ART Santa Fe Highlight: David Henderson

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending ART Santa Fe, the first non-New York City art fair I've attended (click here to read my full review of the art fair.)

One of the highlights, in my opinion, of the fair's offerings were the acrobatic sculptures of David Henderson, which toe the line of sculpture and installation. Using a very lightweight carbon fiber plastic, Henderson pushes the envelope of tension, gravity and spatial relations. The sculptures just gently kiss the wall at one point, creating an uneasy tension and awe in the spectator. Their unique design also allows the works to attach to the walls in innovative and flexible ways.

Despite the heavy, marble-like appearance of the pieces, this one on the left weighs six pounds, and can be held in one hand. And they are surprisingly sturdy--according to the gallerist who chatted with me, on opening night of one Henderson's pieces was knocked off its pedestal, bounced down the hall before rolling to a stop, in one piece.

The gallery that represented him at ART Santa Fe was a local one, William Siegal Gallery. You can also check out Henderson's work at http://davidhenderson.org/.

Structured Simplicity at Dumbo Arts Center

There's still a few weeks left to see "Structured Simplicity" at the Dumbo Arts Center (show closes August 9). According to the favorable review in ArtForum, the premise of the show is "extropy, or the gradual distillation of chaos and complexity into fundamental essence....Emerging from a sea of summer shows teetering on conceptual premises doomed by either willful obscurity or ham-fisted obviousness, 'Structured Simplicity' distinguishes itself with a bracing concentration on shape, color, texture, and—in the case of Amy Yoes’s hypnotic video loop Modification and Collapse, 2009—movement and sound."

While the reviewer sounds somewhat full of structured B.S., the artwork nevertheless sounds interesting, and covers a diverse range of media. And the artists are all women! You go girl...s.

An Insider's View of Warhol's Factory

So, sadly, the exhibition at 303 Gallery of photographer Stephen Shore's snapshots from Andy Warhol's Factory closes today. I didn't read about it until today. Doh.

But, even if you, like me, missed the exhibition, there's a cool feature with a selection of Shore's images in Time Out New York online. The photographer provides interesting anecdotes and tidbits about fifteen photos of icons of the 60s, such as Edie Sedgwick, kicking back in the studio. The Factory truly seemed like such a cool spot. Check it out!

Live Music Starting this Friday at the Whitney

Whitney Live, a program of live, "cutting edge" performances, is starting up this Friday, July 10, and will continue every Friday for the month of July in conjunction with the exhibition Dan Graham: Beyond. Kicking off the series are two bands, Titus Andronicus, and Real Estate. According to the Whitney website,

Titus Andronicus are from Glen Rock, New Jersey, and take their name from the Shakespearean tragedy. Their sound is punk-infused Replacements-esque pop music with screaming vocals, layered guitars, and songs about suburban malaise....Real Estate, led by singer/guitarist Martin Courtney, also has roots in the Garden State. Their songs evoke visions of tract housing, basement band practice, and wasted youth, mixing languid psychedelia, muted vocals, and a boomy undertow of drums.

How can you say no? I guess it is a toughie, with the Lesbian exhibition also opening tomorrow...hmmm...

Whitney Live is free with admission, which is pay-as-you-wish on Fridays from 6-9 pm. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis.