All Art Friday

All Art Friday

Paying His Dues

Pyramid Piece 2008 at Tate Britain. Photo image: © Andy Holden. 

Artist Andy Holden is appearing at Tate Britain. His Art Now installation, seen above, is a rather stunning realization of the effects of moral conscience. You see, when Holden was a youth, he pocketed a rock from the Great Pyramid of Cheops, Giza. This massive replica of the piece of history that Holden stole (it's 1000 times bigger than the original), along with a video he made, Return of the Pyramid Piece, is a visual confession, Holden's way of his amends for being a thief.

In this feature, art critic Jonathan Jones explains what makes this "a gripping work of art". Go here for additional views of the "rock".

The exhibit continues until tomorrow.

New Art from Lebanon

American University's Katzen Museum is showing though May 16 Convergence: New Art from Lebanon. The exhibition is billed as a look at contemporary art produced in the "diverse and multilayered country of Lebanon", where for more than six millennia, civilizations and armies "have continually converged", with the region creating "a rich and beautiful tapestry that violence periodically threatens to unravel."

I applaud the Katzen for bringing to our region some of the Mideast's finest artists. Among those in the show are Ayman Baalbaki, who veils the male figures in his work with kaffiyehs, face masks, and other concealing garb; and Nadim Karam. (Image above center: Ayman Baalbaki, "Merkaba", 2009, mixed media on wood, 234x128x88 cm.)

An informative profile of Baalbaki is here.

Some other exhibitions now at the Katzen are Pentimenti: After the Flood—New Works by Don Kimes, through May 1; and CausalityLabs: New Projects, also through May 1.

You can learn more about Don Kimes here.

The Gallery at The Jerusalem Fund

The Gallery at The Jerusalem Fund (2425 Virginia Avenue, N.W.), near the Kennedy Center in Washington's Foggy Bottom area, is a little-touted jewelbox of art. On show there now is Ellen O'Grady — What Ham Saw: Drawings from Palestine. O'Grady, an artist and social justice activist from Durham, North Carolina, lived in Palestine and Israel six years and her artwork often draws on her experiences in those areas.

Coming up in May is Najib Joe Hakim: Born Among Mirrors, comprising photographs of Lebanon taken 50 years apart, with Hakim's color photos contrasting with the black-and-white images of his father Elias.

Go here to view some of O'Grady's paintings.

Information about photographer Najib Joe Hakim (see image at left) can be found at SocialDocumentary.net.

Matisse at the Art Institute


The Art Institute of Chicago is presenting Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913 - 1917, in conjunction with New York's Museum of Modern Art. The show, which runs through June 20, includes more than 100 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints from the years 1869 to 1954, including Bathers by a River and The Moroccans. It travels to the MoMA in July, where it will be on view until October 11.


IAM's Humanization


Opening today in the International Arts Movement's Space 38|39 in New York City is Humanization, with works by Beth Altrogge, David Campbell, David Sacks, Blaine Siegel, Alison Stigora, David W. Tripp, and Jay Walker. The opening reception for the group show, which runs through May 9, is tonight, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Space 38|39 is at 38 West 39th Street, 3rd floor; telephone 212-944-0944 for information on hours and related events.

A wide range of arts-related information, including calls for art, can be found on IAM's blog.


Art at the Athenaeum

Paper Cuts: The Art and Science of Rock Posters opened March 25 and continues through April 25 at the Athenaeum (201 Prince Street) in Alexandria, Virginia. The show is intended to demonstrate the breadth and vitality of the music scene around the Washington, D.C., area through artifacts such as original drawings, sketches, and studies; via exploration of process; and with printmaking ephemera.

New Address for Fractured Atlas

Fractured Atlas, about which I wrote here, has a new address: 248 West 35th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10001.

Arline Fisch in San Diego

The marvelous artist Arline Fisch is the subject of Fisch Out of Water—Sea Creatures of Arline Fisch at Mingei International Museum, San Diego, California, through May 16.

For the exhibition, Fisch has crocheted a life-size installation of 150 crocheted jellyfish of various species and other sea creatures. One of her jellyfish is seen in the image at left.

Known for her jewelry, Fisch also has gained recognition for her application of fiber techniques to metal ("knitted" metal) and has published several books, including Textile Techniques in Metal for Jewelers, Textile Artists, and Sculptors and Crocheted Wire Jewelry: Innovative Designs & Projects by Leading Artists.

Go here to see some of Fisch's unique artwork.