mark jenkins @ volta ny

carmichael gallery has dedicated its full volta booth to new pieces of mark jenkins. as always, a perfect exercise between aesthetics & urban life.

wilfried lentz @ independent

coming from rotterdam, wilfried lentz is one of the galleries participating in the stylish independent show (avoiding the term art fair) which opened yesterday in the former dia art center in chelsea. in his beautiful, minimal stand, wilfried lentz presents installation by rosella biscotti, photographs by ulrik heltoft and an amazing video piece 'red alert' by hito steyerl. if you have a chance, make sure to ask wilfried to explain you the concept behind each work - it makes the experience even greater!

the picture above is work from a project by rossella biscotti & kevin van braak with the title 'after four rotations of a, b will make one revolution'. the two bronze blocks are referring to figurative socialist sculptures of karl marx and v.i. lenin: they are made in the same material as the originals & they have exactly the same weight. the artists thus blend art history and political history into a very strong piece of contemporary art.

more coverage of independent & other fairs in the coming days...when we catch a breath! :-)

showtime: iván navarro @ paul kasmin

after a second day full of art fairs (including pulse, volta & the superb independent) we used our veeeery last bits of energy to attend the opening of 'heaven or las vegas', iván navarro's new show @ paul kasmin gallery.
navarro has created a new body of work, using his preferred materials mirror & neon.
'the wall sculptures are based on the floor plans of twelve of the world’s most well known skyscrapers. some of the mirrors have words engraved which echo like suggestions or commands through each structure’s illusory depth.' (excerpt from the press release).

in contrast to the in-your-face piece at the armory show, splendidly serving the "attention catcher" role, the works in the gallery are more intimate and push the viewer to reflect about the human condition, architecture, and politics.
the show will be on display till april 2nd - don't miss it!

armory preview day

impressions from the armory show opening day
(images only - names & descriptions coming later)
today: independent, pulse & volta.
hey, ho, let's go!

showtime: berlinde de bruyckere @ hauser & wirth

yesterday we attended the opening of berlinde de bruyckere's solo @ hauser & wirth : "into one-another to p.p.p." the show, with work dedicated to pier paolo pasolini, is a preview of an upcoming traveling solo museum exhibition, which will debut in april at the moritzburg foundation, and present the work in juxtaposition with that of pasolini and renaissance master lucas cranach. in the hauser & wirth exhibition, the wax sculptures are put in large mirror-wood showcases which gives the show an almost religious feeling & creates a perfect balance between the lugubriousness and the poetic power that goes out from the work. on display till april 23rd. more pictures on flickr.