Thursday, March 14, 6-8[m: Eric Fischl | Hotel Stories at Skarstedt

Nine new paintings by Eric Fischl, of hotel rooms, take on an array of meanings, associations, and possibilities for each of their inhabitants. For some, they feel personal and cozy, like a safe haven. For others, they’re simply a space to put their things. They can be sites of nefarious, taboo activity; a blank slate on which to place romantic ideals; or even spaces of extreme isolation and sadness. A wide range of events take place in these rooms that are not what the they supposedly promise, and Eric Fischl explores each one of these potential outcomes in this new body of work, a perfectly fresh continuation of the ideas that have haunted his paintings for so many years.

Dislocation is similarly present throughout these paintings, an effect Fischl partly achieves by bending the realities of time. In some, the juxtaposition of two figures who do not cohesively interact prompts the viewer to consider if they are, in fact, observing the same room across different nights and different guests. In Snapshot of a Marriage, one person is seen holding a shopping bag, dressed and ready to go, pointing towards the door; the other, fresh out of the shower, is about to put her hair in a towel. Is he ushering her to get ready so they can head back out, or do they even see each other at all? These kinds of questions reveal that we are simultaneously always alone and never alone—a pervasive sentiment that can be found in even the most quotidian of moments.

Skarstedt20 East 79^th Street, New York, NY Info

Continuing: Landscape as Metaphor at Alisan

Alison’s new NYC gallery presents selection of works by contemporary artists Bouie Choi, Chu Chu, Lam Tung Pang, Kelly Wang and Yang Yongliang, who each showcase unique and distinctive interpretations of landscapes. On view in conjunction with Asia Week New York, Landscape as Metaphor: Contemporary Voiceswill be on view from February 27 to April 27, 2024, at Alisan Fine Arts’ recently opened New York gallery. While connected through observations of landscapes, spaces and cities, the works in this exhibition span a wide variety of mediums and each artist goes beyond physical observation to reveal deeply personal experiences and parts of their own identities. Also on view is a solo exhibition of works by the pioneering ink artist Lui Shou-Kwan (1919-1975). Above: Kelly Wang, Red Lotus, 2021
Alisan Fine Arts, 12fo0 East 65^th Street, New York, NY Info

Monday, March 18, 6pm: James Rosenquist | The Holy Roman Empire through Checkpoint Charlie, talk at Castelli

Currently on view at Castelli is The Holy Roman Empire through Checkpoint Charlie by James Rosenquist.  Nearly forty feet long, the work encompasses his commentary on both history and politics. The painting combines figurative and semi-abstract painted images, the use of an actual object affixed to the canvas, and another leaning against it. James Rosenquist, who always followed the worldwide news, was shocked by how gray the East appeared in contrast to the colorful West. The painting is the first of a group of paintings that the artist made which address the Cold War and the idea of division.

Rosenquist breaks away from traditional painting by adding an actual object, a small-scale ladder, which leans against the painted column. The size of the ladder exemplifies Rosenquist’s use of perspective as it is minute in comparison to the column and the immense size of the artwork. It is indeed the size that makes us see the ladder an allegory for crossing from East to West or even actually attempting it, should one have acquired the tools to do so..

In conversation with Alvaro Barrington, Michael Findlay and Judity GHoldman, James Rosenquist will discuss the painting, which was first exhibited at Leo Castelli Gallery in October 1994.

Castelli, 24 West 40^th Street, New York, NY Info

Monday, March 18, 7pm: Abasement #69

Performances by Victoria Shen, Tom Carter, Kid Millions & Jim Sauter, Jutta Koether & Patrick Derivaz, and Reg Bloor. DJs Crystal Spires & Spencer Herbst. Visuals by Carolyn Funk.Abasement is a monthly music series featuring performances, a guest DJ, and a projectionist. Beginning in 2015 at Max Fish bar in New York's Lower East Side, the evening brings together artists and bands working in free improvisation, jazz, noise, minimalism, and experimental composition. When Max Fish permanently closed due to Covid, one of the few experimental music venues in Manhattan temporarily ceased to exist. Artists Space is pleased to continue hosting Abasement. Free—no rsvp required. Poster artwork by Joe Frivaldi.

Artists Space, 11 Cortlandt Alley, New York, NY Info 

Thursday, March 21, 6-8pm: Robert Kushner | Antella Windows and Curtains

Join the artist for a view of new work he created during a quiet month in Tuscany among wildflowers, olive groves and ceramics. From the gallery’s website:

Since participating in the early years of the Pattern and Decoration Movement in the 1970s, Robert Kushner has continued to address controversial issues involving decoration. Kushner draws from a unique range of influences, including Islamic and European textiles, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Demuth, Pierre Bonnard, Tawaraya Sotatsu, Ito Jakuchu, Qi Baishi, and Wu Changshuo.

Kushner’s work combines organic representational elements with abstracted geometric forms in a way that is both decorative and modernist. He has said, “I never get tired of pursuing new ideas in the realm of ornamentation. Decoration, an abjectly pejorative dismissal for many, is a very big, somewhat defiant declaration for me. … The eye can wander, the mind think unencumbered through visual realms that are expansively and emotionally rich. Decoration has always had its own agenda, the sincere and unabashed offering of pleasure and solace.

DC Moore Gallery, 535 West 22^nd Street, New York, NY Info