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It’s been a hell of a year, hasn’t it? These past 12 months saw pro-Palestine protests everywhere from colleges to museums. Eric Adams was indicted, unleashing a wave of memes. The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was murdered in broad
daylight, launching what might be the beginnings of a movement.
It’s a lot to wind down from, so we’ll keep this short and sweet. This week, Seph Rodney reviews the work of Gary Simmons at Hauser & Wirth. The artist suspends Bosko, a blatantly racist cartoon character, mid-pirouette, the glacial blue of the icy background blurring into and sometimes obscuring his frame. Simmons’s figure, Rodney points out, cycles through the motion only to arrive at its beginning again. “In this moment,” he writes, “it feels like this culture only rarely makes progress. More often, what we do is make elaborate circles over and over again on the ice until the music stops.”
It’s a fair indictment — as we count down to a new year, we find ourselves here yet again, at this same spot under the sun. But this week as well, Senior Editor Hakim Bishara reviews the work of Ai Weiwei in Greenpoint, arguing that small acts of labor, laid “piece by piece, line by line, pixel by pixel” can challenge or even surmount empires. Whatever is destroyed today, he writes, we rebuild tomorrow — ”breath by breath, life by life.”
See you in the tomorrow, then. Happy new year!
—Lisa Yin Zhang, Associate Editor
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Seph Rodney |
Gary Simmons: Thin Ice at Hauser & Wirth
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“This image is a consummately American amalgam: a body that is Black by suggestion — apparent through the exaggerated facial features and use of the Black vernacular language in other contexts — which nevertheless contorts itself into the idealized lines of a European convention it will only ever intermittently achieve.”
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What You See Is What You See at Faurschou New York
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“Ultimately, this show is a tribute to anyone terrorized and brutalized directly or indirectly by the world’s great powers and their proxies. It’s also a hopeful reminder that whatever they destroy today, we will rebuild tomorrow.”
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MORE TO SEE THIS WEEK
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Take a break from the holiday chaos and replenish yourself with funny, dynamic, and subtle art by Thomas Schütte, Ralph Lemon, Alexandra Exter, and others. | Hrag Vartanian, Natalie Haddad, and Hakim Bishara
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CLOSING SOON
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WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING? |
If your new year’s resolution is to spend more time in nature, NYC Parks is hosting New Year's Day hikes all around the city. [nycgovparks.org]
… But if the ocean is your “nature” of choice, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club is hosting its iconic annual New Year’s Day Plunge. [coneyislandpolarbearclub.com]
If you’d prefer to spend the day indoors, why not join the Poetry Project’s 51st annual New Year’s Day Marathon? [poetryproject.org]
The New Ear Festival, showcasing time-based art of all forms, takes place this Friday through Sunday, Jan. 3 through 5th. [new-ear.org]
What better time to meditate on artificial intelligence than on the precipice of a new year? Film Forum’s hosting a whole festival on the subject, starting Fri. Jan. 3. [filmforum.org]
The year’s first New York Indonesian Food Bazaar takes place this Saturday, Jan. 4 at St. James Episcopal Church in Elmhurst. [instagram.com]
Under the Radar, a festival of experimental theater and performance art, begins this Sat., Jan. 4. [janartsnyc.org]
El Museo Del Barrio hosts its Three Kings Day celebration this Monday, Jan. 6. [elmuseo.org]
Art historian Glenn Adamson and architectural historian Alexandra Lange will be giving a talk on his new book, A Century of Tomorrows, at the Center for Brooklyn History next Tues., Jan. 7. [bklynhistory.org]
You made it to the end of the year — that’s a big deal. Congratulations, and happy new year!
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