this week in art

PERFORMA 09

Fischerspooner will kick off Performa 09 at MoMA on Nov. 1

Multiple venues
November 1-22
Admission: free – $30
www.performa-arts.org
The third biennial Performa festival gets under way on November 1, kicking off three weeks of eclectic performance and installation art sponsored by Performa, a nonprofit interdisciplinary arts organization founded by RoseLee Goldberg that celebrates cutting-edge visual art and education. Although we’re suckers for multimedia performance art and site-specific sound and video installations, it can also be hit or miss, with concept often winning out over execution. But we’re here to narrow down the myriad choices for you; below are ten of our recommendations, in chronological order, to help you sift through the more than 150 artists participating in some 110 events at 80-plus institutions.

Lilibeth Cuence Rasmussen will look at the present and future at the Performance Project

Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen will look at the present and future at the Performance Project

Other highlights include Arto Lindsay’s “Somewhere I Read” at Duffy Square on November 1, Tracey Emin reading from “Those Who Suffer Love” and “Strangeland” at the Performance Project at University Settlement on November 7, Kalup Linzy at Taxter & Spengemann on November 8, Omer Fast’s reinvention of the game Broken Telephone at Abrons Art Center November 11-13, Mai Ueda’s “Family Dinner in a Parallel Universe” neo-fluxus event at the Emily Harvey Foundation on November 14, Yeondoo Jung’s “Cinemagician” theater piece at the Asia Society November 19-21, Marina Rosenfeld’s “P.A.” audio installation at the Park Avenue Armory on November 22, and Guy Ben-Ner’s live untitled film being screened nightly at 7:00 at Performa Hub at 41 Cooper Square throughout the festival.

Many of the events are free, with other ticket prices ranging from $10 to $30. There’s a whole bunch of awesome events, so do your best to try to check out at least one of these ultracool happenings.

Sunday, November 1 Fischerspooner, “Inbetween Worlds,” the Museum of Modern Art, $20, 6:00

Tacita Dean collaborates with Merce Cunningham shortly before the great choreographer's death

Thursday, November 5
through
Saturday, November 7 Tacita Dean, Craneway Event, feature-length film documenting Merce Cunningham dance rehearsals in an abandoned automobile factory, Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, $10

Friday, November 6 Jonas Mekas and Now We Are Here, live musical performance with lead singer Jonas Mekas and special guests, Emily Harvey Foundation, free, 9:00

Friday, November 6
and
Saturday, November 7 Auf den Tisch! (At the Table!), curated by Meg Stuart, featuring a revolving cast of artists and thinkers improvising at a large conference room table, including Trajal Harrell, Keith Hennessy, Yvonne Meier, Vania Rovisco, Meg Stuart, and others, Baryshnikov Arts Center, $20, 7:30

Saturday, November 7 First Saturdays: Rock Out, with “Twirl” by Jen DeNike, 6:00, and “Saaqiou” by Terence Koh, 9:30, Brooklyn Museum, free

Brilliant South African multimedia artist William Kentridge will discuss his latest work-in-progress at festival

Monday, November 9
and
Tuesday, November 10 William Kentridge, “I Am Not Me, the Horse Is Not Mine,” multimedia presentation about Kentridge’s work-in-progress, inspired by Shostakovich’s THE NOSE, Cedar Lake, $30, 8:00

Maria Hassabi follows up last month's "Solo" show with "SoloShow"

Thursday, November 12
and
Friday, November 13 Maria Hassabi, “SoloShow,” P.S. 122, $20

Friday, November 13 Guido Van Der Werve, “Nummer Elf: The King’s Gambit Accepted, the Number of Stars in the Sky & Waiting for an Earthquake,” Marshall Chess Club, $10, 7:00 & 9:00

Friday, November 13
through
Sunday, November 15 Wangechi Mutu, “Stone Ihiga,” multimedia performance and site-specific installation with music by Imani Uzuri, Saatchi & Saatchi, $15, 9:00

Deborah Hay and Yvonne Rainer collaborate for Performa 09

Tuesday, November 17
through
Thursday, November 19 Deborah Hay and Yvonne Rainer, “If I Sing to You / Spiraling Down,” Baryshnikov Arts Center, $25, 7:30

WEEKLY LISTINGS October 28 – November 4

Dessner brothers will lead special music event at BAM (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

THE LONG COUNT
Howard Gilman Opera House
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Tickets: $20-$45
718-636-4100
www.bam.org

Wednesday, October 28
through
Saturday, October 31 “The Long Count” features three performances led by Bryce and Aaron Dessner of the National and visual artist Matthew Ritchie, with guest vocalists the Breeders’ Kim and Kelley Deal, My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, and the National’s Matt Berninger. There will be also be an artist talk with the Dessner brothers and Ritchie at the Hillman Attic Studio on October 31 at 6:00 ($8).

