Alex Smith interviews his comic book partner, James Dillenbeck about the artist’s gorgeous illustrations for their joint series, “Black Vans.” Smith says James’s illustrations keep “the torch going for body-positive, fat inclusive art in such a powerful way.” The two also talk about queer aesthetics, and about making Black Vans’ queer, punk, super-hero characters undeniable.
Read MoreJanyce Denise Glasper sees the Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibit organized by the beloved artist’s sisters Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, and calls it strong, meaningful and moving. The ticketed show, in Chelsea, with exhibition design by Sir David Adjaye, OBE, has been extended to Sept. 3, 2022.
Read MoreSusan Isaacs sees the popular show of Joan Mitchell’s works at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) and says the show lives up to its reputation: “It really is that good.” The show is at the BMA until Aug. 14, 2022.
Read MoreTasso Hartzog interviews Nate Garcia, who has been drawing and making comic zines since the first grade. Nate tells Tasso about moving to West Philly after graduating high school in Allentown to pursue his dream of being a comic book artist, working as a caricature artist to pay the bills, and his self-published anthologies and comic books!
Read MoreOur new contributor, Tasso Hartzog, interviews his long-time radio favorite, Bob Perkins, whose velvety voice on WRTI has graced Philadelphia’s airwaves since 1997.
Read MoreArtblog returning contributor, Elizabeth Johnson, reviews a New York exhibit inspired by pandemic isolation and its impact on the human need to connect.
Read MoreOn a trip to the to see “Sean Scully: The Shape of Ideas,” Logan Cryer is disappointed by the lack of context provided about the artist, whose “work has a bit of a reputation as not being as well-liked as some major art institutions would advertise,” Logan says. Wanting to better understand the abstract artist’s popularity, Logan felt alienated when they found no clear or compelling defense of the work, neither in the wall text, nor through the (lack of) display of documents from the artist himself. What does unimaginative curation mean for the legacy of the artist? Read the review to find out what Logan thinks!
Read MoreCalling it Faith Ringgold’s “moment to shine,” Janyce Denise Glasper writes about the experience of spending an entire day immersing herself in Faith Ringgold’s detailed expressive works at The New Museum and ACA Galleries. She comments that Ringgold “invested so much in her brave, revolutionary practice. The audience must perform that same duty to her.” Both shows are up until early or mid-June, 2022. Links and more information at the bottom of this post.
Read More
