As reports grew on the large number of freighter crates sitting off the coast of California and with them, the warning that consumers best start their Christmas and holiday shopping early this year, postings of a social media meme also grew: “The work of local artists is not sitting on cargo ships.” It’s a message the art world, both regionally and nationally have been trying to share for years. The end of the calendar year is traditionally filled with holiday arts and crafts shows aimed at attracting gift shoppers; similarly, many galleries host exhibitions intended to assist those looking to give a unique special gift. The Copley Society of Art “Holiday Small Works 2021” show features its 300 plus member organization in a wide variety of mediums whose scenes offer a unique, special painting of a New England location whose meaning will warm the homes of its receiver for … [Read more...] about CAPSULE PREVIEWS FOR ARTSCOPE 95
November/December 2021
GAME ON: ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2021 PREVIEW
The art fair game is changing. It’s fast approaching the game of slip and slide, ad schedules change along with rules for admittance due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making attendance by galleries, artists and the art market public a game of chance. Following Art Basel and satellite fairs in Switzerland in September, that had been rescheduled from June 2021 with the June 2020 fair cancelled, Art Basel Miami Beach 2021, open privately and by invitation only from November 30 through December 1 and open to the public from December 2 through 4, promises 254 exhibitors, including 43 first-time participants, at the Miami Beach Convention Center — the same venue used in 2019 before the pandemic hit. With five sectors, including Galleries; Positions, presenting solo exhibits by emerging artists; Nova, showing new work by multiple artists; Survey, with art created pre-2000; and Editions presenting … [Read more...] about GAME ON: ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2021 PREVIEW
34TH SÃO PAULO BIENNIAL OPENS ITS DOORS: CELEBRATING A RETURN TO CULTURAL LIFE IN STYLE
One year after its original opening date, on September 4, 2021, the 34th São Paulo Biennial finally opened its doors to the public. The title, “Though it’s Dark, Still, I Sing,” inspired by a verse published in 1965 by Amazonian poet Thiago de Mello, brings a message of tenacity, hope and resilience to enlighten the hardship that has been terrorizing humankind by so many contemporary happenings and for some, for more than 500 years. A positive perspective seen through art is always encouraging. The arts continue to serve its purpose, working as an outlet for channeling emotions, a toolbox to help us make sense of the world that we coexist. The second oldest Biennial, followed by the Venice Bienalle, happens at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, located inside Ibirapuera Park (“Old Tree” in Tupi native language). Recently elected on social media as the best park in South America, it … [Read more...] about 34TH SÃO PAULO BIENNIAL OPENS ITS DOORS: CELEBRATING A RETURN TO CULTURAL LIFE IN STYLE
DISCOVERY & REINVENTION: BRIDGEPORT RETURNS FOR IN-PERSON EXPLORATION
The Bridgeport, Connecticut creative community is formidable. After adapting the annual Bridgeport Art Trail to an online event in 2020, they are planning a robust schedule of events for this November. The 2021 BAT theme is “Discovery and Reinvention.” Here’s a sample of the rich and unusual activities taking place from November 11 through 14. Bridgeport artists will open their studios to the public on Saturday and Sunday, November 13 and 14 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sites include Read’s ArtSpace, American Fabrics, The Knowlton, The NEST Arts Factory, and the newest site Metro Arts Studios. The full listing and the arts directory will be available in a printed program book at participating spaces and on bridgeport-art-trail.org. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here.) … [Read more...] about DISCOVERY & REINVENTION: BRIDGEPORT RETURNS FOR IN-PERSON EXPLORATION
STILL CONFRONTING INJUSTICE: ELIZABETH CATLETT’S TIMELESS WORKS AT CANTOR GALLERY
Printmaker and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett, who died in 2012, still feels quite alive through her life’s work. I visited the Cantor Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross having intentionally avoided reviewing the press material sent for its “The Art of Elizabeth Catlett from the Collection of Samella Lewis” so that I would react to the art without preconception. That changed in hurry as I realized that much of her work had been a subliminal part of my life, whether seeing it growing up in the city that gave the world Abbie Hoffmanand that had many social programs in its neighborhoods, or in my teenage years that followed as I became more aware of social and political protests. It felt warm and familiar and my thoughts turned to wondering how the college students who get to use the show as a backdrop for their fall studies were reacting to the work at a time that on-campus activism … [Read more...] about STILL CONFRONTING INJUSTICE: ELIZABETH CATLETT’S TIMELESS WORKS AT CANTOR GALLERY
DOUBLE MEANINGS AT WORK: ROY AND LAU’S ABSTRACT CONNECTIONS AT MONTSERRAT
It’s difficult to make out what you’re looking at. At first, it seems vaguely like an upside-down human head. But what would serve as a skull is a black vessel imprinted with flowers and leaves, and a raven ponytail grows out a would-be neck. Then there are the tan and lace-like patches creating a checkered patchwork across what would be a face, and the cream-colored nodules and protuberances growing nearly everywhere — some of which resemble reproductive organs. Meanwhile, a vastly different piece holds a similar curiosity: The silhouette of a chicken runs across dozens of rectangles on a Japanese paint color chart; the many hues arranged in neat rows include “luminous lemon,” “primary magenta” and “leaf green.” The former, “Ch’ing Nasty,” is a paper and hair collage by Jessica Lau; the latter a monotype by Rob Roy. (To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a … [Read more...] about DOUBLE MEANINGS AT WORK: ROY AND LAU’S ABSTRACT CONNECTIONS AT MONTSERRAT