Yearly Archives: 2012

DAN FLAVIN: DRAWING

Dan Flavin, “eight ‘monuments’ for V. Tatlin,” black ballpoint ink on white paper (collection of Stephen Flavin)

Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Ave. at 36th St.
Tuesday – Sunday through July 1, $10-$15 (free Friday 7:00 – 9:00)
212-685-0008
www.themorgan.org

“Dan Flavin: Drawing” is a revealing, illuminating look at a little-known, fascinating side of the innovative New York-based light sculptor. On view at the Morgan through July 1, the exhibit focuses on charcoals, pencils, inks, and watercolors made by Flavin over four decades, from preparatory drawings for his fluorescent sculptures to minimalist landscapes, portraits, and depictions of one of his favorite subjects, sailboats along the Hudson River and out on Long Island. Flavin’s use of line in his drawings is striking, particularly in the sailboat sketches and planned monuments for Russian avant-gardist Vladimir Tatlin. Flavin also pays tribute to a wide range of writers and artists in these works, many made in small three-by-five lined notebooks, including Alexander Calder, Apollinaire, Donald Judd, James Joyce, Barnett Newman, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Sol LeWitt, Titian, Jasper Johns, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Constantin Brancusi. The exhibition ranges from such abstract, blotchy drawings as “The Act of Love” and “untitled (tenements in the rain)” to the Japanese-inspired “a mechanical interior” to the architectural “from no. 1 of Dec 19, 1963 (in pink)” and “(to the young woman and men murdered in Kent State and Jackson State Universities and to their fellow students who are yet to be killed),” which create intriguing spaces on paper.

Dan Flavin, “untitled (in honor of Harold Joachim) 3,” pink, yellow, blue, and green fluorescent light, 1977 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Several of the later pieces that more directly relate to his light sculptures were actually made by his first wife, Sonja, and his son, Stephen, supervised by Flavin, who died in 1996 at the age of sixty-three. Also on display are nearly fifty works from his personal collection that reveal his many influences, with drawings by such Hudson River School painters as Sanford Robinson Gifford, John Frederick Kensett, and Aaron Draper Shattuck, such Japanese masters as Hiroshige and Hokusai, and such friends and colleagues as Judd, Robert Morris, and LeWitt, in addition to Toulouse-Lautrec, Hans Arp, George Grosz, Piet Mondrian, and Hans Richter. To put it all in perspective, the Morgan has installed two of Flavin’s light sculptures. In the upstairs Engelhard Gallery, “untitled (to the real Dan Hill) 1a” leans against a corner near the main entrance, an eight-foot-high single construction giving off pink, yellow, green, and blue fluorescent light, in stark contrast to the mostly black-and-white drawings throughout the rest of the room. But the real gem is “untitled (in honor of Harold Joachim) 3,” which deservedly stands alone in the downstairs Clare Eddy Thaw Gallery, a beautiful corner grid of six horizontal lights facing out, six vertical lights against the wall, creating soft, meditative glows that are at the heart of Flavin’s raison d’être.

LIZ CHRISTY GARDEN

Liz Christy Garden is an oasis of nature and beauty on the Lower East Side (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

East Houston St. between Bowery & Second Ave.
Tuesday & Thursday 6:00 pm – dusk, Saturday & Sunday 12 noon – 4:00 pm
212-402-1121
www.lizchristygarden.us
liz christy garden slideshow

In 1973, the Green Guerillas, led by Liz Christy, turned an ugly patch of land into a thriving community garden — the first in New York City — that is still beloved today. Previously known as the Bowery-Houston Community Farm Garden, the strip of land along Houston St. between Bowery and Second Ave., which bravely survived the recent construction of an enormous building complex next door, offers magnificent peacefulness by a pair of rather frantic intersections. Open Saturdays and Sundays from 12 noon to 4:00 and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 pm to dusk during the summer, Liz Christy’s Bowery-Houston Garden, which was named in its founder’s honor shortly after her death in 1985, features curving pebbled paths where you can stop by hostas and holly bushes, sunflowers and coleus, impatiens and tiger lilies, magnolias and oxalis, rhubarb and swiss chard, azaleas and hydrangeas, and buttercups and tulips. In a tall tree closer to Second Ave., the beautiful sounds of a multitude of singing birds fill the air, catching the ears of passersby on the street. Take a seat on one of the chairs or benches, obey the “Go Slow” sign on a small tree stump, pause by the grape arbor or the small turtle pond, and even volunteer to help out and eventually become a member; twenty hours of service earns you a key, while forty hours makes you an official Liz Christy gardener, with full voting rights. And be sure to leave a few dollars in the collection basket to help maintain the garden, which is one of the great oases of New York City.

