last weekend to check this out !! – up thru . . SUN AUG 1
NADA House / GOVERNORS ISLAND
COLBY BIRD, HENRY GLAVIN / PRESENTED by HALSEY McKAY, EAST HAMPTON, NY
NADA House 403
. . . “the contrast of colonial style architecture and grooves of hardwood trees so close to the looming towers of Wall Street – makes for a unique setting to display paintings and sculptures by two artists who value labor and material history of rural artifacts and the physiological content of spaces”.
~HALSEY McKAY GALLERY
see: COLBY BIRD, HENRY GLAVIN / NADA House installation / HALSEY McKAY
COLBY BIRD, ‘A Large, Counterfeit Life’, 2021.
wood, paint, drywall screws, nails, aluminum, lightbulbs, glue, brass pins, brass latch, wiring, wood stain, linseed oil, mineral spirits, radio spring, light sockets, brass hinge, chain, leather, resentment, billiard ball, aluminum flashing, pleather, honeydew melon.
50 x 26 x 18 in.
COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species With Short Arms and Legs…Known for His Slow-Witted Demeanor’, 2021.
oranges, silver gelatin photograph of Nefertiti taken at Neues Museum in Berlin, glassine, wood, drywall screws, wood screws, nails, wood filler, wood stain, linseed oil, mineral spirits, brass hinges, suboxone wrapper, glass, water, lightbulb, wiring, keyboard, spring, brass pin, dog toy, pineapple finials, alabaster, washers, glue, music box, paint, water, slag glass door knob.
68 x 44 x 30 in.
COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘
COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘
COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . .’
COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘
COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘
COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘
COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘
COLBY BIRD, ‘ Buddy Shoellkopf’, 2021
wood, brass, wiring, light fixture, lightbulb, 1800s brass handle, dreams about Alex dying, pressed wood, screws, nuts.
96 x 10 x 10 in. / Variable
HENRY GLAVIN painting over fireplace – flanked by COLBY BIRD sculptures.
HENRY GLAVIN, ‘The Piano and the Dog Gate’, 2021.
acrylic & ink on wood panel
60 x 48 in.
HENRY GLAVIN, ‘Forsythia in Living Room’, 2021.
acrylic & ink on wood panel
24 x 30 in.
HENRY GLAVIN, ‘Sale (Warren McKenzie)’, 2021.
acrylic & ink on wood panel.
24 x 30 in.
check out: COLBY BIRD – HALSEY McKAY
check out: HENRY GLAVIN – HALSEY McKAY
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~COLBY BIRD, HENRY GLAVIN / HALSEY McKAY GALLERY, EAST HAMPTON, NY / NADA House 403 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 27th, 2021, 8:45am
TURN ONZ . . . ???
LIVES UP – TO IT’S . . NAME !!!
IRL – ALERT !!!!!!
TURN Onz & NADA House / open today !!
Sunday July 25 !!
NYC !! – HIT THE ‘GO’ BUTTON, & JUMP ON THAT FERRY – !!!
note: next weekend is the last chance to catch this amazing / creative endeavor /
NADA House / Governors Island . . . up thru – AUG 1st !!
HENRY CRISSMAN – LIGHT SWITCH for: TURN ONZ, Detroit !!
curated by JEFFREY TRANCHELL / NADA House 404A /
HENRY CRISSMAN, Light Switch, 2021.
ceramic.
my daughter Kate, a classic millennial ‘creative’ / and therefore, a post-modern, mid-century, minimalist-loving fashion & style / design professional . . . literally let out an audible gasp, when we turned a corner, and she caught sight of Henry Crissman’s – minimalist, architectural, sculptural, and very very smooth – light switch !!
she said she had seen it online, but wondered what it was going to look like – IRL !!!!
needless to say – she . . . . . WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED !!!!
