Happy New Year

In 2022, we have seen an increasing integration of digital and technology-based art into the mainstream art world. There has been a tremendous growth in the resources and platforms available for digital art, including online exhibition spaces like Vortic and Art At A Time Like This. Artists and collectors who have been active in the art NFT space for the past several years are looking for new opportunities to dive deeper into art history while creating more meaning within different mediums and movements. We hope to continue encouraging dialogue between the crypto, digital space and the more traditional art spaces in 2023. Wishing you love, health and happiness in the new year.

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CURATORIAL RECAP

MARCH 2022

We travelled to Dubai for Block Party, a NFT exhibition at Christie’s Dubai presenting the world’s leading NFT art experimentalists brought together for the first NFT exhibition by a global auction house in the region during Art Dubai, the Middle East’s leading international art fair.

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2022

Digital artist Andrés Reisinger with director and visual artist Sam Mason presented ANY DAY NOW, a digital artwork exhibited in London at W1 Curates digital exhibition space, W1 Immersive, a unique gallery that uses state-of-the-art technology to showcase the most innovative digital creations.

OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2022

A collaboration with Vortic, a sustainable digital exhibition ecosystem for the art world, Fever Dream presented an evocative series of abstract and figurative works by 13 international artists brought together for the first time through a unique, and ultimately enabling digital experience.

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HIGHLIGHTS

FAVORITE EMERGING ARTISTS

HIBA SCHAHBAZ​

Hiba Schahbaz, a participating artist in our Fever Dream show, was born in Karachi, Pakistan and lives in Brooklyn, NY. Traditionally trained as a miniaturist, her arrival to New York proved transformative for her practice as she magnified her miniature practice to produce life-size portraits of women.

FRANCESCA MOLLETT

London-based artist Francesca Mollett makes abstract paintings that react to space and context. Her works are reflections of light and surface formed over a long, fluid and precise process composed through addition and subtraction. Often influenced by literature, Mollett reveals a deep relationship between the ethos of life and of time, elusive and unable to be articulated through representation alone.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION: ‘GREEN LACE’

This large scale painting by Angela Heisch titled 'Green Lace', a key work from her recent solo exhibition at the Grimm Gallery, was acquired by the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam with the generous support of my dear friend, client and human rights activist, Amar Singh.

FAVORITE PARTNERSHIP: ART AT A TIME LIKE THIS

Art at a Time Like This supports artists and curators in the 21st century, presenting art in direct response to current events. Founded on March 17th, 2020 by independent curators Barbara Pollack and Anne Verhallen, this non-profit, digital first, arts organization presents art in public spaces --online and offline--as a direct response to social and political events. Their mission is to show that art can make a difference and that artists and curators can be thought-leaders, envisioning alternative futures for humanity. (Image: Latifa Zafar Attaii, From the exhibition Before Silence: Afghan Artists In Exile)

FAVORITE ARTIST INTRODUCTION: LA II AT D’STASSI ART

It was our pleasure to place Puerto Rican street artist Angel Ortiz, better known as LA II with a new gallery, D’Stassi Art in London. Discovered by Keith Haring at the age of 12, LA II had a new solo show titled King of Hearts on view at the gallery in October of 2022. “This show [was] Ortiz’s first in the UK in over 40 years, and as such, it tends to tell a story of leaving the past behind and standing still in the present.” (Widewalls) (Left Image: Corazon, 2022. Paintmarker and spray paint on canvas, 48 x 48 in. / Right Image: Dance Party, 2022. Paintmarker and spray paint on canvas, 48 x 48 in)

FAVORITE SHOWS

AT A FOUNDATION: JENNA GRIBBON AT COLLEZIONE MARAMOTTI

Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia presented Mirages, the first solo show in a European art institution by American painter Jenna Gribbon, who has conceived a new group of ten works specifically for their Pattern Room. Gribbon’s figurative paintings draw inspiration from personal memories, art history and everyday experience, fluidly combining different styles in each piece. Working from photos she has taken with her phone as a way of “capturing ideas”, the artist creates scenes and portraits that have a cinematic feel, hovering between reality, fiction and imagination.

AT A MUSEUM: WILLIAM KENTRIDGE AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

Last fall, the Royal Academy of Arts in London featured global creative powerhouse William Kentridge, South Africa’s most celebrated living artist, in the biggest exhibition of the artist’s work in the UK. With a practice spanning across multiple mediums like etching, drawing, collage, film and sculpture to tapestry, theatre, opera, dance and music, this Johannesburg-born artist developed his early work during the apartheid regime of the 1980s, and his electrifying large-scale productions and animations have since been shown across the world.

AT A GALLERY: BODYLAND AT GALERIE MAX HETZLER

Curated by Lauren Taschen, BodyLand at Galerie Max Hetzler in Berlin was a liberation of the female form and reemergence into the outside world. With a focus on the natural, both land and body, Taschen says "[t]his group of mostly young and mostly female artists are united in the consistency of the interest, and they afford aspects of their relationship with nature and landscape as well as their relationship to the female body in their artistic practice," she says. (Cultured Mag)

From Degas to Digital: NFT-easing your way into Collecting

Installation view of NFTism: No Fear in Trying, curated by Kenny Schachter

Join me for this live event!

