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Constellation Closet – Southern Cross at Grizzly Grizzly

by Dennis D’Alesandro Itʼs always nice to walk into a minimal, simply curated show. I hate walking into a show that looks jumbled with too many pieces, or pieces that are too big for the space, etc…Grizzly Grizzlyʼs current show, Southern Cross, is a great example of how to curate a well balanced, comfortable show without overwhelming the space, allowing you to engage with the work in an uncluttered and personal way.

Two cultures meet at the Lightroom Gallery

by Alyssa Greenberg The opening of the Lightroom Gallery’s Two Cultures exhibition, featuring the work of the photo gallery members Ranjoo Prasad and Tony Rocco, saw a steady turnout, with audience members drawn by the magnetic qualities of both photographers’ work. Although rooted in two different parts of the globe, Prasad and Rocco’s photographs were given a sense of unity by their highly composed styles and close attention to the inner lives of their subjects. Both artists’ work also dealt in some way with distance, as evidenced by their respective biographies. But the similarity ends there.

The Western Lands at Little Berlin – the viewer interaction challenge

Post by Roman Blazic The Shadow Lands at Little Berlin is a very ambitious presentation that produces a cautionary point of view and shows art in an evolving process. The key element is a non-linear approach — with action and interaction between the artist and the participating spectator.

Prometheus redone – who stole Dan Reidy’s angel?

Post by Lauren McCarty Prometheus stole fire from the gods and Zeus punished him by having him bound to a rock while a great eagle ate his liver, little bites at a time. Dan Reidy has brought his metaphorical adaptation of this drama to the Hamilton Hall platforms in front of the University of the Arts. On each of the platforms, a plastic lawn chair is chained to an alabaster boulder. On one side sneakers hang from a wire at the top of a metal pole. One boulder is labeled enigmatically with the initials P.M. R.C.

Humanity in poverty and isolation – Live Cinema/Peripheral Stages at PMA

by Dennis D’Alesandro Western popular culture most often mirrors and reinforces the clean, filtered worlds of societyʼs haves. This is usually a bright and well-maintained place, where the rich and middle class go about their lives as pro-active masters of their destinies, enjoying from their desirable vantage points a close proximity to all of the resources that our cities and institutions have to offer. However, behind this one-sided veil, a vast, crumbling infrastructure looms in the shadows. Plagued by drugs, gang violence and chronic unemployment, these overlooked areas house the silent ghosts of humanity who are forced to make do ... More » »

Class Warfare at Moonstone Arts Center

by Julian Phillips You will find the staircase to Robin’s Bookstore and Moonstone Arts Center between two bustling restaurants on an equally busy street. Once upstairs, you still might be able to hear the rabble and cries from those encamped at City Hall. Their chants and shouts are not intelligible, and many wonder what the protestors are trying to say. However confusing their message, we know why they have chosen to occupy the city center. We all feel it, hear and talk about why rabble-rousers and Americans hang their heads together.  And the Class Warfare exhibit at Robin’s/Moonstone will show ... More » »

What’s new in Madrid? Betsabee Romero at Centro Mexico Madrid

By Brittany Papale Amidst the “The Golden Triangle” of museums in Madrid — the Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen-Bornemisza — a new gallery has popped up with interesting aims. Centro Mexico Madrid opened on September 15, 2011, hoping not only to create an exhibition space for Mexican artists but also to become a headquarters for celebrating Mexican art, culture, and traditions.

Quay Brothers’ Mutter movie misses

by Dennis D’Alesandro Upstairs in a large, fancy chamber of the storied Mutter Museum, the sold out crowd eagerly buzzed in anticipation of the world premier of the Quay Brothers‘ latest film, titled Through the Weeping Glass: On the Consolations of Life Everlasting (Limbos and Afterbreezes in the Mutter Museum). Billed as the greatest coupling of subject matter and filmmaker that has ever been proposed in the history of art, surely the Quay’s dark-macabre style would present the strange and gruesome collections of the museum in a perfect mysterious pitch!

Everyone loves a parade – Miss Rockaway picture post

Post by Roman Blazic These pictures were taken on Sept. 10 on York Street just above Coral Street. Little Berlin (Viking Mills) was a half a block away at Boston and Coral Streets. The parade started on York St and eventually ended at Flux Space, 3000 Hope St.

Belknapʼs bizarro world at Rebekah Templeton

by Dennis D’Alesandro Ordnance, Timothy Belknapʼs solo show at Rebekah Templeton, is a humorous and fun explosion of colors, textures, and forms. in this comment on the dangers in the American dream, Belknap deploys a surrealist and almost cartoonish eye to mash up the everyday benign with a suggestion of real physical harm or deformity. Some of the unexpected occurrences in this strange world include plastic skeletons coming to life, a lawn mower squirting its engine into the air, and a display of succulent fancy cakes concocted out of multi-colored fireworks.