If Cindy Sherman was eligible for an Academy Award she could be included in every single nomination (except for ‘best sound’ maybe).  Not for nothing did the MOMA clear a big wing on the 6th floor to showcase her work – in what is perhaps a more overwhelming retrospect than Cattelan’s recent spectacle at the Guggenheim.  Not unlike many other contemporary artists, she uses the concept of appropriation to explore roles and typecasts in media and culture – but Sherman does it most successfully; recreating herself in a fluent manner achievable only by someone who is in control of every aspect of their work. After all, she does everything herself,  from the make-up to the modeling, to all other technicalities - here is a photographer who has mastered the art of non-self portrait. Click here for more info on the exhibition.

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What a treat! See ya there..

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Haroshi is coming to the Jonathan Levine Gallery in April. (Along with some other great artists that I can’t wait to see). His love of skateboards is an admirable wholesome one; if they’re no longer good to ride then they’re great for his  sculptures –  colorful mosaics created mostly out of recycled skateboard wood.  Loving his style.

That skull is talking to me….

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Every time I go to Williamsburg, Fort Greene, or Park Slope, the inevitable discussion becomes ‘Brooklyn is changing big-time’.

The usual argument is that cheap low-income neighborhoods draw talented young artists who then turn it into the new hip-place-to-be, drawing in yuppies, higher costs, and driving out the people who were there to begin with.

The second, and just as valid reason, is the fact that poor neighborhoods, with their cheap real estate, easily attract urban renewal planners and contractors who are determined to transform and profit as much as possible.

The end result: huge condominium buildings stand where there were once brownstones, chain stores replace the mom and pop businesses, low-income taken over by middle income, young replace old, and so the list goes on..

The term for this: gentrification.

Interestingly enough, the exhibit I went to today is the first of it’s kind. The theme being: The Gentrification of Brooklyn.
It assembled 20 artists, of diverse backgrounds, who all stem from different neighborhoods in Brooklyn and exhibited their roles, views, and experience of this phenomenon. Some admitted to being responsible for gentrifying Brooklyn, some showed displeasure with it, and others simply displayed their experiences surrounding this matter or told stories of people who did.

The Gentrification of Brooklyn: The Pink Elephant speaks is being shown at The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts until May 16th. 80 Hanson Pl., Brooklyn, NY.

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Hyperrealist sculptor Ron Mueck continues to move his  exhibition around the world. It was shown in Brooklyn in 2007 and I have to say it was awe-inspiring. The exhibition is currently in Australia and will then be moving to England. His ability to emulate details of the human body and do so in varying scales is simply amazing. Anyone standing in front of these creations will be stupefied..

more pics after the jump Read more »

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