Bronx Calling: the First AIM Biennial

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Kira

I am participating in a big group show at the Bronx Museum of Art this summer.  Here are the details.



June 26 through September 5, 2011
Bronx Calling: The First AIM Biennial
Guest curators Wayne Northcross and Jose Ruiz
Bronx Calling: The First AIM Biennial features sculptures, works on paper, video installations, photographs, and other works by the 72 participants in the 2011 AIM program. On view at the Bronx Museum and Wave Hill. Five site-specific commissioned projects at Randall’s Island as part of FLOW.11. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Wave Hill and is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.
Open House: Sunday, June 26, 2:00-6:00pm at Bronx Museum
RSVP on Facebook

AIM artists: Hannah Smith Allen, Tomer Aluf, Thomas Bangsted, Nina Barnett, Joell Baxter, John Bent, Gabriela Bertiller, Lea Bertucci, James Bills, Chris Bors, Laura Braciale, Calvin Burton, Anton Cabaleiro, Brian Scott Campbell, Noa Charuvi, Andrew Chan, Michelle Cheikin, Cecile Chong, Matthew Conradt, Corey D’Augustine, Katherine Daniels, Dennis Redmoon Darkeem, Priscila De Carvalho, Dennis Delgado, Stella Ebner, Nicky Enright, Carl James Ferrero, Xavier Figueroa, Veronica Frenning, Christine Gedeon, Sarah Granett, Kira Greene, Debbie Grossman, Nathan Gwynne, Meg Hitchcock, Erik Hougen, Michael Clyde Johnson, Laura Kaufman, Hein Koh, Nick Lamia, Heidi Lau, Robert Lucy, Jongil Ma, Luis R. Maldonado, Jr., Glendalys Medina, Kenneth Millington, Monica Moran, Julia Oldham, Maia Cruz Palileo, Shani Peters, Gregory Reynolds, Jacob Rhodes, Viviane Rombaldi Seppey, Allyson Ross, Alan Ruiz, Jennifer Sanchez, Romy Scheroder, Tina Schneider, Gabriel J. Shuldiner, Hrvoje Slovenc, Christopher Smith, Jessica Stoller, Benjamin Tiven, Jerry Torrens Torrens, Meghan Wilbar, Randal Wilcox, Scott Wolfson, Natalie Collette Wood, Karla Wozniak, Sean Wrenn, Marina Zamalin, and Jenny Zhang
——————————————————————–
RELATED EVENTS
June 26 through September 5, 2011
Taking AIM: 30-Year Anniversary Exhibition
Guest curators Marysol Nieves and Monica Espinel
For three decades, the Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) program has helped to demystify the often opaque professional practices of the art world for artists at the beginning of their careers and has introduced their work to the public. Taking AIM! 30-Year Anniversary Exhibition features archival material documenting the evolution of the AIM program over the years.

Thursday, June 23, 6:00-8:00pm
Book Event
Taking AIM! The Business of Being an Artist
Edited by Marysol Nieves
Published in collaboration with Fordham University Press
Location: Eleven Rivington
11 Rivington Street New York NY
RSVP on Facebook

Friday, June 24, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Bronx Talks-Photographers: AIM!
Panel discussion with Thomas Bangsted, Travis LeRoy Southworth and Christy Speakman, moderated by Lia Zaaloff
Location: Bronx Museum, North Wing – 2nd Floor
Admission: Free
——————————————————————-
THE BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTS, 1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York 10456
Directions by SUBWAY: Take the “D” or “B” to the 167 Street/Grand Concourse station. Or take the “4″ to the 161St/Yankee Stadium station.
MUSEUM HOURS: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday  11 am – 6 pm, Friday  11 am – 8 pm (Free Admission)
Open Memorial Day

Posted in blog, Exhibitions | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Installing at Bronx Museum

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Kira

I finally finished the large drawing Oviparity that I have been working on since the beginning of the year, and will be showing it at the Bronx Museum of Art this month.  We installed the piece by using magnet strips last Thursday despite the sweltering temperature.  When we were finished, we were exhausted but exhilarated.  You can see the finished drawing on my site here.

Posted in blog, Exhibitions | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bye Bye Kitty: Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Kira

The contemporary Japanese art exhibition Bye Bye Kitty at Japan Society is a must-see for anyone who loves labor-intensive detail oriented work.

20110506-024442.jpg

I particularly enjoyed Hisashi Tenmyouya’s Defeat at a Single Blow, Robust and Magnificient Feature, (Galland and Brave Behavior, 2008, Acrylic and gold leaf on wood, 70″ x 24″). His meticulous elegant lines contrasted nicely with perfect gold-leafed background.

