Favorite Art From The Affordable Art Fair, Fall 2018!

Drums For Peace Knotted Gun By Ringo Starr ($1390) For The Non-Violence Art Project

Life is better with Art in it: it’s just a fact. Whether you are a seasoned collector, someone looking to start a collection by investing in a single piece for your home, or an art lover who just enjoys the inspiration and joy of browsing, the Affordable Art Fair is a great place to expose yourself to (and purchase) art of almost every tangible medium. Held in a dual-floor space inside the Metropolitan Pavilion, AAFNYC gathers contemporary galleries from across the globe in the spring and fall each year for a three-day event that’s always both educational and lots of fun. This season’s fair boasted the most diverse collection of high-quality, original art that l’ve noticed for as long as I’ve been attending. Let me turn you on to some of my favorite pieces spotted at this year’s fall fair!

This year’s lead booth was sponsored by the Non-Violence Art Project. The Non-Violence Symbol, also known as the Knotted Gun, was originally created by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd as a memorial tribute to John Lennon after he was shot and killed in New York City in December 1980. The Non-Violence Project Foundation is a non-profit organization promoting peace and social change through education.

One World Knotted Gun, $950

Imagine Knotted Gun By Yoko Ono, $1390

A portion of the revenue from the sales of these Limited Edition sculptures goes to the Non-Violence Project and contributes to social change and bringing increased peace to the world. Art for Peace!

I Need This Wilderness For My Heart to Beat By Adam Bridgland ($300,Limited Edition Print)

At every fall edition, Affordable Art Fair NYC releases a Limited Edition Print in collaboration with an artist commissioned by the fair. Established in 2013 with minimalist artist Chad Kouri, Affordable Art Fair has since worked with artists specializing in a variety of mediums, from large scale woodcuts to mixed media collage pieces, with each artwork incorporating the fair’s signature color, pink. Limited to an edition size of 10, the prints are exhibited and available for sale at the fall fair.

This season, the Limited Edition Print series featured the above artwork by London-based artist Adam Bridgland (of Jealous Gallery). The screen print with spray paint overlays is a love letter to the urban wilderness that is New York City, and a thematic continuation of a sculptural work that Adam created earlier in 2018.

Before I get any further, I must give a shout out to deliciously smooth Van Gogh Vodka, who sponsored this year’s open bar! In case you didn’t already know, the bar is hidden way in the back on the second floor of the fair. I always make sure to hit that acton as soon as possible!

Let’s kick off this recap with some art featuring lovely ladies! This abstract portrait is entitled Joan and it is by Jean-Luc Almond ($7500), who is represented by Art Unified Gallery of Venice, California.

I Love Plastic By Brett Goldstar ($4400) at Tag Fine Arts of London

This collage of Marilyn Monroe’s face is created from hundreds of smaller images culled from vintage magazines.

Sister With Hat By Mart de Brouwer ($6,000) at Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague, Netherlands

Angele By Keymi ($4250) at Artered Gallery of Barcelona

I love this pop art portrait that looks like the pieces of a puzzle. Keymi (slang for Mickey) is the pseudonym of French painter and graffiti artist Stephan Raymond.

Sadly, I only managed to capture two of the Three Jumpers, a thread-based hanging sculpture by Moto Waganari ($9,300) at Connect Contemporary of Atlanta.

Swirl By Pezhman ($8600) at Connect Contemporary of Atlanta

Check out the details on the skirt, below, which is made with paint and encaustic.

Swirl, Skirt Detail

Everyone loves flowers. One of the first pieces that wowed me at the show was September Harvest by Kristin Sjaarda ($4250), which I found at Eye Buy Art, an online photography gallery located in Toronto. Kristin creates contemporary still-life photography influenced by the Dutch masters. She arranges and photographs flowers she picked from her own garden, emphasizing the diversity and beauty of the world around us. Kristin also only uses the natural light coming in from her kitchen window. Her work is simply stunning.

Flores By Fran Mora ($7000) at Cube Gallery, London

This colorful abstract entitled Ria Formosa, by artist Joana Vasconcelos, looks like a bouquet of flowers on acid. Available for $6500 at Manifold Editions, London, the print was created using a combination of etching and block printing methods.

Dripping Dots, All In Love, Deep Red By Cindy Shaoul ($1000) at Lilac Gallery, NYC

City Window By Mathijs Siemens ($3500) at Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague, Netherlands

Mathijs Siemens is a Dutch artist who creates his unique artwork using thread. Check out the detail below!

