadelphia, his bio says. The young artist performed a 24-hour endurance art piece in New York’s Best Buy store the other night. Here’s the report. I went to Best Buy (this location is in fact the only Best Buy 24-hour store) It used to be a Circuit City, but the Best Buy looks better - Brighter and “more friendly” if that is possible. I got there around 7:30 and left around 8:45 - I didnt recognize the guy and didn’t notice him, so not much to say - I did however think about how ... More » »
Athena Robles and Anna Stein’s Free Store – A Priceless Experience
Post by Cate Fallon Free Store, downtown Manhattan near Wall Street. Note the log cabin paneling–perfect for this old fashioned barter project. All photos in this post by Cate Fallon Athena Robles and Anna Stein (aka Double A Projects) have created a performance / environmental sculpture walk-through free store – something of a cultural pop-shop meets art installation of free trade just blocks away from Wall Street in lower Manhattan. Fits in seamlessly with its neighbors. Merch on the floor and walls of the Free Store Like a cross between a secondhand shop and a gallery space for odd lots, ... More » »
America – in blue, white and a touch of red
Post by Cate Fallon Zoe Strauss sitting at Silverstein Gallery signing copies of her book America at the opening of her show. Photos in this post by Cate Fallon. The night of the opening was cold and windy, so it was good to see a supportive, warm turnout – with beer and pretzels in the “house” and the mood one of family celebration. The feeling of Zoe Strauss‘s “America: We Love Having You Here” at Silverstein Gallery is of home and comfort – although some of the images are anything but comfortable. The landscape of the gallery requires that you ... More » »
The Sweetness of Smithson
Post by Cate Fallon [Ed. note: Last Friday, Libby and I and my New Orleans friends Chuck and Iris drove to New York for the press preview of the Robert Smithson "Floating Island," a realization of a Smithson proposal that never saw daylight during the artist's lifetime. Cate was to meet us there. Traffic on the NJ Turnpike was snarled by an accident that forced us off and into the back roads of the garden state with all the trucks and SUVs and we arrived in New York too late for the preview speeches and fanfare. All in all, we ... More » »