HENRY CRISSMAN, TURN Onz – light switch, 2021.
if only,
the world worked this way – in general.
so smooth, so calm, yet passionate. innovative, yet quite functional. a touch of emotion.
a big punch of . . determinism !!
problem-solving in a peaceful arc / nothing brutal about it, though perhaps ‘brute’ leaning, in that classic modernist sense.
a great contrast to the historic house, for sure. the presence of an artist – at work, for sure.
HENRY CRISSMAN – IMAGE VIA SELECT 2019 OBJECTS – HENRY CRISSMAN
HENRY JAMES HAVER CRISSMAN . . .
has a BFA in CRAFT / College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI / MICHIGAN (2012),
and, received his MFA in CERAMICS, Alfred University, NY, in 2015.
currently based in Hamtramck, MI (essentially Detroit), Crissman is currently an adjunct professor in the CRAFTS & MATERIALS STUDIES DEPT / College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI.
see: SELECT 2019 OBJECTS / HENRY CRISSMAN ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
HENRY CRISSMAN – IMAGE VIA HENRY JAMES HAVER CRISSMAN / ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
see: HENRY JAMES HAVER CRISSMAN / ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH / UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
~HENRY CRISSMAN / TURN ONZ, DETROIT / NADA House 404A |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 25th, 2021, 10:53am
New England’s beloved, winter white snowball quilt pattern – turns black . . . in the tropical heat /
while addressing the historical, colonizing impact of the USA / on the island of Puerto Rico.
and, prob more likely just a function of basic graphic intersects / points on a grid.
I’m not sure the artist is even aware of the traditional early New England – ‘snowball’ quilt pattern ?!!
but at any rate, her decision to see the central shape ‘balls’ / i.e. the ‘negative’ space between the smaller surrounding grid units / as ‘black’ . . .
as opposed to . . . ‘our’ white – is telling / and, deliberate.
our early, pieced quilt pattern . . addresses: childhood fun, and the freedom to play joyfully, and carefree – in the fresh falling snow /
this contemporary interpretation of the same / square grid pattern, has a completely different message.
the central white snowballs, now rendered ‘black’ . . announce: “resistance, and civil disobedience”.
EDRA SOTO, MORGAN LEHMAN, NYC / NADA House 404A
NADA House – open weekends . . thru AUG 1.
EDRA SOTO, ‘Tropicalamerica 21’.
in early New England patchwork quilting traditions, a form of this grid pattern was called, ‘Snowballs’, and in it – the black shapes, would have been rendered – in white.
just shut your eyes, and i-m-a-g-i-n-e.
EDRA SOTO, ‘Tropicalamerica 21’.
EDRA SOTO, (b. 1971, Puerto Rico / currently teaches in the USA, where she is a faculty member in the Contemporary Practices Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
her new hand-crafted, textile artwork, titled ‘Tropicalamerica 21′,
“is suspended form the ceiling, (with) custom vinyl (tape) artwork adhered to the windows . . . continuing the artist’s practice of creating architectural interventions in spaces that connect her heritage with the pa articular history of the site where her work is being presented . . .
The 3 x 5.5’ fabric and metal flag features 78 4-pointed stars with each star representing a county equivalent entity (“municipio”) of Puerto Rico. This artwork is inspired by the all-black Puerto Rican flag, which was introduced in 2016, as a symbol of independence, resistance, and civil obedience. In Soto’s rendition, the artist refers to the visual motifs of Puerto Rican vernacular architecture to create a highly graphic original design.
The stars are made of soft pushed metal and hang loosely from the fabric . . .
In the windows Soto has created custom vinyl tape artwork that continues the architectural patterning that appears in the flag . . grafting the decorative motifs of her homeland onto the historic New England architecture (of the Governors Island / NADA House) . . .”
~MORGAN LEHMAN
see: EDRA SOTO / NADA House – MORGAN LEHMAN
note: hung this way, with a vertical domination, of course it speaks more of a quilt, than a flag, at least to me.
esp with the ‘square’ . . (piece work) multi-patterns.
