Kereszi

Bopped on over to the Lisa Kereszi opening on Thursday at YRG. A big turnout as I expected, but what did surprised me was the selection of work. A selection of newer (2006) and older (2002) work of very stark interior and exterior environments, it's Kereszi at her most distilled. Stop by, let me know what you think.


Another show not to miss is Ben Donaldson at Jen Bekman Gallery in SoHo. Ben has covered a lot of territory in his career in addition to turning me onto the camera I use for most of these shots - CASIO Exilim. The show he has up now is one of my favorite slices from the pie of his career. Photographs of individuals while under hypnosis. Yes, it's as good as it sounds.

One night out

It started innocently enough at Yancey Richardson Gallery, my alma mater. Bart Michiels and I met up to contemplate the new work of Helen van Meene. Great show, see it before it closes on March 17th.



We met up with Jessica Backhaus and Pepper and a nice volley of conversation ensued.



Vinegar looked on from his perch...



On to Trestle on 24th and 10th Avenue. I really like this place for a good glass of wine and conversation. I met the photographer Maura Sullivan there for a little bit of both. Things were going along just fine when in came trouble...Gerald Slota!



Actually, it's fun trouble. Before long, I was wearing a kimono and the hostess, Sara, was rearranging my flowers very delicately. Sara had such patience with us, thank you Sara. Not only did Gerald take this photo, you can see the real Slota work at the George Eastman House right now.

Natasha

"Where's Natasha"?...that's what one recent curator said when he came by the gallery one Saturday. For a dog that makes rare appearances here at the gallery, she has quite a following. I had wanted to rescue a dog for at least a year at that point and I knew it was high time to visit the shelter on 110th. It was love at first sight and I know right then and there I had my gallery dog.



Well, I tried everything for transportation with her. A basket on the front of bike - she jumped out. A pet trailer for the back of my bike - she jumped out. A cab - she loves cabs, but a little too costly everyday. I even thought about buying a car to get her here. Fact is, she is just a little too rowdy to be here quite yet. When she settles down, she will be here, by my feet, doing her best to illicit those "isn't she cute" sales.

Sugimoto

What a rare treat to see and hear Sugimoto at the Guggenheim last week. He is so thoughtful, reverent. Everything is so precise and exacting. From his early seascapes to the mathematical forms, there is so much integrity along with experimentation. Not without a sense of humor, he showed a couple of self-portraits circa 1972 complete with hippy/shaggy hair and a can of Budweiser. I remember reading an interview with him in W magazine several years ago where he certainly didn't deny experimenting with psychedelics. I also seem to remember him saying he owned a VW campervan at one point...

Big Red Wine

The decision that I was about to make called for a conversation over a glass of German Pinot with my friend Kelly. I've known Kelly for about 11 years now, meeting back in San Francisco. She is a remarkable woman who completed the graduate curatorial studies program at Bard. She is now the kick-ass director at George Adams Gallery just one block away.

We visited Trestle and parked ourselves squarely at the bar. The wine was poured and the conversation flowed. For the last few weeks I have been trying to figure how to integrate my program in a way that makes sense. I have primarily been known for my history in dealing with photography. I introduced works on paper and now sculpture as of late. I just wasn't sure if it all made sense to me, let alone to the people visiting. Should I just stick with photography? "But I love painting, drawing & sculpture!" Should I alternate back and fourth between photography and another medium? "But isn't this too confusing?" Well, over just ONE glass of wine, we came up with a solution. More later...

Demolition Derby

I was pleased to attend the opening night festivities at the Museum of Arts & Design last Wednesday. Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting as curated by David McFadden featured an arresting installation by Cal Lane. The show was previewed by the Village Voice and reviewed by both the NY Sun and The New York Times last week. In each publication an image of Cal's was reproduced. Wow! Three in one week. way to go Cal!

Smoking in LA

There is just something about lighting up in LA...it just doesn't fit. It's all seems so healthy and green in Santa Monica. That's why I take the rare occasion to. Bummed one from Paul Amador and it was a nice cap to a long day at the fair. Special shout out to all the new people I met (you know who you are) for making it a fantastic five days.



It was refreshing to have the gallerist from Gualala (say that 3 x fast) Paul Kozal in the booth. Never see him enough and he has been a fair buddy over the years. In fact, I even worked with him at Edward Carter Gallery so many years ago. Flanked by a couple of Tom Allen's, we enjoyed a sweet meal at Broadway Deli where I always seem to end up on Saturday night.


Pepper from YRG rests his sad dawgs in my booth as well. My former work partner, we dubbed ourselves "Salt & Pepper," because we worked so well together. What a team. We also had a third, "Vinegar," but that's a whole other story.