Saturday, May 15: Open House with Robert Kushner, 3:00-5:00 pm

Robert Kushner | I [Heart] Matissee, at DC Moore Gallery

Among the varied influences in Robert Kushner’s oeuvre, from Japanese screen painting to American modernism, Henri Matisse’s influence has often been a continual through-line as Kushner finds resonance in Matisse’s inclination toward design, love of pattern, beauty, expressive drawing, and vibrant color. Above: Suzani and Sofa, 2021

During the time of Covid-19 lockdown, and ongoing isolation, Kushner found himself alone in his studio as the surrounding world became more ominous, and divisive.  It was in this period that he began an imaginary dialog with the earlier artist and took pleasure and focus in the endeavor. In a statement of fanciful reverie at the beginning of the pandemic…he wrote: 

“I work thinking more about being an artist in the 1930s. I am a Danish (or maybe Finnish, or maybe Swedish) artist who studied at Matisse’s academy in Paris (1907–1911) during the heyday of the Parisian avant-garde and of Fauvism itself. But right after that, I had to go back home to run the family business. But from then till now, over a century, in the dark attic of that old, sturdy family house, I have a studio in the garret. Only one small window. Left: Still Life with Three Vases III, 2020

“During the dark, cold gray winters, instead of going in the Vilhelm Hammershøi direction of silvery light and cool gray tonality, I summon in my mind the blinding light of the South of France. I remember being a student of the Master, watching him daily in awe, as I am now squeezing the entire world of color onto my palette and then letting it sing on the canvas. In my attic studio, I am carefree, wild, experimental, intoxicated by color harmonies and the sun-drenched tranquility and protection of being in the South of France. Or is it the South of California? The Mediterranean plants, the fruit, the vases, the fabrics... and that is what keeps going on in my head.”

Robert Kushner | I [heart] Matisse, at DC Moore Gallery, 535 West 22^nd Street, NY, NY Info 

Wednesday, May 13, Opening Reception

Dreamland | Group Show at One Art Space.

Discover a Dreamland of Art featuring Paintings, Drawings, Graffiti Art, Sculpture, Photography, Prints, Comics, Books, Clothing and Art Merch at One Art Space, 23 Warren St TriBeCa, NYC.Meet the artists, ask them questions about their art and learn their stories! Donation Tickets start at only One Dollar. 50 % of all donations go to ArtWorks, The Naomi Cohain Foundation. It's a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the healthcare experience of pediatric patients through the arts.

Right: Klay-James Enos, The Future, 2021

Dreamland at One Art Space, 23 Warren Street, NY, NY Info @Startshows

Continuing through November 14^th at Madison Square Park

Maya Lin | Ghost Forest 

For this installation, delayed due to this pandemic, Lin has “resurrected” 49 Atlantic white cedar trees killed by saltwater infiltration in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, replanting them in the park. She wrote: 

“Throughout the world, climate change is causing vast tracts of forested lands to die off,” said Lin in her artist’s statement. “They are being called ghost forests; they are being killed off by rising temperatures, extreme weather events that yield saltwater intrusion, forest fires, and insects whose populations are thriving in these warmer temperatures, and trees that are more susceptible to beetles due to being overstressed from these rising temperatures.

“In southwestern Colorado where my family and I live in the summer, these forests—killed off by beetles—are all around us. As I approached thinking about a sculptural installation for Madison Square Park, I knew I wanted to create something that would be intimately related to the Park itself, the trees, and the state of the earth.”

Maya Lin | Ghost Forest, through November 14th at Madison Square Park, Fifth Avenue between 23^rd-26^th Streets, NY, NY Info | Public programs

Friday, May 14-Sunday, May 16

Art in Odd Places, 14^th Street, from river to river

“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was…”Sonya Renee Taylor. Taking inspiration from the quote by the author, poet, spoken word artist, and social justice activist, the show is called NORMAL. It is curated by artist Furusho von Puttkammer, who agrees that “normal” is a difficult concept that is not necessarily a sought-after goal, even if we could define it. “Boldly pushing its way through pandemia, where social constructs warp to reveal discriminatory realities,” she writes in the manifesto, “corporations relentlessly claw at tax-payer dollars while citizens are made homeless, and the police continue to brutalize the black community, NORMAL confronts the term with artistic work.”

Von Puttkammer has selected a wide range of artists – and says she is aiming for an anti-elitist vibe. Borrowing from street artist credo over the last decades, she says, “The art world has become inaccessible and elitist. We take art outside of the galleries and museums and bring it out onto the streets of New York City.”Info

Join Day de Dada Art Nurses at Union Square West, 14^th Street at University Place for Ephemeral Procedures, featuring Vivian Vassar, Mary Campbell, Lydia Grey, Barbara Lubliner (right), and Milenka Berengolc(not in photo). 

Monday, May 17-Sunday, May 23 | Online; In-Person at Christie’s New York, continuing through May 26

I-54 New York | Contemporary Art from Africa and its diaspora

The seventh edition of in 1-54 New York City will take place in hybrid form, this year separately from Frieze Week, with 26 international exhibitors presenting their works online.

Knotted Ties is an exhibition featuring a curated selection of works on view at Christie’s Rockefeller Plaza from 15 – 26 May 2021. Admission is free. Drawing together the works of female artists using textiles, Knotted Ties contemplates the pluralism of the medium as well as narratives portrayed and expressed through fabric and thread. The exhibited works illustrate both the power and strength of textile work and its capacity to convey humanity’s entangled histories, challenging social landscapes, and complex realities. These works instigate debate while also offering the idea of mediative resolve through resilience, reminding us of the importance of community nurturing and constructive dialogue as we create futures through uncertain times. 

This edition of 1-54 New York Online will also be accompanied by 1-54 Forum, which is the fair’s acclaimed programme of talks, performances and screenings that explore the work and practice of artists from Africa and its diaspora. Details on the series will be announced in the coming weeks. Above: Marlon Amaro, Puro sangue, sangue puro, 2020

Knotted Ties, through May 26, Christie’s New York, 20 Rockefeller Plaza Info

 Note from the Home Office

From David Shonauer: What does it take to win the AP Open 2021 contest? To find out, it helps to know who will be looking at the entries, and today we begin introducing the judges of this year's competition by spotlighting Clarice Bajkowski, Creative Director at The 19th, an independent non-profit news platform reporting at the intersection of gender, politics and policy, and Sarah Jacobs, photographer and host of PhotoShelter's weekly Vision Slightly Blurred podcast. We'll spotlighting other judges, and featuring standout entries to help inspire you to enter your own work. The deadline for entries is August 31, but why wait? Read the full story >>Right: Clarice Bajkowski