EDRA SOTO, vinyl tape art work on the historic windows.
yes, a window – is a beautiful & scientifically wondrous . . thing.
whether it allows us to look out upon the surroundings, through clear glass / or symbolically – as a window of refection, upon history.
the potential for dialog, as spoken by an art work, is also – a beautiful thing.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~EDRA SOTO / MORGAN LEHMAN, NY / NADA House 404A |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 23rd, 2021, 9:39am
if only politics . . . could be as pretty / as a window.
NADA House, Governors Island . . open weekends thru AUG 1
this is the 2nd to last / weekend to visit the site.
FREE ADMISSION / requires return ferry ticket, booked in advance.
IGNACIO GATICA, ‘authentic souvenir’ / political campaign wrist watches . . .
presented by CASANOVA, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL.
at . . . NADA House 404A
about: CASANOVA, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
NADA House 404 A
NADA House 404 A
IGNACIO GATICA, ‘OBAMA CAMPAIGN WATCH’.
IGNACIO GATICA, b. 1988 Chile / currently works & lives in NY.
IGNACIO GATICA . . .
“presents a group of collected watches. Once used as propaganda* for US presidential campaigns, the watches will be hacked to tick at specific times that reference moments when US foreign intervention dramatically shifted the way we perceive the present”.
~CASANOVA
note: *I believe we / stateside . . . would more casually term them, as . . . ‘campaign souvenirs’ ??!!!!
IGNACIO GATICA, ‘TRUMP CAMPAIGN WATCH’.
IGNACIO GATICA, ‘BILL CLINTON CAMPAIGN WATCH’.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
IGNACIO GATICA artwork / IMAGE via CASANOVA
see: IGNACIO GATICA – CASANOVA WEBSITE
~IGNACIO GATICA / CASANOVA, SAO PAULO / NADA House 404A |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 22nd, 2021, 1:32pm
I turned a corner, and voila !!
more !! artist-made / light switches from TURN Onz, DETROIT.
these 3 were all fashioned from: clay.
curated by . . . JEFFREY TRANCHELL.
NADA House 404A / NADA House on Governors Island
. . . up weekends thru AUG 1.
TD SIDELL, ceramic with colorful shiny glaze & a pair of candelabra candlesticks, 2021.
light switch for TURN Onz, 2021.
(in the background to the right, light switch by MONICA MIRABILE).
TD SIDELL, ceramic light switch / TURN Onz, DETROIT.
glazed ceramic with (real) wax candles, so .. yes !!
(sort of) totally functional, but use – only . . with an abundance of caution & care.
totally a potential fire starter, this light switch is gorgeous, but s-c-a-r-y.
just . . like a leopard ?
MONICA MIRABILE, clay light switch, 2021. TURN Onz. DETROIT.
well if, this isn’t – the most biblical, baroque, fertility scenario, ever !!
well, then you can, bite my . . tongue.
ps: note the eggs.
HAMTRAMCK CERAMCK / CERAMIC STUDIO COLLECTIVE, DETROIT / light switch, 2021. TURN Onz, DETROIT.
glazed clay & metal hardware.
oh, oh … clamping down on the danger & the erotic fertility outburst, obviously !!
but, probably in all ways totally – unconnected.
except by medium: clay, & . . . mindset: imagination !!
and, the curatorial decision to hang them – in proximity of each other . . ???
imagination . . . RULES !! / or, I guess: RULEZ !!
at . . . TURN ONZ !!!
JEFFREY TRANCHELL. . . makes sure of that.
“make me a light switch” – is all the direction, you get.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~TD SIDELL, MONICA MIRABILE, HAMTRAMCK CERAMCK / TURN ONZ, DETROIT / NADA House 404A |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 18th, 2021, 12:01pm
NADA HOUSE 404A / GOVERNORS ISLAND
up weekends thru . . AUG 1
hit link: for . . INFO !!
come on NYC !!!
jump on that . . FERRY !!!!!