20110506-024505.jpg

20110506-024539.jpg

Another artist that stood out for me is Manabu Ikeda, who makes very large, detailed drawings on paper with pen and acrylic ink.  The details, which is hard to see even in good reproductions and filled with fantastic figures, houses, mini-landscapes, etc. , were incredible.

20110506-025115.jpgManabu Ikeda, History of Rise and Fall, 2006. Pen and acrylic ink on paper, mounted on board, 79″x79″.

Posted in Art review, blog | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Pasta Peperonata

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Kira

I have been very busy, and cooking has become a luxury recently, but I can still whip up something healthy that does not take a great deal of time or effort.  Here is a great vegetarian lunch dish with yummy bell pepper base sauce.  An addition of crème fraîche makes the sauce mottled and gooey, although not necessary.

Sauce in the pot

Penne Peperonata

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • 2 red bell peppers, deseeded and sliced long
  • 2 yellow bell peppers, deseeded and sliced long
  • 1 green bell pepper,  deseeded and sliced long
  • 2 red onions, peeled and sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • chopped parsley
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1-2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
  • parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 Tbs  crème fraîche
  • 1Lb penne or rigatoni*

*I used the whole wheat penne, but I think the whole wheat pasta is not exactly the best match for this delicate sauce.

  1. Fill a large pot with water and start boiling the water on a low flame. Salt the water generously.
  2. Put all peppers in a large saute pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the lid on, and cook the peppers slowly on a low flame until the peppers become completely soft for about 15 minutes.
  3. Add the onions and cook softly another 20 minutes until everything looks almost caramelized.
  4. Add garlic and some of the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.  Add balsamic vinegar.
  5. Bring the water in roiling boil and cook the pasta al dente.
  6. Add crème fraîche to the sauce.
  7. Add cooked pasta with a little bit of pasta water to the sauce. Add parmesan cheese. Finish with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and rest of the parsley.
Posted in blog, Recipes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Chelsea Gallery Crawl

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Kira

20110506-022427.jpg

Kenneth Nolan @ Mitchell-Innes & Nash

20110506-022448.jpg

My friend Brett posing next to Folkert de Jong's sculpture at James Cohan Gallery

20110506-022510.jpg

James Siena at Pace Gallery

20110506-022523.jpg

Neil Farber at Edward Thorp Gallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I visited some of the Chelsea galleries last weekend of April with my friend Brett, who was visiting from San Francisco. As usual there were mostly disappointments, but also a few interesting exhibitions. I thought Kenneth Noland‘s show at Mitchell-Innes & Nash was very well-curated and well-exhibited. Mel Kendrick had two interesting and solid exhibitions at David Nolan and Mary Boone. Neil Farber‘s paintings at Edward Thorp Gallery were humorous and diverting, and one of my favorite show of the day. Julia Jacquette‘s paintings at Anna Kustera were bit of let down for me. I was expecting great sensual paintings from the exhibition photos. To me, unfortunately these paintings looked better as reproduction images.

1970s pioneering feminist artist Joan Semmel is showing some of her signature nude paintings at Alexander Gray Associates. Semmel, who is in her 80s, still looks amazing, and the paintings convey the sensualness of the nude paintings with soft focus brush works. At the same time, these newer nudes lacked the power of her earlier “viewed-from-female-body-perspective” paintings of entangled male and female nudes as well as artist’s own self-portraits. Yet it is always gratifying to see her work, which has been and still is a big influence on my own work.

Posted in Art review, blog | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Visit to Sheldon Museum

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Kira

I went to the heartland of America, aka Lincoln, NE to see the exhibition, Poetical Fire: Three Centuries of Still-Lifes, and give a lecture at the Sheldon Museum of Art.  The exhibition was exquisitely curated by Brandon K. Ruud, Sheldon’s Curator for Transamerican Art.  I was thrilled to see my work, Archway to Heaven hanging next to Hans Hoffmann’s abstract still-life.  The room also had works by Wayne Thiebaud, Tom Wesselman, Jackson Pollack, Janet Fish, etc.  I was honored to be included in this illustrious group.


Sheldon’s Atrium with Noguchi sculpture.  The Sheldon’s building was designed by Phillip Johnson.

From left to right: Charles Wheldon Rain, Hand of Fate, 1962; Hans Hofmann, Fruit Bowl, 1950; Kira Greene, Archway to Happiness, 2009; Elizabeth Okie Paxton, At Auction, undated.