City Window (Detail)

Ruined By James Talon ($4250) at The Public House of Art, Amsterdam

Transparencies (Sereis) By Salvador Santos at Soraya Cartategui Art Gallery, Madrid

Details Oriented in Space 3 By Laurence Jones ($4800) at Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery, London

I love these two paintings (above and below) of mid-century homes!

Casa Del Rey By Karen Lynn ($3250) Fine Art Consultancy of Tokyo and London

Gladys By Jeff Chester ($7500) at Decorazon Gallery, Dallas, New York City and London

Still Life By Colin Wilson ($1950) at Ronen Art Gallery, Amsterdam

Murdered Art By Artem Ryskin ($4500) at Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles

This relief wall sculpture of a tube of paint is made from screws! Check out the detail below!

Murdered Art (Detail)

Rocks 2 By Perish The Thought ($2500) at Tag Fine Arts, London

AAFNYC is definitely the place to find unusual sculptures. These Man Bag sculptures by Debra Franses-Bean are $10,000 from Tag Fine Arts. Each piece, made from cast resin and found objects, is unique.

Mixed Media Sculpture By Patrick Bergsma ($4500) at Chiefs and Spirits

She Screamed for Ice Cream By Gillie and Marc ($2800) at Lilac Gallery

Blown Away Trooper By Josh Mayhem ($2400)

Music and musicians offer a huge source of inspiration for visual artists. This series of framed cassette tapes by James Talon were spotted at the booth for Public House of Art. They sell for $2,000 each.

Sex Pistols, Never Mind The Bollocks

Prince, Purple Rain

Ziggy By Blockhead ($2200) at Connect Contemporary, Atlanta

David Bowie continues to inspire us.

Let’s Surf By Cieu ($5850) at Galerie Envie d’Art, Paris

Walking With The Beatles By Tanner Lawley ($8,00 Set of Four) Lawley Art Group of Dallas

This impressionist study of the four Beatles walking across Abbey Road is a fun way to revisit an iconic scene. The Beatles are still massively popular, but none them have inspired more artwork than John Lennon.

Imagine Thought Circle by Cary Henrie, made from acrylic on aluminum, is $295 from Lawley Art Group.

This one is pretty great: Lennon Superman By Srin Joy ($3800) at Connect Contemporary.

That’s it for the Fall edition of Affordable Art Fair NYC. If you’re interested in any of the art you see here, please visit the galleries online! Cheers!

Modern Art Monday Presents: Eugène Delacroix, Basket of Flowers

Oct22

Photos By Gail

French painter Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) was one of the greatest creative figures of the nineteenth century. Coming of age after the fall of Napoleon, he reconnected the present to the past on his own terms. Delacroix produced an extraordinarily vibrant body of work, setting into motion a cascade of innovations that changed the course of art.

In September of 1848, social and political unrest in Paris led Delacroix to retreat to his country house in Champrosay. There, he undertook this flower paining and four others, which he intended to exhibit at the next year’s Salon. The present example, Basket of Flowers (1848-49) is a rare hybrid in Delacroix’s work of still life and pure landscape. Falling from the basket are dahlias, rudbeckias, daisies, nasturtiums and roses. The arch is a typical white morning glory or moonflower, which appears to be invading a shrub with flowers arranged incense, fat clusters, possibly elderberry. On the left are elephant head amaranth, with a variety of Centaurea (perhaps cornflowers) beneath.

Photographed as part of the Exhibit, Delacroix, on View Through January 6th, 2019 at the Metropolitan Museum Art in NYC.

Installation View

Video Clip of The Week: The Cutthroat Brothers, “Kill 4 U”

Oct21

We’ve only got one more full weekend before Halloween hits, so I think it’s high time to rev-up all you music maniacs with some appropriately menacing tunes! Let’s get dangerous! This week’s clip comes to us from Tacoma-based garage punk duo The Cutthroat Brothers, who are referred to as the Sweeney Todd of Punk for good reason: they have real life day gigs as Barbers! You’ll see the pair in action in this visually engaging clip, as they rock out in blood-soaked smocks right in their shop! This ain’t your average love song.

