Our contributor Mark Lord experiences the Jasper Johns exhibit at Matthew Marks, and finds the highly charged subject of the work (a 1965 photo of a U.S. combat soldier weeping at the loss he could not prevent of friends in the war). He talks about the intimacy and emotion of the subject and how Johns removes the emotion for a reading about the mind distilling memory over time. The show is up through April 6 at the New York gallery.
Read MoreDeborah Krieger reviews a 2-person show at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. Didn’t know they showed art there (in addition to Isaiah Zagar’s amazing building)? Yes, they do. Check out Deborah’s piece on Claes Gabriel and Andrew Chalfen’s works.
Read MoreMatt Singer explores the deep inner reaches and outer limits of Sarah Gamble’s highly focused and suggestive paintings, at Fleisher-Ollman Gallery, on view now through March 30, 2019. Ultimately, the works about consciousness and matter matter, says Singer.
Read MoreIlana Napoli visits New Orleans and sees an inspiring exhibition by Brandan “B-Mike” Odums (artist, filmmaker, educator, founder of 2-Cent, a youth arts education initiative for black children in the south). The solo show, called “Studio BE” is an ongoing project that is a tribute to black history/culture and resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans communities, opportunity.
Read MoreSamuel Brown reviews “Knowledge Lost” at Gallery 1201, by the artist collective “Difference Engine,” (John Bezark and Chris Baldys.) Brown says this interactive installation, which prompts you to write a eulogy out of deleted Wikipedia entires on an old computer, is especially impactful when experienced in solitude. The show closes Friday, Mar. 22, so catch it quick before it’s gone.
Read MoreSamuel Brown writes a thoughtful review of Joakim Ojanen’s recent show “Snake Pit” at The Hole NYC! Buy yourself a bus ticket and catch this quirky show– a world building installation filled with odd, anxious, cheeky, and playful characters– before April 14th, 2019!
Read MoreSam Brown sees a provocative show at Second State Press of printed posters made by the group “Prints for Protest.” He appreciates how many different ways artists in the show connect with protest issues alive today.
Read MoreWhat is the role of an artist when their old neighborhood is gentrified by art galleries and the neighborhood doesn’t want them there? This highly topical question, and others, are examined by Guadalupe Rosales in her splendid “Legends Never Die: A Collective Memory,” at Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery, Haverford College. Deborah Krieger writes a great personal take on the show.
Read MoreSarah Kim visits the exhibit at the William Way Center and views art whose materials defiantly separate it from traditional mainstream art. Altars made with found materials; altered photo-portraiture; drawing installations and collage, made by six artists, the art is metaphorical and symbolic of the state of being in flux, in transition. Kim’s powerful writing leads you through the exhibit, adding insightful commentary and insights. After considering this show about fluid states of identity, Kim concludes that ultimately, selfhood is the experience itself, and art, which is based in objecthood, can point the way.
Read More“Cornucopia / Urn” is a show at Spillway Gallery that features work by Nora Chellew and Suldano Abdiruhman. Samuel writes about the interplay between these two artists and how they create a dream-like space that evokes the fragmentation of memory and the nostalgic feelings we have towards the past. He also reached out to the show’s Curator, Babs Weiss, to learn more about the thought-process behind the exhibition’s conception. The show closes on February 9th, so make your way on over!
Read MoreGuest contributor Mina Zarfsaz describes the power of “Letter to the Public,” an interactive installation currently on view at Icebox Project Space through January 26th.
Read MoreMichael Lieberman checks out the newest show on view at High 5 Gallery, a relative newcomer to Philadelphia’s always-vibrant gallery scene. The exhibit “Untethered” is tied together by its warm coloration and overarching sense of whimsy. Michael says the work is a steal at its current price, so if you’re a collector on a budget, swing by before the show closes on January 31!
Read MoreLogan Cryer visits “Quality of Life,” Jennifer Packer’s current show at Sikkema Jenkins in Chelsea. Packer, who Artblog founders Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof first met as a student in their senior painting class at Tyler School of Art, composes lush, figurative paintings from an economy of strokes and suggestive erasures. Her show closes January 19, so check it out for yourself while you still can!
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Support for Artblog has been provided by The Philadelphia Cultural Fund.