Reviewing Les Lalanne, celebrating street art at Skewville, conversing with Lee Quiñones, and more.
Graffiti is an integral part of New York City’s art landscape, so we’re especially excited to share not one but two treats from the streets in today’s newsletter. First up, a walk through Skewville with writer Aaron Short. Run by identical twins Ad and Droo Deville, the colorful Bushwick garage is one of the city’s only galleries devoted entirely to street art.
Next, in an all-new episode of the Hyperallergic podcast, Hrag Vartanian dives into the history of the medium with artist Lee Quiñones, a pioneer of New York’s “golden age” of graffiti. Did you know that Lee is featured in Blondie’s 1981 music video for “Rapture” alongside Fab 5 Freddy and Basquiat? That’s one for your next trivia night.
Maybe it’s something about the springtime air, but fantastical landscapes and creatures are abundant in galleries these days. For the best of the beasts, look no further than the latest edition of our bimonthly exhibition recommendations. Each show was carefully selected by Hyperallergic editors Hrag Vartanian, Hakim Bishara, and Valentina Di Liscia, and longtime contributor Daniel Larkin.
Lastly, critic Rebecca Schiffman writes that she “felt like I was Alice tumbling into Wonderland” upon visiting Les Lalanne: Zoophites at Kasmin Gallery. Whatever could she mean? You’ll have to read the review to find out. | |
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WHAT TO SEE THIS WEEK | | | Hyperallergic editors and contributors recommend eight shows to see this month, including Joy Curtis’s strange anatomies, uncanny scenes by Sanam Khatibi, Hell Gette’s brightly colored worlds, technicolor imaginations by Rebecca Goyette and Florencia Escudero, and colorful abstractions by Julia Bland, Claude Lawrence, and Annette Wehrhahn. | View the list | Image: A view of Rebecca Goyette’s Mother, Mother, Mother exhibition at Shelter Gallery (photo Hrag Vartanian/Hyperallergic) |
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SPONSORED | | | | The Other Art Fair returns to ZeroSpace in Brooklyn from May 16 to 19. With original artworks by 120 independent artists, live performances, a nude portrait experience, bites, and hand-crafted whiskey cocktails at the Fair Bar (complimentary on Thursday only, must be 21+), this event promises a weekend of inspiration and unique finds for thrill seekers and art enthusiasts. | Tickets are available now |
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| In Bushwick, Skewville Makes a Home for Street Art | Tucked away in a garage in Brooklyn, the colorful art space is one of the only galleries in the city devoted to the underappreciated medium. | Aaron Short | Image: An archive of Skewville’s sneaker project, celebrating 25 years this year (photo Aaron Short/Hyperallergic) |
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| How Lee Quiñones Took His Graffiti From the Subway to the Museum | A pioneer of the 1970s New York City graffiti movement, the artist reflects on five decades of experimentation with spray cans and paint brushes in the latest episode of the Hyperallergic podcast. | Image: Lee Quiñones, “The Lion’s Den” (1982), spray paint on concrete hand-ball wall at Corlears Junior High School 56 (photo Martha Cooper, image courtesy the artist) |
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SPONSORED | | | | Featuring a diverse lineup of artists including Ellen Lesperance, Xylor Jane, and Melvin Way, this exhibition explores the intersection of abstract art and structural models. | Learn more |
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WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING? | | | There’s a 65-foot-long hot dog sculpture in Times Square that rains confetti every day at noon! We went to Ridgewood Open Studios this past weekend and found that despite the threat of developers, the neighborhood’s art scene is thriving. As celebrities posed for the cameras on the Met Gala red carpet, pro-Palestine protesters were arrested during a major march across the Upper East Side yesterday evening. Last Friday, activists took over the Whitney with video and sound interventions emphasizing the suffering of families in Gaza. Greenpoint artists have until May 20 to sign up for Greenpoint Open Studios. [greenpointopenstudios.com] Enrique Olvera, the world-renowned chef behind Manhattan’s Cosme, just opened a taqueria on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. [ny.eater.com] Birding at McGolrick Park is punk! [gothamist.com] | Image: Finley the Papillon strikes a pose in front of the giant Times Square hot dog by dimensional art duo Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw (photo Rhea Nayyar/Hyperallergic). |
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