— ARTSPACE PICK —
Opening Reception for Jeremy Couillard's "My Time in the Cult of Melting Ancestors" at Louis B. James Gallery, 143B Orchard Street, 6 – 8 p.m. (Through May 31st)
A press release that references the spiritual qualities of Super Mario is only the first of many curious clues to Couillard's appealing exhibition opening this Sunday, which incorporates a number of paintings and sculptures (both kinetic and static) with videos into a large, two-story installation on the architecture of video games and the advent of lo-fi technology.
— WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17TH —
Artist's Talk with Walter Robinson at NURTUREart, 56 Bogart Street, Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
Though we're not entirely sure what the renowned artist, critic, editor, and now Artspace contributor will be discussing during his speaking engagement in Bushwick, but it's bound to be at least as enjoyable as his most recent exhibition, "Indulgences," which featured paintings of irresistible pop objects and foodstuffs.
Opening Reception for Aaron S. Davidson and Melissa Dubbin's "Volumes for Sound" at Recess, 41 Grand Street, 6 – 8 p.m. (Through May 25th)
While the two artists have been making new works for this exhibition at the gallery for almost a month now, the opening reception provides the opportunity to see their sound geometry-inspired photographic and sculptural creations in full swing.
— THURSDAY, APRIL 18TH —
Opening Reception for "Untitled (Hybrid)" at Robert Miller Gallery, 524 West 26th Street, 6 – 8 p.m. (Through June 1st)
In this exhibition curated by Kate McNamara, the co-founder of Cleopatra's art gallery in Greenpoint, Lee Krasner's abstract paintings are paired with the works of contemporary artists like Polly Apfelbaum, Sarah Cain, and Joanne Greenbaum, among others, creating a lineage of unconventional abstractionists.
Opening Reception for "Out of Memory" at Marianne Boesky Gallery, 118 East 64th Street, 6 – 8 p.m. (Through May 18th)
In this massive group show featuring works by Cory Arcangel, Alex Israel, and Rashid Johnson, among many, many others, the invited artists explore the role of the art-producer in the post-digital age when notions of authorship and art history are warped by the influence of commerce.
— FRIDAY, APRIL 19TH —
Opening Reception for Harm van den Dorpel's "Release Early, Release Often, Delegate Everything You Can, Be Open to the Point of Promiscuity" at Abrons Art Center, 466 Grand Street, 6 – 8 p.m. (Through June 1st)
Curated by Karen Archey, this show examines the nature of a "legitimate" artwork through the intriguing multimedia work of Dutch artist and programmer Harm van den Dorpel, who will also be giving an artist lecture on Sunday at the Henry Street Settlement Playhouse, where he'll discuss truth and the inherent subjectivity of the learning process.
Opening Reception for Lauren Sieden and Frank Webster's "Eigengrau" at Storefront Bushwick, 16 Wilson Avenue, Brooklyn, 6 – 9 p.m. (Through May 19th)
Named after the German word for the color the eye sees in perfect darkness, this exhibition pairs Seiden's graphite on paper works, which appear almost metallic in their considerable layering, alongside Webster's eerily abstracted scenes of post-industrial landscapes.
— SATURDAY, APRIL 20TH —
Rhizome Seven on Seven Conference at The New School, 66 West 12th Street, Tishman Auditorium, 12 – 6 p.m., $39.50
Seven pairings of an artist and a technologist will present their newly developed ideas for, well, anything during this day-long conference, which will be followed by an after party at the New Museum from 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Opening Reception for Sarah Halpern's "Paper Plexus" at Microscope Gallery, 4 Charles Place, Brooklyn, 6 – 9 p.m. (Through May 19th)
In these eight collages created from snippets of textbooks and fan zines, the artist is able to reverse her typical time-based cinematic practice and "present time and movement within a single fixed image."
— SUNDAY, APRIL 21ST —
Opening Reception for Gary Indiana's "GRISTLE SPRINGS" at Participant Inc., 253 East Houston Street, 7 – 9 p.m. (Through May 26th)
Drawing from over thirty years of images shot with a variety of digital and analog cameras, this solo show of work by artist and writer Gary Indiana, his first since 2002, presents the archived photographs and videos in multi-screen arrangements next to appropriated and found images, allowing viewers to create their own associative narratives.
Opening Reception for "Better Homes" at the SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves Street, Long Island City, 5 – 7 p.m. (Through July 22nd)
Contemporary ideas of domesticity are on trial in this group show, as artists like LaToya Ruby Frazier, Robert Gober, and Paulina Olowska examine how our interiors have become more commercial and political over the past century.
— MONDAY, APRIL 22ND —
Artist's Talk with Haim Steinbach at Dia Art Foundation, 535 West 22nd Street, 6:30 p.m., $6
Known for his curious arrangements of everyday objects, Haim Steinbach will discuss the work of the Japanese conceptual artist On Kawara, he of the instantly identifiable "date paintings," as part of Dia:Chelsea's "Artists on Artists" lecture series.
— TUESDAY, APRIL 23RD —
Opening of Ugo Rondinone's "Human Nature" at Rockefeller Center, 45 Rockefeller Plaza (Through June 7th)
Nine, colossal, approximately 20-foot-tall stone sculptures will populate Rockefeller Center starting early next week, as visitors will be encouraged to walk under the coarsely-hewn figures, which the artist carved from massive slabs of bluestone.