KIRA DOMINQUEZ HULTGREN . . . with her textile / multimedia work, ‘WE/THEY’, 2019-2021.
144″H x 60″W x 12″D.
so lovely to have natural sunlight streaming through – the historic leaded glass windows !!
although, my digital camera is so used to synthetic light, it couldn’t grab the natural colors / of the woven checkered textile work, which leans much more into real blue, in real life.
read: more about KIRA DOMINGUEZ HULTGREN, American born (1980) & based / but, obviously dealing with many diverse heritage & global concerns – ELEANOR HARWOOD GALLERY, S.F. / CA.
KIRA DOMINGUEZ HULTGREN, ‘NO DOGS ALLOWED’, 2021.
textile, multimedia / 84″H x 127″W x 20″D.
KIRA DOMINGUEZ HULTGREN, ‘IN THE NEGATIVE’, 2020.
textile, multimedia / 115″H x 89″W x 10″D.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~KIRA DOMINGUEZ HULTGREN / ELEANOR HARWOOD GALLERY, SAN FRANCISCO / NADA House 404A |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 17th, 2021, 10:13am
the NADA Houses on Governors Island, are open on weekends . . . up thru AUG 1, 2021 /
mark your calendars !!
you never know what / or who . . lies behind the next door, the next corridor, the next staircase.
what a transition to boldness / from the delicate corridor wall I share with NIKHOLIS PLANCK, to the lush painterly jungle-like landscape / of this most passionate . . . painter.
ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA, presented by EMERSON DORSCH GALLERY, Miami / NADA House 404A
Born in 1995, in Havana CUBA, and now Miami-based, the gallery labels this artist’s passionate, oil on canvas 2-D articulation . . . ‘tropical surrealism’, and who am I – to argue with that !!
looking though the corridor / hallway of NADA House 404A:
1. the vivid, verdant paintings of ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA, in the next room,
2. next, a bit hard to discern, here . . but the ‘reflectiveness’ of the cut-out mylar around the drawing on the light switch / just right of that doorway, is my TURN Onz contribution.
3. the hanging, painted wooden eggs of NIKHOLIS PLANCK’s . . ‘OVOID’.
ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA, oil on canvas.
read more about: ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA – EMERSON DORSCH
& here: ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA at NADA – EMERSON DORSCH
detail, ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA
ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA / NADA House 404A
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA / EMERSON DORSCH / NADA House 404A |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 15th, 2021, 1:58pm
vernacular . . . is my new FAVORITE / word.
NANCY SMITH / TURN ONZ, DETROIT
X
NIKHOLIS PLANCK / MAGENTA PLAINS, NYC
NADA House 404A / NADA House 2021 / GOVERNORS ISLAND
up thru . . . AUG 1, 2021
FUNNY, how that’s . . . me !!!
detail, NANCY SMITH, ‘MAYBE . . .’, 2021.
photocopy & mylar collage / attached to – a plastic light switch cover.
NANCY SMITH, ‘MAYBE . . .’, 2021.
photocopy images, DURA-LAR mylar, glue stick, multi-color foil binder reinforcements / attached to white plastic light switch cover.
SO, it’s really, really, ME.
straight-up / really really vernacular / hardcore underground insider/outsider rebel/DIY artist – from the 1980’s LES / LOWER EAST SIDE / NYC art scene.
flash forward . . to this Summer 2021: served up fresh / via grassroots, start-up artist collab: TURN ONZ out of DETROIT /
headed up by, and curated by JEFFREY TRANCHELL.
out of DETROIT ?
but, of course !!!!
nothing like coming into your hometown – as a cloaked mystery / upstart – grass roots stranger.
yes, it’s really, really . . . me: Japanese art lover / American quilt maker / art lovers – me !!
it’s actually . . quite the short story / auto-biography.
the line drawing . . .
is a vintage 80’s Xerox, when it was black & white only !! /
photocopy of a black ink line drawing I did in Montreal, in the 1970’s /
a deliberate statement of rebellion vs. the reigning color field painting theory of the time,
It’s a re-imagination of MYSELF / as an Edo Period woodblock print geisha, so . . .
