SAUDI ARTISTS’ PHANTOM PUNCH Taryn Plumb An image of an outdoor mural depicts what would no doubt be a culture shock for many westerners: Eight swords, flanked by elegant Arabic writing, pointing at two women — one completely veiled in black, the other uncovered, long hair falling to her shoulders. The latter? Marked with an “X.” Her properly-dressed, anonymous counterpart, meanwhile? Given full approval with a check mark. As if in contrast, a group of young girls, all dressed in frocks of various shades of pink, are hard at work adding their own illustrations to the painting — yet as a looming reminder, they are overseen by a shapeless, faceless figure enshrouded in black. A still from Saudi artist’s Njoud Alanbari’s “Elementary 240,” it is all at once eerie, haunting, ironic, unexpected — even a little playful. Such is the nature of “Phantom Punch: … [Read more...] about CULTURE SHOCK AT BATES
January/February 2017
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HER FRIENDS
MARJORY REID AT HOTCHKISS By Kristin Nord At a time when many of the region’s weekenders have headed off to warmer climates and much of Northwestern Connecticut can feel a bit buttoned up, the Tremaine Gallery at The Hotchkiss School is offering strong bursts of color through February 5. The current show focuses on work by longtime teacher Marjory Reid and two close friends — Warner Friedman and Janet Rickus, professional artists from Sheffield, MA — all with significant studio practices. “Our work probably couldn’t be more different,” said Reid, who was delighted to be asked to curate the show with the Tremaine’s education driven mission in mind. Reid retired from Hotchkiss in 2000, a time when arts courses were still “red-lined” at an institution created to steer its graduates to the Ivy League. In the ensuing years, with the presence of the gallery in the main … [Read more...] about WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HER FRIENDS
NETWORKS 2015-2016
ART AS IMPETUS IN RHODE ISLAND Suzanne Volmer Started as a trailblazing measure for contemporary art in Rhode Island, “Networks” has been an educational platform to convert skepticism into identification, so that art could function as a catalyst for the state’s revitalization. “Networks” segments have regularly aired on Rhode Island PBS, produced by art patron Joseph A. Chazan, M.D. The video documentations by Richard Goulis focus on studio visits with some of Rhode Island’s creative individuals, and each documentary explores inspiration and process of a particular artist and was planned to personalize and demystify art-making. The final “Networks” exhibition is on view through January 16 at Newport Art Museum’s Cushing Gallery. It features 24 artists who participated in “2015 Networks 2016.” Curator Nancy Whipple Grinnell has organized five “Networks” exhibitions timed … [Read more...] about NETWORKS 2015-2016
ZAO WOU-KI AT COLBY
TALENT WITHOUT LIMITS Jamie Thompson The Chinese meaning of “Wou-Ki” is “without limitation,” an appropriate moniker for an artist who worked in several media and blended disparate styles to shape his own unique vision. “No Limits: Zao Wou-Ki” is the first retrospective of his work in the United States, and it serves to reinvigorate interest in this enigmatic artist. The exhibition began at New York City’s Asia Society Museum, and will be on view at Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine from February 4 to June 4. The show is co-curated by Dr. Ankeney Weitz and Dr. Melissa Walt of Colby College, and Michelle Yun of Asia Society. Zao Wou-Ki was born in 1920 in Beijing, and emigrated from Shanghai to Paris in 1948. He soon settled into the European art scene and gained international recognition. Today, Chinese artists are very much a part of the global … [Read more...] about ZAO WOU-KI AT COLBY
HEADING SOUTH FOR THE WINTER
ARTSCOPE AT ART WEEK MIAMI J. Fatima Martins The dozen or so New England-based or affiliated artists and galleries, many of whom have been featured in Artscope, participated in the visually colossal annual Miami Art Fair Week to do one thing — make a lot of money. While Art Basel Miami Beach, celebrating its 15th edition, continued as the dominant force of the week, setting the curatorial tone of “diverse global inclusion” as its theme and robustly maintaining its status as the center point for the international art market, the New England-based inclusions were selling primarily offsite at the other important fairs such as Scope, Context, Art Miami, Satellite, Aqua and Pulse. At these fairs, a strong “anything goes” attitude permeated the exhibition marketplace, where the lesser-known artists and dealers fought hard for visibility. The purpose of being in Miami was … [Read more...] about HEADING SOUTH FOR THE WINTER
Cornered: John Bisbee
John Bisbee Donna Dodson Beth McLaughlin, Chief Curator of Exhibitions and Collections for the Fuller Craft Museum, described Maine sculptor John Bisbee as “a maker’s maker” who is “audaciously focused on his love affair with nails.” When he was booked for its current exhibition, she had no idea what work he would display. Our mantra for this project has been, ‘In John we trust,’” McLaughlin said. “We knew what he created would be epic. What I didn’t see coming was the political bent to the installation and the monumental issues being addressed through his work – the current political unrest in this country, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and even the ancient struggle between good and evil as set in the Garden of Eden.” In mid-December, as his “Material Obsession” exhibition was being installed in Fuller Museum’s gallery space, Bisbee spoke with Artscope’s Donna Dodson … [Read more...] about Cornered: John Bisbee