Photos By Gail
This delicious-looking, multi-tiered cake couldn’t help but catch my eye as we passed the Empire Cake, where it was prominently displayed in the bakery shop’s front window. Check out the colorful fondant cut-outs in the shapes of some of the most iconic works by the late artist and activist Keith Haring. Brilliant.
Empire Cake is Located at 112 Eight Avenue (Between 15th and 16th Streets) in Chelsea, NYC.
BAST Neon Sign (All Photos By Gail)
Gallerist Eric Allouche (Opera Gallery) has reopened his now eponymous gallery with a pop-up space on Wooster Street after leaving Opera/Allouche’s long-held previous address on Spring Street, where we attended many, many exhibits over the span of a few short years. The Wooster Street address is just temporary, until Allouche can find an ideal new home in which to showcase the works of his cache of represented contemporary pop artists, such as Ron English and FAILE. A low-key opening reception took place last Thursday and fans of the gallery were more than happy to have a destination to draw them in from the newly-arrived polar vortex holding adventure-seeking Manhattanites in its tight grip.
FAILE: Fox Hunt Go Get Em
The current exhibit is a bit of a ‘warm up’ or re-boot, featuring both new and older works in Allouche’s collection. If you were fortunate enough to attend last summer’s FAILE exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, then the above collage will look familiar to you, as will the bright Neon sign in the gallery’s front window, which was included in the BAST/FAILE Arcade collaboration.
Fox Hunt Go Get Em Detail
Also on display are the Japanese Manga-influenced works by Jessica Lichtenstein, including the title piece from her Afterglow exhibit seen previously at Gallery nine5.
Afterglow Detail
Lichtenstein’s works are recognizable for the flocks of tiny naked ladies in her images; which, from a distance, can easily be mistaken for blossom clusters. Clever.
Jessica Lichtenstein: War (2013) Edition of 3
She has also this piece in the show, which is populated with hyper-sexualized, semi-clad females cavorting on WMDs. War is Hell.
Rafa Macarron, Caos
Spanish artist Rafa Macarron has several of his mix-media large canvases in the show. His cartoonish drawings are lots of fun.
Caos, Detail
Ron English, All American Lady Lick
Kid Zoom, Rose
Dustin Yellin, Psychogeography Study, Matter
The gallery has a small rear space, where they managed to stage a surprising number of pieces, including these two glass/acrylic sculptures by Dustin Yellin.
Dustin Yellin, Zulu Jungle Cave No. 1
Andy Warhol, Map of Eastern USSR Missile Bases
And of course, the Holy Trinity of late, NYC-based pop artists, Warhol, Haring and Basquiat are all represented.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled Drawings
Allouche Gallery Pop-Up Space is Located at 148 Wooster Street, Between Price and Houston, in Soho, NYC. Permanent Location Coming Soon!
Weeping Shark (All Photos By Gail)
Do you like sharks? I sure do. Amy Li Projects is currently hosting a solo exhibition with a fun shark theme: Mechanical Shark Week, featuring all new paintings by one of NYCs most popular Street Artists/ Taggers, Beau. Shark Week!
I didn’t write down all of the official names of the paintings, so I just made up names that I think describe what is happening in the picture, and then I captioned each photo accordingly, so please enjoy that.
Shark at a Picnic
Beau’s paintings in this series include many references to other modern and contemporary pop artists, such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Keith Haring and Claes Oldenburg. Beau (who in person, strongly resembles actor James Franco) admits that he enjoys working “in variable styles and mediums,” so of course the influences are going to creep in there. And for that, we say, Good On Ya!
Heartbroken Captain America with Shark Sidekick!
Beau says that having dexterity with a broad range of genres allows him to render styles most fitting for any environment. “A lot of my work grows out of necessity,” he reveals. “Usually a client steers me towards something they feel, or that strikes them.”
Bart and The Shark
He continues, “I hold myself to a standard approach that an artist must practice in multiple mediums to encourage a rich growth in perception and technique, and in a classically trained manner.” He also just likes to just ‘let the spirit move him,’ as they say, while “trying to find new ways to break the rules that have already been broken many times over.” You Go, Beau.
Floor Buster Shark
“I also like the challenge of completing paintings and or projects of any media within my reach,” he concludes.
I Don’t Know What This Means
Shark Bang!
Shark and Bunny at the Greek Diner
As you can see, these are all pretty darn great, and the price point is around $300 – $500, so Beau’s work is very affordable for anyone who wants to build their collection with quality pieces from a very up and coming young artist.
Beau’s Mechanical Shark Week will be on Exhibit Through June 3rd, 2015 at Amy Li Projects, Located at 166 Mott Street in Chinatown, NYC.