It’s a . . . self-portrait / can y’all connect the dots ?
even including the vintage, red & white embroidered flower / ‘botanical’ . . ‘banners’ cascading down the sides / which are a super realistic take / on the actual woven ribbon I often use to repair . . my old quilt repair / projects.
and here, just might be: legs. opening. go figure.
symbolically.
center: NANCY SMITH, TURN ONZ, DETROIT / LIGHT SWITCH.
at top: NIKHOLIS PLANCK, MAGENTA PLAINS, NYC / painted egg.
so, if you turn the corner of NADA House 404A, and go up the narrow wooden staircase, you come upon a ‘magical’ hallway, a presentation that you just might miss, in terms of it’s – not being in ‘walled’ room.
and, being of such an . . . ‘ethereal’ atmosphere.
‘Maybe . . . ?’
Maybe . . . you know me ? maybe . . . you don’t. now, you know me / a little bit more.
Maybe we do ? or, maybe we don’t . . . ?
the 18th C. geisha, says:
Maybe, we turn – on the lights /
or, maybe . . we don’t.
the Planck ‘wooden’ eggs, also say: folk art. woodblock prints -> wooden Easter eggs
skills / lyric history, and . . well, in a nutshell/eggshell: reproduction !!
bio reproduction.
and . . . red means: good luck.
a quick re-thought / re: folk art,
Japanese folk art prints – to – painted / wax resist / wooden Polish / Romaine / Ukraine Easter eggs.
on one wall.
in the middle of Governors Island 2021 / who would have ever thought.
both artists are giving you 3-D objects / and, ironically in a very, very shallow / viewing space.
both artists are having fun, but seriously !! are . . . light-on-their-feet.
Easter Eggs, and . . . light switches, come on …… now, people !!!
‘vernacular’ – is going to be my new favorite word.
just, an aside / observation:
the optical world – is so contrary, fluid & crazy.
I really dig, how my piece is so wrapped in wavy mylar, yet perceives – as flat.
while the Nikholis egg, is every bit just as much an illustration, but perceives – as round / !!
my piece is so glossy, and reflective / while his is so matte, and hanging in the air.
my piece has very fantastic cut-out shapes, his work: truly a work – in the very smooth, round.
it’s a narrow space, but here’s a better idea of the install / though it also looks like a giant – geography map !!
my light switch – is behind that big blob of blonde hair.
the distressed wall – check, check, check, right on !!
hanging by a wire.
NIKHOLIS PLANCK, ‘OVOIDS’.
“are mounted site-specifically, ornamenting the architectural details of the historical (NADA House) buildings as floating cosmic droplets. The ‘Ovoids’ are miniature paintings in the round made by treating wooden egg shapes with gesso, drawing in a pattern, and then dipping them in hot wax. Finally, the artist applies oil paint in a gamut of checkered motifs, anatomical features, and botanical studies.”
~MAGENTA PLAINS
also – very Japanese in flavor / and color / vintage lacquer.
NIKHOLIS PLANK, ‘OVOID’.
real-life / egg-size, btw. some a bit bigger, some a bit smaller.
“Like the artist’s signature angular and amorphous shaped paintings that reject the square and rectangular format, the ‘Ovoids’ attempt to overcome another binary of painting in terms of both shape and flatness while reflecting on the engendered notions of the egg, creating an immersive space germinated in a constellation of a macabre biology study.”
~MAGENTA PLAINS
NIKHOLIS PLANCK, ‘Ovoid’
looking towards the other end of the hallway.
is that the ‘Cloak Room’ – install ?
maybe, you don’t actually need to go up stairs, maybe you just turn a corner.
I mean, I’m getting old / but I still come from the era of ‘open floor plans’, so it all becomes a bit of . . . a maze.
speaking of which, a maze / funny how someone’s ‘macabre’ – is someone else’s . . ‘fun’.