Dr. Leon Chang's life and work are celebrated at TECO (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

DR. LEON LONG-YIEN CHANG COMMEMORATIVE EXHIBITION
TECO
1 East 42nd St. between Fifth & Madison Aves.
Admission: free
212-557-5122
www.taiwanembassy.org
www.flickr.com/slideshow

Through Friday, October 30 In celebration of the life of poet, teacher, diplomat, artist, and calligrapher Dr. Leon Chang, who passed away this past May at the age of 101, the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in New York is hosting a splendid exhibit of Dr. Chang’s calligraphy, in beautiful scrolls and framed images, along with photographs and other memorabilia of a life well lived

Garth Fagan is presenting its thirty-ninth season at the Joyce (photo by Bob Joe)

GARTH FAGAN DANCE
Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.
Tickets: $10-$49
212-645-2904
www.garthfagandance.org
www.joyce.org

Through Sunday, November 1 Garth Fagan’s thirty-ninth season features LANDSCAPE FOR 10, live music by the Ying Quartet, and more

SITI reinvents Sophocles at DTW

SITI COMPANY: ANTIGONE
Dance Theater Workshop
219 West 19th St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Tickets: $20-$25
212-924-0077
www.dancetheaterworkshop.org

Wednesday, October 28
through
Sunday, November 1 Jocelyn Clarke’s reimagining of Sophocles’ classic drama, by the always inventive SITI Company

Emmanuelle Vo-Donh tests the limits of body and space at Danspace

ICI/PER.FOR
Danspace Project
131 East Tenth St. at Second Ave.
Tickets: $12-$18
212-674-8112
www.danspaceproject.org

Thursday, October 29
through
Saturday, October 31 Emmanuelle Vo-Dinh, with live music by Zeena Parkins, lighting design by Francoise Michel, and costumes by Virginie and Jean-Jacques Weil

COMMEDIA is part of Morphoses presentation at City Center

MORPHOSES: THE WHEELDON COMPANY
New York City Center
130 West 56th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Tickets: $15-$110
212-581-1212
www.morphoses.org
www.nycitycenter.org

Thursday, October 29
through
Sunday, November 1 One of the city’s hottest dance companies presents two programs: Wheeldon’s COMMEDIA, with music by Stravinsky; Lightfoot Leon’s SOFTLY AS I LEAVE YOU, with music by Arvo Part, J. S. Bach, and others; Alexei Ratmansky’s BOLERO, with music by Ravel; and the U.S. premiere of Tim Harbour’s new ballet, with music by Ross Edwards; and the second program: Wheeldon’s CONTINUUM, with music by Gyorgy Ligeti; SOFTLY; and the U.S. premiere of Wheeldon’s new ballet, with music by Rachmaninoff

SOUND/FRAME/REMIX
Austrian Cultural Forum
11 East 52nd St. between Madison & Fifth Aves.
Admission: free
212-319-5300
www.acfny.org

Through Saturday, October 31 Multimedia exhibit focusing on new video coming out of the sound:frame festival

Amy Stein, "Riverside," digital C-print, 2009

AMY STEIN: DOMESTICATED
ClampArt
521-531 West 25th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Admission: free
646-230-0020
www.clampart.com

Through Saturday, October 31 Photographer (and taxidermist!) Amy Stein re-creates actual scenes involving animals that have been reported in a small town in northeast Pennsylvania, resulting in fascinating images that are at once beautiful and a little frightening

Sarah Silverman will go Jungian at the Rubin

THE RED BOOK DIALOGUES
Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Tickets: $15-$25
212-620-5000 ext 344
www.rmanyc.org
Analysts delve into Carl Jung’s RED BOOK in a series of fascinating discussions featuring Albert Maysles, Alice Walker, David Byrne, Kathleen Chalfant, Marina Abramovicz, Cornel West, Billy Corgan, and many more.