22nd November 2021

Time: Doors 6.00PM, Runtime 6.30PM - 7.30PM

Location: Leo's

Price: Complimentary

NFTs have disrupted the art world, with much speculation as to whether they are a passing trend or here to stay. With figures showing this new online marketplace has driven sales of contemporary art to a record £2.7bn and now account for 2% of all art sales, we continue the conversation from our NFT panel discussion earlier this year, by observing how the traditional art world is starting to embrace NFTs.

Among those joining the conversation will be journalist Alex Estorick, whose writing specialises in the relationship between art and technology, Joe Kennedy, co-founder of Institut - the first art world-led platform for NFTs, art advisor and curator Daria Borisova, and interdisciplinary artist Lans King.

Restoration: Now or Never

“We are thinking about these problems of climate change as something that the next generation will face,” said Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera, a researcher at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland. “It’s something we are facing already. We are throwing stones at ourselves.” -New York Times, May 31, 2021

Now—not later—is the time to consider solutions to the climate emergency as monsoons, natural disasters, heat-related deaths and even the pandemic can be linked to its impact.

As London reopened its art scene with everyone celebrating the summer weather, a dramatic public art project filled the streets. ‘Restoration: Now or Never,’ organized by Daria Borisova and Anne Verhallen (Art At A Time Like This), in collaboration with SaveArtSpace and Hauser & Wirth, focused on the urgency of our climate crisis through a visual public display throughout London, UK. The exhibition, spanning across billboards and bus shelters, was in conjunction with World Environment Day in the UK, a day committed to encouraging awareness and action to protect our environment. Bringing emerging and established artists together, this was the first UK activation by the non-profit SaveArtSpace.

The public art exhibition presented renowned artists alongside artists carefully selected through an open call. Working with a next-generation curatorial team, including Michael Xufu Huang, Destinee Ross-Suton, Aindrea Emelife, Daria Borisova and Anne Verhallen, the show brought together a global and diverse group of artists. Curators selected artists who create work in response to climate change, calls for restorative action or suggests a path forward. Selected artists included Cara Romero, Coco Capitán, Formafantasma, Fred Tomaselli, Hayden Kays, Johan Deckmann, Khari Turner, Tianjiao Zhang, Edward Tsui, Lanmuzhi Yang, Lily Kwong, Misha Waks, Odinakachi Okoroafor, Olive Allen, Philomène Amougou, Piotr Krzymowski, Rewind Collective, Sophie Hughes, Stefan Brüggemann, Susan Unterberg, Tabita Rezaire, Wang Yuyang, Whitney Stolich, and Zhang Huan.

Cara Romero, Evolvers

Coco Capitán, The Hope That Carries a Flower

Formafantasma

Fred Tomaselli, Saturday, January 17, 2015 #3

Hayden Kays, EAT SLEEP POLLUTE REPEAT

Johan Deckmann, Future Plans

Khari Turner, Untitled

EARTH, Lily Kwong

Misha Waks, Untitled

Odinakachi Okoroafor, The Global Warming Menace

Olive Allen, Melting Away

Philomène Amougou, Bodyland Sarcophagus

Piotr Krzymowski, Handover

Rewind Collective, Mother Nature XV (Tamara de Lempicka)

Whitney Stolich, SpaceBetweenPlaces/#8

Sophie Hughes, THE TRUTH IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE TRUTH

Stefan Brüggemann, Online Disconnected

Tabita Rezaire, Sorry For Real_Sorrow For_Soul

Wang Yuyang

Susan Unterberg, Displaced By Extinction

Zhang Huan, Family Trees

2020: A Year in Review

Happy New Year!

We made it! It’s been a whirlwind of a year marked by sweeping event cancellations, travel restrictions, online viewing rooms and job losses in the art world. But with so much loss shines an opportunity to evolve and be innovative with our available resources and connections. Below I’m sharing our highlights from the 2020 year.

Thank you for your support. We wish you peace and success in the new year.

Photograph by Hadassi

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W1 Curates x Amplifier

When quarantine hit and we were at our lowest, it was our goal to ignite the people of London with artwork that promoted public safety, well-being and visions for the future. In response to Covid-19, we collaborated with W1 Curates and Amplifier to hold a global call for artists to create a digital public art installation on the facade of Flannels flagship store located on London’s iconic Oxford Street. There were tens of thousands of entries, and we raised over £100,000 that went back to the winning artists.

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Pascal Sender with Maximillian Siegenbruk

House of Togetherness

House of Togetherness, a collaborative exhibition with Harlesden High Street in central London, brought together four emerging artists, Pascal Sender, Sally Kindberg, Maximillian Siegenbruk and Emmanuel Awuni, who utilize painting and sculpture to address the contemporary notion of new materials to emphasize different contexts and establish a new language of complexities in a world where it’s every man for itself, a reflection of the contemporary art world. Unfortunately due to the Covid-19 lockdown, after working months to bring the show together, we were only permitted to have one opening night before shutting the exhibition down the next day.