KATE CERIGO . . . at the NANCY SMITH X NIKHOLIS PLANCK / installation wall
NADA House 404A / Governors Island, summer 2021.
JEFFREY TRANCHELL, founder of the artist collective: TURN ONZ, out of Detroit / curated the, I would say, seriously !! de-light-ful, fresh, super varied, and enchanting . . artist-made light switches that appear – scattered throughout the historic NADA houses.
here:
NANCY SMITH, paper collage / light switch, presented by TURN ONZ, DETROIT /
and . . .
NIKHOLIS PLANCK, 2 hanging / painted wooden eggs, ‘Ovoids’ – presented by Magenta Plains, NYC.
and which placement, btw happened totally by random / my light switch – placed next to the Planck ‘Ovoids’.
actually, Jeff came around and put up the light switch art first, then came the ‘Ovoid’ free fall.
Jeff said, he was always pleased and surprised – with how the rest of the main body / art presentations worked with the TURN Onz light switches, & how the unplanned / site-specific architectural dialogs – worked out.
but especially, here.
note: the wild landscape painting in the next room is by . . ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA,
presented by Emerson Dorsch Gallery, of Miami & posting – next.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~NANCY SMITH X NIKHOLIS PLANCK / NADA House 404A |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | July 7th, 2021, 2:25pm
well, if a Gumball machine ain’t a utilitarian ‘surface’ – what is ?!!!!
NANDI LOAF, TOM KOEHLER / KING’S LEAP / NADA House 2021 PRESENTATION
see: KING’S LEAP
ALEC PETTY, owner/director of KING’S LEAP.
behind him, above the fireplace:
NANDI LOAF, ‘Colour Wheel’, 2021.
primary RYB Blick Studio Acrylic on canvas / 30 x 30 in.
beside him:
NANDI LOAF, NL%GUMBALL_MACHINE, 2021.
mixed media installation / 52 x 25 x 20 in.
NANDI LOAF, GRID, 2021
composed of individual acrylic paintings / 20 x 16 in.
I would classify these as: ‘utilitarian, activist/info . . . poster format’ !!!
& they are . . . very striking.
TOM KOEHLER . . .
on the floor:
detail, a series of ‘objects’, 2021 / with individual titles, materials, & dimensions.
hanging from the ceiling:
‘Poison Log’, 2019.
Wood, brass, copper, steel, enamel paint, spray paint / 48 x 8 x 8 in.
TOM KOEHLER . . . detail, floor assemblage
the titles are very esoteric, so without catalog photos / they are hard to match to the works I chose to photograph.
though some titles / are quite straightforward:
‘HEELS’, 2019.
Bronze, 6 x 7 8 in.
&
‘TINSEL TEETH’, 2021.
Brass /9 x 56 x 4 in.
TOM KOEHLER . . . detail, floor assemblage
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
NOTE:
KING’S LEAP . . . is taking another location / leap !!
the inaugural exhibition at the gallery’s new Manhattan, Lower East Side location:
105 HENRY ST. / STORE 4 !!!!
will be this SAT JUNE 26th / with open hrs starting at 12 PM & a reception,
to follow from 6 – 8 PM
the works of . . . ELI BORNOWSKY & YU NISHIMURA – will be proudly featured.
detail, ELI BORNOWSKY painting
image: via @kings_leap / Instagram
see: ELI BORNOWSKY – ARTIST WEBSITE
YU NISHIMURA
image: via YU NISHIMURA ARTIST PAGE / KAYOKOYUKI GALLERY
~NANDI LOAF, TOM KOEHLER / KING’S LEAP, NYC / NADA House 404A / ELI BORNOWSKY & YU NISHIMURA at 105 HENRY ST / OPENING SAT JUNE 26 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 23rd, 2021, 7:12am
FROM DISTRESSED, FAKE FLOWERS – to – CARVED & INCISED REAL TREE WOOD.
in other words;
FROM LIGHT SWITCHES – to – BAR TABLES.
