John Waters
Beverly Hills John
Marianne Boesky Gallery
What an interesting artist. A nice wide ranging show of photographs, film and interesting sculptures. Some Cindy Sherman type work as well as a table reading of his x-rated film Pink Flamingos table read by children in wigs. It’s historical if you remember the source material. The egg lady part got me. Definitely check this out. Though February 14, 2015
Good to Get Out—Quentin Garel is having a show called Bestiary at Bertrand Delacroix Galleryon 25th street. Intense figures carved and cleaved from wood should create a sculptural moment! Also showing on Saturday is Michael Skoggins at Freight and Volume (530 West 24th Street, NYC). Will be an awesome show!
John Stezaker
New Silkscreens and the Movie “Blind”
Petzel Gallery NYC
John is a master of assemblage with movie stills from the 50’s and 60’s. He’s been at it for 30 years and the creative output is amazing. These new silkscreens are a revisit to work created in the late 70’s. Powerful and hypnotic film nior silhouettes captivate the mind. The movie blind is shot from existing film stills, each different and run at a mesmerizing pace of 24 per second. My ears started ringing and definitely felt uneasy watching the onslaught of old movie images into my brain. Exhausting. Check it out.
Wayne White, Invisible Ruler
Joshua Liner Gallery, 540 West 28th
September 11- October 11th
Nina of the Joshua Liner gallery was kind enough to invite me to a preview of Wayne White’s Invisible Ruler show yesterday. The show includes Wayne’s signature word paintings, works on paper done during his resedency at the Rauschenberg Foundation and a 15-foot kinetic sculpture.
We here at West of Dirty are huge fans and in fact we made the 6+ hour round trip journey to York, PA to see his show “Foe” last April. Three of the Civil War sculpture heads from “Foe” can be seen in Joshua Liner. Last nights reception was a big hit with the artist on hand to meet.
Wayne White is in the House!— Joshua Liner Gallery has a great show featuring Wayne White of the early fame (Set decorator for the Pee Wee Herman Show) This will be a fun show with giant sized puppets from his residency in York, PA along with his brilliant word paintings. Show of the night. Check it out. (1)
Mass MOCA
North Adams, MA
Great new shows and buildings are open to preview great art. There is a new building for Anselm Kiefer that is sited on campus. 3 amazing pieces that speak to the healing process of Germany sponsored by the Hall Art Foundation. Also worth checking out is the Octogon Room which was inspired by true life events. Lots of Dioramas onsite as well as Live music and outdoor events (we just missed a live BECK show). Put this on your map. Also a 25 year sited show by Sol LeWitt. Amazing. Check it out.
Michener Museum
Doylestown, PA
This is an eclectic museum with varied shows across from the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, PA. A little pricey for this area but any museum is forth a check. Ecelectic.
Mercer Museum
Doylestown, PA
Crazy Museum founded by Henry Mercer back in the early 1900’s. Afraid of fire he built 3 structures in town out of poured concrete. The main museum is nearly 6,000 tones of concrete. He was a huge Junk collector from the early era. So stone plate stoves and mill stones that we'rent used anymore were his vision of collecting. Must see. Check it out.
Get the Parties Started—Just when you thought the season was over, new life arises. Lots of great gallery shows currently open now (Glenn Brown, Keith Haring, Larry Clark, Tara Donovan, etc.) Hello summer! Great new openings this Thursday. Joshua Liner Gallery has a show by Thomas Campbell who is inspired by Gourds in the Berry McGee style. The show also contains sculpture and works in fabric. Good Party. Check it out.
Kara Walker
or the Marvelous Sugar Baby an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World on the Occasion of the demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant
Off the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn Kara Walker has created her first sculpture and it is humongous, political, racial and in your face gigantic. This site specific work is awe inspiring, with the 100 years of dripping Molasses and the smell of sweet sugar wafting into the racially charged air. Lines are around the block. Check it out