Sally Kindberg with Maximillian Siegenbruk

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COLLECTING 101 with

Beth Redmond

With a desire to reach out when it felt like the world just needed more communication and inspiration, we started a new series collaboration with The Art Gorgeous titled Collecting 101. We found the most knowledgeable and inspiring female collectors in the art world to educate art lovers and future collectors on the cryptic art of collecting. Interviewees have included inspiring women like Alejandra Castro Rioseco, founder of MIA, a private art collection with a global footprint aimed at promoting women artists and their work, and board member of the eagerly anticipated Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, as well as Aloisia Leopardi, a young collector who started her own new residency program in southern Italy called the Castello San Basilio in Basilicata.

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Christopher Hartmann

HerStory

Together with the nonprofit Beauty for Freedom, we organized HERSTORY, an exhibition to benefit Beauty for Freedom, along with three additional Black-led, women-led grassroots initiatives who empower women and girls of color, battle human trafficking, and support victims of sexual violence. HERSTORY was a chance to support grassroots movements led by women of color who are making real positive change throughout the world, starting in local communities. This critical narrative speaks to the possibilities of creating lasting change during this global movement currently fighting oppressive forces in our troubling era of worldwide health crisis, escalating poverty, ongoing state-sanctioned murders, and mounting authoritarian rule across the globe. Through their community, Beauty for Freedom donated over $350,000 in supplies for the arts, facilitated over 20,000 hours of volunteerism in anti-trafficking movements and created workshops for over 3,000 survivors of human trafficking. Profits from the sales were split between the artists and the organizations. 

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Art She Says

This summer, I spent my time reconnecting with nature in the English countryside where my attention was drawn to one particular animal — sheep! In one of my favorite interviews of the year, I curated a selection for Art She Says that highlights sheep as they are featured in works of art from old masters to the present day. 

“Sheep have been a popular motif from Raphael paintings to the latest cover of Vogue. Who would have thought that sheep could be so interesting?”

She Curates Interview

Daria, how would you describe what you do in a few words? 

DB: Passion, Focus, Dedication. I am a curator, art advisor and activist who is passionate about supporting emerging artists and advocating for gender equality. 

If you could have a meal with any artist from any time:

a) what would the meal be, and 

b) who would it be with, and why? 

DB: I would definitely visit Georgia O'Keeffe's house in New Mexico and try her famous homemade bread. O’Keefe was a serious health food enthusiast and lived to be 98 years old. She was always seeking to be artistic in every aspect of her life. 

Tell me about your earliest memory surrounding art, and when did you decide to pursue a career in art?

DB: Growing up in the Russian countryside, I wasn’t really exposed to art until I started traveling when I would visit museums and attend openings. But my first real interaction within the art world probably happened when I visited an art collective in Soho NY. I fell in love with the artist lifestyle- no 9-5, Monday to Friday grind. Rather, they had the flexibility and freedom to focus on creating. To have that pure freedom and to be surrounded by art was beautiful. The owner of the collective saw my passion and asked me to help with an art auction to help fundraise for a new space. I never looked back since.

What was your first position in the ‘art world’? 

DB: I met many artists in New York who became my friends, and I was helping some of them to organize exhibitions. I worked on many events and exhibitions for different artists. I started sharing these experiences on my social media, and collectors started reaching out to me to buy directly from the studio. So I learned how to sell art :) 

And do you have a top tip for someone starting out in the art world? 

DB: Energy and passion is 70% of success. If you don’t have it, always be nice to everyone you meet because the art world can be small. The art world is built on relationships, and you never know who you’ll meet. So keep yourself open to opportunities, and be nice. Also, I think if you’re serious about building a good reputation for yourself, you should pick a few artists to focus on and really learn everything you can on them. For me, I started studying Richard Hambleton and other street artists, learned as much as I could and connected myself to more people with the same interest. In time, business will come to you because you have connections, the passion and the expertise.

What was the first piece of artwork you bought/collected, and what is the jewel in your art collection Daria? 

DB: Since my journey started in New York, I befriended a number of street and graffiti artists who gifted me works through the years. My first one was a small painting from Paul Insect, and my jewel is a work by my favorite artist, Richard Hambleton. 

This is a tricky one I know! - If you could own any piece of artwork, what would that work be, and where would you hang it? 

DB: White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) by Mark Rothko, and I would put it in my storage for now. Something that good goes straight to storage! I would also love a major painting by Cecily Brown, a Nurse painting by Richard Prince, or a Word painting by Christopher Wool. 

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? 

DB: I’m self-taught and never went to art school or was exposed to art at a young age. I learned everything through experience and passion, and also my two mentors, Rick Librizzi and Ghada Dergham. 

What has been your experience of the creative world so far? 

DB: Never-ending rollercoaster adventure. 

How would you reframe the conversation around art to get more people involved? 

DB: I think there’s this tendency to think of art as something that is out of reach, or only accessible to those with money. In the past, art was something only the upper class and aristocrats had access to, but now it’s available to everyone in different forms. Social media, and Instagram specifically, have completely democratized the art world by creating new entry points of accessibility and communication. You don’t have to be in New York or London to participate in this world, but rather, you can look to Instagram or even your local art scene to be a part of it. Everyone can be involved in different ways, and you meet the most interesting people through art.