AND, FINDING BOTH TO BE . . POETIC & POLITICAL CREATIVITY – on UTILITARIAN OBJECTS /
MY FIRST STEPS – into a NADA House, on GOVERNORS ISLAND.
looks to be a great !! weekend !!
to visit the NADA House 2021 presentation . . on Governors Island !!
see: NADA House 2021
it is . . quite the lovely – staycation.
it’s so pleasant / the ferry ride is fun, easy to book & cheap.
see: FERRY TICKET INFO
this is on the way, to the several residential / historic military houses, which NADA has taken over / with multi-disciplinary, varied exhibitor curations / until . . . Aug 1st.
leafy, green-ey, & not too city, at all / open & spacious.
a little world all its own.
calm & delightful.
but, I got to tell you – the art is world class & fresh, fresh, fresh.
but, none of it is screaming at you, oh happy day. seriously.
except maybe to say: hey . . . look at me.
it’s like walking into a book, and the pages are mighty fun to turn.
and, so are the . . . old, wooden staircases !!
a DAVID KENNEDY CUTLER LIGHT SWITCH / TURN ONZ, DETROIT
greets you, as you enter NADA House 404A / it is so well-made, and so well integrated !!
you might just take it . . for granted, so,
I’m just letting you know, again / look out – for those light switches !!
they be popping up, and rocking !! through-out . . the houses.
I don’t know why I picked this particular NADA house to check out, first.
but sure enough – it was personally relevant, I’ll just hold onto that secret for a post or so /
but sure enough . . the archival staircases led to many enchanting surprises, and it was all so much fun.
QUINTIN RIVERA TORO, presented by ZAWAHARA ALEJANDRO, SAN JUAN.
wooden, functional sculptures – in the ‘cloak room’, on the first floor, NADA House 404H
see: ZAWAHARA ALEJANDRO, SAN JUAN
of course, the cloak room is the first space that greets you as you enter / thus this was the first ‘exhibit’ I saw,
and, it just stopped me in my tracks, literally. it was so imaginary, narrative, full of skill & beauty / yet functional. the wood was incised to perfection, and burnished to a deep hues.
it definitely caught my eye and apparently, that of other reviewers, as well.
detail, QUINTIN RIVERA TORO, previous photo.
this looked to be a table, or shelf.
there was something about riding a ferry, over water . . and waking among huge old trees, that really made this word ‘work’ resonate – for me. that it held a message ?
very acceptable, actually. very cool. deeply meaningful, & within full embrace of the skills, context / and, concept.
a little sad. a bit hopeful. it went heart-to-heart, but, it also made a point.
QUINTIN RIVERA TORO, bench.
note . .
the honey tones of the wood, called out like a chorus, by the natural sunlight streaming in through the windows.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, MAY 8, 2021
Photo via NADA / CATALOG / QUINTIN RIVERA TORO
this is the installation photo of the work, published in the NADA House catalog.
so, I hope you can begin to see the total ‘magic’ of the NADA project, sparked by the historic Governors Island architecture: including staircases, ceiling fixtures, old world spatial layouts, pane glass windows, old plastered (?) walls, & wood. wood. wood.
on a persona note,
I think, the small ‘distressed’ elements, like the old peeling paint, etc adds much depth to the overall experience, and to the visual richness. making the modern city explorer, just that much more aware – in a very subtle way, of the underlying historic – beauty. and architectural, as well as cultural story.
404A was a . . Colonel’s house. it was large, spacious and designed for entertaining as well as living.
it’s really nice, that these buildings haven’t been torn down, and that they have been re-imagined & filled with art / so superbly.
I’ll leave you, with this description of the work, from the NADA catalog:
~QUINTIN RIVERA TORO / ZAWAHRA ALEJANDRO, SAN JUAN PRESENTATION / DAVID KENNEDY CUTLER, TURN ONZ / NADA House 404A |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 18th, 2021, 6:20pm
