The Move
Your weekly NYC Art & Culture Guide from Jaz Arts — May 3-10
Hi Friends! Full disclosure, today is a struggle. Between the threat to Roe v. Wade and Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn’s dress on the red carpet, it’s an unusually cruel moment for American women. Ok sorry for the terrible joke. If I had not had an abortion in 2015, I would probably not be sending you this newsletter today. I would be living with my parents, working an unfulfilling job, and resenting the life that derailed my own. It’s a very sad thought. Maybe a little art will help, as it often does in trying times.
Here’s The Move Map for this week. See you out and about!
FINE ART
- UPTOWN
In America: An Anthology of Fashion at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave (May 7-September 5; Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 10AM-5PM, Friday & Saturday 10AM-9PM)
This excellent show on American fashion 1805–1915 is presented in the period rooms of the Met’s American wing. Curated in collaboration with nine American filmmakers, each room is a lively vignette that upends traditional narratives about American life. Radha Blank’s room devoted to dressmaker & abolitionist Maria Hollander is of particular interest.
- CHELSEA
Akinsanya Kambon at Jack Shainman, 524 W 24th St (until May 7; Tuesday-Saturday 10AM-6PM)
Akinsanya Kambon’s raku-fired ceramic sculptures make their New York City debut. The artist, who is a marine corps veteran, art professor, and Black Panther, has developed a deep body of work dedicated to Pan Africanism. West African belief systems are particularly powerful here, Shango, Yemonja, and Osanyin all make appearances.
Lauren Halsey at David Kordansky Gallery, 520 W 20th St (opening May 6. Until June 11; Tuesday — Saturday 10AM — 6PM)
You have to see Lauren Halsey’s active, multimedia works in person. Funkmound sculptures, wall-based reliefs, and even a functioning waterfall all speak to issues facing black and queer life. I’ll be at the opening Friday 6–8PM with my fabulous friend Lily.
Votives: Sculptures by Nancy Azara at Carter Burden Gallery, 548 West 28th Street (until May 25; Tuesday-Friday 11AM-5PM, Saturday 11AM-6PM)
Crudeness pervades these wooden sculptures, drawings, and collages. Trees and birds make for an otherworldly, woodland feel. It’s delightful to see art that looks raw and unfinished, so much these days is overly polished.
- LOWER MANHATTAN
Renee Cox: Soul Culture at Hannah Traore Gallery, 150 Orchard St (until May 28; Tuesday-Saturday 10AM-6PM)
Big collages on velvet yes! Renee Cox’s exuberant, multivalent practice between photography and collage is on full display in this great show. She’s made gods from black bodies in dizzying, kaleidoscopic compositions that seem to have sprung from her third eye. Hannah Traore Gallery is definitely one to watch.
EVENTS
Vinyl Requiem: An Evening to Honor the Life & Legacy of Philip Jeck at HYPHEN HUB, 131 W 24th St (Saturday, May 7; 6PM doors, event at 7PM. Tickets $10) Livestream on Instagram @hyphenhub
The nonprofit Hyphen Hub explores new visions of the future through art and emerging technologies. This event celebrates the British experimental composer and multimedia artist Philip Jeck, who passed away in March. His best-known work, Vinyl Requiem (1993), is a mesmerizing 80-minute sound and vision experience that was made with 180 Dansette record players, 12 slide-projectors, and two film projectors. The event’s guest performers will include Jeck’s collaborators like violinist Zachary Paul and artist Marina Rosenfeld.
K2 Friday Nights at The Rubin Museum, 150 W 17th St (Every Friday; 6PM-10PM. Free)
Cocktails, live music, and free exhibition tours take over the Rubin Museum every Friday evening. The first five weeks will also feature free sound baths in the museum’s lovely theater. My favorite restaurant, Ilili, is just a few blocks away if you’re craving Lebanese food.
Jaz Arts Chinatown Get Down Art Tour, Chinatown and Two Bridges (Every Saturday in May; 3–5PM)
There are a few spots left this month for the Chinatown Get down tour, led by yours truly. We’ll explore seven new art galleries in Chinatown, and talking about the creative and political complexities of this new gallery district. Get more info and book your spot by emailing me: info@jaz.life
GOSSIP CORNER
The art world is still basking in the after-glow of Simon Leigh’s historic Venice Biennale win. We need something to feel good about, after all. In other news, new evidence suggests that the Prehistoric Magdalenian peoples (hunter-gatherers from the south of France) used firelight to animate their artwork for storytelling purposes. It’s essentially the earliest form of stop-motion animation.
Researchers found that Magdalenian limestone plaquettes (small plaques) engraved with stylized animals, human figures, and natural motifs show evidence of heat damage from fire. Through 3D & VR modeling, as well as experimental archaeology, these researchers found that flickering light pulls the eye across the limestone surfaces, giving the impression that carved figures are moving. This discovery suggests that prehistoric populations had complex creative lives around fire. It’s yet another important piece of evidence suggesting that art-making is basic to human existence.
That’s The Move for this week. Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Jazia Hammoudi
Subscribe to The Move on Medium
Contact me: jazia@jaz.life
