Artist Ruben Natal-San Miguel is a September 11 survivor. He escaped from the North Tower while working as a financial controller. Like it was for millions of New Yorkers, that day was a turning point for Miguel, who began photographing portraits afterwards, as if to soothe a collective memory or freeze moments in time that once were beautiful. Fast-forward 20 years, and Ruben is now a prolific photographer — and still based in New York City. “Some things you just can’t look away from,” he said about the city. “New York is like that. It’s a city of layers.” Indeed, the metropolis is chock full of layers — visual, auditory and physical — and they continuously renew. For Ruben, this richness made him curious about people. He began to seek them out, eventually photographing them as part of a larger attempt to understand his own place in the world. The subjects of his fascination are … [Read more...] about UNPEELING NEW YORK’S LAYERS: NATAL-SAN MIGUEL’S ATYPICAL BEAUTY
Review
PROVINCETOWN’S LASTING LIGHTS: HAWTHORNE, HOFMANN & HOPPER CONTINUE TO INSPIRE
Works by Charles Hawthorne (1872-1930), Hans Hofmann (1880-1966), Edward Hopper (1882-1967), and artists taught and inspired by them, are on exhibit at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum through August 29. Curated by Christine McCarthy, the show pulls from the museum’s collection. She said “It has always been a passion of mine to showcase PAAM’s permanent collection... The holdings of local and regional art are extensive and dynamic, comprising 4,000 works by over eight hundred 20th Century and contemporary artists who have worked in Provincetown and Cape Cod.” (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about PROVINCETOWN’S LASTING LIGHTS: HAWTHORNE, HOFMANN & HOPPER CONTINUE TO INSPIRE
THE ESSENCE OF JUNETEENTH: 13FOREST EXHIBITION GIVES BLACK ARTISTS VISIBILITY
“Essence” at 13FOREST Gallery in Arlington brings together 15 Boston-area artists in celebration of Juneteenth. Being the first year that Juneteenth is officially recognized on both state and federal levels, the show sends an especially powerful message about diversity to the wider art community. Curated by artist Cedric “Vise1” Douglas, “Essence” celebrates the joy, spirit and resilience of the Black community while simultaneously honoring the many Black artists who live and work here. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about THE ESSENCE OF JUNETEENTH: 13FOREST EXHIBITION GIVES BLACK ARTISTS VISIBILITY
DIGITAL BREATH AT NEWPORT: VIDEO ARTISTS SHOCK US BACK TO REALITY
According to Tom Robbins, in a 2014 article in Harpers, “...When Oscar Wilde allegedly gestured at the garish wallpaper in his cheap Parisian hotel room and announced with his dying breath, ‘Either it goes or I go,’ he was exhibiting something beyond an irrepressibly brilliant wit.” Breath. Breathing. It is also defined as a respite or a suggestion. With that in mind, checkout the “Digital Breath: Video and Sound Art in the Age of Global Connectivity” installation that’s on view through June 6 at the Newport Art Museum. Organized by guest curator and multimedia artist Brian C. O’Malley, along with his own work, the show brings together the work of Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Steven Subotnick, John DeVault, Daniel O’Neill, Lauren Mantecón and Andrea Pérez Bessin. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about DIGITAL BREATH AT NEWPORT: VIDEO ARTISTS SHOCK US BACK TO REALITY
BEACHTIME IN SOWA: THE BEACON HOSTS MEHTA’S SUN-DRENCHED PAINTINGS
As a reviewer, it is a pleasure to discover more in an artist’s body of work, the more closely one looks. I often have to own my subconscious prejudices as I respond to the range of creative and critical impulses that shape contemporary art. Skimming Lori Mehta’s modernist realist paintings on her website, I had to confront my initial skepticism. Her color sense was unusual, but was she anything beyond a gifted painter of New England beach scenes? A week later, chatting with the artist in her garage studio, I happily discovered that there was much that I had missed. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about BEACHTIME IN SOWA: THE BEACON HOSTS MEHTA’S SUN-DRENCHED PAINTINGS
CRAFT REVIVAL AT LAISUN KEANE: MICHAEL C. THORPE’S PROFOUNDLY HONEST DREAM QUILTS
Michael C. Thorpe is a working artist. Unlike many of his young age and position, he doesn’t have a second job to buoy his passion; he doesn’t teach. His artistic output is his vocation. He has a studio, a dedication and affability, a work in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s collection and now, his solo exhibition “Meandering Thoughts,” running at LaiSun Keane Gallery in Boston’s SoWA district through May 29. In Thorpe’s opinion, he’s living the dream. Textiles are Thorpe’s medium. His quilting began after his mother procured a quilting machine — and helped teach him its uses — in late 2017. Until then, he had been experimenting in other forms, trying to find which best allowed him to express himself. Quilting stuck, and with good timing. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about CRAFT REVIVAL AT LAISUN KEANE: MICHAEL C. THORPE’S PROFOUNDLY HONEST DREAM QUILTS