Yearly Archives: 2004

Imagine it’s two a.m., you just got home from work and have to be up again in four hours. Several hundred people are packed into your living room while a band is raging. Even in your exhaustion you remember that you live here for a reason, so you grab yourself a beer, walk over to the sound table to see if they need any help, knowing that when you get home again tomorrow, a day’s worth of cleaning will be waiting. What prompts people to create or seek out living environments that function both as private home and public space?

To get to an exhibition on the fourth floor means experiencing the entirety of the Museum of Surgical Science at a glance while climbing the historic lakeside mansion’s marble staircase. In doing so, one must pass cases of antique medical equipment and view displays of ancient and mid-century human deformities before reaching Jason Lazarus’s solo show Congenital: Grafts (open through January 21).

On the eve of Haiti's 200th year Celebration of Independence, I sat on my parent's living room floor listening to my father talk about Haitian politics. Although our home is miles away from Haiti in the New York City borough of Queens, his face on that day was masked with urgent discontent as he began to outline the festivities planned for the momentous occasion. There was also a level of cynicism in his voice as he made his way closer to where I sat and reclined in a nearby chair.

By Abby Glogower As a student at New York's School of Visual Arts, Michelle Smutney-Hyde ran with a loose collective of friends and passionate screen...

Profile of Writer and Figure Model Paul McComas

Back at home in New York for a few days, I embarked on my usual Saturday morning gallery walk. I headed straight for 303 Gallery, eager to see “Erewhon,” a new video installation by the English twins, Jane and Louise Wilson (open through November 6).

Paul Chan's Baghdad in No Particular Order brings the viewer beyond the boundaries of nationality, place, and ethnicity, showing Iraqis in their homes, neighborhoods, cafés, and places of worship. We glimpse at the lives of people who, despite war, dictatorship, and severe privation are remarkably open and human. Within its disjointed visual narrative and unconventional focus is this film's genius.

Jackie Kennedy at the Field Museum

Paul Chan's Baghdad in No Particular Order brings the viewer beyond the boundaries of nationality, place, and ethnicity, showing Iraqis in their homes, neighborhoods, cafés, and places of worship. We glimpse at the lives of people who, despite war, dictatorship, and severe privation are remarkably open and human. Within its disjointed visual narrative and unconventional focus is this film's genius.

Yale Grad Sues Ground Zero Architect / New Schemes to Buy Art / Chicago Museums Lose Off-Track Betting Income / British Gallery Auctions Camera Phone Photography

There is something about performance, the wait for it to begin, the anticipation of the climactic event, and the audience interaction, all of which cannot be replicated in the environment of the still visual art exhibit. The same thing is true of fashion shows. When the music started at Fusion Project's fashion show, Modification, the audience huddled around the catwalk, feeling the excitement from behind the curtain before it exploded on to the stage.

Being a time-based artist in today's world is both exciting and daunting. In this ever-expanding digital world, the possibilities are virtually endless. Nevertheless, we still hear people arguing over the benefits and drawbacks of film and video.

When did "values" become a republican selling point? What sort of "values" allow 45 million Americans to go without health insurance? What kind of values dictate that we need a Constitutional amendment to define marriage as a heterosexual relationship? What's worse ethically, getting a blowjob from an intern, or killing 100,000 innocent civilians?

The election is over and done with, how do you feel? What's going to happen to you? What will you do? Will it have an impact on the way you make art?

Films are human endeavors and one can safely assume that they will, by their very nature, contain flaws. Some films contain glaring errors while others contain rather subtle ones, but most will agree that there is no such thing as a perfect film. While these assumptions are usually quite serviceable, there is that rare film that makes you step back in awe and just marvel at its mastery. Director Mike Leigh’s latest film, Vera Drake, is just such a film.