Chamber is a cool design store on West 23rd Street that I’ve been wanting to visit since the summer, but it closes at 6 PM and I’m usually just getting to that neighborhood around that time for a gallery opening. This past Saturday, I made a point to get there early enough to check out the intriguing wares at this fun boutique devoted to exclusive, limited editions and unique works of art and design.
From the street you can see the soft glow of this Tit Lamp by Venini and Studio Job, which is crafted of Hand-Blown Murano Glass, Gold Plated Steel and Led, and available in an edition of 30. Pictured above with the comfy looking New Alphabet Chairby Wim Crouwel and Theo Ruth.
Chamber is Located at 515 W. 23rd Street, in the Chelsea Gallery District. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Visit them online at Chamber NYC Dot Com.
Adam Green used to be part of the “Anti-Folk” duo known as Moldy Peaches, a “Band” whose music was just not that good. Just being honest here. But I can’t hate on Adam Green for his responsibility in making Moldy Peaches a thing, because the guy is just too cool and hilarious to not be crazy about. As a visual and performance artist, Green strikes that perfect balance of being serious without taking himself seriously. His current exhibit, Hot Chicks by Adam Green & Friends is lots of fun. Here are some photos from the show, accompanied by my insightful commentary.
Right off the bat, I have to give Adam credit for making a lot of drawings for the show.
Two Hot Chicks
The first part of Hot Chicks is comprised of Adam’s interpretations of women, or specifically: juvenile, cubist-inspired “figure” drawings with lots of boobs and weenies in them. The weenies make me think there may be some dudes involved also, but I guess that is open to the viewer’s interpretation. Maybe they are not Weenies but just very long thin Boobs: Discuss.
This one reminds me of Princess Leia.
I love that he changed it up by throwing in this sculpture, while maintaining the cohesive feel of the show as a theme.
This one I believe shows the strong influence of Picasso or Mondrian in Adam’s distinctive style.
That looks like a Peen to me, but maybe it is a leg or arm. Please excuse the unintended image of the gallery’s fluorescent strip lights as they reflect off the glass. How gritty.
The second part of the show features fun works by some of Adam’s friends. I am a little bit jealous that he has such cool friends that can at least pretend to make art.
Here is a Hot Chick from bona fide artist Todd James, whose work is pretty rad. This was probably my favorite piece in the entire show.
Collage Art By Macaulay Culkin
Big Bird as a sort of Dominatrix, By Johnny T. Yerington (AKA Adam Green)
Art By Har Mar Superstar
Art By Alia Shawkat from Arrested Development
Worleygig’com gives this exhibit Two Boobs Up.
Hot Chicks By Adam Green And Friends will be on Exhibit through January 31st, 2014 at The Hole, Located at 312 Bowery (at 2nd Street), NYC. Visit The Hole NYC for Gallery Hours and More Information.
Fans of Japanese Anime, Manga and the Superflat school of Pop Art founded by Takashi Murakami won’t want to miss Jessica Lichtenstein’s latest collection, Afterglow, on exhibit now at Gallery nine5 in Soho. Afterglow is the third solo exhibit by the artist at the gallery.
Spring
It’s worth noting that when I first saw photos of Jessica’s work, I assumed I was looking at Asian Landscapes depicting flowering trees. But it only took a cursory look once we were in the gallery to notice that the abundant “blossoms” clustered around the tree branches are actually tiny naked ladies!
Detail from Spring
Known for her large acrylic word sculptures that serve as a playground for frolicking female figures, Lichtenstein juxtaposes these works with new sculptures that present a contemplative environment for her signature, lascivious heroines. While still examining facets of femininity and fetishism, Afterglow offers an emotional lens through which to examine relationships. According to the show’s press release, the current exhibit at nine5, “manifests sexuality in a delicate and sensitive way and thus invites the viewer to bask in the ‘afterglow’ of desire.” I would agree with that sentiment, as the show seems more sensual than sexual, and it is also full of humor and playfulness.
Winter
Winter Detail
Afterglow features four circular sculptures of the Seasons series that are inspired by nature as a metaphor for the cycle of relationships – pink blossoms bursting from the trees in Spring, or the iced over world of Winter (both pictured above). These works also highlight the tension between the individual vs. the collective. Each girl is poised in a different position and is reacting to the environment, however together the figures unite in a singular image of a tree and its leaves, thus describing the collective strength of women regardless of differences in emotions and reactions.
Bliss
Alongside the Seasons are Lichtenstein’s word sculptures, which, again in text taken from the Press Release, “toy with the pornographic world of Japanese-inspired comic books. Creating her own imagined fantastical landscapes infused with a highly sexualized environment, Lichtenstein places appropriated heroines in scenes that are reminiscent of Renoir’s, Cezanne’s or Picasso’s “nude bathers”; scenes that harken back to a time of “female as muse.” The works, layered behind a thick buffer of acrylic, take a critical distance from their own content and in fact, beg the viewer to do the same.
Wet
Through this intermediary, the viewer is asked to engage with and question whether Lichtenstein’s characters are depicted solely to satisfy an insatiable male-dominated gaze, or if such a theory is too narrow, neglecting to address the complex nature of women and their agency in terms of sexuality and desirability. To me, it seems much less complicated. I just think her artwork is lovely and fun.
Detail from Wet. Yes, I See Boobs.
Ultimately, you can interpret Jessica Lichtenstein’s works as having a deep socio-sexual resonance, or you can appreciate them as gorgeous, lighthearted and colorful works of Contemporary / Pop Art that also challenge you to think while you look at them.
Pop
Afterglow by Jessica Lichtenstein will be on Exhibit through December 15, 2013 at Gallery nine5, Located at 24 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012.
