IAN DAVENPORT

I need to be honest about this dress.  I hate it.

When I saw there was an Ian Davenport exhibition opening at Paul Kasmin Gallery, I knew I had to make a dress for it.  I was so excited.  I found a white dress and got to planning – I would tape off the stripes so I could paint each different color, and freehand the swirls at the hem.  It would be FUN.  I got to work.

Hours and days into the project, and I began to hate it.  I toiled away, struggling with bleeding paint, fabric that was too thin, running out of supplies, and on and on.  At some point along the way, I started to HATE the dress.  I didn’t want to look at it anymore.  It came to represent all of the challenges and frustrations of every project.

I couldn’t give up on it, not after I had invested so many hours.  So I finished the dress, but I knew I hadn’t captured the essence of Ian Davenport’s painting.  I didn’t want to wear it.  But the invested time forced me to put it on and go to the gallery.  At the gallery, the photos weren’t working.  The lighting was difficult and the dress had gotten wrinkled, and everything was just WRONG.

I was so frustrated.  I wasn’t going to post the photo.  I needed a break from this whole thing.  Art is hard.  Replicating art is harder.  Making art when you have a full-time job is nearly impossible.  WHY BOTHER?

And then I realized that the struggles and trials of making something are a part of the experience.  If it were easy, then everyone would do it.  But they don’t, because it’s hard.  Learning how to work with new mediums and styles and brushes and tape and paint is, actually, one of the best parts of making things.  When something doesn’t turn out the way I want or expect it to, I need to embrace it.  What else can you do?  You can start from scratch or you can ROCK the thing that you made and let it speak for itself, telling the story of all of the things you learned from it.

So here it is, in all of its glory, the dress that gave me hell.  But in the process, it also forced me to solve problems and embrace challenges, so maybe it was worth it.  Maybe.

Photo by Kathy Paciello.

WARM CALIFORNIA

Yesterday afternoon, in the middle of a very unexpected rainstorm, I stumbled into Andrew Kreps Gallery and Billy Al Bengston’s Warm California.  The hanging and standing scrolls that California-based Bengston created in the 1970s fill the gallery, recalling the effects of light on the surface of water.  To me, walking through the gallery felt something like being surrounded by the fronds of a weeping willow – the hanging scrolls swayed every so slightly and turned with the movement of forms through the space.  It was a serene environment, which Bengston likened to a kelp forest, and was a welcome respite from the downpour outdoors.

The exhibition is on view until June 18^th.

Blouse: Tucker

Pants: Diane von Furstenberg

Blazer: Diane von Furstenberg

Shoes: Escada

Photos by Kathy Paciello

ORTA ARTE

I was walking down the street in Chelsea, and a flash of neon orange caught my eye.  The flash was coming from Jane Lombard Gallery, and orange nylon was part of a symbolic hot air balloon made by Lucy and Jorge Orta.

I had never heard of the couple before and later found out that ANTARCTICA is their first exhibition here in the US, based on their expedition to the icy continent in 2007.  Much of the pair's work considers environmental conditions and human survival, and the exhibition includes drawings and plans for sculptures that the artistic duo executed in Antarctica during their travels.

Part of the traveling exhibition, The Antarctic World Passport Delivery Bureau, encourages individuals to pledge to work against global warming, and I happily signed up to participate.

It was so refreshing to see and experience new-to-me artwork dealing with a global issue that is also well executed and eye catching (thanks to that flash of traffic-cone neon)!

Lucy + Jorge Orta

ANTARCTICA

Jane Lombard Gallery

Open through February 20

THE DISAPPEARING MURAL

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Roy Lichtenstein (case in point here, here, and here), and I’ve never been one to miss a good disappearing mural.  Hence, I made it a priority to visit Lichtenstein’s Greene Street Mural at Gagosian before it is destroyed, for the second time, on October 17^th.

Lichtenstein originally painted the mural at the Castelli Gallery in 1983, and mandated that it be destroyed following a 6 week showing.  Working in accordance with the artist’s estate and his former studio assistant, Gagosian recreated the mural for a second time around.  The work features imagery found throughout Lichtenstein's career, as well as references to Picasso, Brancusi, and, of course, Pop Art.  It is the closest to a survey of Lichtenstein’s oeuvre that one work could possibly be.

The mural is on view at Gagosian Gallery on 24^th Street until October 17^th.

Shirt: Jones New York

Pants: Hussein Chalayan

Shoes: Walter Steiger

Handbag: Milly

Trench: Burberry

Photos by Hilary Pollack.

ARTSY ONSITE

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending my first Artsy OnSite, at Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe.  Artist Patrick Wilson, whose exhibition opens at the gallery this evening, was on hand to discuss his suite of paintings on view.  While sipping sparkling wine, a small group of us heard from the artist on topics such as his inspiration, creative process, and execution.  He also briefly discussed his use of color, which particularly piqued my interest.

Thanks to Artsy for the invitation, to Patrick for the insight, and to Mark Rosen (@markatthemuseum) for the photos!

Jacket, pants, and blouse: Diane von Furstenberg

Shoes: United Nude

GIVE ME LOVE

Yayoi Kusama's Give Me Love, on view now at David Zwirner Gallery, has me seeing spots.

Upon entering the gallery, which is fully open to the street, you are confronted with a little house which is furnished completely in white, from floor to ceiling.  Each visitor is given a sheet of polka dot stickers, and you are encouraged to use all of them to decorate obliterate the space.  

Also accompanying the Obliteration Room are some of Kusama's pumpkins as well as a number of paintings in the space next door.  It's difficult to be unhappy while surrounded by colorful spots, and to be able to participate in the madness makes it that much more fun.

Give Me Love is on view through June 13 at 519 and 525 West 19th Street in NYC.

Dress: Vintage, with dot stickers

Shoes: The Kooples

Photos by Kathy Paciello.

JOYCE KOZLOFF: Maps + Patterns

On a recent most springlike day, I strolled from my office in Silicon Alley over to 22nd Street in Chelsea to see Joyce Kozloff's Maps + Patterns exhibition at DC Moore Gallery.

Described as "a cross between coloring books and illuminated manuscripts", the works on view are based on motifs that Kozloff encountered throughout her travels on the Silk Route.  The central image in these works is the Islamic Star, which Kozloff has returned to as a motif throughout her 40 year artistic career.

The pieces in the exhibition are mixed media collage, and include elements of previous works, studies, and ephemera Kozloff has collected along the way.

The exhibition closes on April 25, so make your way to the gallery ASAP if you'd like to experience these exuberant works of art.

Dress: Vintage silk, found at Lulu's in Chicago

Boots: Pour la Victoire (also worn in this post)

Photos by Kathy Paciello.

EVERYBODYWILLBEDANCINGIFWE'REDOINGITRIGHT

Welcome to the most overwhelmingly colorful site-specific installation, created by Brooklyn-based artists Markus Linnenbrink at Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe in Chelsea.

I could hardly contain my excitement upon entering the room, entirely covered in colorful stripes from floor to ceiling.  Much of Markus' work deals with the way colors pile and spill onto one another, and his epoxy resin pieces are beautifully complex.  The full exhibition, entitled Everybodywillbedancingifwe'redoingitright (love the Daftpunk reference) is on view until October 4. 

Blouse and skirt: Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Shoes: Rachel Comey

Purse: Cynthia Rowley

Photos by Kathy Paciello.