Art, Performance, Film & More Not To Miss In NY This November
By Something CuratedLooking ahead at November in New York, Something Curated highlights a selection of the most promising exhibitions, performances and events not to be missed in the city.
Exhibitions:
The Modernist, at Lehmann Maupin | Catherine Opie (1 November-12 January)
Debuting her first photography series and related film, Opie’s new exhibition follows a fictional artist character on an arsonist spree across Los Angeles, targeting the city’s modernist buildings. It is comprised of 852 black-and-white photographs, and builds from Chris Marker’s La Jetée (1962). Marker’s film serves as historical context for Opie’s observations on the chaos and disarray in present day America. In Opie’s work, she strives to address themes of global upheaval, environmental collapse, and political breakdown.
Glamour Modeling, at Postmasters | Alex McLeod (3 November-15 December)
Presented at Postmasters, Alex McLeod’s exhibition, Glamour Modeling, will present a group of short animated videos and multi-paneled photographs all featuring various non-player characters (NPC’s), that he has created. Throughout the videos, these NPC’s mutate themselves into endless cycles of life and rebirth, McLeod’s characters are pastel-colored, slow-moving, gooey, shiny, and relatable creatures. Sometimes sweet, crazy, clumsy, or angry, these characters question their morality as they figure out their own self-awareness throughout Glamour Modeling.
Belavia, at Metro Pictures | Paulina Olowska (15 November-21 December)
Polish artist Paulina Olowska will be presenting her newest exhibit, Belavia, at Metro Pictures. Olowska works with a range of media, including painting, sculpture, and collage. Olowska received the Aachen Art Prize in 2014, with an associated exhibition at the Ludwig Forum for International Art in Aachen, Germany. Her work has been featured at Tate Modern, the Carnegie International, and the Museum of Modern Art.
Tala Madani, at 303 Gallery | Tala Madani (1 November-15 December)
Tala Madani launches her first exhibit at 303 Gallery with a new group of paintings and animation work. One collection of her paintings displays a group of infants discovering their imagination, through the usage of light. Madani’s paintings can vary from obscene and playful to violent and grotesque, her creations working to portray primal desires and their relationship to convenient norms.
Navajo Blankets, at Pace Gallery | Agnes Martin (14 November-21 December)
This major exhibition will bring together large-scale paintings by Agnes Martin alongside Navajo Chief Wearing Blankets. Extremely colourful, this exhibition showcases the meticulous and fine design of the Navajo blankets created by Navajo women during the 19th century as well as Martin’s transcendental approach to painting.
Won’t You?, at SARDINE | Sun You (27 October-2 December)
Won’t You?, a solo exhibition by New-York based artist Sun You, features tabletop and wall sculptures made specifically for the gallery’s space. You uses everyday objects and materials to create her sculptures, helping viewers think about craft traditions, and domestic context. Currently, You is an artist-in-residence at Sharpe Walentas Studio Program and Hunter College.
Film:
Speak Up (Ouvrir la Voix), at Columbia University Lenfest Center for the Arts | Amandine Gay (10 November)
Part of the film series, “Blackness in French and Francophone Film”, organized by Columbia Maison Française and the School of the Arts, is “Speak Up”, by Amandine Gay. As an Afro-feminist filmmaker, Gay revamps the idea of an interview and lets her subjects speak for themselves as black women with roots in Europe’s colonial history in Africa and the Caribbean. The women share their narratives about experiences of discrimination they’ve faced tied to their double, indistinct identity – “woman” and “black.”
The Day I Became a Woman + Woman of a Thousand Fires, at BAM Rose Cinemas | Marziyeh Meshkini & Chick Strand (4 November)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRY40xVhu4N/
Premiering as a double feature, these two films are being shown as a part of BAM’s “Women at Work: The Domestic is Not Free” series. Beginning with “Women of a Thousand Fires” by Chick Strand, this avant-garde filmmaker takes a journey from Spain to Greece to Mexico to document the lives and the domestic traditions of women. Only 15 minutes long, this 1976 short paints a vivid portrait of the spirit of the women featured.
Events:
The Salon Art + Design, at Park Avenue Armory | Sanford L. Smith + Associates (8 November to 12 November)
With over 56 international galleries participating, The Salon Art + Design welcomes some of the finest pieces of contemporary furniture, groundbreaking design and late 19th through 21st century art at The Park Avenue Armory. This year’s fair features names such as Galerie BSL in Paris and Yves Macaux in Brussels. There is something for everyone here, with work that ranges from classical antiquities to Art Nouveau to Mid Century Modern to Art Deco, showcasing pieces for every taste and style.
Music:
Yaeji at Knockdown Center | Yaeji (9 November at 8 pm)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpaj4Z6n12i/
Brooklyn-based producer Yaeji will be performing at Knockdown Center in Queens. Mixing English and Korean lyrics along with house and hip hop elements in her music, her popular singles “Raingurl” and “Drinks I’m Sippin’ On” have over two-million plays on various platforms such as Spotify. Her performances are meant to have an intimate atmosphere, feeling like a family affair.
Performance:
Simone Forti’s Dance Constructions, at The Museum of Modern Art | Simone Forti (1 November-29 November)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnr3zQrF6kH/
First performed in 1960 at Reuben Gallery and artist Yoko Ono’s loft, the Simone Forti Dance Constructions were both sculptures and performances. Each “construction” prompts actions such as climbing, standing, or whistling, using support from inexpensive and everyday materials such as plywood, wooden swings, or rope. The constructions will be brought back to life and continued at The MoMa this November, with two works being performed by a cast of dancers on various Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
The Things That Were There at The Bushwick Starr | David Greenspan & Lee Sunday Evans (10 October-3 November)
Set on the occasion of a celebratory dinner, this play dramatises the events and relationships of a family over many years, with a meditation on loss and a focus on memory. The play will be performed by The Abingdon Theatre Company, a group focused on producing new work by emerging and established artists.
Words by Jane Herz | Feature image: Distortion by Najla El Zein for Friedman Benda (via The Salon Art + Design)