• Everything is like a scene from a Bergman film
  awesome essay on Ingmar Bergman by S.T. VanAirsdale of The Reeler
  tags: bergman film

If I could believe that going to a barricade would affect man's fate in the slightest I would go to that barricade, and quite often I wish that I could, but it would be less than honest to say that I expect to happen upon such a happy ending.

Joan Didion, Morning After The Sixties, 1970

I just finished reading The White Album by Joan Didion. I have read a couple of other books of her essays, and of course I read everything she writes for the New York Review of Books.

• www.myspace.com/cryinglostartwork
  A new project by Pedro Velez for artists who have had a gallery "lose" their work.
  tags: art gallery sleaze fraud

Sarah Braman
Jody Wants to Know More about Lasers, 2007
Plexiglass, furniture, and paint
31 × 36 × 36 inches

Here is another work from the show I mentioned Friday. Sarah is one of the artists who runs the excellent Lower East Side gallery CANADA.

• Metroblogging Pittsburgh: Blogging Can Change The World
  While Barry and James are unlikely to stay always near the top of the DYI heap in terms of web traffic, It's likely they are close to being the two most important people to have emerged in the art world in the last 25 years. I for one, learned to understa
  tags: selfpromotion bloggy jameswagner
• Summer's Seven-Day Week - New York Times
  a travel article on skipping Chelsea in August and heading to the Lower East Side to see some bloggy favorites like SUNDAY, Thierry Goldberg, and Jen Bekman
  tags: art travel gallery nyc lowereastside

Carrie Marill
Whooping Crane, Endangered, North America
Kokia Drynarioides, Endangered, USA
Monkey Puzzle, Threatened, South America
Baishanzu Fir, Endangered, China
Brown Pelican, Protected, USA
Eurasian Wryneck, Endangered, Eurasia
Hawaiian Crow, Extinct in Wild, USA
Whiskered Tern, Threatened, Europe
Arizona Leather Flower, Threatened, USA, 2007
Gouache on paper
30 × 22 inches

If you're reading this right now in Los Angeles, you can head on over to Carrie Marill's show opening tonight at sixspace. Caryn Coleman of sixpace was cool and together enough to be IMing with me right before the opening, and sent me a link to some images. Having just watched a PBS show about John James Audobon, I was particularly struck by these beautiful images of "gouache-on-paper paintings depicting threatened or endangered flora and fauna existing in an imaginary world."

I was not surprised to see Walton Ford interviewed on the TV show about Audobon.

Michael Yinger
all i know is that i don't know nothin', 2007
mixed media
approx. 10 × 20 feet

This work is part of an exhibition curated by gallery artist Ryan Schneider closing today, so head on over! There are a number of great installations in the show. Michael Yinger is from Indiana, so note that he chose white trash to make up that state. Priska told me she had asked him about the cigarette butts used for Washington state, as we both agreed it seemed an odd choice. He said he just liked the way they looked, and Washington was a big state.

Related: Heart As Arena did a post on the show.

• Korean gallery makes U.S. debut
  Gana Art Gallery (and auction house) recently signed a 10-year lease for 9,800 square feet at 210 11th Ave., between West 24th and West 25th streets.
  tags: art gallery chelsea southkorea nyc

• HoMu: The Homeless Museum
  The Homeless Museum launches its revamped website
  tags: activism art nyc museum homeless
• GayCityNews - Unyielding Queer Things
  a review of Jacques Louis Vidal's recent show at SUNDAY
  tags: art review lowereastside sundaygallery jacqueslouisvidal

Apparently last weekend's WSJ, in an article on art collecting, mentions ArtCal in a list of recommended art blogs, luckily as the first one!

Also, keep an eye on group shows at galleries during the summer months. That is when the elite of the art world go on extended vacation and newer artists get a shot to exhibit. Art blogs can also be a good source of information about emerging artists. Popular sites include artcal.net, artnet.com, edwardwinkleman.blogspot.com, galleryhopper.org and artsjournal.com/man.

Note: The logo above is the new ArtCal logo. We're launching a new design this month.

• Saatchi Online begins showing the NY art world videos of James Kalm
  tags: art video nyc williamsburg jameskalm saatchi
• BROWN: FUNNY NOISES
  This show in London looks awesome: "An Egalitarian Presentation of Selected Experimental Recordings from 1924-1981 curated by Justin Lieberman"
  tags: sound experimental music justinlieberman art london
• Future Shipwreck - Queer Men Who (Indie) Rock
  a list of queer men in indie rock from a 19-year-old's excellent blog
  tags: music queer indierock

• Review of Elle Flanders show at Akau, Inc. (Toronto)
  "What Isn't There" involves the Toronto-based filmmaker and photographer's tracing down and documenting the sites of Palestinian villages in Israel that no longer exist.
  tags: art toronto reviews elleflanders israel palestine photography
• Location is everything | Mike Luckovich
  check out this perspective on fighting them "over there"
  tags: iraq pakistan war alqaeda

James and I are fans of Duke Riley's work, and I just got a note from KeylimeSteve on Flickr about his photos of a recent Duke Riley adventure on the Brooklyn Waterfront called "Adventures With an Egg" inspired by a (failed) Revolutionary War era submarine. Check out the photoset.