Friday, October 30 Sarah Silverman, $25, 7:00

Wednesday, November 4 John Boorman, $25, 7:00

HAUSU (HOUSE) (Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977)
BAMcinematek
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
718-636-4100
www.bam.org
www.youtube.com/hausutrailer

Saturday, October 31 Special Halloween presentation of very strange Japanese horror film, 2:00, 4:30, 6:50, 9:15

MARATHON FIREWORKS
Central Park
Outside Tavern on the Green
West Drive at 67th St.
Admission: free
www.ingnycmarathon.org

Saturday, October 31 Live entertainment and fireworks in honor of the New York City Marathon, 6:30

The wild rumpus continues in SoHo

SENDAK IN SOHO
Animazing Gallery
54 Greene St. at Broome St.
Admission: free
800-303-4848
www.animazing.com

Through Saturday, November 6 Special exhibit of the work of Maurice Sendak in conjunction with the release of WHERE THE WILDE THINGS ARE movie

Japanese ghost stories get the multimedia treatment at P.S. 122

AMERICAN KAMIKAZE
P.S.122
150 First Ave. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Tickets: $15-$20
212-352-3101
www.ps122.org
www.temporarydistortion.com

Through Saturday, November 14 Temporary Distortion’s adaptation of Japanese ghost stories, written and directed by Kenneth Collins, with video projections by William Cusick, and starring Brian Greer, Yuki Kawahisa, Lorraine Mattox, and Ryosuke Yamada

Taylor Mac's multigenre epic begins long run at HERE Arts Center

HERE Arts Center
145 Sixth Ave. at Dominick St.
Tickets: $35
212-352-3101
www.here.org

Through Sunday, November 22 Taylor Mac’s epic consists of five parts with forty musicians and performers, with direction by Paul Zimet, Rachel Chavkin, Faye Driscoll, Aaron Rhyne, and David Drake, with Kyogens directed by Kristin Marting

RECONFIGURING THE BODY IN AMERICAN ART, 1820-2009

Alyssa Monks, "Vapor," oil on linen, 2008

National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts
1083 Fifth Ave. between 89th & 90th Sts.
Through November 15
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Admission: $10
212-369-4880
www.nationalacademy.org
The National Academy’s current exhibit traces the depiction of the human body in American painting and sculpture, divided into three chronological sections (which then have their own subcategories). It’s a daunting task, of course; a recent show at the National Gallery in Washington was too small and eclectic to be as effective as it wanted to be. But the National Academy does an admirable job, first examining the 1820-1950 period, with works by Malvina Hoffman, Asher Durand, Reginald Marsh, John Quincy Adams Ward, and others, ranging from William Merritt Chase’s circa-1884 painting of a languid “Young Orphan” to Thomas Waterman Wood’s endearingly hunched “Rag Picker” (1859/72) to Isabel Bishop’s classical 1934 “Nude Study.” There are also exciting self-portraits by Andrew Wyeth and Thomas Eakins.

Thomas Eakins, "Self-Portrait," oil on canvas, 1902

Self-portraiture takes up the hallway gallery, with offerings by Will Barnet, Leonard Baskin, Thomas Hart Benton, Chuck Close, Jacob Lawrence, Louisa Matthiasdottir, Robert De Niro, Wayne Thiebaud, and James Wyeth, several notable because they are rare self-portraits painted primarily because it is a requirement for artists to do so when selected to become a member of the National Academy. Philip Pearlstein’s “Nude Torso,” Larry Rivers’s “Headless Fashion,” Robert Rauschenberg’s “Booster,” Susan Rothenberg’s “Spinning,” and Jim Dine’s “Ape and Cat in Paris” go inside and out of the body, both literally and figuratively.

In the last room, “The Figure Now” looks at twenty-first-century works that suggest the immediate future of the depiction of the body, from Will Ryman’s tall, skinny, gawky untitled wire-mesh sculpture to Alyssa Monks’s dreamy “Vapor,” from Jenny Dubnau’s photographic “Self-Portrait in Striped Shirt” to Wei Dong’s “Interior View,” complete with entrails. As with many National Academy exhibits, you have to sift through the so-so (and the not-so so-so) to find a series of gems that make a visit to the former Huntington mansion worthwhile.

WEEKLY LISTINGS: Oct. 21-28

Artistically redesigned bikes are on view at armory before going to auction (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

ARTS AT THE ARMORY: STAGES
Park Ave. Armory
643 Park Ave. between 66th & 67th Sts.
Admission: free
212-616-3930
http://www.armoryonpark.org
http://www.livestrong.org

Through Thursday, October 22 Exhibit of bicycles used by Lance Armstrong while training to return to competition, designed by Damien Hirst, Yoshitomo Nara, Kenny Scharf, KAWS, Shepard Fairey, and Marc Newson, which will be put up for auction at Sotheby’s November 1, along with a preview of painting and sculpture that will be part of an exhibition at Deitch later this month, including works by Cai Guo-Qiang, Raymond Pettibon, Richard Prince, Dustin Yellin, Os Gemeos, and a fab bike by Tom Sachs; all proceeds benefit the LiveStrong foundation

Vella Lovell (Andromache, seated) and Sol Marina Crespo (Hermione) star in new version of Euripides' ANDROMACHE

