AWESOME CREATOR: Legacy Russell, Brooklyn NY: Wayward Ceremonies for Our Times
[caption id="attachment_1288" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Portrait by Annie Powers"][/caption] WHO: Legacy Russell Legacy asks of her work, "Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? Are you my Angel?" She creates "tangible constructions inspired by the often intangible landscapes of memory and identity, the objects that rise to the surface have escaped their original owners and serve the function of participating in wayward ceremonies of remembrance, iconography, and idolatry." And we are thankful that she does. Legacy's critical, playful, artful examinations are the work of a committed woman whose production across a range of mediums is at once is intimate and universal, searing and comforting, ephemeral and concrete. Here is someone who has continuously engaged in the public sphere, creating and enabling community and connection, questioning and interrupting our visual and verbal culture -- yet who never ceases to turn the lens on herself, writing fiction and poetry with the deft quietude of the best hermits. Every inch the model of the AWESOME CREATOR, Legacy is tireless in her efforts, and has been very rightly been recognized as a force to be reckoned with (but also well loved and appreciated) by her peers -- one comes quickly to realize the great humility, kindness, and generosity of spirit in this young artist, one that is rare in someone on whom such accolades have been showered. Just this year she was recognized as one of the "10 Most Inspiring Young Artists in NYC Right Now" by Refinery 29, who had previously profiled her site specific, interactive piece, OPEN CEREMONY, begun in association with Trust Art in 2011.
ART CITY! : Bushwick Open Studios, June 1-3
Baby's all grown up! From its humble, DIY origins six years ago, Bushwick Open Studios [BOS] has blossomed into a behemoth of truly staggering proportions. This year, the festival -- highlighting arts and culture born and bred in this vibrant, buzzing, quarter of the Brooklyn creative map -- hosts an almost unbelievable 545 Events. It's a veritable smorgasbord, and like all festivals of this type is sure to include the good, bad, and the ugly. But the ugly could in fact be simply challenging, and you might just stumble onto the private studio of someone you'll later be able to say, "oh wow, I went to their show back in Bushwick in 2012!" -- but of course Bushwick itself has grown both as a real estate alternative and a refuge for artists fleeing rising rents in other parts of the city, and the weekend now hosts many artists already quite well known, represented, and collected internationally.
HELIOPOLIS PRESENTS: Steven Rose and Joanna Seitz
The AWESOME CREATORS at Heliopolis Project Proudly Present: STEVEN ROSE AND JOANNA SEITZ OPENING: June 1st, 2012, 7-10 pm VIDEO SCREENINGS: June 6, 13, 20 at 9pm Heliopolis 154 Huron St. Brooklyn, NY 11222 suncityprojectspace@gmail.com “Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other; let
Guest Blogger: GEORGIA ELROD: NYC ART RECS: What to see now
Artist: Kate Fire
"Untitled" by Kate Fire (print collage)
Artist: Leah Matthews
"Let's Call It
Artist: Kevin William Reed
"Dangling Ram" by Kevin William Reed (woodcut print)
Artist: John McLane
"Love Love" by John McLane (acrylic on canvas)
Artist: Anna Rhys-Jones
"Out of the Blue" by Anna Rhys-Jones (oil on canvas)
Artist: Carl Ferrero
"Revolt" by Carl Ferrero (acrylic, gouache, and pencil on paper 2008)