BWW Reviews: Around the NYC Art World

Lynn Stein and Barry Kostrinsky begin a new adventure to share what we see, think and hear in and around the New York City art world. Lynn and Barry bring a wealth of art world experience; we are both artists and curators. Lynn, the artistic director in West Nyack at the Rockland Center of the Arts (ROCA), is a multi talented performer and Jazz singer as well as a visual artist in her own right. Barry cannot hold a tune to save his life.

Together we bring our own visions and insight along with memories of art histories continually renewed past reflected in today's contemporary art world. Enjoy the trip, controversies may ensue but offer insight.

We went with open minds trying to pay extra attention to the work that needs more brainpower. Just to set everyone straight Lynn and Barry have very different aesthetics making this an interesting experiment. Of the both of us Lynn, that's me, has to be cajoled a bit. Barry's art history background has a larger scope to reference. But when we like something or an installation is working we are always on the same page and the head nodding begins, eyebrows lift and we exhale.

A walk through the Chelsea art scene on a late March sunny Saturday is one of those special pleasures NYC offers its' jet to get there crowd and its' island inhabitants. Chelsea is small but powerful epicenter of art and more.

If you are just in from Rome, Paris, Lisboan or London or just off the J train from Brooklyn, the 2 train from uptown or Metro North from the burbs, you are at once a part of the international art scene pulsating with color, line, form, content, social relevance, meaning and reinvigorated looks at herself in the rear view mirror.

Some of you may be familiar with the free drink fest that goes on for Thursday night opening's in Chelsea. These are great fun; however to avoid seeing the art and gallerists in a tipsy light and many heads clouding the view, a Saturday stroll is the ticket. After all, walking is the new exercise and you can cross two things of your to do list 1. Exercise more 2. Culturize me, use the big muscle on top of the neck and take your time.

With a Chelsea stroll it is often good to start north at say 26^th street and to head south or to start at 20^th street and head north. Most of the action is between 10^th and 11^th avenue. We started on 26^th street and stayed between 10^th and 11^th avenue. We found a sweet parking spot in the heart of the action, good foreshadowing for a fun day to come.

Stephen Haller Gallery at 542 West 26^th street is showing Lloyd Martin until April 20^th. http://www.stephenhallergallery.com/exhibition.html

Lynn felt MR. Martin's work speaks of perhaps with too much adoration for the late Richard Diebenkorn at whose alter I have knelt at many times before. The broken picture plane and a deconstructed canvas are in such order with no rhythm and leave the viewer with little surprise. I would cheer MR. Martin to take more chances.

Barry was not enamored by Martin's work either.

A very cool piece by Nobu Fukui was quietly placed in the back room's group exhibit.

The History
2011
Mixed media on canvas over panel
60 x 48 inches
# NF12-259

While MR. Martin's work speaks of many ordered and intellectualized rectangles of color and texture Mr. Fukui's expansive constellation like of sweet dots of minutia populate his meandering and evocative free floating canvass.

Fukui has a solo show opening on April 25^tt.

We are both looking forward to seeing a full gallery of Fukui's works.

There is on doubt these two artists belong in the same gallery; both use repetitive shapes placed in a delicate balance to form a kind of jazz on a canvas. Fukui hits us on an emotional level all at once as our eye dances and confetti parades around his fun, energetic and colorful collection of circular collisions.

Lehman Maupin, at 540 west 26^th St. http://www.lehmannmaupin.com/ is a Gallery worth visiting regularly. In the art world there are no absolute like and uniform thumbs up but something has been going on at Lehman Maupin that is worth seeing. The work of the artist Mr.- that's right just Mr...... blew us away when we visited the gallery several months ago.

MR.
Installation view, Lehmann Maupin Gallery
September 13 - October 20, 2012
© 2012 Mr. /Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York

Indeed it was not unlike many artists working in psychic overload installations that unify around themes and are arranged as if they were meant to appear both random and cohesive. Seeing Mr.'s work was a memorable experience. We saw Mr. Liu Wei's installation this fine day. Though provoking the work exudes more of that deconstructed reconstructed thing that has you wondering "what's up- I don't get it nor do I want to."

Bill Childish runs from March 28-April 20 at 540 W 26^th Street. However the upcoming 2 person show by Ashley Bicker ton and Nicolas Pol at 201 Chrystie Street from March 21-April 20 and the solo show by Tracy Emin at both the Christie street and Chelsea spot from May 2- June 22 are the go to events.

Ashley Bickerton

Inside the 26^th street location, the exposed wood grain by Rem makes Lehman Maupin a cool house.

Rem Koolhaas recently did the design for Lehman Maupin's newly opened space in Hong Kong that will feature Lee bull in the inaugural exhibition.

Lee Bul
Installation view, 407 Pedder Building, Hong Kong
March 14 - May 11, 2013
Photo by: Philippe Ruault

One of the most moving experience on this fare Saturday stroll was seeing the work of Hiraki Sawa at James Cohan Gallery March 21-April 27. www.jamescohan.com/Gallery

Art can hit you in an instant, before you even think you see it. This is how it was with Mr. Sawa's video pieces as we rounded the corner inside the large gallery space. It is hard to say what we saw in those few seconds but it is recognition of something worth seeing, of something new or something original. Lynn was fortunate enough to curate Mr. Sawa into a show at ROCA a year ago. He is one of the more sensitive and understated time based media artists working today. To see him in the gallery today and shake his hand was really special.

Mr. Sawa's 'Lineament' is a two channel video installation that is a part of the larger theme 'Figment' that involves Sawa's responses and feelings about the memory loss of a very close friend. The grand grey space is dotted with a modified turntable that plays forwards and then backwards mobious bounded on and on. Berning and Ute Kanngiesser perform the audio. Two large projections reveal more by juxtaposing and reflecting the two images showing inner, outer and more facets of the main protagonist. Lynn particularly liked experiencing this work on such a large scale as Sawa's work is usually described as claustrophobic and intimate. Projected on a grey wall soften and took advantage of the subtitles of the blacks and greys.

James Cohen Gallery was a highlight for the day and has a satellite space in Shanghai as well.

Claire Oliver 513 W 26 Street http://www.claireoliver.com/

There was one piece downstairs that intrigued us both. It was by Andrew Erdo. Mr. Erdo's solo exhibition from April 18- May 18 with the opening reception on April 25 from 6-9pm is worth gazing into. Entering Mr Erdo's world of reflection is fascinating eye candy. Space opens up in the mirrored infinity pool of modern sculpture. The gold and silver filled glass bulbous forms seem to float and ooze through their ever-expanded space. Jeff Koon's' work comes to mind.. There is an edge and a roughness amidst the dazzling nature of the work that makes Erdo's a young artist that is an original and unique thinker with a personal vision. His passion and enthusiasm spills into his form and is evident in the video from his 2012 residency at Corning. www.cmog.org/bio/andrew-erdos

Yes we saw more galleries and so could you. This was a wonderful truly New York day. We broke after 26^th street, as we were famished, Barry more than I. You could walk to the Chelsea Market on 15^th St. and 9^th and enjoy a great variety of sinful delights. We taxi'd. After a lite lunch for Lynn and a Porter beer with pancakes for Barry, Lynn just absolutely had to visit Anthro for girl shopping and then we picked up the trail on 23^rd street.... but that's another story.

Coming:

IPCNY, the International Print Center New York show of prints from the original Armory show in 1915

FRIEZA ART FAIR may 10 -13 on Randall's Island Park.

THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR

See you soon where NYC=ART, Lynn and Barry

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