Posts Tagged ‘new york’

Cesar Ramirez: A fine dining chef honors craftmanship in his kitchen

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

By Michelle Cheung

Brooklyn Fare

The only table in the house, Cesar Ramirez's chef table in the Brooklyn Fare's kitchen

Chef Cesar Ramirez of Brooklyn Fare, gourmet food market by day and fine dining destination by night, is not your famed media-hungry celebrity chef. So the fact that reservations for his nightly dinners are booked through June is very telling. In Ramirez’s 10-seater stainless steel kitchen table, craftsmanship stays alive with culinary artisans at work every night serving more than 15 courses of salacious dishes featuring impeccable quality and creativity.

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One Life, One Day: Inside the Mind of Mr. Brainwash

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

By JRS

Mr. Brainwash, aka Thierry Guetta, holding court over his maze on West 13th Street

“If you do something you love, you become an icon, because you do it so well that in one moment, everybody appreciates it,” says Thierry Guetta, leaning back in a paint-splattered Eames lounge chair in the middle of his newest exhibition, Icons. The street artist-turned gallery sensation went on to talk about his time spent decorating the walls and sidewalks of New York: “The street is just a large gallery to me. Even the people that don’t like it are obligated to see it. There are no rules on the street, there is just freedom. Thousands of people can see it.”

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The Storied Objects of Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons

Friday, February 19th, 2010

By Michelle Cheung

Derrick Cruz of Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons

Derrick Cruz of Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons

“Like paradoxical black sheep and prodigal son” wrote Anatole Broyard in his autobiographical tale, “Kafka Was the Rage,” as he described the outcasts and rejects, who lived in Greenwich village after the Second World War. When Derrick Cruz read these words more than five years ago, he knew right away that it would help name and shape the story for his accessories brand.  Broyard’s words captured Cruz’s repatriation to New York as an adult.  “Like paradoxical black sheep and prodigal sons,” he said, “we all come here [to New York] kind of outcasts, being rejected, seeking something new, seeking redemption of some sort. When I saw that line, I knew that was going to be the name and, aesthetically, it became more about archetypes that, in my head, were both wise and stubborn at the same time.” (more…)

The Years of Our Lord 1974, 1980, and 1983: Red Riding – Roadshow Edition

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

By JRS

One film. Three parts. Six hours. Do you have the time? Probably not, but we do. SPREAD ArtCulture took up residence in New York’s IFC Center for “The Red Riding Trilogy,” a film that was made last year for British television and a film that critic David Thomson billed as “Better than the ‘Godfather.’” Though the two films are complete opposites in almost every way, sans their length, it made for an interesting day to be shut out of the sun.

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The Tino Sehgal experience is for you to find out

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

By Michelle Cheung

I went uptown on what seemed like the coldest day this winter to find out exactly what it is that Tino Sehgal is doing as part of the museum’s 50th Anniversary celebration. You will not find any photographic or videographic evidence of Tino Sehgal’s latest exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York but, trust me, I saw it and it is there.  His latest mise-en-scéne promises to yet again push the boundaries of artwork through performance and participation. After going through his highly personal exhibition, I can attest that this London-born, Berlin-based artist has kept his promise. We, as spectators and participants, go with zero expectations, not even knowing the title of his piece, and leave with an invaluable experience. Any prior knowledge of his work will just taint one’s takeaway, and this is why I hesitate to say more. The existentialist in anyone will find inspiration and meaning in his work. If you can take my word for it, then you should stop reading this now.

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Robert Williams: In the Service of the Hypothetical

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

By JRS

Williams airbrushing "A Diamond in a Goat's Ass (A Lyrically Poetic Euphemism for Pretension)."

Williams airbrushing "A Diamond in a Goat's Ass (A Lyrically Poetic Euphemism for Pretension)"

Often know by the name “pop surrealism,” lowbrow art leapt onto the art community’s radar in the 1970s in Los Angeles. A tormented stepchild of punk rock, underground comix, and America’s obsession with hot rods, this movement was delineated by a sense of humor, sharp wit, and, above all else, a grandiloquent denouement with chaos ruling the canvas, the likes of which had not been accepted in a gallery setting before. (more…)

Piecebook Reloaded: Twenty Years of Rare Graffiti Drawings

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

By JRS

“Once upon a time, long before technology created an online global community, graffiti was a highly localized art form. Be it on the subway or in the street, graffiti was available only to those who crossed its path. Though photographs were shot and circulated amongst those in the know and sometimes even made it out into the world through early books and magazines, the truly exclusive were given to circulating the piecebook, an iconic black sketchbook with heavy stock paper, perfect for showcasing the most personal forms of marker-based artwork.”

Such is our introduction to Piecebook Reloaded, a new book on graffiti that’s just hit shelves. Like its predecessor, Sacha Jenkins and David Villorente’s Piecebook Reloaded recreates the look and feel of those elusive sketchbooks. Featuring the work of more than 50 graffiti legends, Piecebook Reloaded delivers the best of the best in its most confidential expression. (more…)

Remembering Jeanne-Claude

Monday, November 30th, 2009

By JRS

The Gates, New York, 1979–2005

The Gates, New York, 1979–2005

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Diane Detalle: An Artist’s Love Story

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

By JRS

Diane Detalle

Diane Detalle

French-born artist Diane Detalle has very unique conceptions about the creative process. A trader-turned artist, Detalle now lives and paints out of an elegant Tribeca loft whose walls are adorned with her sizable canvases. Sitting in her office, she effortlessly describes her paintings with a far-away look in her eyes, whimsically re-creating their emergence.

With a range of up to 4 years to finish and a base of collectors reaching Buenos Aires, Paris, London, and Toronto, Detalle is an emerging talent that is being recognized the world over. SPREAD ArtCulture visited her studio for a tour and a synopsis of her work, influences, and background. (more…)

Gary Baseman and the New York Supper Club at Jonathan LeVine

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

By JRS

Master of Ceremonies Gary Baseman addressing his captivated audience. Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford.

Master of Ceremonies Gary Baseman addressing his captivated audience. Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford.

Last Thursday night played host to another superbly cultural—and culinary—event at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea. Gary Baseman, the curator of the gallery’s newest exhibit, True Self, hosted a dinner put on by SPREAD ArtCulture in collaboration with New York’s Supper Club and the American Friends of the Louvre. The evening was sponsored by Domaine de Canton and AriZona Vapor Water. The three-course dinner was preceded with a walk through of the gallery by Baseman, who gave a synopsis of the show’s background, as well as a beautifully choreographed glimpse of each artist who is participating in the show. (more…)