What are some things you’re committed to fulfilling in your career? 

DB: It’s important to me to build a reputation as someone who instantly recognizes emerging talents and who is able to place works with the right collectors. Nothing makes me happier than discovering a new talent. I also love doing charity work, and believe this is something to continue in my career. Art is an amazing tool that builds empathy and brings like-minded people together for good causes. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far Daria? 

DB: A couple of years ago, I co-curated the Project Ghana art exhibition for Beauty for Freedom, and it was a really beautiful experience. Our goal was to empower young trafficking survivors as artists and creatives while raising funds for the rescue, recovery, education and reintegration of more survivors in Ghana. 100% of the proceeds of the artwork sold went to Challenging Heights, a Ghanaian anti-trafficking organization, and JR’s Inside Out Project. More recently, ending this June, we wrapped a project in response to Covid-19 with W1 Curates and Amplifier where we held a global call for artists for a digital public art installation in London. There were tens of thousands of entries, and we raised over £100,000 that went back to the winning artists. 

What is your greatest indulgence in life? 

DB: Taking a day off that I’m not supposed to! I love to have fun, travel, eat good food and spend time with friends and family. Days where I can put the work away, put the phone down, seem like a luxury. 

Looking ahead, what do you think could be your biggest challenge? 

DB: Maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

What would be your dream project? 

DB: My dream is to have a big house where I can host artists for residency and exhibit their work. Host big dinners for art lovers. I love bringing people together.

Is there something that you and She Curates could work on together? 

DB: I’m currently curating a show for a non-profit organization called Beauty for Freedom. #HERSTORY is an art exhibit that will raise funds for organizations founded and led by women of color from the US and Africa in honor of International Day of the Girl Child. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. We are looking for more artists and media to support the project. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to support the non-profit beneficiaries and 50% of the proceeds of the artwork sales would go directly to the artists.

Daria, who is your favourite historical female artist?

DB: Georgia O'Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, Hilma af Klint, Augusta Savage, Judy Chicago

And who are your favourite current practicing women artists (as many as you like) + Instagram handles? 

DB:

Betty Tomkins

Jenny Saville

Cecily Brown

Tracey Emin

Loie Hollowell

Shara Hughes

Kara Walker

Louise Bonnet

Jade Fadojutimi

Claire Tabouret

Genieve Figgis

Jesse Mockrin

Who should She Curates interview next (as many as you like)

DB:

Anne Verhallen

Vajra Sarcadia

Destinee Ross-Sutton

Beth Redmond

Angeliki Kim Jonson

Is there anything else you wanted to say Daria? 

DB: Thank you She Curates for promoting art and empowering women in the art world!

The English Countryside: Counting Sheep

Special feature by ArtSheSays

I think we can agree that 2020 has been a strange year for all of us. Personally, my summer in the UK has been spent reconnecting with nature in the British countryside. In particular, my attention has been drawn to one particular animal that I can't help but be fascinated by- sheep! And apparently, I'm not the only one. Sheep have been a popular motif, from Raphael paintings to the latest cover of Vogue. Who would have thought that sheep could be so interesting?

This selection highlights sheep as they are featured in works of art from old masters to the present day. 

The Holy Family With a Lamb, Raphael, 1507, oil on panel

This composition shows Saint Anne gripping the Virgin, who tries to keep her son from embracing the lamb, a symbol of sacrifice and surrender.

Our English Coasts, William Holman Hun, 1852, oil on canvas

A picturesque, romantic painting of sheep along the coast of Sussex was painted en plein air, despite the cold and rainy weather in the fall and winter of 1852. This sheep painting was considered quite an adventurous composition for Hun at the time.

Spring, Pablo Picasso, 1965, oil on canvas

In Mediterranean culture, the first born lamb was the epitome of victory and spring. Picasso's lamb portrayal is a hope for future happiness.

Bighorn Ram (from the series, Endangered Species), Andy Warhol, 1983, silkscreen

Commissioned by friend and publisher, Ron Feldman and his wife Freyda, Warhol created a series of ten endangered species, including the bighorn ram, to raise awareness and environmental consciousness. This series of "animals in makeup," as Warhol fondly put it, are displayed as larger than life and in signature pops of color.

(Courtesy of Menashe Kadishman)

Sheep Head B, Menashe Kadisman, 1979, screenprint on paper

The sheep was both a symbol of human sacrifice, and a reminder of Kadishman's youth when he worked as a shepherd on Ma'ayan Baruch, a kibbutz in Northern Israel.

(Courtesy of Damien Hirst and Science Ltd.)

Away from the flock, Damien Hirst, 1994,  Glass, stainless steel, Perspex, acrylic paint, lamb and formaldehyde solution

As the title suggests, a single sheep takes on new meaning when it is away from its flock. Hirst has commented that this single sheep is an outsider, not connected to anything, including the "flock of living things."

