THE PIT

...and in shark news

Read here about the  "Ultimate Marine Smackdown"--Great Whites vs. Giant Squid. cooool.

Last Chance: Mazzalupo closes today!

above: Christina Mazzalupo's "Didn't," 2009

If you haven't already, today is your last chance to check out Christina Mazzalupo's Stomachache at Mixed Greens. We're here until 6pm--hope you can stop by!

24 hours of Performance art in NYC

Marina! Tino! In case you hadn't noticed, performance is everywhere this month. We went to Marina Abramovic's opening last night at MoMA and watched as a long line of visitors waited for their turn at a staring contest with the artist. At one point an onlooker darted out into the empty chair before the next person could take their turn. He mumbled something at Marina while his friend snapped a photo, then ran back to the sidelines, leaving the artist unphased.

Heather and Monica just returned from the Tino Sehgal exhibit at the Guggenheim where they were led up the rotunda by the sequence of performers. My favorite article about the exhibit is this one from the point of view of a father of two of the child performers in the piece.

Also in performance news, and definitely more of a debacle, is this story about Ann Liv Young's performance at PS1 for "Brooklyn Is Burning"...and the fact that the lights were turned off on her. Interview with Ann Liv here.

Performance has invaded Chelsea as well---wander into Andrew Kreps gallery right now and you'll probably notice Jamie Isenstein's leg and arm protruding from her "Dancing Pop-Up Fishing Sculpture". Yep, she's in there (along with a battery-operated fan and a cell phone, apparently.)

Good reads: copyright! art fair press!

Holy Copyright, Batman! This case (Leong vs. Burdeny) is certainly a good read (even though it seems pretty clear-cut). It was more shocking than anything, really.

Art Fair press:  Armory (Pier 94); Armory (Pier 92); Scope; Pulse. Question: Where is press on Volta??? Oh wait, there's this mention of Volta (and I have to say I agree...that video of the guy hammering the nail into his foot made me run away.)

Armory Themes: Mirrors, makeup, skulls, prices!

MIRRORS

After spending many hours at The Armory Show this past week(end), I'd have to guess that 2009 was a great year for the manufacturers of anything metallic, chromed, or mirror-finished.  It was everywhere. It was this year's mounted, taxidermy deer (which, if I recall correctly, was sooo 2007).

Let's see if I can credit these all appropriately. Starting from the upper left (clockwise):  the Sfeir-Semler (Hamburg) booth; Galerie Laurent Godin (Paris); Produzentengalerie: ph projects (Berlin); Buchmann Galerie (Berlin); The Breeder (Athens); metallic balloons over the Pier 94 stairwell (presenter unknown).

SKULLS

Yep, death pervaded again this year. It felt fairly relevant though considering the financial crisis many just barely survived.

clockwise, starting from top right: Stefan Nikolaev's skull bowls at gdm galerie (Paris); outer wall at Michael Stevenson Gallery's booth (Capetown); Hirst skull prints at Other Criteria's booth (London)

MAKEUP

I might not have seen enough of this around to really call it "a trend", but I saw enough of it where I thought it was worth mentioning. (This might also be another nod to the recession...isn't makeup a symbol of 'recession proof'?)

top row: Michael Stevenson (Capetown); bottom: Galerie Laurent Godin (Paris)

PRICES

woohoo!

SHOUT OUT: blog admirer

SHOUT OUT to Brion Nuda Rosch (for saying he reads our blog). Guess what--he has a blog too! check it out!

*insider tip: if you're at the Pulse fair, be sure to stop by the Baer Ridgway Exhibitions booth and ask to see the porn

**if you show your love for The Pit, you'll probbbbably get a SHOUT OUT. hint, hint.

more non art fair news

I'm going to leave today's art fair reporting up to Paddy and all of the other real reporters out there. I'll be swinging by a few of them tomorrow and will be sure to share pictures, but today I'm in more of a LINKS mood:

Rob Carter on HUFFINGTON POST. Metropolis: 120-something-thousand views!!!

Great article on Mazzalupo's current exhibition Stomachache, from Art:21.

Coke O'Neal's Box project for Progressive's annual report is finally live on their site. Watch the "making of" video here.

buying art online

above: screenshot of Giltgroupe.com offering Katherine Bernhardt prints for sale.

looks like art fair week in NYC has inspired EVERYONE to buy art. You can buy limited edition prints on Gilt today. Smart. Very smart.

art fair fun

above: Kammy Roulner's "Don't forget to pack some cat food when you ship this," 2008

The art fairs can be overwhelming, so in the spirit of fun fun fun: Download Nordstrom_Registrar It's from a fashion catalog (featuring "chic registrars"???) SHOUT OUT to Rob Carter for bringing this to my attention (not so much for telling me that my outfit wasn't up to par)

*my personal favorite is the pic where she's standing on a dolly in stilletos. You should have insurance if you're going to attempt that one.

The Art Fairs: prepare yourself

Here are some links to things you will need to prepare yourself for the art fairs--all of the craziness begins today w/ the Armory preview.

A list of extracurricular events

A list of fairs: locations and opening times

Getting around: NYC transportation MTA and Hopstop (they've got taxi estimations)

A list of everything (including gallery openings)

*be on the lookout for "Art Fair Survival Kits" being handed out by 20x200.com staffers.

Where does one grab a drink in the West 50's?