Art By Robert Indiana (All Photos By Gail)
Leila Heller’s multi-floor midtown gallery is wrapping up its Pop Sculpture / Pop Culture exhibit on Saturday, but we had one last chance to check it out this week, when WhiteWall Magazine sponsored a fun party encompassing the three floors on which the exhibit is installed. Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne made sure that the open bar was stocked with its delicious Brut Rose, and every body had a great time!
Pop Sculpture / Pop Culture is an exhibition of select three-dimensional works from leaders of the Pop Art sculpture movement, on view since September 18th and closing November 15th at Heller’s 43 West 57th Street location.
Yayoi Kusama, Narcissus Garden
The exhibition presents a wildly impressive selection of iconic sculptures by the most prominent Pop sculptors from the 1960s to the contemporary artists whom they have influenced.
Here are few of our favorite pieces from the show!
Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Can (Chicken with Rice)
Robert Indiana, AMOR
Keith Haring, Untitled (Two Dancing Figures)
Jeff Koons, New Hoover Deluxe Shampoo Polisher
Claes Oldenburg, Ice Cream Display
Roy Lichtenstein, Brushstroke Chair & Ottoman
Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Excessive Sensual Indulgence
Shelter Serra, Nine Fake Guns
Bertozi & Casoni Cover
The above is a glazed ceramic replica (and embellishment) of Warhol’s iconic Brillo Box. Clever!
Keith Haring, TV Head; Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Body Armor
Parviz Tanavoli, Heech
If you don’t already have plans for Saturday the 15th of November, maybe the Leila Heller Gallery at 43 West 57th street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) is the place to be?
Art By el Seed, All Photos By Gail
Geoffrey and I were in the thick of an exhausting Art Crawl last Saturday, trying to catch up on dozens of exhibits whose opening receptions we weren’t able to hit on September 12th — the official kick off to the NY Art Scene’s Fall/Winter Season — when we were drawn into the Leila Heller Gallery by the colorful graphic mural by Tunisian artist el Seed wrapping the gallery’s windows from 25th Street around the corner and down 11th Avenue.
La2’s Homage to Keith Haring Graffiti Room
I really enjoyed this exhibit, which has close to a hundred pieces by dozens of contributing artists. Read the press release for more information at This Link. I’m just going to post photos I took of a few of my favorite pieces without much further commentary, if any.
Fame by Nir Hod
This Is Not Green by Leila Pazooki
Untitled work by Hossein Zenderoudi
Appear! by Rob Wynne
Group Wall Shot with Pierre Soulages and Lee Krasner, Top Row from Right
Bowery and Broadway Subway Signs By Keith Haring
Keith Haring Self Portrait
Calligraffiti will be on Exhibit through October 5th, 2013, at Leila Heller Gallery, Located at 568 West 25th Street (at 11th Avenue) New York, NY 10001.
Lincoln Center Ticket By Andy Warhol
It’s not even June, but it already feels like the galleries are winding down for a summer of dormancy. Opera Gallery in Soho just launched a group show, Contemporary Masters, that contains a few interesing pieces but had a surprisingly low Wow Factor. Here are a few pieces that stood out for me.
Keith Haring, Untitled
It’s always fun to see a Warhol and a Haring. Their stuff never gets old to me.
Arman’s Marmelade De Porcelaine Chinoise
French artist/sculptor Arman, perhaps best known for his deconstructed violins, has this awesome piece made with broken china suspended in plexiglass. Really gorgeous.
Sliced Violins With Acrylic Paint on Canvas By Arman
David Mach’s Standing Gorilla Greets You!
Sculptor David Mach has a few interesting works in the show, including two sculptures made from wire coat hangers. This towering Standing Gorilla is in the front window but I could not get a good shot of it from the street. It’s pretty cool though.
Manolo Valdes Cabeza Con Mariposas Plateada
If you’ve been to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx then you’ve seen the seven gigantic replicas of the statue above, by Spanish artist Manolo Valdes, scattered about the grounds. The title translates to “Head with Silver Butterflies.” I like it.
Alexander Calder Stripes and Stripes
When I think of Calder, I mostly assosciate his name with playful, minimalist mobiles. This painting by him is lovely.
Opera Gallery is Located at 115 Spring Street in Soho, New York, NY 10012.
Artist Keith Haring was born on this day May 4th in 1958. Keith passed on when he was just 31 years old — so young! But his art and message live on, and today Google honors what would have been Keith’s 54th Birthday with a fun Doodle inspired by his art. If you live in the tri-state area, be sure to see the Keith Haring retrospective up now through July 8th, 2012 at the Booklyn Museum.