(Courtesy of Julian Opie)

Sheep 1 (from Nature 1 series), Julian Opie, 2014, vinyl on wall

Growing up with the English art of the post-war St. Ives School, Opie's familiar reductive line work is a blend of pop art and minimalism. Taking the familiar, and then reintroducing the object, or animal, to create a new mood. In his words, the St. Ives mood is "plain, modest and innocent, often lovely and occasionally cloying. I find myself contrasting this longing, wide-eyed, cool and natural quality with elements of our urban, post-industrial, somewhat ruined world." - Julian Opie

British Vogue August 2020 "Reset" Issue, Martin Parr

Photographer Parr is one of fourteen artists commissioned to celebrate the natural world by allowing readers to enjoy nature from their own home. Parr's landscape, featuring two spring lambs, speaks to the joy and diversity of the British landscape. "The most unexpected small things can have a sense of mystery when you photograph them, and the presence of the black lamb is transfixing.”  -Martin Parr. The original artworks will be auctioned to raise money for COVID-19-focused charities at the end of the year.

EXHIBITIONS TO SEE THIS MONTH IN LA THAT OPENED IN TANDEM WITH FRIEZE LA

By: Anne Verhallen

After a very successful inaugural fair in 2019, Frieze Los Angeles presented its second edition last week. These days art fairs seem to offset an accumulation of art activations, fantastic gallery exhibitions and well-curated cultural programs in public and membership environments such as NeueHouse who partnered up with Frieze to facilitate the Frieze VIP members. 

This year’s Frieze Los Angeles was at full capacity by 11 AM, an hour after the opening, leaving the VIP’s waiting in line on opening day. The fair felt younger, with a Focus L.A. sector that presents local galleries under 15 years. Some of the favorite presentations this year were; Avery Singer presented by Hauser and Wirth, Sayre Gomex presented in the Focus L.A. by François Ghebaly Gallery, James Turrell presented by Pace Gallery and Griffin Corcoran, works by Alvaro Barrington presented by Sadie Collins and a group show including the Richard Prince Car presented by Gagosian curated around the concept of what shapes Los Angeles.

It was a week full of opening exhibitions, first private events then public events for all shows. The vast amount of great works presented in tandem with the fair was too much to see in just a day or a week. This article will offer you some guidance and give a selection of 6 must-see exhibitions in Los Angeles this month.

All of Them Witches, curated by Laurie Simmons and Dan Nadel. Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, 2020. Photos by Joshua White.

“All of Them Witches” - Jeffrey Deitch February 8 –  April 11, 2020 925 North Orange Drive, Los Angeles

Organized by writer and curator Dan Nadel and artist and photographer Laurie Simmons, ‘All of Them Witches’ presents over 40 artists, including leading female artists such as Maril Minter, Judy chicago, Kik Smith, Judith Bernstein,  Nancy Spero, and Lisa Yuskavage amongst others. The Exhibition was conceived after an initial conversation between Nadel and Simmons led by the discovery of Austé Peciuca in which they discovered their common interest in gothic drawing and filmmaking.

The Scarlet Woman, 2020 - Ariana Papademetropoulos
All of Them Witches, curated by Laurie Simmons and Dan Nadel. Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, 2020. Photos by Joshua White.

The exhibition starts with 3 works by Ellen Berkenblit, called “Electric Lace,’ ‘What Then Found,’ 2019, ‘Beauty. Knowledge. Pleasure. Art. Darkness. Sex. Love. Life,’ 2019.

The layout of the exhibition demands the viewer to walk in a circle through the space to view the overwhelming amount of artworks, with the work installed side by side and in little rooms in between. The exhibition has an impressive collection of strong paintings, videos, multimedia, sculptural works and installations making this groupshow is an absolute must-see.

Installation view of ‘I Guess By Now I’m Supposed To Be A Man: I’m Just Trying To Leave Behind Yesterday.’ Courtesy UTA Artist Space

Arcmanoro Niles: ’I Guess By Now I’m Supposed To Be A Man: I’m Just Trying To Leave Behind Yesterday.’ At UTA Artist Space
February 12th - March 14th
403 Foothill Rd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Arcmanoro Niles, is a Washington born, and Brooklyn based artist. Since graduating from the New York Academy of Art in 2015 the artist has been making a name for himself. In the last 5 years Niles has shown two solo exhibitions at Rachel Uffner Gallery and was included in the group show ‘Punch’ at Jeffrey Deitch.

'Show Me I'm Not Shattered (Try To Ignore The Elephant Somehow),’ 2020
Photo credit Stan Narten. Courtesy of the artist and Rachel Uffner Gallery. Copyright Arcmanoro Niles

‘I Guess By Now I’m Supposed to Be A Man: I’m Just Trying To Leave Behind Yesterday.’ presents seven large scale paintings in the mainroom of UTA artist space and some smaller portraits in the side room.  

The series of large scale portraits are painted in Niles signature saturated colors. The works reflect on how our personal life journey is affected by experiences, relationships and events on our path. These forces of experiences are depicted as outlined caricatures in the corner or side of the paintings. The life journey is resembled by the variety of age of the figures in each painting, the exhibition starts with a small child playing on the floor, other works depict an older man or an adolescent. The works feel like family portraits in vibrant color, until you look closer and feel the seriousness that Niles refers to.