Guitarist /Vocalists Jason Cutthroat and Drummer Donny Paycheck (of Garage Punk legends Zeke) formed the band in February of this year and by March they had already recorded their debut album with long time Paycheck/ Zeke collaborator, and producer legend Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney, The Sonics, Soundgarden). Endino’s Midas Touch finely hones the band’s buzzsaw guitar attack and four-on-the-floor rhythms into a classic rock rumble that just refuses to date. “Kill 4 U” will save your rock and roll soul with its reckless riffing and a hard-hitting hooks sharp enough to draw blood. Happy Halloween, bitches! The Cutthroat Brothers‘ self-titled, 8-song debut is available now on CD and as a digital download via Digital Warfare Records. Enjoy!

Pink Thing Of The Day: Shell Pink Knotted Gun For The Non-Violence Project

Oct19

Photo By Gail

The Non-Violence Project Foundation (NVP) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire, motivate and engage young people on how to peacefully resolve conflicts. It holds violence prevention and nonviolence education programs for schools and sports clubs around the world. NVP’s signature logo is the Non-Violence, also known as the Knotted Gun. It was created by the Swedish artist, Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd (1934 – 2016) as a memorial tribute to John Lennon after he was shot and killed on December 8, 1980, in New York City. Ambassadors of the Non-Violence Project include Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono, among others. This Shell Pink Knotted Gun sculpture was spotted for sale in the Non-Violence Project’s booth at the Fall 2018 Affordable Art Fair in NYC.

Keep An Eye on This Mural at Bowery and Great Jones

Oct18

All Photos By Gail

Peek a Boo, someone sees you, as a single eye spies from the north facade of an apartment building at the southwest corner of the Bowery and Great Jones Street in the village. The artist is JR.

Here’s a closer look at the details. The mural went up around August 1st, 2018.

A Reminder to Always Look Up!

Eye On Design: Furniture By Marc Camille Chaimowicz

Oct17

All Photos By Gail

Marc Camille Chaimowicz (b. 1947) is a London-based, cross-disciplinary contemporary artist whose works challenge the categorical divisions between art and design. His recent career retrospect at the Jewish Museum (which was the artist’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States) transformed the entire second floor of the former Warburg family mansion from an exhibit showcase into a series of fantasy tableaus pristinely curated with unique and whimsical home furnishings and décor. This room was my favorite. Let’s take a closer look at the pieces that make up this dream-like living room set.

Blue Velvet Give and Take Sofa and Pink Glazed Ceramic Rope Vase.

Maquette for Give and Take Sofa

Stainless Steel Magazine Rack with Diamonds Cut Outs

Rope Vase

Photographed as Part of the Exhibit, Your Place or Mine, at the Jewish Museum.

Items Shown Left to Right : One Meter Lamp (2016), Glazed Ceramic Rope Vase (2014) Give and Take Velvet Sofa (1994) Stainless Steel Magazine Rack (2014)

Dining at Uskudar, NYC’s Best Turkish Restaurant!

Oct16

All Photos By Gail

Heavyweight Champion Mohammed Ali once said, “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” Promoting itself as a Taste of Istanbul in the Heart of New York City, Uskudar Turkish restaurant’s 30-year dedication to authentic and delicious dishes has earned them a reputation for serving the very best Turkish cuisine in the City. Stop in for a visit and you will soon discover that the food speaks for itself.

Uskudar’s Chef/Owner Ibrahim Ozdemir began his 40-year career in the restaurant industry baking bread in one of Istanbul’s biggest hotels. When he opened Uskudar on the upper East side in 1987, his objective was to serve dishes whose flavors could transport diners to his homeland, if only for a few hours.

Ozdemir still bakes the fluffy, chewy bread that arrives at your table hot from the oven, and he takes care that every dish he serves is as fresh and authentic as possible. Even the lamb they serve is butchered on site. Uskudar’s extensive menu offers something for every palate, including chicken, seafood, lamb and an array of vegetarian dishes. The narrow space is warm and cosy, with exposed brick, and back & white photographs of Istanbul landmarks adorning the walls. With the attentive, friendly service, you will feel at home right away.

I dined at Uskudar with a friend who had been there many times before, and she had been talking to me about the restaurant for weeks before we were able to finally a make date. There were so many dishes that she wanted me to try that we ended up ordering way more food than two people could possibly eat, but it was worth it.

Two must-try appetizers are the Mucver — shredded zucchini fritters fried to a golden brown crispiness on the outside, but moist on the inside — and Borek — crispy pan-fried phyllo rolls, stuffed with crumbled feta and spinach. Both taste great topped with a little dollop of tangy homemade yogurt.

