EVENT ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2017 CONVENTION CENTER SOUTH BEACH, MIAMI, FLORIDA ART BASEL HONG KONG MARCH 29-31, 2018 ART BASEL SWITZERLAND JUNE 14-17, 2018 ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH DECEMBER 6-9, 2018 ARTBASEL.COM by Nancy Nesvet For this writer, Art Basel Miami Beach 2017, the world’s biggest art show — in space, sales, artist and gallery representation — provided a giddy week. The crowded fair, full of technology, dazzle and shine, featured work from the big names in contemporary art. Anish Kapoor’s vertical swoosh of steel, “Non-Object (Door)” (2008, stainless steel, Lisson Gallery), reflected people who posed in front of it admiring their reflection. Barry X Ball’s “Perfect Forms (after Umberto Boccioni)” (2010-14, Connersmith) upped the ante by using 24-karat gold in another aerodynamic, futuristic form. Older paintings and sculptures for sale included Marc … [Read more...] about ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2017: CHECKING THE ART WORLD’S PULSE
Exhibits
TWO ROADS DIVERGED…: VON MERTENS AT UMASS LOWELL
REVIEW ANNA VON MERTENS: COLOR: A LOVE STORY UNIVERSITY GALLERY AT UMASS LOWELL MAHONEY HALL 870 BROADWAY STREET LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS JANUARY 22 THROUGH MARCH 3 by Greg Morell There are two divergent roads of aesthetic departure for New Hampshire artist Anna Von Mertens. In one direction, we discover works of popular whimsy — a lighthearted exploration of the emoji. Fanciful, playful, vibrantly colorful and deliciously cute, it’s art candy you just want to eat. However, the other path that Von Mertens explores is far different. Both will on view in “Color: A Love Story,” an exhibition running from January 22 through March 3 in the University Gallery at UMass Lowell. In the main gallery, Von Mertens will present two beds, side by side, in the open expanse of the gallery floor. It is not the beds themselves, but what is on the beds that is the point of the … [Read more...] about TWO ROADS DIVERGED…: VON MERTENS AT UMASS LOWELL
SCIENTIFICALLY MOVING: HIGLEY DRAWS US IN
REVIEW KATE HIGLEY: PAINTING BENEATH THE SURFACE GATEWAY GALLERY GREAT BAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 320 CORPORATE DRIVE PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE THROUGH MARCH 2 by Linda Chestney Living life on the edge artistically — that’s how I describe Kate Higley. She pushes past fear, embraces change and lives life large. She has the unusual ability to enliven the right brain and left brain simultaneously. Higley — whose experience is diverse — loves art and loves biology. But for practical reasons early on in her life, she chose to study nursing. She immersed herself in biology, anatomy and physiology, ultimately working alongside surgeons where she was spellbound by the intricacies and colors of the human body. She was mesmerized with blood traveling through vessels, which caused organs and structures to pulse in extraordinary color. Absorbingly fascinating. Over her career, … [Read more...] about SCIENTIFICALLY MOVING: HIGLEY DRAWS US IN
ON THE EDGE: STORROW’S EVOLUTION OF STYLE
REVIEW NANCY STORROW: EDGELAND NEXT STAGE GALLERY 15 KIMBALL HILL PUTNEY, VERMONT THROUGH FEBRUARY 13 by Marguerite Serkin Nancy Storrow does not take her artistic vision for granted. She finds her inspiration in the hills and natural landscape of Southern Vermont, where she has made her home for over 50 years. In Storrow’s current exhibition, “Edgeland,” on view at the Next Stage Gallery in Putney, Vermont through February 13, the artist has offered an opportunity for a rare retrospective of her work, conveying a subtle evolution of her stylistic approach over the years. “For the past 10 or so years, I’ve worked with pastel and graphite,” Storrow shared during a recent interview. “I shifted from watercolor and woodcut prints, then to oil and oil paint sticks, and then to pastel and graphite. I have always preserved WHITE as space or air,” Storrow added, “but … [Read more...] about ON THE EDGE: STORROW’S EVOLUTION OF STYLE
BEAUTIFUL MINDS AT FULLER: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART
COVER STORY MINDFUL: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART FULLER CRAFT MUSEUM 455 OAK STREET BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH APRIL 22 by Beth Neville “Memento Mori,” a woodblock print with cut mylar crafted by Swoon, is a technical “tour de force” that dominates the Fuller Craft Museum’s “Mindful” exhibition. Memento mori in Latin means remembrance of death. This writer’s first-born baby girl died at four months of age, and Swoon’s imagery brings back all the sadness and anguish of that loss. In a dance of life and death, Swoon’s four images of women are surrounded by skeletons and fleshless skulls, somewhat softened by a lacy pattern of palm fronds and curling cloud patterns. Her complex image begins with an aging-dying woman whose fleshless arms and hands embrace a smiling, young woman embracing a little girl. This young woman’s upper torso morphs into a bony … [Read more...] about BEAUTIFUL MINDS AT FULLER: EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH ART
EVOKING CURIOSITY AND EMPATHY: TRANSMUTATIONS AT MONTSERRAT
REVIEW TRANSMUTATIONS MONTSERRAT GALLERY MONTSERRAT COLLEGE OF ART 23 ESSEX STREET BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH JANUARY 20 by Elizabeth Michelman “Transmutations,” on view at Montserrat College of Art’s main gallery and curated by Michele L’Heureux, features three figurative artists. Their paintings, ranging from the very small to the entire wall, are created with acrylic and airbrush on canvas, oils, markers on paper and even glazed ceramic panels. Along with a realist technique, they share the power of a convincing likeness that evokes curiosity and empathy for the person behind the image. Following quite different agendas, the artists incorporate photographic sources and employ collage processes to recombine pre-existing materials into a new whole. To read more, pick up a copy of our latest issue! Find a pick-up location near you or Subscribe Here. … [Read more...] about EVOKING CURIOSITY AND EMPATHY: TRANSMUTATIONS AT MONTSERRAT