Xu Bing Phoenixes Soar at St John the Divine

Made from discarded construction materials common to the Chinese landscape, Xu Bing's majestic phoenixes combine elements of folklore and political commentary.  Weighing over 12 tons and measuring more than 90 feet long each, the installation required special accommodations to the late 19th century St. John the Divine, the fourth largest church in the world. Massive scaffolding was built to hold the sculptures 20 feet off the ground and between the magnificent stained glass windows.

 


Having missed the Xu Bing exhibition at Mass MOCA, Jim and I went down to New York last weekend to see the two mythical birds in their new home, where they were installed over four days earlier this month.  I'm glad we waited.  Entering the towering cathedral on Amsterdam at 112th just before 5pm last Sunday, we were coincidentally treated to an organ recital by Marijim Thoene of Ann Arbor, Michigan on the newly restored Great Organ.

 

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Into the Light: An Interview with Nicole Duennebier

Painter Nicole Duennebier is the featured artist in 13FOREST Gallery’s exhibition The Great Season. Her work evokes thoughts of Dutch Baroque art in which objects, sometimes just past their prime, emerge from deep space bathed in light. But there is ambiguity. Based on biology and the feeling of discovery, Duennebier’s forms reference the world but do not represent it. They are defiant and have lives of their own.

One February afternoon I sat with the artist in a crowded cafe as snow mounted outside. Over the sound of beard-and-tatted pool players, we spoke for nearly two hours about everything from music and science to life on an island and in the city. Her hands conveyed nearly as much as her words.

 

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A Visit to the New Barnes Foundation

The Postman (Joseph-Étienne Roulin), Vincent Van Gogh, 1889, oil on canva

The Postman (Joseph-Étienne Roulin), Vincent Van Gogh, 1889, oil on canva

On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I was excited to visit the new downtown location of the Barnes Foundation, which opened in 2012 and houses what is generally considered one of the most compelling collections of modern art in the world.  How it arrived there, on a grand promenade lined with museums, which ends at the imposing neo-classical Philadelphia Museum of Art, is a contentious and complex legal matter.  As I learned more about the museum and its history, it became clear that the shiny new museum, its café and shop, were completely out of line with the will and wishes of the late Albert Barnes.  Though the artwork is unquestionably stunning and his unique curatorial style is very much in evidence, Barnes’ plans for his collection to remain solely an educational destination have been more or less overturned.

 

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This Will Have Been – now through March 3, 2013 at the Institute of Contemporary Art

Art in the 1980s fueled social reform, challenged governments, documented different cultures and engaged with more diverse audiences than ever before.  Artists were influenced by street art, mass media, feminism, the AIDS crisis, and a changing art market, both conceptually and geographically. 

This Will Have Been tells a cohesive story about the culture and art of the 1980s.  Nevertheless, the quality of individual works is stunning.  From Koons to Holzer, to Mapplethorpe and Bright, many of the artists are superstars in their own right.  And the artwork showcased is not only visually compelling, but has become iconic in today’s popular culture.

 

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Greater Boston’s Hidden Art Galleries →

It’s well worth the trek over to Arlington for a number of reasons, and the diverse collection at the 13Forest Gallery is top-notch. The gallery and accompanying store are ran by Marc Gurton, Sarah Buyer, and Jim Kiely, and feature artists based all around New England.

Their recent shows have included work inspired by the questions: “What do you want?” and “What do you need?” and the fun “Tag (you’re it)” exhibition, a gallery that “chased down” ten artists to play a little game by inviting them to create a piece and then have a new group of artists respond to these pieces.

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Arlington's 13FOREST to host new exhibit →

An opening reception for the exhibit “Out of Necessity’ will be held at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 14, at 13FOREST Gallery, 167A Mass. Ave.

he very concept of necessity has become divisive in our current political environment. Clean water, domestic furnishings and even healthcare may be considered essential or extravagant, depending on one's frame of reference.

Using text and provocative imagery, “Out of Necessity” offers unique perspectives on the real and relative values of what is popularly deemed fundamental to our wellbeing.  Featuring paintings and prints by Louisa Bertman, Jack O'Hearn IV and Christiane Wallace, “Out of Necessity” asks: What do we need for survival and what for comfort?  And to what degree has the power of commercialism blurred the difference between the two?


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Chairful Where You Sit in Arlington!

Running through Sunday, August 12, the exhibition, Chairful Where You Sit, was organized by Arlington painter, educator and 13FOREST Gallery artist, Adria Arch, to benefit the Spy Pond Mural Project.  Arlington Public Arts plans to install a mural on the Boys and Girls Club overlooking Spy Pond and is in the process of raising $8,000 for the project.

 

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