SPAGHETTI WESTERNS: ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

Charles Bronson was perhaps never more likable than in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Sergio Leone, 1968)
Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
Wednesday, June 20, 3:05
Series runs through June 21
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org

One of the grandest Westerns ever made, this Sergio Leone masterpiece features an all-star cast that includes Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Woody Strode, Keenan Wynn, Lionel Stander, and Jack Elam, all enhanced by Ennio Morricone’s epic score and Tonino delli Colli’s never-ending extreme close-ups. (The opening shot of a fly crawling over Elam’s grimy face is unforgettable.) Fonda was never more evil, and Bronson was perhaps never more likable. The film is a huge step above most of Leone’s spaghetti Westerns, partially because of the cast, but also because of the script help he got from Italian horrormeister Dario Argento and iconic filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci. Once Upon a Time in the West is screening on June 20 as part of Film Forum’s Spaghetti Westerns series, which concludes this week with such films as The Ruthless Four, Hellbenders, Death Rides a Horse, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

JEFF BRIDGES, BEFORE THE DUDE: FAT CITY

FAT CITY is part of Jeff Bridges film series at 92YTribeca

FAT CITY (John Huston, 1972)
92YTribeca
200 Hudson St. at Canal St.
Wednesday, June 20, $12, 7:30
Series continues through August 15
212-415-5500
www.92y.org

Genre master and onetime boxer John Huston returned to the ring in Fat City, a gritty 1972 drama about a group of has-beens and never-will-be’s struggling to survive in Stockton, California. Stacey Keach stars as Billy Tully, a down-on-his-luck fighter looking to make a comeback at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. He spars at the local Y with eighteen-year-old Ernie Munger (Jeff Bridges) and likes what he sees in the kid, telling him to meet his old manager, Ruben (Cheers’ Nicholas Colosanto), who decides to take on the unseasoned youngster. While Ruben lands Ernie — who seems more interested in bragging about having scored with his girlfriend, Faye (Candy Clark), than training properly — his first few bouts, Tully gets day work picking vegetables and hangs out at a local gin joint with a seedy, whiskey-voiced barfly named Oma (an Oscar-nominated Susan Tyrrell, who sadly just passed away a few days ago). Legendary cinematographer Conrad Hall casts a gray pale over the proceedings as dashed hopes and dreams come falling down on these disillusioned perennial losers. In many ways Fat City, based on the novel by Leonard Gardner — who also wrote the screenplay — is an update of Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront, but moved to the hard times of early ’70s America, when so many people had no way out. You do not have to be a fight fan to fall in love with this film. A clear influence on such auteurs as Martin Scorsese, Fat City will be screening June 20 at 92YTribeca as part of the series “Jeff Bridges, Before the Dude,” consisting of such pre-Big Lebowski works as Stay Hungry, The Fisher King, and Cutter’s Way.

TWI-NY TALK — BRENDA ZLAMANY: 888

Brenda Zlamany and her daughter, Oona (far right), visit a police station in Dagangkou as part of their Taiwan journey; “Often in a new town the police station was a good place to set up the ‘studio,’” Zlamany explains (photo courtesy Brenda Zlamany)

888: PORTRAITS IN TAIWAN
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
1 East 42nd St. between Madison & Fifth Aves.
Monday – Saturday through June 30, free, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (9:00 -11:00 am Saturday)
212-317-7352
www.taiwanembassy.org
brendazlamany.com

Last summer, Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist Brenda Zlamany traveled throughout Taiwan with her Mandarin-speaking ten-year-old daughter, Oona, visiting thirty cities, towns, and aboriginal villages where Zlamany used a camera lucida to draw many of the residents, then made watercolors of them as she and Oona participated in the local culture. Brenda and Oona’s experiences are on view in the multimedia exhibition “888: Portraits in Taiwan,” which features oil paintings, behind-the-scenes videos, Zlamany’s sketchbooks, an informative, oversized map detailing their journey, and photographic projections of her subjects holding their portraits. The first part of her series “The Itinerant Portraitist,” the two-floor display is on view through the end of the month at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office on 42nd St. Zlamany, whose previous painting series include “Bald Artists,” “Tibetans,” “Infants,” and numerous animals, discussed her working process, her relationship with her daughter, and more, shortly after the exhibition’s opening reception.

twi-ny: How did the idea for “888” come about?

