this week in art

XU BING: THE LIVING WORD

Chinese characters morph into birds in Xu Bing’s site-specific installation at the Morgan (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Ave. at 36th St.
Tuesday – Sunday through October 2, $10-$15 (free Friday 7:00 – 9:00)
212-685-0008
www.themorgan.org
the living word slideshow

Language, politics, history, and the journey toward enlightenment come together in delightful, meaningful ways in Xu Bing’s “The Living Word 3,” on view in Renzo Piano’s bright, modern Gilbert Court atrium in the Morgan Library through October 2. The third iteration of the work, previously shown in slightly different versions at the Smithsonian in 2001 and at the seminal 1989 Chinese Avant-Garde exhibition at the National Art Gallery in Beijing, was designed specifically for this space, as accompanying preparatory drawings attest. On a white board on the gallery floor, contemporary Chinese characters spell out the dictionary definition of “bird” (niao): “vertebrate animal, warm-blooded, oviparous, lung breather, body covered in feathers, bipedal, forelimbs modified as wings, usually able to fly.” The letters then begin to fly off from the upper-left-hand corner, reaching toward the sky. As they continue up, they go backward in time, morphing from Mao’s simplified text into older, standardized Chinese writing and eventually into ancient pictographs representing the word “bird” (鸟) while also changing colors, resulting in a rainbow effect that is heightened when seen against the green leaves of the trees in the atrium. As Xu, who is based in New York and Beijing, explains, “Buddhists believe that ‘if you look for harmony in the living word, then you will be able to reach Buddha; if you look for harmony in lifeless sentences, you will be unable to save yourself.’ . . . My work and my method of thinking have been my search for the living word.” As the words take flight, they celebrate freedom while evoking the censorship so prevalent in modern China, as evidenced by the recent arrest of one of Xu’s contemporaries, Ai Weiwei. And the Morgan is a fitting place for the work, an institution devoted to writing, filled with so many classic texts, original musical scores, and historical documents that honor language. Among the other exhibitions on view at the Morgan right now are the excellent “Jim Dine: The Glyptotek Drawings” (through September 4), the fun “Lists: To-dos, Illustrated Inventories, Collected Thoughts, and Other Artists’ Enumerations from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art” (October 2), and “Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands” (September 4).

STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR: BORDERS

Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir’s life-size sculptures fill Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
47th St. between First & Second Aves.
Through September 30, free
www.nycgovparks.org
borders slideshow

Despite warnings to evacuate or at least stay inside during Hurricane Irene’s attack on the tristate area, more than two dozen figures continued to fill Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza all weekend long — and don’t plan on moving till the end of September. For “Borders,” Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir has created twenty-six site-specific life-size sculptures of androgynous beings, thirteen silver aluminum statues facing thirteen rust-colored cast-iron replicas, standing, sitting on benches, and kneeling throughout the park. Thórarinsdóttir, who has installed such public works as “Horfur (Prospect)” and “Rætur” in her native Reykjavik and the expansive “Horizons” at Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park in Illinois, breathes unique life into each pair, with the figures crossing their arms as if concerned about something, walking toward each other in potential conversation, kneeling in supplication, or covering their nether regions, which are empty anyway. The works recall Antony Gormley’s “Event Horizon,” which took over Madison Square Park and surrounding Flatiron District buildings last year, thirty-one representations of Gormley himself, but whereas those were all identical (and mostly on rooftops), each pair of Thórarinsdóttir’s figures are different, fraught with emotion that makes visitors want to approach them, sit next to them, and help them with their problems. The opposing figures also provide a kind of guarded path that goes past the Japan Society and alongside the Katharine Hepburn Garden as it leads toward the United Nations at the east end. “Borders” is an engaging, welcoming exhibition that is well worth making a special trip for.

CANCELED: AFRO-PUNK FESTIVAL 2011

Das Racist was supposed close Saturday’s Afro-Punk Festival on the Bites&Beats Stage, but the two-day festival has now been canceled because of the hurricane

Commodore Barry Park
Park Ave., Navy St., Flushing Ave. & North Eliot Pl., Brooklyn
Saturday, August 27, and Sunday, August 28, free, 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
www.afropunk.com
www.nycgovparks.org

[ed note: We have just gotten word on Friday at 11:00 am that both days of the Afro-Punk Festival have been canceled, with further information on possible rescheduling to come.]

