 Back... "Pin It")
While we can’t confidently declare that all Sandy-damaged Chelsea galleries will be back on their feet this week, many of them will be reopening for the first time after the storm. Advance apologies for leaving most of those out below:
On Wednesday, the badly-flooded performance and gallery space the Kitchen opens a show of work by Jacob Kassay from 6-8 PM.
On Thursday from 6-8, there will be more Chelsea openings than you can possibly see in one trip, from 19th to 29th streets. Don’t miss: Dave Shrigley at Anton Kern, Giorgio Griffa at Casey Kaplan, Francis Alys at David Zwirner, and Daniel Buren at Bortolami.
On Saturday from 3-5PM, 27th Street galleries Jeff Bailey, Foxy Production, Wallspace, Derek Eller, and Winkleman reopen, as well as Andrew Kreps from 6-8.
And the rest of the events:
Tonight, Monday, January 7th
Screening/performance marathon: Now what, Microscope Gallery
Get yourself a crash course in emerging video and film tonight, when Bushwick’s Microscope Gallery screens a four hour-ish marathon of films, video, and performance by 27 artists— including the L Magazine’s own Paul D’Agostino! Bushwick has many screenings and performances, but rarely such an expansive selection all at one time. We see everyone from students to Bushwick mainstays to Barcelona-based curators on this list.
Part one: 7PM, Part two: 8:45PM, Part three: 10PM. $8 regular, $6 students. 4 Charles Place, Bushwick
Wednesday, January 9th
Opening: Jack Siegel, Half Gallery
Young artist Jack Siegel experienced a quick rise in popularity, according to the internet, thanks to staging nostalgic photos of his good-looking friends at Cooper Union with Lucien Smith. (We’ll reserve judgement till we see the new show). Siegel tells an interviewer that he’s now more interested in making work which is more timeless than nostalgic; lately, it’s been less of people and more minimal.
6-8 PM, 208 Forsyth Street, Manhattan
Friday, January 11th
Opening: Nethermead, Rivington Design House
Elsie Kagan’s much-loved Peter Paul Rubens-meets-Joan Mitchell paintings blow up as an installation of wall murals in Rivington Design House. Expect epic results, as Kagan’s work already revolves around a monumental sense of scale.
7-10 PM, 129 Rivington Street, Manhattan
Opening: Grasso, Grimonprez, Koh, Sean Kelly Gallery
Sean Kelly joins Friedrich Petzel in the eastward expansion, with a staggeringly huge 22,000 square foot gallery space. There’s a new sheriff in town. He christens his domain with three installations by Terence Koh, Laurent Grasso, and Johan Grimonprez.
6 PM, 475 Tenth Avenue
Panel: …towards meaning in a plural painting world, Hunter MFA building
Prominent art worlders like painters Dana Schutz and Merlin James, critic Raphael Rubinstein, and art historian Richard Shiff will discuss something painting has been struggling with for most of their lifetimes: how to find meaning now that it’s opened up, and whether the idea of advancement itself is over.
7:30, 450 W 41st. St, Second floor, Manhattan
Saturday, January 12th
Panel Discussion and Opening: Brooklyn/Montreal, A.I.R. Gallery
At this point, the Art Fag City staff has heard Paddy Johnson’s take on most issues. But still, if there’s one person I want to hear moderate a panel about international cultural exchange, as told through the Canadian and Brooklyn art scenes, it’s my boss. Conversations stemming from her Canadian roots tend to be far more down-to-earth than you’re ever likely to hear in the art world.
That dialogue will focus on institutions and debates which have influenced each scene. Speakers include Yvan Gauthier, chairman and managing director of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Véronique Ducharme, up-and-coming Montreal artist (Les Terri), Janet Biggs, established New York artist (Smack Mellon) and Alun William, curator, artist and Director at Parker’s Box. The sprawling Brooklyn/Montreal art exchange opens after the panel on Saturday evening, and will also go on view at Parker’s Box, Front Room, Interstate Projects, Causey Contemporary, Smack Mellon, Pierogi and Momenta Art.
Panel: 2-5 PM, Opening: 5-8PM, 111 Front Street, #228, DUMBO