REVIEW VISITING THAHAB: NABIL (NABEELA) VEGA NEW BEDFORD ART MUSEUM/ARTWORKS! 608 PLEASANT STREET NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH MARCH 25 by Don Wilkinson There is something particularly intriguing in one of the videos by Nabil (Nabeela) Vega, in which a figure is draped in a shimmering shroud of gold lame, their identity concealed, their face hidden. [Gender neutral pronouns are used at the request of the artist.] The cloaked figure is on a bridge over the Charles River, and the Hancock and the Prudential are clearly visible in the background. Pedestrians stroll by with barely a glance, focused runners do not slow their pace, and cars whiz by without an unnecessary beeping of the horn. It is as if seeing a golden ghost on the side of the road were the most ordinary of events. It may be a particularly Bostonian “I’ve seen it all” attitude or a practiced … [Read more...] about VISITING THAHAB: EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARINESS
March/April 2018
BECHDEL AT UVM: WISDOM AND WHIMSEY
FEATURED ARTIST SELF-CONFESSED! THE INAPPROPRIATELY INTIMATE COMICS OF ALISON BECHDEL FLEMING MUSEUM OF ART UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT 61 COLCHESTER AVENUE BURLINGTON, VERMONT THROUGH MAY 20 by Elayne Clift She’s a black belt in karate, a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Genius Award, an award-winning cartoonist and writer, Vermont’s Cartoonist Laureate, and what one critic called an “intellectual populist.” She is also an astute observer of the human condition who reveals an abundance of emotional intelligence, both personal and political, in her work. To top it off, she has a great sense of humor. All that makes her exhibition, “Self-Confessed! The Inappropriately Intimate Comics of Alison Bechdel,” on view at Burlington’s Fleming Museum, a must-see before it closes on May 20. Bechdel, who grew up in a family of literature, art, culture and secrets — her … [Read more...] about BECHDEL AT UVM: WISDOM AND WHIMSEY
JENNIFER VINEGAR AVERY: A PRETTY PARADOX
12 FOR OUR 12TH JENNIFER VINEGAR AVERY FOR MORE INFORMATION: JENNIFERLAVERY.COM by J. Fatima Martins Jennifer Vinegar Avery is an intellectually formidable artist; the joie de vivre and zaniness seen in her art is not contrived entertainment. The name itself, Vinegar, is not a moniker — it’s real, and is a push-back against the “sugar and spice and everything nice” cliché applied to girls. “Clap your hands and say, Jennifer,” she wrote, “clap your hands and say Vinegar, it’s the same thing! A pretty paradox. Avery means wisdom of the elves and it lends itself to emphasis and intensity.” At the time of this writing, Vinegar was living her usual duality, perfectly blended: joy (luxury) and sorrow (imperfection). She was invited to install and perform the theatrical piece “Pupa, Poubelles et Les Bêtes/The Beast Boutique” at the Maison Hermes Le Forum art space in … [Read more...] about JENNIFER VINEGAR AVERY: A PRETTY PARADOX
LÉGER AT LANOUE: LAYERS OF BEAUTY
FEATURED GALLERY KARINE LÉGER LANOUE GALLERY 450 HARRISON AVE #31 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS MARCH 2 THROUGH APRIL 6 by Lisa Mikulski The Lanoue Gallery, Boston, presents “New Works by Karine Léger” — a show that will certainly fortify the minds and spirits of gallery goers. Canadian artist Karine Léger’s large-scale abstracts represent her expression of Quebec winter spaces and Icelandic landscapes. Simple and sparse in both palette and form, Léger’s shapes float across the canvas as if supported by some ethereal means. Each element is fiercely independent and yet these elements come together gracefully to meet, to overlap, or to perhaps pass one another in a journey that continues off the canvas. The work leaves me feeling introspective and imaginative. Part of the beauty here is the layering Léger employs, producing soft and separate textures that allow each … [Read more...] about LÉGER AT LANOUE: LAYERS OF BEAUTY
DANIEL KORNRUMPF: FINDING PERSONAL SPACE
12 FOR OUR 12TH DANIEL KORNRUMPF FOR MORE INFORMATION: DANIELKORNRUMPF.COM by Don Wilkinson Last September, I visited Groundwork!, a shared workspace on the outskirts of downtown New Bedford. Over the last year or so, the lobby has become a de facto art gallery, an alternative space that rivals any exhibition venue in the city. It was there that I first saw the paintings of Daniel Kornrumpf and I was drawn in, so much so that I would eventually commission him to paint a portrait of my wife Elizabeth and me as a Christmas gift to her. Kornrumpf’s paintings in that exhibition — aptly named “Personal Space” — were predominantly large portraits, nearly life-size, with a sprinkling of smaller still lifes. The portraits are touched with such a profound sense of intimacy that, as a viewer, I felt like I was bordering on voyeurism, intruding upon a private conversation. But … [Read more...] about DANIEL KORNRUMPF: FINDING PERSONAL SPACE
MARC WINNAT: TAKING A DIRECT APPROACH
12 FOR OUR 12TH MARC WINNAT WORK ON VIEW AT VERMONT ARTISAN DESIGNS 108 MAIN STREET BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT by Marguerite Serkin At a time when generalities and purposeful ambiguity often dominate our cultural discourse, the acrylic paintings of Marc Winnat offer welcome relief. The precision and detail of Winnat’s paintings celebrate their subjects with directness, and with a certainty of substance and form. On view at Vermont Artisan Designs Gallery in Brattleboro, the current collection of Winnat’s paintings provides a rare opportunity to explore the compelling themes and intrinsic nuance of this fervently reclusive artist’s work. Although his technique and approach to the medium have been recognized by the Allied Artists of America and the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, among others, the artist remains deliberately sequestered, preferring to … [Read more...] about MARC WINNAT: TAKING A DIRECT APPROACH