MARCEL DZAMA – A FLOWER OF EVIL

Posted on 2016-06-13

The exhibition opens with Dzama’s early tableau Even The Ghost of the Past (2008-2016): in a darkened room, the torsos of a nude couple can be seen in the scant lighting against the backdrop of a romantic forest landscape amidst all sorts of undergrowth. A stuffed fox seems to observe the scene. The work pays homage to Marcel Duchamp’s famous final piece Étant Donnés, which can only be viewed through a peephole and shows the nude body of Duchamp’s former lover Maria Martins lying on her back with her legs spread apart, placed in a similar forest situation. In his work, Dzama complements the famous scene with a second, male body, thus unifying the couple.

Ever since he created this tableau, Dzama has repeatedly been drawn back to it. It has been exhibited several times, including at Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, and it most recently became a point of departure for the video work Une danse des bouffons which was commissioned by the Toronto International Film Festival, and which was also recently given a solo presentation at KW Institute in Berlin. The film alternates between showing Sonic Youth singer Kim Gordon and model Hannelore Knuts in the role of Duchamp’s lover waking from the above tableau, only to find herself in a surreal parallel world where she has to save the abducted Marcel Duchamp, who is being held hostage. The figure of a Minotaur, borrowed from Francis Picabia’s L’Adoration du veau, finally helps the tortured artist hero to be reborn — he is also part of the exhibition as Beautiful Monster (2014).

Opposite – A Flower of Evil, 2016

Exhibition runs through till July 2nd, 2016

Sies + Höke Galerie
Poststrasse 3
40213 Düsseldorf
Germany

www.sieshoeke.com

  

GUILLAUME BIJL

Posted on 2016-06-13

Playing with the intersection between reality and fiction, Bijl uses context, pairing the expected and the unexpected, to create situations in which we are challenged to examine our own understanding of normality and how things are connected.
The exhibition follows his practice through installation and sculptural work, with one such largescale installation occupying a full room of the gallery. Within this installation, the viewer is presented with the real and the non real. A stage stands on one end of the room, chairs and a judges table facing it. There are neons and spotlights, glittering curtains, palm trees and light
music plays in the background. A sign floating on the stage reads “Miss Copenhagen Beauty”. The installation is completely immersive, sweeping up the viewer in the drama and the theatrical nature of the work. Standing on the precipice of fiction and truth, the viewer is left with a sense of tension and impending reality—is Miss Copenhagen Beauty a fictitious mirage, or will we see a winner be crowned?

Opposite – Composition Trouvée (2008)

Exhibition runs through till July 30th, 2016

Galleri Nicolai Wallner
Ny Carlsberg Vej 68
1760 Copenhagen
Denmark

www.nicolaiwallner.com

  

NICOLE EISENMAN

Posted on 2016-06-13

Known for her large crowd scenes which all at once conjure up images of indulgent baroque bacchanals and the energetic circumvolution of a contemporary beer garden, her new paintings are of a more intimate nature. Focusing on informal moments shared by friends and lovers, the paintings concentrate on interior spaces and those casual situations that occur only behind closed doors, be that of the studio, a New York apartment or a train compartment.
While Another Green World mirrors Eisenman’s crowded outdoor beer garden scenes, with various groups of friends interacting in the public domain, Nicole now takes the party indoors, to a safe space where interactions can escalate, relationships can go deeper, and the night can unfurl without fear of a closing time. In Morning Studio, two lovers are pictured in an embrace. Their faces are detailed and familiar; their pose is instantly recognizable as one of comfortable affection. Conversely, Long Distance depicts the very modern romance of long distance companionship, maintained over video-chat. The role of technology is expanded through Weeks on the Train and Subway 2, where commuters distance themselves from those physically around them while connecting through the use of laptops and phones. This theme of intimacy is abruptly broken by the intrusion of the Shooter paintings, which crash through the serenity and jolt the viewer back to ever-present reality.

Opposite – Go USA, 2011

Exhibition runs through till June 25th, 2016

Anton Kern Gallery
532 West 20th Street
10011-2820
New York

www.antonkerngallery.com

  

RACHEL STERN – YES, DEATH

Posted on 2016-06-13

“Yes, death. Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one’s head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no to-morrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace.” – Oscar Wilde

New York-based artist Rachel Stern turns her lens away from the studio and constructed tableaux, and towards the enigmatic natural landscapes of rural cemeteries, a cultural feat of elegant design, sculpture and elaborate gardens.

In Yes, Death, comprised of a new photo series and accompanying immersive installation, Stern reclaims the Mid-Nineteenth Century vision of the “garden cemetery.” Here, the burial site, an entity that we put indefinite amounts of energy into avoiding, is returned to its original functions – of play, leisure, and horticultural grander. The title of the show, taken from an Oscar Wilde quote, gives way to the artist’s conspicuous sense of humor, and continuous play with multiple narratives, perspectives, and iconography.

Opposite – Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, 2016

Exhibition runs through to July 31st, 2016

Black & White Gallery / Project Space
56 Bogart Street
Brooklyn
NY 11206
New York

www.blackandwhiteartgallery.com

  

REINE PARADIS – JUNGLE

Posted on 2016-06-13

Paradis constructs narrative photographs staging herself as the central figure in a surreal landscape. Paradis is dressed in orange in her images and is shown interacting in color filled landscapes. The series Jungle, was photographed at locations including Los Angeles, Palm Springs, New York City, Crater Lake and Mount Hood in Oregon. Paradis is photographed in each location and later alters the location to create a surreal landscape of hyper saturated colors.

Paradis explains; “Shot throughout America, the series Jungle takes us on an introspective journey across a symbolic and chromatic world, projected above the limit of reality and imagination. Each scene is imagined and conceptualized before shooting in real locations. All items are meticulously designed and prepared ahead according to the initial vision of the scene.”

Opposite – Starlake

Exhibition runs through to July 16th, 2016

Kopeikin Gallery
2766 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles
CA 90034

www.kopeikingallery.com

  

SUPREME/BARRINGTON LEVY & JAH LIFE

Posted on 2016-06-13

In 1979, upstart New York reggae producer and Jamaican transplant Hyman “Jah Life” Wright began a prolific partnership with another fledgling producer, Henry “Junjo” Lawes, in reggae’s epicenter of Kingston, Jamaica. Lawes had just produced a single called “Collie Weed” with a teenaged vocalist named Barrington Levy nicknamed the “Mellow Canary” for his high sweet singing style. Based off that single, Wright and Lawes ran sessions which yielded the first three albums by Levy. Released between 1979 and 1980, those albums— “Bounty Hunter”, “Englishman” and “Robin Hood” became standard bearers for the emerging dancehall reggae sound, which fast became the dominant popular style in reggae music. These records quickly took Levy from up-and-coming to young superstar, catapulting him onto the world stage. Barrington and Jah Life would continue to work together through the 1980’s producing massive hits such as Levy’s iconic “Murderer.” The fact that “Murderer” and many other hits were being produced entirely in New York City broke boundaries in Jamaican music, showing that top quality reggae no longer had to be made exclusively in Jamaica.

Supreme has worked with Barrington Levy & Jah Life on a Hooded Sweatshirt, three T-Shirts and a Tank Top featuring original artwork.

www.supremenewyork.com