Thursday, March 3, 2011
Art
Armory Week 2011: Photos from the Armory Show
Posted
by Benjamin Sutton
on Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 9:09 AM
It's Armory Week, and what better way to start than with some opening highlights from the Armory Show? And by "highlights" I really just mean things that caught my over-stimulated eyes for more than a split second—and, to be fair, with which I spent some more time on my second or third trip around the maze. Except that giant wood head by Stephan Balkenhol from the Galerie Forsblom booth. That just seemed like a good establishing shot.
- Firstly, most importantly, the fair's inevitable James Franco cameo, in a collage by Kalup Linzy at Athens gallery Breeder's booth.
- Untitled's booth featured Ry Rocklen's "Penny Tiles" on the floor and sarcastic stacked pieces by an artist whose name I didn't catch.
- The Lehmann Maupin booth was full of Gilbert & George postcard sculptures.
- Canada had an thickly carpeted installation that looked like the work of their artist Katherine Bernhardt.
- KAWS did a whole bunch of round pieces and this free-standing statue for his solo show at the L.A. gallery Honor Fraser's booth.
- Paul Kasmin Gallery blocked access to their entire booth space with a neon white picket fence by Ivan Navarro.
- Studio la Citta's display featured this trio of fabric-wrapped articulated skyspcrapers.
- A little later that one building was blowing up.
- Most of the large animal sculptures at the Armory show are lively, but this sculpture by Berlinde de Bruyckere (thanks commenter!) at Italian outfit Galleria Continua's booth seems to be a pun on "Beating a dead horse."
- Beautiful sphere etched into plywood by Michael DeLucia (foreign booth, can't remember which though).
- An Angel Otero at Chicago-Berlin gallery Kavi Gupta.
- One of the Armory Show's best installations, at Brazilian gallery Baró's booth.
- Alfredo Jaar's hilarious "September 15" at Madrid's Galeria Oliva Arauna.
- This sculpture, "Exploding Astronaut" by Tavares Strachan, hangs over the main lounge space at Pier 94.
- Installation view of David Wojnarowicz's "Heads" (1984) at the Andrew Kreps Gallery booth.
- Chinese restaurant neons spell the artist's father's name and that of a Japanese pornstar in "What Makes Me Understand What I know ? No. 1" (2009) by An He.
- Over on the Modern side, at Pier 92, Marlborough had this huge Tom Otterness bear.
- Another bear! Anne Chu's "Single bear (polyester)" at the 303 Gallery booth. Despite the title, it's made of resin.
- And just for good measure, a Nick Cave Soundsuit from the Jack Shainman booth.
Next up: Art Brooklyn, Independent and Moving Image! Stay tuned for photos from those later on today and tomorrow (or track our movements on Twitter @LMagArt).
Tags: Armory Week, Armory Show, NYC art, Art fairs, Jack Shainman, 303 Gallery, Andrew Kreps, Angel Otero, Tom Otterness, David Wojnarowicz