EURIPIDES’ ANDROMACHE
Workmen’s Circle
45 East 33rd St.
Tickets: $8-$20
http://www.fullofnoises.org

Through Sunday, October 25 Greek tragedy is staged in New York City is staged for the first time ever in a new version by Jesse Alexander Myerson

ANCIENT PATHS, MODERN VOICES
Carnegie Hall
57th St. at Seventh Ave.
212-247-7800
http://www.carnegiehall.org/chinafestival

Wednesday, October 21
through
Tuesday, November 10 Three weeks of special events and exhibitions celebrating Chinese culture

LOOKING FOR CALVIN AND HOBBES
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
594 Broadway, Suite 401
Admission: $5
212-354-3511
http://www.moccany.org

Thursday, October 22 Nevin Martell, author of LOOKING FOR CALVIN AND HOBBES, in conversation with cartoonist Ruben (“Tom the Dancing Bug”) Bolling, discuss the life and career of Bill Waterson, 7:00

SUSIE ESSMAN
Carolines on Broadway
1626 Broadway at 50th St.
Reservations required
212-757-4100
http://www.carolines.com

Thursday, October 22
through
Saturday, October 24 Comedian and actress Susie Essman returns to Carolines hot on the heels of the new season of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and the release of her new book, WHAT WOULD SUSIE SAY?

R. CRUMB IN CONVERSATION WITH FRANÇOIS MOULY
Barnes & Noble Union Square
33 East 17th St.
Admission: free
212-253-0810
http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Friday, October 23 R. Crumb and François Mouly team up in a discussion, visual presentation, and signing of THE BOOK OF GENESIS, 7:00

dangergiantess

GIRLS & BOYS PRESENTS THE AM ONLY CMJ SHOWCASE
Webster Hall
125 East Eleventh St. between Third & Fourth Aves.
Tickets: $15-$25 ($1 entry and $1 drinks with below link)
Girls get in free all night long
http://www.websterhall.com/dollardaze/friday
http://www.websterhall.com

Friday, October 23 Yes Giantess, Red Wire Black Wire, Vega, We Are Enfant Terrible, Body Language, Two Fresh, and Beast in the Studio (7:00 pm – 12 midnight), with Danger, Felix Cartal, Filthy Dukes, Bird Peterson, Mickey Factz, Wallpaper, 12th Planet, and Shout Out Out Out Out in the Main Room (11:00 pm – 5:00 am), resident DJs Alex English, Gavin Royce, Kids with Snakes, Gavin Royce, and Rekles, Trash! with DJ Jess & Alex Malfunction, and more, 10:00

John William Coddling adds a whole new level of fear to Christopher Walken

SUNDAYS WITH CHRIS
DVF Gallery
444 West 14th St. between Washington St. & the West Side Highway
Admission: free
http://www.sundayswithchris.com

Friday, October 23
through
Sunday, November 1 Exhibition of John William Codling’s obsessive paintings of Christopher Walken

Maya Lin exhibit will continue through October 24 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

MAYA LIN: THREE WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE EARTH
PaceWildenstein
545 West 22nd St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Through October 24
Admission: free
212-421-3292
http://pacewildenstein.com
http://www.salon94.com
When we saw Maya Lin’s “Systematic Landscapes” at the Corcoran earlier this year, each piece was squeezed into a different room, photographs were not allowed, and interaction with some of the works was not allowed. Things are very different at PaceWildenstein in Chelsea, where visitors can snap pictures, get up close and personal with the art, and even stick their heads through various openings. The three large-scale pieces offer environmentally friendly alternate takes on physical landscapes, from the ocean to mountains to a hill, and they are arranged so that all three can be seen at the same time, a boon for architecture lovers. While “Three Ways of Looking at the Earth” ends October 24, Lin’s “Recycled Landscapes,” consisting of colorful, smaller sculptures made out of plastic toys and other found objects, will continue at Salon 94 (12 East 94th St.) through November 13.