With the approach of Hurricane Irene, most outdoor events in the city taking place on Sunday have been canceled in advance, but as of this writing the seventh annual Afro-Punk Festival is on for both days this weekend, with an amazing lineup of acts and special activities. Held in Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn, the free festivities include live performances on Saturday by Ninjasonik, Bad Rabbits, Reggie Watts, Gordon Voidwell, Toro y Moi, Gym Class Heroes, Das Racist, and Santigold, with Sunday’s roster highlighted by Cerebral Ballzy, Kenna, Fishbone, Res, Janelle Monae, Joi, Tamar-kali, Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely, and Cee Lo Green as well as lots of the city’s hottest DJs. There will be a market with booths from the Brooklyn Circus, Coup D’etat, Harriet’s Alter Ego, Freedom Star, Nakimul, Daf.Nei, Montgomery, Metal Taboo, Hot Trash Vintage, Noir A-Go Go, and more, and the Bites & Beats Food Trucks will feature noshes from such mobile eateries as Joyride, Mexicue, Cookies n Cream, Frites ‘n’ Meats, Desi, Two Pitas in a Pod, Rickshaw Dumpling, Kelvin Natural Slush, Taim, Eddie’s Pizza, Bian Dang, Green Pirate Juice, Schnitzel & Things, and Wooly’s Ice. And hotshots will fight it out in the Nike Battle for the Streets Skate and BMX Competition, with Nigel Sylvester and P-Rod on hand. Meanwhile, artists such as Coby Kennedy, Alice Mizrachi, Toofly, Rimx, Rob Fokused, Rip Josama, Baja Uk Weli, Lichiban, and See One will contribute to a wall mural over a large-scale photograph of Afro-punk kids taken by Barron Claiborne, and the Afro-Punk Denim & Chrome Custom Bike Show & Calendar Shoot will collect some awesome rides.

RYAN TRECARTIN: ANY EVER

Ryan Trecartin’s “Any Ever” consists of unique viewing environments in which to watch his rather unique films (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

MoMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave. at 46th Ave.
Thursday – Monday through September 5, 12 noon – 6:00 pm
Suggested admission: $10 (free for MoMA ticket holders within thirty days of ticket)
718-784-2084
www.ps1.org
summer open house sneak peek

Texas native Ryan Trecartin has come along at just the right time, the go-to artist for the YouTube / reality TV generation. The thirty-year-old multimedia artist makes color-drenched, amateurish films featuring himself and his friends in wacky outfits, speaking in high-pitched voices as they comment on various sociopolitical themes in crazy ways. For “Any Ever,” his exhibition at PS1 that continues through September 3, Trecartin has created individual viewing environments for seven of his films created between 2007 and 2010 in Miami, made in collaboration with Lizzie Fitch. Divided into two sections, Trill-ogy Comp, consisting of K-CoreaINC.K (section a), Sibling Topics (section a), and P.opular S.ky (section ish), and Re’Search Wait’S, comprising Ready, The Re’Search, Roamie View: History Enhancement, and Temp Stop, the exuberant films are set amid a partying world that celebrates gender identity and individuality while attacking global corporate culture, transumerism, and market research. The works are projected in sculptural viewing areas that often incorporate elements of the films, including airline seats, a white conference table, bleachers, comfortable raised couches, and other playful milieus. With “Any Ever,” Trecartin has created a loud, frenetic, in-your-face world that is one heckuva fun party, even if it gets repetitive when taken in all at once.

Don’t let the calm, relaxing entrance area fool you; Ryan Trecartin’s “Any Ever” multimedia installation is about to get a lot crazier (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

On August 31, MoMA PS1 will host a PopRally closing party for the exhibit, with MC Akeem_Ouch, live performances by AraabMUZIK, Glass Popcorn, and #HDBOYZ, guided tours of the show led by Veronica Gelbaum (who plays “Ready” in Re’Search Wait’S), appearances by Spicee Cajun, Raul de Nieves as Lindsay Lohan, DJs Telfar, Physical Therapy, and Fatima Al Qadiri, and other very strange guests. You can also catch “Any Ever” — as well as “Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception” (through September 12) and “Summer School presents Gus Van Sant and James Franco: My Own Private River” (through August 29) — at the final Warm Ups of the season, with Tanlines, NguzuNguzu, Teengirl Fantasy, Sun Araw, and Physical Therapy on August 27 (which has just been canceled, as PS1 will be closed on Saturday and Sunday because of Hurricane Irene) and Horse Meat Disco, Midnight Magic, Justin Miller, and BICEP on September 3, taking place in Interboro Partners’ “Holding Pattern” courtyard installation.