From left to right: Emily Eveleth, True Story, 2005; Wayne Thiebaud, Salads, Sandwiches, and Desserts, 1962; Tom Wesselmann, Still Life No. 15, 1962

From left to right: Robert Rauschenberg, Tampa Clay Piece 3, 1972, ceramic; Robert Carlston Arneson, Brick, 1976, terracotta; Jasper Johns, Bread, 1969, lead with hand coloring

My lecture at the Museum’s auditorium.  Sheldon’s director, Jorge Daniel Veneciano is leading the Q & A session after the lecture.

Posted in blog, Exhibitions | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a key to the Scriptures

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Kira

Kushner, IHGYes, that is the title of the latest Tony Kushner play that I saw last Friday  at the Public Theater (in co-production with Signature Theater Company, in part of their season long Kushner retrospective / celebration).  The play, which explores politics, marriage, sex, radicalism, real estate and the labor movement under the roof of a retired longshoreman’s Brooklyn (Cobble Hill to be more exact) brownstone, was first produced under a commission from the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and directed by Michael Greif featuring many theater veterans such as Michael Cristofer, Linda Emond, Michael Esper, K. Todd Freeman, Hettienne Park, Steven Pasquale, Molly Price, Matt Servitto, Danielle Skraastad, Stephen Spinella, and Brenda Wehle.

Like its unwieldy title, the play is long (almost 4 hours including two intermissions), dense, challenging, smart, timely and exhilarating (especially compared to anything currently on view anywhere on stage in NY).  At times, the characters are exacerbatingly cliched ideological cardboards (on top of it, you often feel so stupid about your own ignorance thanks to the breadth of the topic covered in this play), but most of the times, Kushner’s characters are humane, smart, grandiose and sentimental all at the same time. All the actors in this large cast are outstanding, but Michael Cristofer, who plays the aging, suicidal, retired longshoreman labor leader patriarch and whose character is a unique combination of working class New York grit and Latin (Marcus Aurelius) quoting intellectual, is amazing in conveying the disappointment and the determination of an aging leftie activist in our challenging era of Bush and Obama. It was refreshing and exhilarating to hear the opening passages of Das Kapital quoted verbatim (both in Italian and in English) in this era of left-wing intellectual cowardice (where did the idealism vanish?)  It was also touching to see Stephen Spinella, an original Broadway cast in Angels in America, on stage again in another Kushner play.

Mr. Kushner said in an article in New York times that “[t]his work adheres to Aristotlean unity more than anything I’ve ever done – it’s not short episodic scenes, but long scenes set in the same location in Brooklyn….I think by nature I’m an epic writer rather than an Aristotlean, well-made play writer, but I feel the thing that’s exciting to me about this work is finding ways to do both in the space of an evening that people can sit through to deal with large concerns.”  Here’s hoping that he will write many more plays like this one to challenge us to think the big picture.

Posted in Theater | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Surveying the Immigrant Experience: Art Exhibition

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Kira

Softshell Crab with Wine

Softshell Crab with Wine, 2006, oil on canvas

I am included in a survey exhibition at LGBT Community Center in celebration of Immigration month.

EVENT DATE: Wednesday, April 27 2011 : 6:00pm – 7:30pm
LOCATION: The LGBT Community Center, 208 W 13th St, Manhattan
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 through Thursday, September 1, 2011
Opening Reception, Wednesday, April 27, 2011, 6PM – 7:30PM

Surveying the Immigrant Experience Art Exhibition showcases artists currently living and working in New York City representing 16 different countries of origin.  While the artists may themselves be members of the LGBT community, their work reflects the diversity of the LGBT experience both in New York and their country of origin.

Of particular interest in the show will be how the artists’ experiences and perceptions in their original countries have transmuted and adapted as they have become working artists making New York their homes.

A wide range of works will represent various media and our diverse community: gender identification, race, place of origin, age, and level of experience.

Curated by Christopher Hanway, Surveying the Immigrant Experience Art Exhibition will include works by: Jaishri Abichandani, Tomer Aluf, Gilbert Baker, Dietmar Busse, Iannis Delatolas, Brendan Fernandes, Raul Flores, Elaine Gan, Cynthia Lawson Jaramillo, Gio Black Peter, Kira Greene, Stefan Hengst, Carlos Mateu, Leeza Meksin, Slava Mogutin, Arsenio García Monsalve, Qing Liu, Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte, and Jenny Zhang.

 

Posted in Exhibitions | Tagged , | Leave a comment