Installation view, ‘Nicolas Party. Sottobosco,’Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles,2020
©Nicolas Party Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Photo:JoshuaWhite / JWPictures

‘Nicolas Party: Sottobosco,’ - Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles 13 Feb – 12 Apr 2020 901-909 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

It is undeniable that Nicolas Party has been receiving great recognition for his work in the last years. It came to no surprise that Hause & Wirth’s opening on the night before Frieze Los Angeles was very well attended, everyone seemed to have made it to Hauser & Wirth popular downtown location.

Portrait with Snakes, 2019 © Nicolas Party. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth Photo: Jeff McClane

Party’s work completely transformed the galleries of the Hauser & Wirth building with his signature murals and installations. The show comprises figurative and landscape paintings, as well as sculptures alongside the site specific murals. The exhibition completely submerges you into the artist’s world, with a perfect balance between the complementary colors in each room, serene landscapes and attention seeking portraits, as well as a variety of shapes and sizes, the exhibition is an absolute joy.  

Lucio Fontana ‘Ambiente spaziale’ [Spatial Environment] 1949
Colored ink on photograph 21 x 17 cm / 8 1/4 x 6 3/4 in © Fondazione Lucio Fontana by SIAE 2020 Courtesy Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Milano Photo: Federico Torra

‘Lucio Fontana. Walking the Space: Spatial Environments, 1948 – 1968’ - Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles
13 February – 12 April 2020
901-909 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Hauser & Wirth has proven to understand the importance of creating environments and installations and seems to have recognized the cravings of the audience to have all senses tickled.

‘Lucio Fontana. Walking the space: Spatia; Environments, 1948 -1968’ is a surprising presentation of reconstructed installation works by Lucio Fontana first conceived in the 50s and 60s. From rooms made out of slippery carpets to dark rooms with neon or light installations, the exhibition is dynamic and interactive. For many of us Fontana is the artist of the famous sliced one colored canvas, yet we remain unfamiliar with his other important works. This exhibition celebrates Fontana as an important contributor to conceptual art, and proves him to be way ahead of the curve!

Lucio Fontana, Spatial Environment, 1967, Ambiente spaziale [Spatial Environment] 1967Installation view,‘ Lucio Fontana. Ambienti/Environments’,Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2017 © Fondazione Lucio Fontana by SIAE 2020. Courtesy Pirelli Hangar Bicocca, Milan. Photo: Agostino Osio.

‘Lucio Fontana. Walking the space: Spatia; Environments, 1948 -1968’ is a surprising presentation of reconstructed installation works by Lucio Fontana first conceived in the 50s and 60s. From rooms made out of slippery carpets to dark rooms with neon or light installations, the exhibition is dynamic and interactive. For many of us Fontana is the artist of the famous sliced one colored canvas, yet we remain unfamiliar with his other important works. This exhibition celebrates Fontana as an important contributor to conceptual art, and proves him to be way ahead of the curve!

Installation view of 50+50: A Creative Century from Chouinard to CalArts at REDCAT, February 2020. Image by Rafael Hernandez, Courtesy of CalArt

50+50: A Creative Century from Chouinard to CalArts at REDCAT
February 12, 2020 to Sunday, March 22, 202
631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles

California Institute of Art is a private art university that has been educating leading artists since the 70s, making the year 2021 their 50th anniversary. It is also the 100th anniversary of the forerunner Institute Chouinard. 
‘A Creative Century from Chouinard to CalArts’ is an artist-led scholarship endowment initiative and marks and celebrates the decades of championing creativity, education, expression and critical reflection.

Installation view of 50+50: A Creative Century from Chouinard to CalArts at REDCAT, February 2020.
Image by Rafael Hernandez, Courtesy of CalArt

Organized by Carmen Amengual, the inaugurated exhibition is presented at the REDCAT gallery and features the following artists: John Baldessar, Annie Collier, Laddie John Dill, Joe goode, Naotaka Hiro, Tony Oursler, Gala Porras-kim, Stephen prina, Barbara T Smith, Carrie Mae Weems. The exhibitions feel like a true celebration of creativity and joy, I look forward to seeing more of the initiative.

Kathleen Ryan, Bad Fruit, François Ghebaly, Los Angeles. February 15 - March 29, 2020.
Courtesy of the Artist and François Ghebaly, Los Angeles. Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.

‘Kathleen Ryan: Bad Fruit’ - François Ghebaly Gallery
February 15 - March 29, 2020
2245 E Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Kathleen Ryan lives and works in New York city, and is known for creating large scale sculptures using a mix of materials such as concrete, cast iron, carved marble and precious stones.  
In her series made in 2019 she criticizes our culture of overabundance and overconsumption with a series of rotten fruit made out of foam and a large amount of beads made out of semi-precious stones.

Kathleen Ryan, Bad Grapes, 2020.
Courtesy of the Artist and François Ghebaly, Los Angeles. Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.

For the exhibition ‘Bad Fruit’ the artist created two separate large installations of decaying fruits. One installation resembles an oversized bundle of grapes, beautifully colored in darker purples, greens and blues indicating the aging process of picked fruits. The second installation comprises a few smaller and larger sculptures that resemble scattered pieces of melon. The melon sculptures are made with the exterior of an airstream trailer and include beautiful red and pink colored semi-precious stones. Both installations are breathtaking with their beautiful stones and vibrant colors, yet there is an unpleasant look to the works that demonstrates Ryan’s subject matter.

Kathleen Ryan, Bad Fruit, François Ghebaly, Los Angeles. February 15 - March 29, 2020.
Courtesy of the Artist and François Ghebaly, Los Angeles. Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.

Happy New Year

It is the end of the year and the beginning of a new decade, the past year has been full of excitement and changes. We look back on some of our highlights in 2019!

Frieze LA debut

Early this past year, Frieze presented its first Frieze LA fair at the Paramount Pictures Studies, celebrating the city’s new role within the art industry. Frieze presented ‘Frieze Projects’ at the New York City backlot of the studios, ‘Frieze Talks’ and ‘Frieze Music.’ The fair accommodated more than 30.000 visitors, and Los Angeles was taken over by a number of satellite fairs and art activations. 

Los Angeles has growing influential in the art industry, many leading galleries have opened up new multi-gallery spaces in the city. During Frieze LA, Gagosian presented a new body of work by Sterling Ruby in a pop-up space, Jeffrey Deitch opened ‘People,’ an exhibition that included 50 standing, sitting and hanging figurative sculptures, and Hauser and Wirth presented a comprehensive exhibitions of Annie Leibovitz earlier works. 

Museums such as Lacma, The Broad and MOCA have put together influential contemporary exhibitions that contributed to the importance of LA in our contemporary culture. During the Frieze art week the Marciano Foundation presented an exhibitions of Ai WeiWei’s work including a new piece about the global refugee crisis, and LACMA presented ‘Rauschenberg: ¼ Mile.’

The Brant Foundation - Jean Michael Basquiat

The Brant Foundation has presented a great deal of historical artworks with a focus on promoting education and appreciation around contemporary art. This past year they opened their second location in the East Village in New York City. The building was originally designed for Consolidated Edison and later served as the home and studio of the late artist Walter the Maria. The building is beautifully renovated and the Brant Foundation inaugurated the new space with a presentation of Jean Michael Basquiat's entire oeuvre, presenting some of his most well-known works. The exhibition was one of the most talked about and celebrated exhibitions in the city this year.  

The Whitney Biennial 2019

The Whitney Biennial is one of the most important American contemporary art surveys presenting important emerging and newly established artists reflecting on our contemporary culture. The Biennial event attracts a lot of attention and critique often directed toward the art and curations of the exhibitions. This year the critique was directed towards the leadership of the museum, resulting in eight artists requesting their artwork to be removed from the gallery walls. 

Before the opening of the exhibition one artist declined the invitation to the event due to the involvement of Warren Kander’s as co-chair of the museum board. Kander’s company distributes military equipment include teargas. Other artists expressed their disappointment of the association of Kander’s with the museum but were far into the fabrication of their work. After the opening of the exhibition, they also requested the removal of their works from the museum walls. 

This event was one of the defining moments of the year and decade. Artists criticizing the leadership of museums was a recurring phenomenon, with Nan Goldin as leader of the movement. Nan Goldin protested again the Sackler family and their involvement with many leading institutions around the world, demanding museums to remove their name from gallery walls and declining donations from the family. Tate Modern, The National Portrait Gallery, Louvre, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City all supported her protests and dissociated themselves from the family.

Rise Of Tribeca Art Scene

On a beautiful Friday in September many galleries opened their doors for the very first time in Tribeca New York. The evening was packed with art fanatics and professionals all full of true excitement. The neighborhood felt like the old Downtown New York art scene in Soho, with its beautiful architecture. Chelsea gallery district has become expensive and extremely dense, whereas Tribeca has recently become more spacious with retail becoming extinct. The spaces in Tribeca have beautiful high ceilings, classic architecture and often lots of storage space. Monica King has been a longtime player in the industry and is now flying solo for the very first time with her new gallery on Lispenard street, a block away from James Cohen gallery which moved down from Chelsea.

The Whitney Biennial 2019

The Whitney Biennial is one of the most important American contemporary art surveys presenting important emerging and newly established artists reflecting on our contemporary culture. The Biennial event attracts a lot of attention and critique often directed toward the art and curations of the exhibitions. This year the critique was directed towards the leadership of the museum, resulting in eight artists requesting their artwork to be removed from the gallery walls. 

Before the opening of the exhibition one artist declined the invitation to the event due to the involvement of Warren Kander’s as co-chair of the museum board. Kander’s company distributes military equipment include teargas. Other artists expressed their disappointment of the association of Kander’s with the museum but were far into the fabrication of their work. After the opening of the exhibition, they also requested the removal of their works from the museum walls. 

This event was one of the defining moments of the year and decade. Artists criticizing the leadership of museums was a recurring phenomenon, with Nan Goldin as leader of the movement. Nan Goldin protested again the Sackler family and their involvement with many leading institutions around the world, demanding museums to remove their name from gallery walls and declining donations from the family. Tate Modern, The National Portrait Gallery, Louvre, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City all supported her protests and dissociated themselves from the family.