Brenda Zlamany: For fifteen years I’ve painted portraits of my artist friends. Many of us paint ourselves and one another. In some ways you could say we’re professional posers. Our gaze is external. Very look at me. In 2007, I took a trip to Tibet with my daughter during which I shot thousands of photos of monks and nomads with the intent of making oil paintings when I returned. When I hung the completed Tibetan portraits in the studio beside twelve recent portraits of American artists, the artists appeared to be reaching out to the viewer, while the viewer was pulled into the portraits of the Tibetans. This contrast between “external” and “internal” gazes seemed worthy of further exploration. Taiwan seemed a good choice for such an inquiry because its indigenous cultures are somewhat removed from Western ways of thinking.

I also wanted to work in a Mandarin-speaking country because my daughter, Oona, is a fluent Mandarin speaker and could be my interpreter. She is very sweet and outgoing. We worked as a team. People were interested in us as a family. This gave us access to remote areas. People showed us a lot of hospitality.

I set out to make 888 paintings in 90 days, a reasonable challenge of 10 paintings a day. I chose 888 because 8 is associated with prosperity in Chinese culture. I told people that if they took part in the project, they would get rich. That made it easy to convince people to pose.

twi-ny: What did you look for in potential subjects?

Brenda Zlamany: I looked for a wide range of people: young, old, diplomats, tribal leaders, policemen, firemen, teachers, artists, street cleaners, fruit sellers, doctors, and hotel workers. But I learned that what I looked for and what I found in my subjects were not the same thing. When you paint someone, you make discoveries. For instance, I was staying in a convent in an aboriginal village, and five Taiwanese tourists were also there. They were middle-aged women. At first I didn’t think they were as interesting as people from the village, but I decided to paint them anyway. In doing so I learned about the depth of their friendship by observing how they posed and how they responded to one another’s portraits. The experience was very moving.

twi-ny: Although you drew men, women, and children of all ages, the show features oil paintings only of young men. What was the reasoning behind that decision?

Two of Zlamany’s subjects pose with their portraits in “888” exhibit at TECO (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Brenda Zlamany: I was impressed with the beauty, grace, style, and directness of these young aboriginal men. There is so much creativity in how they present themselves. In many villages, one encounters them engaged in activities like break dancing, sports, computers, or just hanging out together. (The women of the same age are elsewhere and are nowhere near as self-consciously styled.) They have a lot of potential but are also at risk. And I identify with them. My life was like that early on, and I’ve been lucky. They are at the beginning of life, when there are so many unknowns. I wonder how it will go for them. But I understand this particular moment. It’s funny — as I painted people from cultures unfamiliar to me, I tried to figure out who in those cultures was me. It is said that all portraiture is ultimately self-portraiture.

twi-ny: Why did you choose to use the camera lucida?

Brenda Zlamany: The camera lucida is an instrument for drawing that was invented during the Renaissance. It enables the artist to view the subject and a superimposition of the subject on paper simultaneously. This allows for a more active involvement between the artist and the subject than does photography alone. The instrument demands direct observation, a rapport in which the subject can respond to the artist verbally or nonverbally and inform the work. For me, part of the electricity of portraiture is in the flip that occurs when the subject looks at the completed painting and becomes aware of the artist looking at him or her. We both reveal ourselves. The camera lucida enhances this exciting connection.

twi-ny: You traveled with your ten-year-old daughter throughout this journey. What do you think you learned about each other that you might not have known before?

Brenda Zlamany: I was amazed and pleased at how seriously she took her role as “head hunter” and interpreter. There were days when I thought I couldn’t make the goal, and she would set out to find great subjects to encourage me.

