As the art world returns from its week-long sojourn in Miami to the much colder New York, it is greeted by a smattering of events and lectures throughout the city, some of which address the more contentious money-minded and one percent catering criticisms leveled at the fairs from which they came. Staged in a former Bank of Manhattan building–vault and all–the exhibition “How Much Do I Owe You?” looks at the evolving ideas of “currency, value, and exchange” in today’s fluctuating economy, while Guided By Invoices presents a collection of powerful political artwork in its newest exhibition, “AgitPOP.”
— WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH —
Opening reception for “Modern Times” at Lesley Heller Workspace, 54 Orchard Street, 6–8 p.m. (through January 20, 2013)
The ten artists in this Shari Mendleson-organized group show all use vessels in their work as a way to comment on politics and society, which could to some new and unexpected contemplation of your glass of wine at the opening reception.
Opening reception for “How Much Do I Owe You?” at the Clock Tower, 29-27 41st Avenue, Long Island City, 7–9 p.m. (through March 13, 2013)
The arts organization No Longer Empty is turning the iconic Clock Tower and former Bank of Manhattan building into the site of their latest exhibition, “How Much Do I Owe You?”. Gathering a variety of works by 26 artists from 15 different countries, the show aims to examine how systems of value and exchange have been redefined in these tumultuous economic times.
— THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13TH —
Opening reception for Beatrice Scaccia: “The Perfect Stage” at BOSI Contemporary, 48 Orchard Street, 6–9 p.m. (through January 20th, 2013)
Titled after a line from an eerie voiceover that wafts through the gallery space, “The Perfect Stage” is comprised of two video installations and a number of mixed media drawings, all of which feature the imagined, fantastical dreamscapes of a solitary, anonymous character.
Art lecture with Patterson Beckwith at New York University, Einstein Auditorium, 34 Stuyvesant Street, 5:30 p.m.
New York-based photographer and NYU teacher Patterson Beckwith, whose photographs have appeared in Artforum, Index, and Vice magazines, will be talking about his current work. If you would describe yourself as “bananas” for Bauhaus artist László Maholy-Nagy, you’ll have a lot in common with Beckwith.
Art lecture with Debra Bricker Balken on “Harold Rosenberg and the Twilight of the Intellectuals” at the SVA Theater, 333 West 23rd Street, 7 p.m.
Sponsored by the MFA Art Criticism and Writing Department, writer and curator Debra Bricker Balken will discuss the importance of Harold Rosenberg’s essay “The American Action Painters” on the artists, art, and ideas of the 1960s.
— FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14TH —
Opening exhibition for El Anatsui: “Pot of Wisdom” at Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 West 20th Street, 6 – 8 p.m. (through January 19th, 2013)
In his third solo show at the Jack Shainman Gallery, sculptor El Anatsui presents his newest works that continue his use of found materials imbued with new approaches to color. Gallery visitors will also be able to view Anatsui’s outdoor installation Broken Bridge II, his largest to date, which is installed two blocks north on the High Line Park.
Opening reception for “AgitPOP” at Guided By Invoices, 558 West 21st Street, 6 – 8 p.m. (through December 22nd)
Curated by writer, critic, and cartoonist Anthony Haden-Guest, this exhibition features political artwork that reimagines the paradigm of the art world as something other than a luxury goods market.
Opening receptions for Marta Jovanovic: “It Is My Body” and Pier Paolo Pasolini: “Portraits and Self-Portraits” at Location One, 26 Greene Street, 6 – 8 p.m. (through January 31st and January 5th, 2013 respectively)
The exhibition by Marta Jovanic offers an interesting look at the artist’s body post-performance through a number of sculptures, videos, and photographs while “Pier Paolo Pasolini: Portraits and Self Portraits” will feature over 40 drawings and paintings by the Italian artist and auteur, including rarely seen and newly restored portraits of friends and colleagues.
Opening reception for Robert Barry: “Light and Dark - The Projections of Robert Barry, 1967 – 2012” at Galerie Yvon Lambert, 108 rue Vielle du Temple, Paris, 6 – 8 p.m. (through January 26th, 2013)
This exhibition focuses exclusively on conceptual artist Robert Barry’s 16mm films and videos, and apart from being the first time the works will be shown together, uses moving images as an interesting bridge between material art and the connotations it evokes.
— SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15TH —
Artist’s talk with Jane South and Jeffery Kastner at the New York Public Library, 456 Fifth Avenue, 3 – 5 p.m.
Joined by Jeffrey Kastner, the senior editor at Cabinet magazine, artist Jane South will be at the mid-town New York Public Library this weekend to talk about her work. The lecture is being held in conjunction with her site-specific installation Shifting Structures: Stacks, constructed during August and September in the library itself, incorporating damaged books as building materials, and incorporating the idea of library bookshelves as a structural principle.
Opening reception for “Fabricators” at Jack Fischer Gallery, 49 Geary Street, Suite 440, San Francisco, 3 – 5 p.m. (through December 22nd)
A collaboration between artists Camille Holvoet, Christina Marie Fong, Lance Rivers, Natalie Spring, Thanh My Diep, and students at the California College of the Arts, “Fabricators” is comprised of new student works which were inspired by the artists’ oeuvres.
— SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16TH —
Artist lectures on Pier Paolo Passolini at MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, 12 – 6 p.m.
In case Thursday’s opening at Location One didn’t satisfy your appetite for Pier Paolo Passolini, the Sunday Session at MoMA PS1 is entirely devoted to the artist, with a special emphasis on Passolini’s work as a writer, activist, and public figure in postwar Italy. The MoMA in Manhattan will also be launching a Passolini film retrospective beginning on Thursday.
Opening reception for Aki Sasamoto: “Talking In Circles In Talking” at Soloway, 348 South 4th Street, Brooklyn, 4 – 6 p.m. (through January 27th, 2013)
Accompanying her series of installation ice sculptures, Aki Sasamoto will add layers of circular scribbles to the gallery’s walls in various prearranged and impromptu drawing sessions. The artist will be present on Sunday for an on-site performance at 4:30, with additional performances scheduled for January 20th at 7 p.m. Sasamoto’s work has previously appeared in the 2010 Whitney Biennial, the Greater New York Show at MoMA PS1, and Dasha Zhukova’s Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, among others.