Alla Horska: ‘Heroine’ curated by Daria Borisova presented by White Ribbon and Stella Foundation

White Ribbon, presented a series of fine-art exhibition in Ukraine as part of their global initiative ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Towards Women and Girls.’ The three exhibitions featured the renowned artist-and human rights activist Alla Horska who was killed in the 1960s by the NKVD, and was presented in partnership with the Stella Foundation. The exhibitions are curated by by Daria Borisova and Vladyslav Tuzov at three separate locations; the Ukrainian parliament, America House Kyiv and Kuindzhi Museum of Modern Art in the city of Mariupol.

White Ribbon is the world’s largest male initiative against domestic violence toward women. The ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence towards Women and Girls’ is organized by White Ribbon’s Ukrainian representatives and takes place from November 25th till December 19th every year. During the White Ribbon days, the non-profit organization conducts an awareness campaign. The days are supported by the Democracy Fund of the US Embassy in Ukraine. 

Alla Horska was an Ukrainian contemporary artist, born September 18, 1929. Horska was a pioneer in socialist realistic, primitive and nonconformist art movements. She was an active social rights activist in the 1960s. Due to the political and nationalistic content of her artwork, many of her works were destroyed and banned to be displayed in public. 

WinteR Show curated by Daria Borisova

WinteR Show is a group show celebrating emerging talent in London, presented at Harlesden Highstreet and curated by Daria Borisova. The show presents artists from all realms of artistic practices including painting, sculpture, installation, and photography. The Show opened on December 14th and will be open till January 15th 2020. 

The exhibition celebrates Diversity, inviting us to come together in this time of growing polarisation. WinteR Show reflects on London’s contemporary culture, creating a platform to catalyse conversation on the social and cultural issues of today. Participating artists include Bex Massey, Valerie Savchits, Alexander James, Natalia Anastasiou, Stefano Cannella, David King Reuben, Seulgi Kang, Adam Zoltowski, Paul Abbott, Adam Baker and Anna Kenneally.

WinteR Show focuses on the upcoming generation and brings ten artists together who engage in our contemporary language by exploring themes of history, feminism, social media, capitalism, suppression and diversity. This exhibition amplifies the power of the visual arts as a universal language utilized by artists to bring us together over our collective and personal experiences.

BROADWAYWORLD: 'WinteR Show' Comes to Harlesden Highstreet

By: BWW News Desk

WinteR Show is a group show celebrating emerging talent in London, presented at Harlesden Highstreet and curated by Daria Borisova.The group exhibition is presented over a five-room exhibition space at Harlesden High Street, a gallery and artist studio, which aims to bridge social and cultural gaps against the homogeneity found in the contemporary art world.

The show presents artists from all realms of artistic practices including painting, sculpture, installation, and photography. A celebration of diversity, inviting us to come together in this time of growing polarisation. WinteR Show reflects on London's contemporary culture, creating a platform to catalyse conversation on the social and cultural issues of today. Participating artists include Bex Massey, Valerie Savchits, Alexander James, Natalia Anastasiou, Stefano Cannella, David King Reuben, Seulgi Kang, Adam Zoltowski, Paul Abbott, Adam Baker and Anna Kenneally.

WinteR Show celebrates the upcoming generation as one focused on activism in contemporary culture. Borisova is proud to bring ten artists together who engage in our contemporary language by exploring themes of history, feminism, social media, capitalism, suppression and diversity. This exhibition amplifies the power of the visual arts as a universal language utilized by artists to bring us together over our collective and personal experiences.

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FAD Magazine: WinteR Show is a group show celebrating emerging talent in London opening at Harlesden High Street

Paul Abbott Old English (Passenger) 2019 Rover 800 nearside door shell, glass, mirror, media player, Dimensions variable.

By: Mark Westall

WinteR Show is a group show celebrating emerging talent in London, presented at Harlesden High street and curated by Daria Borisova.

The show presents artists from all realms of artistic practices including painting, sculpture, installation, and photography. A celebration of diversity, inviting us to come together in this time of growing polarisation. WinteR Show reflects on London’s contemporary culture, creating a platform to catalyse conversation on the social and cultural issues of today. Participating artists include Bex Massey, Valerie Savchits, Alexander James, Natalie Anastasiou, Stefano Cannella, David King Reuben, Seulgi Kang, Adam Zoltowski, Paul Abbott, Adam Baker and Anna Kenneally.

Adam Baker Line Up 2019

WinteR Show celebrates the upcoming generation as one focused on activism in contemporary culture. Borisova is proud to bring ten artists together who engage in our contemporary language by exploring themes of history, feminism, social media, capitalism, suppression and diversity. This exhibition amplifies the power of the visual arts as a universal language utilized by artists to bring us together over our collective and personal experiences.

Natalie Anastasiou Carp Diem, 2018

The group exhibition is presented over a five-room exhibition space at Harlesden High Street, a gallery and artist studio, which aims to bridge social and cultural gaps against the homogeneity found in the contemporary art world.

WinteR Show at Harlesden High Street Curated by Daria Borisova December 14th – December 22nd
December 14th, 5 – 7 PM Harlesden High Street | 62-70, Shorts Gardens, top floor, WC2H 9AB.

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