AN EVENING WITH PRESTON SINGLETARY

National Museum of the American Indian
George Gustave Heye Center, One Bowling Green
Thursday, August 25, free, 6:00
212-514-3700
www.nmai.si.edu
www.prestonsingletary.com

Tlingit artist Preston Singletary will be at the National Museum of the American Indian on August 25 at 6:00 to talk about his stunning exhibit, “Echoes, Fire, and Shadows.” Running through September 5, the midcareer retrospective consists of more than fifty glass sculptures and a wall mural that trace the artist’s twenty years of making ornamental, ceremonial, and unusual glass-blown and painted objects. “I sometimes hope that people will view my work on other levels not associated with ‘ethnic art,’” Singletary explains. “At the same time, it is this inspiration that gives my work its power. I see my work as an extension of tradition and a declaration that Native cultures are alive and developing new technologies and new ways of communicating the ancient codes and symbols of this land.” Also on view at the museum are “Small Spirits: Dolls from the National Museum of the American Indian” and “Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian.”

FÜNF RÄUME

Esther Stocker’s black foam core interrupts a white space in unusual and unexpected ways(photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Austrian Cultural Forum
11 East 52nd St. between Madison & Fifth Aves.
Daily through September 5, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
212-319-5300
www.acfny.org
fünf räume slideshow

For “Fünf Räume,” or “Five Rooms,” the Austrian Cultural Forum invited a group of emerging Austrian artists to create site-specific installations in five gallery spaces, transforming four floors of the unusual Midtown glass tower, which was designed by Raimund Abraham. Curated by David Harper and Andreas Stadler, the works evoke politics, spirituality, and everyday life while questioning the nature of space. On the first floor, Italian-born Esther Stocker has attached black masking tape and foam core to the ceiling, which will continue to droop through the duration of the exhibition, closing in on visitors. Clemens Hollerer has placed broken slats of wood, painted in red, white, and blue, along the stairway wall, an ineffective barrier that was unable to serve its purpose, the colors evoking America (and perhaps the freedom given the artists to create whatever they wanted for the exhibition). Zenita Komad and Michael Kienzler have collaborated on “The Empty Mirror,” a chess-inspired collection of sixteen mirrored chairs that bounce light, words, and numbers onto the walls in a dizzying display of self-reflection. Komad and Kienzler, along with Sabine Kienzler, also made the untitled video at the entrance, showing a typewriter tapping out the New Testament quotation “At the beginning was the word” in both English and German. For “Adaption,” in the lower level, Valentin Ruhry created nonworking replicas of electrical outlets, light switches, and a temperature gauge, finding art in the most mundane of places while also examining functionality. Across from that, Ruhry greets viewers with an MDF panel that announces, “Hello World.” In the back of that room, Vancouver-born Daniel Domig’s “The Eyes Are Not Here, There Are No Eyes Here” combines painting and sculpture in a wooden construction that challenges the way paintings are usually displayed, revealing both sides of them within an interlocking series of wooden beams that makes them less accessible. And on the top floor, Italian-born Stocker has redesigned an all-white space in three dimensions, filling it with geometric shapes, made of black foam core, hanging from the ceiling, sticking out of the walls, and rising from the floor. Visitors can walk through this disconcerting room, a sort of artistic maze that comments on the fragility of life and art. “Fünf Räume” is an engaging yet confrontational exhibit that needs to be traversed very carefully. There will be curator-led gallery talks of the exhibit, which ends September 5, on August 24, 26, and 31 at 5:00.

EVA ROTHSCHILD: EMPIRE

Eva Rothschild’s “Empire” spiders over Central Park entrance (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Scholars’ Gate, Doris C. Freedman Plaza
Central Park entrance, 60th St. & Fifth Ave.
Through August 28
646-862-0933
www.publicartfund.org
empire slideshow

For her first U.S. public commission, Dublin-born artist Eva Rothschild has constructed the site-specific “Empire,” ruling over the Scholars’ Gate entrance to Central Park at 60th St. & Fifth Ave. Evoking both Franz West’s 2009 “The Ego and the Id” at the same location and Louise Bourgeois’s “Spiders,” which dominated Rockefeller Center ten years ago, “Empire” twists and turns like the nearby tree branches in the park. Although it looks fragile, it is made of four-inch-diameter steel, planting itself in the ground at ten spots, forming an unusual archway inviting visitors into the park. Rothschild, who lives and works in London, has painted the winding structure in three colors, a band of black followed by either red or green, echoing the green trees, the dark branches, the windows of the surrounding buildings, and even the traffic lights. “The Plaza is a threshold,” Rothschild says of the piece, which reaches nearly twenty feet high, “and the work aims not to congest the space but to heighten awareness of the shift that takes place when one steps out of the street and into the park. It should become another gateway between two different worlds of urban experience.” This is the last week to walk under and around and touch the welcoming sculpture, which will be up through August 28.