By Cole Tracy Newton, MA- "The Country Between Us,” on view at the New Art Center in Newton through December 20, takes its title from Carolyn Forche's book of poetry that focuses on her personal experiences as a journalist dealing with violence in El Salvador. The show, curated by Ariel Freiberg, whose work is joined in the exhibition by Resa Blatman, Susan Still Scott and Zsuzsanna Varga Szegedi, takes on a political position. While this work does not come out and make a definitive statement, it addresses perceptions of the body as well as the changing landscape, two crucial facets to our modern identity. The show is cohesive due to its questioning of painting, with each artist pushing the medium to fit their needs. Freiberg confuses the genre initially by painting images she has already collaged, which originated in high quality magazine advertisements. The decontextualization … [Read more...] about The Country Between Us at The New Art Center
Artscope Online
William Eggleston: At Zenith
At Gagosian New York Gallery By Nancy Nesvet New York City, NY - “William Eggleston: At Zenith,” currently showing at Gagosian New York Gallery, includes 15 large-scale pigment prints, each measuring 44” X 60”, from Eggleston’s “Wedgewood Blue” cloud series. The prints result from a 1978 photographic exercise when Eggleston lay on the ground during daylight in Tennessee and aimed his early instant camera at celestial zenith, directly overhead. The resulting views of fluffy clouds in a cerulean blue sky present postcard images, in keeping with Eggleston’s history of as a flaneur, incorporating fragments of his world into his photographic oeuvre. These photographs, from 1979 negatives, printed digitally from scans of the original negatives allow a color saturation that exceeds that of the dye transfer process Eggleston used in past work, and continues a tradition of cloud painting … [Read more...] about William Eggleston: At Zenith
Calder Shadows at Venus Over Manhattan Gallery
By Nancy Nesvet Manhattan, NY - Organized in collaboration with the Calder Foundation, “Calder Shadows,” a beautiful and masterful showing of the mobiles and stabiles of Alexander Calder (1898-1976), is on view through December 21 at the Venus Over Manhattan Gallery in New York City. The exhibition arranges stabiles and mobiles on the periphery of a large circle in the center of the floor, and provides low lighting so the central hanging mobile and the surrounding mobiles and stabiles on the floor created shadows on the background white walls and floor of the gallery. The resulting two-dimensional moving and still shadow images present angular forms indicating strange animals, and imaginary creatures, while the very peaceful jazz music adds to an otherworldly panorama. The 10 mobiles and stabiles in this exhibition, of painted sheet metal, brass, wire rods and wire range from … [Read more...] about Calder Shadows at Venus Over Manhattan Gallery
Carol Wintle: Port of Entry at Habitat Art Gallery, Belmont, Mass.
By Cole Tracy Belmont, Mass. — “Port of Entry,” Carol Wintle’s solo show at the Massachusetts Audubon Society of Belmont, is eclectic and surprising. An artist, psychologist and writer, Wintle incorporates this and many more facets of life in her emotional style of collages. Unlike most people who produce art, she is not tied down by the singularity of one style, concept or approach. The show is didactic in a celebratory way; the collage medium was tested in all facets in this two-room exhibit. The pieces were selected from over five years of work, and do not have an overarching theme. Arriving at the first wall, going clockwise (the artist’s husband informed me) are four pieces created throughout a cold spell (“Today’s Outlook”). In each, she uses a specific color to get at her emotional and physical state; she paints over the cutouts and creates intimate indoor spaces, which … [Read more...] about Carol Wintle: Port of Entry at Habitat Art Gallery, Belmont, Mass.
Artscoped!: Revisiting Rubin Marroquin
By Cole Tracy Rubin Marroquin, who was covered in Artscope's magazine's July/August 2012 issue, was noted for being eccentric as well as highly nontraditional while still working as a successful artist in Bridgeport and New York. We're happy to report that today he is as productive as ever, and living his art, which is an exploration on culture and outsider art. He has been giving weaving demonstrations at the MoMA in New York City. A woven version of the Palestinian flag can be seen currently on exhibit at the Bridgeport Art Trail's Reads Building. Be sure to check out his Tumblr to stay up to date with his work at marroquinruben.tumblr.com. (Editors note: In this new section we take a look back at featured artists who have been Artscoped to keep up to date with the artist and see the progression of their work since the initial publication review.) … [Read more...] about Artscoped!: Revisiting Rubin Marroquin
CORNERED: ALI GOODWIN, DIRECTOR AND CURATOR, DRIFT GALLERY
Portsmouth, NH - Located alongside a winding country road in Portsmouth, N.H., the grounds of the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion Historic Site is the unlikely, yet scenic location for Drift Gallery, a contemporary gallery space that is run and curated by Alicia “Ali” Goodwin. This is no small feat, as to get art outside of major cities is a tough task, and Goodwin has done so with extreme vigor and skill. Its final exhibition of 2013, “Last Word,” which closed on November 2, was an eclectic and well-made comprehensive discussion of language and text that featured a storybook dress by Ryan Jude Novelline, a selection of Goodwin’s photographs from her series ‘Body Language’, large panel paintings by Dennis Michael Jones and Tyson Jacques, a video portrait by Robert Wilson and a neon installation by TED Fellow, Alicia Eggert. This past weekend, artscope online zine reporter Cole Tracy … [Read more...] about CORNERED: ALI GOODWIN, DIRECTOR AND CURATOR, DRIFT GALLERY