Tag Archive "mark-shetabi"
Beautiful and not in New York
We dithered and waffled on what to see in our day trip to New York last week finally settling on shows in Chelsea and Soho that talked to our concerns about beauty in contemporary art. Beauty is back of course. That’s nothing any observer of the scene has missed by now, with gorgeous public art by Anish Kapoor and the embrace of beauty in even the most tetchy conceptual realms (Kara Walker). But is it “beauty” or beauty? Is it something wry and ironic or a new push to aesthetic pleasure. In a world of electronic and cyber-bombardment whose ... More » »
Global Suburbia at Abington Art Center
Thomas Wrede, Settlement with a Road, 2005, Digital C-print, 19 x 39 inches, West Collection Recently appointed Abington Art Center Curator Sue Spaid has thrown the gauntlet down with her first exhibit there, Global Suburbia: Meditations of the World of the ‘Burbs.” It’s a show a little unpredictable and chock-a-block with yummy art worth a chew. Lee Stoetzel, McMansion #5, 2005 Lambda print, 36 x 57.5 inches I say unpredictable because the same exhibit has photographic, old-masterish paintings by Sarah McCoubrey of inflatable swimming pools on lawns as well as Lee Stoetzel’s McMansions, photos of model he made from fast-food ... More » »
Watch out New York, here comes Philly
Lots of Philadelphians heading to New York to install their works in galleries all over town. Here’s what we’re excited about. There’s probably more and let us know if we missed you. ROB MATTHEWS Rob MatthewsThe artist’s cousin (Dan), graphite on paper Rob Matthews has his solo debut in New York at Daniel Cooney. Show, titled Kindred, opens Sept. 11 and runs to Nov. 15. Matthews is a formidable Philadelphia blogger as well as being a fabulous artist who shows locally at Gallery Joe. ZOE STRAUSS Zoe Strauss’s new book, America. We love the American flag reference in the carpeted ... More » »
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 » »
Mark Shetabi review at artnet
Gallerist Jenny Jaskey with Mark Shetabi’s Model II at Jenny Jaskey/Tower Gallery. Just a heads up that my review of Mark Shatabi‘s show Elevation at Jenny Jaskey/Tower Gallery is up at artnet. I’m reprinting the copy below in case you missed it. Check it out at artnet for all the pictures. CONCRETE COLISEUM Mark Shetabi, “Elevation,” Sept. 13-Oct. 26, 2007, at Jenny Jaskey/Tower Gallery, 969 N. Second Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19123 Philadelphia artist Mark Shetabi’s new exhibition is as enigmatic as grand-master-level Sudoku. Titled “Elevation” and including both paintings and sculptures, Shetabi’s show focuses on a contemporary architectural icon, the ... More » »
Weekly Update 2 – Fall Guide
This week’s Weekly has my fall guide piece about what’s hot this fall in the art scene. Below’s the copy with some pictures. More at flickr And for pictures of the ICA show, here and for the Perelman building here. PAIRED DOWNExhibits on music, food and lace come in twos.Two is the operative number this fall, with several well-paired shows offering a double-dip of art. Two music-filled exhibits will be hot stuff for the ears; two photography shows on food (and eaters) contemplate hunger and excess; and two shows on lace raise thoughts about the fabric of life. Also gamely ... More » »
New York addendum
The Rapture, by Mark Shetabi, and sculpture of a gas station with a peephole beneath into a bunker. As Roberta said, it was one of four things in the show that had sold signs on them. Saturday was rainy, but I managed to see a few of the things I wanted to see. I’m going to add a comment or two on some things Roberta saw and then add a couple of things she didn’t see. My first stop was Philly artist Mark Shetabi’s work at Jeff Bailey Gallery was Mark Shetabi’s work, mostly paintings of grisaille empty, oppressive spaces ... More » »
New York — the Philadelphians
Steve and I were in New York Thursday and Friday and first on my list of things to do was see the solo shows of Philadelphians and artblog favorites, Zoe Strauss and Mark Shetabi. Both exhibits (Strauss’s at Silverstein Photography and Shetabi’s at Jeff Bailey Gallery)look tremendous!! And I’m happy to report that Shetabi sold four works including his freestanding sculpture with the peephole environment, The Rapture. (Strauss’s show had just opened the day we visited so no sold stickers yet. Maybe we’ll know more after the opening, which Libby attended and will tell you about.) Strauss’s show is up ... More » »
Blue chip special at Tower
This large, ghostly portrait of a skeletal tower, by Mark Shetabi, has sold. Tower Gallery, which usually shows really terrific art with an edge at its digs also on the edge–between Northern Liberties and Kensington–is doing something different this month. On its walls hang works from a group of blue chip artists–Joan Wadleigh Curran, Martha Mayer Erlebacher, Randall Exon, Sidney Goodman, Jane Irish, Ben Kamihira, Alex Kanevsky, Susan Moore, Tina Newberry, Scott Noel and Mark Shetabi–who have all won recognition and their place in the Philadelphia figurative tradition. The big question on everyone’s mind was, how did gallerist Jenny Jaskey ... More » »
Sit up straight, stop frowning
Birch Bark Ass, by Matt Fisher A show of paintings and drawings of modest size at UArts Gallery 817 (upstairs from Rosenwald-Wolf) is definitely worth attention. The show called “Posture and Expression” was curated by artist Rob Matthews. The title lets you know right off the bat that the show has some lessons to teach; it also lets you know that this show reflects some of Matthews’ own art-making concerns. It’s old-fashioned didacticism made me think of all the injunctions from my mother to sit up straight and stop frowning. I still slouch and I still frown. Can’t help it. ... More » »
