Artblog | Artists

December 31, 2017 by Imani Roach

Sadie Barnette’s ‘Glitter Space’ in the Surveillance Age

As we look back over a tumultuous year now past, a show that continues to percolate in our minds is Sadie Barnette’s Dear 1968, Love 1984, which visited Haverford’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery in the fall. Drawn largely from the FBI file of Barnette’s father, who was a leader in the L.A. Black Panther party, Dear 1968… uses the archival evidence of state surveillance to explore intimacy and everyday life in black America. Here Imani Roach shares part of a conversation she had with the artist during the opening festivities, and reflects on themes from the show which feel particularly resonant this holiday season.

December 29, 2017 by Artblog

The 2017 Liberta Awards!

Just for you, we offer this annual curated list of notable people, groups, books, and other art world stuff from the outgoing year: The 2017 Liberta Awards!

December 27, 2017 by Chip Schwartz

As By Digging at Painted Bride, three artists delve into time, history, and the human psyche

Chip reviews the InLiquid show, “As By Digging,” at Painted Bride, with three artists whose work digs for emotional truth in personal and other human histories.

December 22, 2017 by Imani Roach

Wit Lopez on breaking the fourth wall

Wit Lopez is a fiber artist, performer and independent curator whose work encourages audiences to touch, manipulate and even wear it. Artblog’s Imani Roach spoke with this former theater kid about accessibility, performing for the camera and confronting their body as a spectacle. Can marginalized artists use humor to subvert their relationship to art institutions? Listen to find out. Imani interviewed Wit at Moore College of Art and Design’s TGMR radio station on December 12th, 2017; the podcast is 34 minutes long.

December 3, 2017 by Roberta

Events galore in December! Here are three we recommend – Peter Morgan at Penn State Abington, Alexa Hoyer at Eastern State Penitentiary, and Queerality at Franky Bradley’s

Someone remarked last week that December is action-packed with openings and events. Well, we agree! And in this News Post, we’ve rounded up three events that caught our eye — and they’re all this week. Turn out and see the art and meet the artists!

December 1, 2017 by Catherine Rush

Serendipitous Organization, Jim Strong reflects on Human Festival 01 and anti-curatorial curation

Catherine Rush attends Human Fest 01 at the Icebox and interviews its creator, and budding performance impresario, Jim Strong. Though the events he improvises often playfully defy description, Strong, who also paints and makes musical instruments, has built a solid reputation as a connector of people through his unwavering commitment to openness and generosity.

November 30, 2017 by Andrea Kirsh

Talia Greene uses decorative means to reveal histories of servants and the poor who toiled for the early owners of Glen Foerd on the Delaware

Andrea Kirsh writes about a decorative installation by Talia Greene at Glen Foerd that draws attention to a historic house’s wealthy’s occupants and the hidden story of the poor workers who built it, tended it, and served the owners. She says the historic house’s current caretakers are making some of the hidden histories visible on their website.

November 28, 2017 by Ephraim Russell

Nathalie Du Pasquier’s dizzying, colorful art and decor at the Institute of Contemporary Art

Nathalie Du Pasquier is one of the founders of the influential Italian Postmodern design group Memphis. Her colorful and immersive installation at ICA is both art and design. Ephraim calls it playful yet rooted in the artist’s adherence to principles of design, structure and systems. A walk through the paintings, rugs, furniture and still life paintings of objects and furniture exposes a seamless and natural interplay between art and design.