GREENPOINT OKTOBERFEST
Transmitter Park, Brooklyn waterfront
1 Greenpoint Ave. near West St.
Admission: free

Sunday, October 25 Beers and brauts, as well as root “bier” floats, pumpkin decorating, face painting, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, Hallo Berlin, Robicelli’s Cupcaes, live music by Michna and Cowboy Mark, DJ Synapse, and brews as Blue Point Old Howling Bastard, Nut Brown Ale, Hoptical Illusion, Black Chocolate Stout, Benegali Tiger, and more, 12 noon – 8:00 pm

GOODWILL NY/NJ COSTUME DESIGN CLOTHING SWAP
Boxcar Lounge
168 Ave. B between East Tenth & Eleventh Sts.
Admission: $5 Goodwill donation or one bag of lightly used, freshly laundered clothing
http://goodwillnynj.wordpress.com

Sunday, October 25 Crafters from I Love to Create will be on hand to help people make low-cost, environmentally friendly costumes for Halloween, with music, drink specials, 3:00 – 7:00

GRANA PADANO
Multiple locations
Admission: free
http://www.nycmarathon.org/schedule.htm

Tuesday, October 27
through
Sunday, November 1 In preparation for the New York City Marathon, Italian cheesemaker Grana Padano will be offering tastings and in-store promotions at BuonItalia in Chelsea Market, Di Palo’s Fine Foods in Little Italy, and Murray’s Cheese in Grand Central and on Bleecker St.

BETWEEN BEING BORN AND DYING

Barbara Kruger's striking imagery gets right in your face at Lever House (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Lever House Lobby Gallery
390 Park Ave. at 54th St.
Through November 21
Admission: free
www.leverhouse.com
between being born and dying slideshow
Like Lawrence Weiner, Ed Ruscha, and Jenny Holzer, conceptual artist Barbara
Kruger incorporates words and language into her work, which in the past has
ranged from photography to collages. Born in Newark in 1945 and based in Los
Angeles and New York City, Kruger has been a graphic designer and literature
teacher (she is currently a professor at UCLA), combining the two
disciplines in her latest work, “Between Being Born and Dying,” on view at
Lever House through November 21. Kruger subverts Lever House’s unique glass
structure, covering the inside and the outside — including walls,
ceiling, floor, and beams — with black-and-white words in acrylic ink
on adhesive vinyl reaching seventeen feet high, making such declarative
statements as “If it screams, shove it,” “Plenty should be enough,” and “In
violence we forget who we are” as well as the equation “Belief + Doubt =
Sanity.” Using the striking Helvetica ultra-condensed font and an
in-your-face verticality, Kruger throws social ills at viewers, but somehow
they do not come off as trite cliches. The overall effect is both dizzying
and intoxicating, especially if you stand in the middle of the floor inside
and slowly turn around, feeling as if the words are being shouted at you,
overwhelming your consciousness.

EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO

El Museo celebrates 40th anniversary and renovation with all-day free party

OPENING DAY: CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Ave. at 104th St.
Saturday, October 17, free, 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
212-831-7272
http://www.elmuseo.org
El Museo del Barrio is having its fortieth anniversary grand reopening celebration on October 17, following a major renovation. The all-day free party will include exhibition tours, live music from Zon del Barrio and Yerbabuena, children’s storytelling, a flag-making workshop, a book reading, a walking tour around the neighborhood, a sneak peek at Soledad O’Brien‘s upcoming LATINO IN AMERICA documentary (the first twenty-five people with the last name Garcia to arrive for the 6:30 screening receive a free one-year membership to the museum), and more. El Museo is a terrific institution in a cool area, which also features the wonderful Conservatory Garden and a fabulous view of Harlem Meer right across the street, so we highly recommend what promises to be a very fun event.

JUERGEN TELLER: PARADIS

Juergen Teller, "Paradis," C-print, 2009

JUERGEN TELLER: PARADIS

Lehmann Maupin
540 West 26th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Through October 17
Admission: free
212-255-2923
http://www.lehmannmaupin.com

Last month, a woman was caught running through the Metropolitan Museum of Art naked while being photographed for a continuing project by local artist Zach Hyman, as much about the shock value as the nudity itself. German photographer Juergen Teller takes a very different approach in his gorgeous “Paradis” series, on view at Lehmann Maupin through October 17. Returning to two models he’s worked with before — Raquel Zimmerman, who is in her mid-twenties, and Charlotte Rampling, who, remarkably enough, is in her mid-sixties — the London-based Teller has them pose nude after-hours in the empty Louvre, both alone and together. The two women stand stiffly next to classical Greek statues, their naked flesh countering the white marble. They wait uncomfortably on a circular couch. They relax in front of the Mona Lisa but never smile themselves. The photo shoot, commissioned by French magazine Paradis, turns Zimmerman and Rampling into both object and viewer, museum statuary and museum visitor. Teller supplements the show with photographs of a bodiless male statue, a painting of a crowning of a queen, and a tableaux in which a man is reaching deep within an animal’s sliced stomach, calling into question the nature of beauty and the human form and, more specifically, the depiction of women throughout history. “Paradis” is highly recommended, especially for fans of Rampling, the iconic British star of such films as THE NIGHT PORTER, STARDUST MEMORIES, THE DAMNED, and SWIMMING POOL.