Because she’s fluent in Mandarin and I speak barely a word, we experienced a role reversal. Often I didn’t know what was going on as she negotiated for lodging, food, transportation. In this loss of power, I got to see what it’s like to be a kid who’s led around. I also got to see how she handles being in a power position. Mostly she was kind and fair. Although it could be frustrating for me.

We’d traveled as a team ever since she was an infant, so I already knew that she was cheerful, easygoing, fun, adventurous, and charismatic. People in Taiwan liked her, and this opened many doors. They were as interested in her as they were in the paintings.

But I discovered a major difference between us one morning when she woke up in tears and said “Mommy, we have no plan!” I replied, “We don’t need a plan. We have opportunities!” I was comfortable without a clear itinerary. One thing would lead to the next. She found that difficult to accept.

twi-ny: “888” is the beginning of your new series, the Itinerant Portraitist. What have you got planned for chapter two?

Brenda Zlamany: I’m looking for funding to travel to Southeast Asia to paint portraits of people, particularly girls, who are victims of human trafficking. Because I’ve discovered that there’s such a positive effect from “888,” I want to take it a little further and see if the work can actually make a difference in a situation where it’s really needed.

NORTHSIDE FILM 2012

Ai Weiwei documentary makes no apologies at Northside Festival on Wednesday night

indieScreen, 289 Kent Ave.
Nitehawk Cinema, 136 Metropolitan Ave.
UnionDocs, 322 Union Ave.
June 18-21
www.northsidefestival.com

Now that the music section of the Northside Festival is now over, film takes center stage, with four days of screenings at indieScreen, Nitehawk Cinema, and UnionDocs in Williamsburg. Among the dozens of shorts, documentaries, animated films, and narrative dramas are Adam Sherman’s Crazy Eyes, about family strife and unrequited lust, starring Lukas Haas and Madeline Zima; Ryan O’Nan’s Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, a coming-of-age road trip story with an all-star cast in small roles; Pema Tseden’s film-festival favorite, Old Dog, about man and beast; James Yaegashi’s Park Slope-set romantic comedy Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty; Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz, in which Luke Kirby might come between married couple Michele Williams and Seth Rogen; Alison Klayman’s Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, about the embattled Chinese activist artist; and a special retro screening of Todd Solondz’s indie classic Welcome to the Dollhouse, with many of the presentations followed by Q&As with the filmmakers.

KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT: THE SWORD WITH NO NAME

Korean historical drama centers on a love that can never be

EPIC ROMANCE: THE SWORD WITH NO NAME (Kim Yong-gyun, 2009)
Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St. at Laight St.
Tuesday, June 19, free, 7:00
212-759-9550
www.koreanculture.org
www.tribecacinemas.com

Operatic in its emotional scale and shameless melodrama, Kim Yong-gyun’s The Sword with No Name is a sweeping romantic epic set in late-nineteenth-century Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. King Gojong (Kim Yeong-min) is taking a new queen, Min Ja-young (Soo Ae), soon to be known as Empress Myeong-seong. Before arriving at the palace, Min meets Moo-myoung (Cho Seung-woo), a local villager who takes her to visit the sea and then saves her from a vicious attack. Although theirs is a love that can never be, Moo-myoung earns a position as a low-level guard at the palace, determined to protect Min no matter what. The queen is interested in leading the nation out of its isolationism, becoming intrigued with European culture. However, as she sidles up with Russia, Japan starts feeling threatened, and the king’s father, Daewongun (Jeon Ho-jin), who is against change and modernization, challenges his son’s authority. As battles rage, loyalty is betrayed, jealousy reigns, and secret plots abound, the queen’s life is threatened, and it’s up to Moo-myoung to save her. Despite an increasingly sappy score, several ridiculous video-game-like fight scenes, a nationalistic fervor, and a choppy narrative, The Sword with No Name still manages to be an intriguing bit of historical fiction, based on actual events surrounding the Insurrection of 1882. The fiery passion between Min, who was Korea’s queen, and Moo-myoung, who is a made-up character, drives the film, even when the story gets way out of hand. The Sword with No Name is screening for free June 19 at Tribeca Cinemas, concluding the Korean Cultural Service film series “Epic Romance.”