The word “cosmopolitanism” conjures up worldly, cultured and possibly elitist connotations. The idea that all humanity belongs to a single moral community is a lesser-known definition of the word. Theoretically I buy into that idea, but on a practical level, trying to achieve consensus on the definition of morality would prove impossible. Curator Ben Lima’s [...]
Hybrid Forms at AMOA-Arthouse seeks to codify new media as a traditional art medium. With contributions from ten artists, the exhibition is anchored by video innovator Nam June Paik’s Zen for TV. First created in 1963, the original work sprang from an accidentally-damaged television with a single line on the screen—a moment of Zen striking [...]
Featuring seven artists’ work in two galleries, the exhibition City Zoo marks the debut of Brand 10’s new space—And X. Conveniently located on the I-30 service road, And X’s mission is to showcase large-scale sculptural and video installations, as well as host collaborative or collective artist groups. Artists will be invited to spend a few [...]
Jackie Tileston’s latest exhibition Freefall at Holly Johnson Gallery in Dallas includes paintings from 2007 to present. I’ve followed Tileston’s work for the past ten years and I never get tired of looking at it. The artist draws inspiration from a variety of sources including abstraction, physics, traditional eastern imagery and contemporary visual culture. Co-mingling [...]
At least one person in the crowd at the opening of John Waters’ exhibition “Neurotic” at McClain Gallery appeared to be angling to be the next Divine. Waters was in attendance, wearing a natty blue suit with stripes “painted” across it. The work he presented was as sly and smartass as his pencil-thin mustache. His [...]
I have followed Glenn Ligon’s work over the past twenty years. He’s not known for his subtlety. In fact, he deliberately provokes his viewers. Given that his work examines race, gender and politics in such raw and unblinking ways, I admit I was pleasantly surprised that The Modern was willing to take the risk of [...]
The exhibition In the Interest of Time presents three projects by the Brooklyn collaborative Smudge Studio, comprised of artists Elizabeth Ellsworth and Jamie Kruse. Their primary subject is the landscape, and their approach includes embodying the roles of scientist, historian, anthropologist and, of course, artist. Their process is a performative journey, navigating, investigating and documenting [...]
Composed of wall-mounted sculptures, sound and film, Reel to Reel, Jeff Shore and Jon Fisher’s current installation at McClain Gallery, holds small revelations about the nature of machinery, art, music—and technology itself. Walking into the dark gallery space, I found my attention drawn to the many different aspects of the installation. Wire-ridden sculptures with jittery [...]
My husband is like the other 99.5% of Americans who go to the movies to be entertained, not to think. So it is with some trepidation that I asked him to accompany me to the Contemplative Cinema event at the Texas Theater earlier this month. The short 45-minute screening and beer allowed in the theater [...]