Duke Riley has a website for more information on the artist.

• Deutsche Welle | Photos from Documenta 12
  tags: art germany documenta documenta12

• BUY (LESS) CRAP!
  an alternative to the Gap's (RED) campaign encourages people to donate directly rather than via buying stuff
  tags: consumerism gap aids
• Daily Kos: The Boobs at the Washington Post
  The Washington post devotes an entire article to the fact that Hillary Clinton has breasts.
  tags: stupid politics media washintonpost hillaryclinton

• Chief Mag
  Brooklyn based magazine covers emerging artists and writers
  tags: art literature magazine brooklyn

I saw this tonight in DUMBO. It's part of the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition's show at the Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park. I have a few more photos on flickr.

Deborah Kass, Parisian, Gertrude Stein, silkscreen ink on paper, 30×30 inches (edition of 60)

This is tonight at 7pm at Brooklyn Fire Proof. How can you say no to an event that has Deb Kass and Paddy Johnson in the same room?!

Brooklyn Fire Proof and Ad Hoc Vox are pleased to invite you to Double X Art, a round-table discussion that will take place at the gallery on July 18th at 7:00pm.

For Double X Art, Ad Hoc Vox has brought together a select group of artists, curators, dealers, critics, and guests from related disciplines to address the under-representation of women's artistic practices. From WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution at MOCA, to the Global Feminisms show at the Brooklyn Museum, to June's Feminist Art issue of Art in America, the spotlight is on feminist works. Seeking diverse points of view and with no agenda other than to initiate dialogue, Ad Hoc Vox would like to take advantage of this spotlight to facilitate an in-depth conversation about the representation of women in the arts. The discussion's participants are Phong Bui, Colby Chamberlain, Dana Frankfort, Maureen Gallace, Elizabeth Huey, Paddy Johnson, Deborah Kass, Wendy Olsoff, Danica Phelps, Katy Siegel, Lisa Sigal, and Becky Smith. Colleen Asper will moderate the discussion, which will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Organized by Colleen Asper and Jennifer Dudley, Ad Hoc Vox is an ongoing series of discussions and lectures without a fixed location that addresses a wide range of issues in contemporary art.

[The image above, courtesy of Astrea, is the only Deborah Kass work in our collection. We purchased it at an A.R.T. benefit.]

two views of:

Mike Cloud
Chicken with Two Stars of David, 2005
oil on linen with toy from children's game
39.25 × 37.75 × 40 inches

This, plus the discovery of the paintings of Mira Dancy in the same exhibition, was my favorite thing from our Chelsea outing yesterday. James has a post on the show.

The latest Brooklyn Rail has an article by James Kalm on the future of art criticism, online art communities, etc. with input from me, James, and PaintersNYC. Check it out, and enjoy the horrific photo of us standing in front of some of our collection plus some top-secret web stats.

• Robin Hood eyed for giving to rich
  The Robin Hood Foundation is under scrutiny by Congress for investing charitable money into its donors' and members' hedge funds, Bloomberg News reported Monday.
  tags: hedgefunds charity corruption grassley finance

• Did Military and Media Mislead Us? Most Outside Insurgents in Iraq Come from Saudi Arabia
  The Los Angeles Times reports today that according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers, about 45% of all foreign militants "targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia." Only 15% are from Syria and
  tags: iraq war syria iran saudiarabia

From today's New York Times article on Suzanne Vega:

TWENTY years have passed since a 27-year-old waif with wide-set blue eyes made it big with her guitar and a song about domestic child abuse. The song was “Luka,” and it was inspired by a streetwise boy whom Suzanne Vega had seen playing with other children on West 23rd Street, where she then lived, half a block from the Chelsea Hotel.

• Roberta Smith reviews Sarah Peters at Winkleman Gallery
  mentions our latest acquisition, "Seance"
  tags: artcollection sarahpeters winkleman art chelsea reviews

I took this last night at Tom Sanford's studio at his pre-31 Grand re-opening party.

Links:

• Martin's blog
• Riot's homepage and more flickr photos

• Vulture Droppings - interview with art bloggers Libby Rosof and Robert Fallon
  tags: art philadelphia blog
• Sen. Mike Gravel: Why I Wasn't Invited to the Debate on Gay Issues
  The Human Rights Campaign refused to invite him because didn't raise enough money despite being the most pro-gay presidential candidate. Perhaps they were afraid to have his positions compared to those of Hillary or Obama?
  tags: queer gay politics mikegravel humanrightscampaign hrc

Maybe Lyons Wier Ortt will start a trend. They are moving to Seventh Avenue at 20th Street. It would be lovely to have galleries near places to eat/drink/have a coffee, more like what the burgeoning Lower East Side scene has.

