Art 100 was a sweeping survey course in art history that was and perhaps still is a a right of passage for any student majoring in art. I remember coming to know and love all of the artists who would influence me over the years, in particular the dissonant and oddly haunting American Gothic by Grant Wood. Like Robert Frank's photographs of American life, this was a painting that manifest the psychological underbelly of American consciousness. Wood's work also investigates the anxiety of being an artist and a deeply repressed homosexual in the Midwest in the 1930s. Wood's double portrait of a pitchfork-wielding farmer and a woman commonly presumed to be his wife—is one of the most recognizable paintings in 20th century American art and perhaps Wood's most famous artwork. The Whitney's survey of the Wood's career that opened in early March, Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables brings together the full range of his art, from his early Arts and Crafts decorative objects and Impressionist oils through his mature paintings, murals, and book illustrations, revealing a complex artist whose image as a farmer-painter was as mythical as the fables he depicted in his art. Read Philip Kennicott's review of the show here.
Must See... We The Animals
Film maker Jeremiah Zagar has adapted the groundbreaking debut novel by Justin Torres, We The Animals, that plunges us into the chaotic heart of one family and the intense bonds of three brothers into a singularly original and poetic film. Having just won the NEXT Innovator Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, We The Animals has been touted as "This Year's MoonLight" in IndieWire, "A Poetic Battle Cry of Childhood" by Screenanarchy, and "Mesmerizing" by the Hollywood reporter. Produced by Paul Mezey (my darling husband) and Andrew Goldman of Cinereach, an extraordinary film company dedicated to vital, artful filmmaking, WTA is the newest of their critically acclaimed must see films from the production house that has brought us Beasts of the Southern Wild, Sorry to Bother You, Beach Rats, Brimstone and Glory, Dina, The Florida Project, Night Comes On, and numerous other award winning narrative and documentary films.
Steven Shore at MoMA
When I was in graduate school for photography at Yale School of Art in the late 80's Steven Shore was the name on everyones lips. At a time when classic modernist photography had already given way to new color photography and post modernism was in quick ascent, Shore's iconic color images were a through line in the landscape of the medium. I loved his work for its quirky cultural critique but his images resonated most because of his sensitivity to light, something that was at the core of my own practice. MoMA just mounted the first retrospective of Shore's work, certain to impress with a collection of images spanning forty years. Exhibit runs through the end of May.
Club 57 at The Modern
I arrived in the East Village at the very beginning of the 90's when the epic days of art and experimentation were just winding down. Nonetheless, I could tell that there had been a substantial shift in the art world there and that NYC would never be the same. Club 57, a no-budget venue for music and film, was located in the basement of a Polish Church at 57 Saint Marks Place. It was the epicenter of a counterculture fueled by low rent, the Reagan presidency, and a hankering for experimentation. Today the world of Club 57 continues to thrive in the consciousness of those who lived it or wished they did. Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village is new exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, the first of its kind to pay examine the impact of this alternative space. Now through April 1, 2018 at MoMA.
What I am Reading... Everything I Want to Eat
Must See... Beach Rats
My husband, Paul Mezey is a New York based independent film producer who has made a career out of telling stories that dissect and celebrate out humanity. His newest film Beach Rats, directed by Eliza Hittman, was awarded Best Director honors at Sundance last January. It opened last weekend in New York and Los angeles to rave reviews, with wide release across the country in the coming weeks. Harrison Dickinson is brilliant. He is already the name on everyones lips. (photo credit: Tayarisha Poe)