THE PIT

Art to see on Halloween

ok, so Hirst hasn't yet made a PIRATE diamond skull, but here's to wishing...

Here are some options to check out if you're in the mood for Halloween-themed Art festivities:

-Collect Dumbo Halloween Art Crawl
-Sat, October 31st -- Lyons Wier Gallery's 3rd Annual HALLOWEEN PARTY -- come in your craziest costume & join us as we enjoy the sights & sounds of the New York Village Halloween Parade which ends near our block on 7th Ave & W.20th Street
-"When All is Said And Done" @ Possible Projects (ok, not really halloween-themed, but you should just see this!)
-NYStudio's "House of Horrors"
-Howl-O-Ween Dog Bazaar (maybe this one's for the dog fans out there) @ Denise Bibro [and yes, this is part of an art exhibition]

not-so-in-love (OY edition)

An Olsen is presenting at the Art Awards. (I'm not sure if the "oy" applies to the Olsen or the Art Awards)
Malfunctioning tongue at Urs Fischer's opening. (I say "oy" here, but I really mean "typical"--don't malfunctions always occur during openings?)
82-floors? (I say "oy" here out of sheer awe. I think it overwhelms me. I mean, 82 FLOORS??) [thank you ArtCat for Tweeting this one]

It's love

More specifically, it's ArtWeLove, an online arts magazine, gallery guide, newspaper, and reporter, all rolled up in one. It's an expertly browse-able space, meaning you can search by artist, type, movement, style, keyword,...you name, you'll find it. "Our contributing writers selectively curate news, shows, and artists, enabling you to explore art by affinity." Oooh, we like all-things-curatorial.

Speaking of love, last night I got totally hooked while watching Art:21 "Art in the Twenty-First Century" (on PBS). You can watch individual clips of the artist interviews online (here's one from last night's episode with Julie Mehretu). It was absolutely inspiring to see Mehretu's airplane-hangar of a studio in Berlin, and John Baldassari's committed student, ever-so-thankful he gave her the opportunity to walk his dog. These short clips and interviews were thoughtful, totally entertaining, and oftentimes endearing. This might be my new favorite TV program. That is, until LOST starts back up again in February.

rainy wednesday: SHOUT OUTS

above: Stas Orlovski's Midnight Storm, 2007 (currently on exhibition at the Islip Museum)

It's a rainy day in NYC, so I feel like lifting everyone's spirits with a post dedicated to SHOUT OUTS.

SHOUT OUT to HJ in Seoul for reading The Pit!
SHOUT OUT to Little Paper Planes blog! (because we like Little Paper Planes, and we love that they have a blog!)
SHOUT OUT to Artforum's Scene & Herd...I recognized an old friend in one of the photos.
SHOUT OUT to Steve Cohen's hedge fund for eliminating that potential conflict of interest
SHOUT OUT to Printed Matter and PS1
SHOUT OUT to Hamlet (he appeared to Christina in her dream last night)

Tuesday links!

Something to do with your old clothing...for the sake of art.
"Let's start a Wave"...hmm..not sure I'm going to use that phrase, but the program looks cool.
This is rather old news, but it seems there's always news about the Warhol Authentication Board these days.
Banks As Art Museums? via Illicit Cultural Property Blog
sooo funny. "I'm not even from Manhattan! I'm from Queens."

Nicities

Artists Who Use Text To Say Nice Things.

THIS WEEKEND: check out Artists Who Use Text To Say Nice Things @ 206 Rivington Street. Sat + Sunday ONLY (Oct. 24-25th), 1-6pm.

Anthony Campuzano, Alex Da Corte
Nicole Docimo, Alyssa Duhe, Carl Ferrero
Dana Frankfort, Patrick Fry, Incidental
Chris Johanson, Cary Leibowitz, Gillian MacLeod
Mark Mahosky, Heath Nash, Jack Pierson
Megan Plunkett, Franklin Preston, Trevor Reese
Alyce Santoro, Reed Siefer, Sighn
Mickey Smith, Charlie Welch, Shawn Wolfe

SHOUT OUT to Trevor for making me aware of the show, and SHOUT OUT to Aaron Krach for hosting it in his apartment.

Kim Beck's window installation @ Mixed Greens

above: detail of Kim Beck's installation, "Everything Must Go!" in the windows of Mixed Greens.

Kim Beck's installation Everything Must Go! is finally on view as one of the window installation projects at Mixed Greens.

The installation is inspired by Beck's recent encounters with similar signs

advertising vacancies,  which began appearing on houses and storefront windows in 2008. Placards meant to announce a sale, liquidation or foreclosure have since become commonplace and easily ignored—ubiquitous in our current landscape.

In Everything Must Go! the result is a jarring reality-check that puts Mixed Greens and all of Chelsea up for sale.  Her drawings are stacked and competing for space in an installation that mimics the surrounding urban landscape and a general feeling of unease. The work provides a thoughtful consideration of our current economic, artistic, political and visual landscapes.  As Heather Pesanti writes in a recent essay: “Beck’s gentle and delicately meticulous use of materials imbues her work with an elegantly beautiful artistic aesthetic that belies its disenchanted beginnings.”

 

 

Thursday reading round-up

Fear not, Polaroid fans...instant film is saved!

"...the work still remains—in concept, as a dent in the tent..." Oy.

AFC is @ Frieze! (and seems to be liking it, but not luvvving it)

MAD's Slash: Paper Under the Knife (perfect to check out on this rainy weekend)

Today's SHARK ART

Art + Food

Edible artwork @ Performa 09?? amazing.
Restaurant week = delivery week (West Chelsea NEEDS more food options)

have you joined Tasting Table yet?  just sayin'...

In case you missed it

Tamara Gayer's "Happiness Is Easy" site-specific installation (on the facade of Mixed Greens) was deinstalled last week. Stay tuned for our next window installation, "Everything Must Go!" by Kim Beck (scheduled to install on Thursday, October 15th)

Rudy Shepherd participated in The Kitchen's annual Block Party (for the High Line). Here's a shot of Rudy at his drawing stand.