The Totam: Culture

Posts Tagged ‘economy’

* Totam Culture: Jan. 21

Posted on January 21st, 2009 by Aileen Tat. Filed under Art, Contemporary Art, Galleries, New York, Performance, Theater, Weekly Picks.

So you’ve resolved that with a New Year and the inauguration of a new President, you’re going to celebrate for the rest of the week by taking in as much culture as possible? Our recommendations:

Mark Wagner, Buying the Brooklyn Bridge, 2008, Currency collage, 30×20 inches, Courtesy of Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York.

Mark Wagner, Buying the Brooklyn Bridge, 2008, Currency collage, 30×20 inches, Courtesy of Pavel Zoubok Gallery, NY.

TONIGHT: A New Deal, Art and Currency opens @ the BRIC Rotunda Gallery. This exhibition takes its name from the social and economic reforms implemented by FDR in the 1930s, and highlights relationships between American presidents and the economy, observing how these relationships affect art-making.
Thursday, January 22nd: Catch Peter Caine’s animatronic installations @ Derek Eller Gallery, on view until February 21st, and Stephen Sprouse’s Rock on Mars @ Deitch Projects, on view until February 28th.
Friday, January 23rd: The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm opens @ the Tina Kim Gallery from 6-8pm. Organized by poet and writer Christopher Y. Lew, this group exhibition named for the Wallace Stevens poem explores a spirit of “meditative rapture” in its artists’ practices. With Robert Booras, Julia Chiang, Amy Elkins, Jeff Feld, Leslie Hewitt, Amy Kao, Marc André Robinson, Kiki Smith. Through February 21st, 2009.
Saturday, January 24th: The Anna Copa Cabanna Show: It’s Summer In Australia! @ Joe’s Pub, Midnight. Recently recovered from her first cross-country tour, and with a devoted cult following that includes the likes of Tommy Ramone and Lady Bunny, the latest incarnation of Australian showgirl Anna Copa Cabanna‘s Rock and Roll Variety Show draws inspiration from The Lynda Carter Specials, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, and The Carol Burnett Show. With overly-earnest, beautifully choreographed dance numbers by The Copa Cabanna Dancers and regular guest, Hula-Hoop Harlot Melissa-Anne. Not to be missed.
This is also the last weekend to catch the sold-out run of Wickets @ the 3LD Art and Technology Center; an extra 3pm Saturday performance has been added. Clove Galilee and Jenny Rogers’ adaptation of Marie Irene Fornes’ 1977 drama Fefu and Her Friends reveals the inner thoughts of eight ’70s-era stewardesses, as they serve the seated audience/passengers inside a unique airline cabin set. I had the pleasure of seeing this as a work-in-progress at the HERE Arts Center last year, and since then, the drama has garnered several favorable reviews in major publications over its short run.

Tags: 3LD Art and Technology Center, airline, Anna Copa Cabanna, BRIC Rotunda Gallery, cabaret, cabin, Christopher Y. Lew, currency, Deitch Projects, Derek Eller Gallery, economy, Fefu, group, Joe's pub, Marie Irene Fornes, New Deal, Peter Caine, show, Stephen Sprouse, stewardesses, Tina Kim Gallery, Totam Culture, variety, Wallace Stevens, Wickets.

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* Deals for $4950 at Art Miami

Posted on December 8th, 2008 by Joyce Tota. Filed under Art Basel Miami.

One of the many satellite fairs of Art Basel Miami, Art Miami has proven that the main show isn’t the only thing worth seeing in town. Located in the Wynwood Arts District, Art Miami has a much more relaxed vibe than the main Art Basel Miami show. Comprised mostly of smaller galleries from around the world, this fair however has no less super art stars hanging in the wings (however, most are deceased). Also complete with its own Art Video and New Media Lounge, the dedicated space showcased videos from six major art institutions from Beijing to Tel Aviv.

The shaky economy has not deterred collectors who were out in full force, overheard asking “How much is this?,” as if discussing a supermarket special and a few pieces were even sold many times over. The price point that people were willing to fork over (unless you’re Ed Ruscha) seemed much lower than previous years. This included one David Drebin panoramic digital C-print of a Paris streetscape at a collectable $4950.

The print, although stunning to look at seems to lack a story behind its facades. Photographed in such a way that begs the viewer to peek into its apartment windows in hopes of a domestic scene or perhaps an engagement on its streets, the downfall of this piece is that there are none of these special moments (which are often times pre-planned by the photographer) to speak of. The streets are almost empty and there is no one visible in any of the windows. However, this was obviously not a concern for the many buyers who flocked to this piece (eight at the time of our visit). It is surely a comment on the type of pieces which are selling in this economy: the ones which are content to look beautiful on a wall.