I'm glad the weather is so great today, as there are plenty of group show openings in Chelsea worth a visit:

• Unfathom at Max Protetch
• Solar Set at Foxy Production
• Late Liberties at John Connelly Presents
• Laying Bricks at Wallspace

... plus others at Mixed Greens, D'Amelio Terras, and Frederieke Taylor. Hit ArtCal for all the details.

James and I, however, will be on Ludlow Street for the re-opening of 31 Grand. How could we possibly miss a Barnaby Whitfield painting that has Nicole Eisenman and Tom Sanford (source of image) in it? [Barnaby informs me this won't be in the show, but it's too great not to leave in the post.]

Barnaby Whitfield, Gold Lion's Gonna Tell Me Where The Light Is, 2007, pastel on paper, 30 × 40 inches

The title of the show, No New Tale to Tell, comes from a Love and Rockets song, so to get in the mood hit the last.fm page for the band and listen to some tunes, or just use the widget below.

I will admit I haven't seen this work in person yet, but from what I've seen online, Exit Art and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts are not the only art spaces worth visiting in the West 30s these days. Despite its name, the Lower East Side Printshop is now located on West 37th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. Here is an installation view and three details by Matthew Day Jackson from the current show (up through August 31).

Matthew Day Jackson, Metamorphosis, 2007, aquatint, etching, screenprint, archival inkjet, gold leaf, and hand additions, 73" × 154" overall installation. ed: 16

Matthew Day Jackson, Metamorphosis C, 2007, screenprint on found poster, 18" × 24" image and sheet

Matthew Day Jackson, Metamorphosis E, 2007, intaglio on found map, 19.625" × 27.625" image and sheet

Matthew Day Jackson, Metamorphosis G, 2007, intaglio, archival inkjet, and Flavor-Aid on paper, 28.812" × 21.875" image and sheet

© Matthew Day Jackson, published by the Lower East Side Printshop; Photos: Hiro Ihara

The Printshop also has a cool logo:

• GOP Florida State Rep. Allen Charged in Gay Oral Sex Solicitation
  More fun news from the "family values" crowd. I love the fact that there was a "reuters caeers" ad on the right side of the page when I read it.
  tags: gay sex publicsex hypocrisy gop florida
• SUMMERCAMP! - Documentary Film - Bradley Beesley and Sarah Price
  Opens at IFC Film Center July 18 for one week; Sarah also co-produced the "Yes Men"
  tags: movie summercamp documentary
• TheHill.com - Flynt is tracking 20 congressional sex scandal leads
  Larry Flynt, the porn-industry magnate who first linked Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) to the escort service of the "D.C. Madam," said Wednesday that his investigators are tracking more than 20 leads on alleged congressional sex scandals.
  tags: sex politics congress hypocrisy

Nicole Eisenman, Little Boy Walking Big Dog, 2007, Oil paint and mixed media on wood, 17 × 18.5 inches

I loved this sculpture/painting we saw at Smith-Stewart's show titled She was born to be my unicorn. The curator Amy Kellner describes it as the flipside of the Bob Nickas "cute boy energy" show at Team in 2003, my people were fair and had cum in their hair (but now they're content to spray stars from your boughs). I also really liked the papillon ink and watercolor piece by J Penry, who is in a 3-person show opening Friday at V&A on the Lower East Side.

Sorry for the lack of posting. It's been too hot to think, and I'm working on some new things for ArtCat and ArtCal.

Related links:

• bloggy
• james wagner

• onNYTurf: Reciting First Amendment in Front of NYPD = Harassment of a Public Official
  Reverend Billy was arrested for "Harassment of a Public Official" for reciting the First Amendment to the NYPD gathered to harass Critical Mass.
  tags: nypd civilliberties firstamendment reverendbilly freespeech criticalmass bicycle
• Infoshop News - Exxon Hacks the Yes Men
  One day after the Yes Men made a joke announcement that ExxonMobil plans to turn billions of climate-change victims into a brand-new fuel called Vivoleum, the Yes Men's upstream internet service provider shut down Vivoleum.com, the Yes Men's spoof website
  tags: exxonmobil yesmen parody isp oil
• Silas H. Rhodes Dies at 91; Built School of Visual Arts - New York Times
  Silas H. Rhodes, co-founder of a trade school for cartoonists and illustrators in Manhattan that he built into the School of Visual Arts
  tags: art school sva nyc
• New media powerhouse Eyebeam now a decade old
  Article in Chelsea Now on Eyebeam
  tags: eyebeam art newmedia gallery nonprofit chelsea