Mediterranen Meze Platter

An excellent way to sample many different tastes is to opt for the Mediterranean Meze Platter, featuring generous portions of assorted vegetarian appetizers including Yalanci Dolma (Grape leaves stuffed with rice, black currants, onions, pine nuts), Spinach Tarator (Spinach dip made with labne — a strained-yogurt cheese — with garlic, and minced walnuts), Hummus (traditional Chickpea dip with tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice), Fasulye Pilaki (White Kidney Beans with scallions, tomato, garlic), Ezme (Tomato, onion, parsley, and walnut spread), and Patlican (Smoky eggplant dip with garlic, yogurt, herbs). Two hungry diners could easily make a satisfying meal from this selection of exotic and flavorful dips, accompanied by a basket (or two) of fresh bread and a generous pour from the wine list. If you are dining with a group, the Meze Platter can easily serve as an appetizer for three to four people. It’s huge!

Chicken Yogurt and Rice Pilaf

For an entree, I wanted to try a dish that I had not tasted before, but which had familiar ingredients, so I chose the Chicken Yogurt, which is chunks of chicken breast baked with sautéed pita and yogurt in a little casserole dish. Like all entrees, it comes with a side of your choice of rice or vegetables, and I chose the fluffy rice pilaf.

Here’s a close-up shot, where you see that a few colorful peppers and tomatoes have been added for flavor and texture. The chicken in this dish is absolutely succulent, and perfectly season. The sautéed pita maintained the consistency of a firm noodle, and the yogurt blended with the natural juice of the chicken to create a light sauce. This dish was excellent, and it would also be a good choice for a non-adventurous diner (we all know them) who had not tried Turkish food before.

My dining companion wanted to try the Vegetable Casserole, because although she eats meat, it was one of the few dishes she had not tried before. This dish is very simple, comprised of a variety of vegetables such as carrots zucchini, potatoes and onions stewed in a tomato sauce, and served with a side of rice or vegetables. My friend asked if she could have a bit of both rice and vegetables as her side, and they were happy to accommodate her.

I will admit that after enjoying so many delicious appetizers, I purposely ate only about half my entree (taking the leftovers home), because I knew what was coming up next: Dessert!

Uskudar makes all of their authentic Turkish desserts on premises, and while they may have unfamiliar names, you will surely recognize Baklava, a pastry made with many layers of flakey filo dough, baked with nuts and honey syrup. There are also Turkish versions of Flan, Chocolate Pudding, and Rice Pudding on the menu.

Trio of Desserts

Since my friend is a regular customer, she asked our server if the kitchen could put together smaller servings of three of her favorite desserts for us to share. Again, they were happy to do so. Here’s what we ate.

This is the Baklava, which is studded with chopped pistachio nuts, gooey with honey, and very rich. One tiny piece was plenty after such a large meal.

This dessert is called Kadayif, which is a pastry that’s very similar to Baklava, except is it make with shredded wheat.

Last but not least, you must try the Kayisi: Pouched Apricots stuffed with a whole Almond, and topped with sweet Whipped Cream and finely chopped Pistachios. This sweet treat is simply divine, and I will order it every time I come back to Uskudar. Amazing.

While menu prices are very reasonable, Uskudar also offers a three-course price fixe lunch for just $19, and a three-course ‘early bird’ dinner (served 4 – 7 PM) for a mere $27 — which are unbelievable bargain prices for Manhattan restaurant dining. Whether Turkish cuisine is your favorite, or you’re just in the mood for trying something new, be sure to put Uskudar on your radar to enjoy an unforgettable culinary experience.

Uskudar is Located at 1405 2nd Avenue (Between 73rd & 74th Streets), Just One Block from the 72nd Street Q Stop, In NYC. Uskudar also offers outside catering, and they can host private parties, or small corporate events. Visit Their Website at This Link for More Information!

The Worley Gig

• Art • Pop Culture • Music • Lifestyle

Favorite Art From The Affordable Art Fair, Fall 2018!

Modern Art Monday Presents: Eugène Delacroix, Basket of Flowers

Video Clip of The Week: The Cutthroat Brothers, “Kill 4 U”

Pink Thing Of The Day: Shell Pink Knotted Gun For The Non-Violence Project

Keep An Eye on This Mural at Bowery and Great Jones

Eye On Design: Furniture By Marc Camille Chaimowicz

Dining at Uskudar, NYC’s Best Turkish Restaurant!

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