VENICE, ITALY, MAY 8, 2019 -- Venice has bested its last biennale. This morning, at the press opening, Ralph Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery in London since 2006, spoke along with Paolo Baratta, president of the Biennale de Venezia and the director of Swatch, about the biennale. Even more than the theme of the 2017 biennale, which announced “Arte Viva” and made sure there were no barriers to crossing borders, Rugoff’s message was right on, and important. Responding to politics around the world, he said, “In art, there is no simple truth — there is a complexity of voices — a double format and a plurality of voices.” But then, he went on even further, saying that, “each artist’s voice must also be a plurality.” This plurality was demonstrated in Rugoff’s decision to locate some artists’ work in both venues of the Biennale: the Arsenale and the Giardini. I asked him what dictated … [Read more...] about EVEN BETTER THAN 2017: VENICE BIENNALE 2019
Exhibits
POTTERY INVITATIONAL THIS WEEKEND AT WORCESTER CENTER FOR CRAFTS; GALLERY STORE BOWL SHOW CONTINUES THROUGH JUNE 15
The always highly anticipated annual Pottery Invitational, featuring 19 artists representing the East Coast from Maine to North Carolina and curated by Jerilyn Virden (Vermont) and Sarah Heimann (New Hampshire), takes place May 3 through 5 at the Worcester Center for Crafts. This show opens with a ticketed “Epicurean Evening” event on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The $50 ticket gives attendees “first dibs on the art, a handmade ceramic bowl by our Artists in Residence, a beer tasting with Castle Island Brewery co. and tapas from Wooden Noodles.” Throughout the rest of the weekend, doors are open Friday from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 11ß a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free. This year’s participating artists are Lisa Naples (Doylestown, PA); Ronan Kyle Peterson (Chapel Hill, NC); Kyla Toomey (Waltham, MA); Brenda Quinn (Ossining, NY); Tom O’Malley (Forestdale, … [Read more...] about POTTERY INVITATIONAL THIS WEEKEND AT WORCESTER CENTER FOR CRAFTS; GALLERY STORE BOWL SHOW CONTINUES THROUGH JUNE 15
THE COLOR OF SPRING: GREEN MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION AT BRICKBOTTOM
The color green is one of healing, growth and renewal. It is the color of plants, youth, good luck, camouflage, money and even envy. After a long winter, Brickbottom Gallery’s new exhibit “GREEN” invites viewers into their white wall gallery fully immersed in the color green through the artwork on the walls. Developing and established artists showcase their work together, providing their own interpretations and visions about this color that surrounds our everyday lives. Many reach towards nature for inspiration, crafting their pieces with various materials. As spring brings rain to the New England area, this exhibit provides a small retreat to feed our creativity and imaginations. On three vertical canvases, Pauline Lim’s acrylic and gold metal leaf painting, “Leave No Trace,” carries viewers atop forests dabbled with lime and olive greens. In the first canvas, a small girl in a red … [Read more...] about THE COLOR OF SPRING: GREEN MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION AT BRICKBOTTOM
Coastal Contemporary Newport, RI Sarah Meyers Brent On-Kyeong Seong Through April 28th, 2019
On view in Newport, RI through April 28th at Coastal Contemporary Gallery is “INTO THE FOLD, Threads of Curious Realities.” Gallery literature aptly describes the show: “There is a messy yet beautiful, organic chaos of form that melds effortlessly into an orderly management of geometric shape. Colors are bright, clean and clear in moments of rest or muddled and earthy where they collide.” This is a two-person exhibition, which features artworks by Sarah Meyers Brent and On-Kyeong Seong. Individually their fabric creations are conceptually participating in an aesthetic conversation that deals with appropriation. Qualities of humor and pathos are evident in the artwork of Sarah Meyers Brent. She seemingly uses every piece of laundry from her home to make artwork. The feeling is of armful after armful of the family’s clothing picked up hastily before company calls. … [Read more...] about Coastal Contemporary Newport, RI Sarah Meyers Brent On-Kyeong Seong Through April 28th, 2019
ESTELLE DISCH: MEMORY AND JUSTICE AT THE S & G PROJECT GALLERY NEW BEDFORD
“Memory and Justice: Impressions of Disappearance in Argentina,” an exhibition of photography by Estelle Disch at the S & G Project Gallery in the Hatch Street Studios in New Bedford’s north end, captures her experience and witnessed perspective of the aftermath of Argentina’s historic tragedy of Los Desaparecidos (The Disappeared), those who vanished after the March 24, 1976 coup when the military junta seized power in Argentina. The Junta launched a campaign to wipe out left-wing terrorism resulting in thousands of dissidents and, innocent civilians unconnected with terrorism, who were arrested. Many of them vanished or, disappeared, without a trace. They became known as los desaparecidos and fell victim to a methodic use of torture and murder. Disch’s exhibit, which runs from April 20 to May 15, explores the space of one of the sites of the tragedy of the disappeared that … [Read more...] about ESTELLE DISCH: MEMORY AND JUSTICE AT THE S & G PROJECT GALLERY NEW BEDFORD
UNIFYING A CREATIVE CITY: THIS YEAR’S NEWTON OPEN STUDIOS
On April 6 and 7, the first beautiful weekend of the spring season, the city of Newton, Massachusetts, hosted their annual Newton Open Studios event. Now in its 22nd year, the event brought in over 150 artists showing and selling their work at 45 locations across the city. Host locations included the Newton City Hall, First Baptist Church in Newton Centre and various studios and homes, sharing spaces and showing their dedication their community. These locations, many of which are historic, were all marked by red balloons outside of the entrances. Beyond getting to know and explore the artists’ work, attendees were able to experience the love that Newton’s residents have for their city. These pop up exhibits and sales showed the creativity the people of Newton have to bring to the Boston area. Newton City Hall provided information about the event as you walked in the doors past the … [Read more...] about UNIFYING A CREATIVE CITY: THIS YEAR’S NEWTON OPEN STUDIOS