Editors’ Picks: 9 Art Events to See in New York This Week

Terrence Koh marks his art-world return this Saturday.

Anton van Dalen, Aliens Rescue Animals from Central Park Zoo (1981). Courtesy Sargent's Daughters.

Tuesday, May 17–Saturday, May 28:

Mariyah Tareen, <em>"Oppressed" (Veiled Woman)</em> (2015). Courtesy of the New York Academy of Art.

Mariyah Tareen, “Oppressed” (Veiled Woman) (2015). Courtesy of the New York Academy of Art.

1. The New York Academy of Art’s MFA Thesis Show
The 49 members of the Academy’s 2016 graduating class of MFA students will present a show of their thesis projects, featuring figurative work in painting, sculpture, and drawing. The exhibition features artists who have work in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum and the British Consulate General, and who have shown their work in New York, Paris, London, and Rome, among other cities.

Location: New York Academy of Art, 111 Franklin Street
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, May 17, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Tuesday, May 17:

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Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida. Courtesy of MONTH2MONTH.

2. MONTH2MONTH, “A Dinner With Developers and Real Estate Professionals
As part of MONTH2Month, a public art project in private residences, organizers William Powhida and Jennifer Dalton will discuss how ownership and property decisions can be executed with a more community-minded focus. Guests include Asher Edelman, Stefani Pace from realtor Space in the City, Robert Singer from Time Equities, and Arun Sundarajan, a professor at New York University and the author of The Sharing Economy: The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-Based Capitalism.

Location: Address disclosed upon RSVP
Price: Free
Time: 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

—Eileen Kinsella

Thursday, May 19:

Seminar with artist Donald Judd at his studio in 1974. On Judd’s left is Ron Clark, and on his right is artist Julian Schnabel. Courtesy of Barbara Quinn.

Seminar with artist Donald Judd at his studio in 1974. On Judd’s left is Ron Clark, and on his right is artist Julian Schnabel. Courtesy of Barbara Quinn.

3. Whitney Independent Study Program Exhibition at EFA Project Space
With intellectual and artistic heavyweights like Jenny Holzer, Glenn Ligon, and Roberta Smith counted in their ranks of alumni, the Whitney’s Independent Study Program (ISP) is kind of a big deal. This Thursday, the program is hosting its annual exhibition, featuring this year’s lineup of artists including photographer Sonia Louise Davis, video performance artist Damali Abrams, and photographer/film artist Carrie Schneider.

Location: EFA Project Space, 323 West 39th Street, 2nd floor
Price: Free
Time: 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

—Rain Embuscado

Friday, May 20:

NON: Legacy Systems. Courtesy NON.

NON: Legacy Systems. Courtesy NON.

4. “NON: Legacy Systems” at the New Museum
Founded with the mission of challenging societal binaries and dismantling established power structures, NON Records is a collective of sound artists from Africa and the African diaspora. Three of the collective’s co-founders, Chino AmobiAngel-Ho, and Nkisi, will premiere new video work and perform, individually at first, and then as a trio for the first time ever.

Location: New Museum, 235 Bowery
Price: $15 members, $20 general public
Time: 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

—Alyssa Buffenstein

Friday, May 20–Sunday, May 22:

Monica Mirabile and Sarah Kinlaw, Authority Figure. Courtesy of the Knockdown Center.

Monica Mirabile and Sarah Kinlaw, Authority Figure. Courtesy of the Knockdown Center.

5. Monica Mirabile and Sarah Kinlaw, Authority Figure at the Knockdown Center
This two-hour performance/social psychology experiment combines choreography, sound, and installation. Authority Figure guests are encouraged to take a pre-show “Personality of Endurance” quiz, and to buy their tickets for the time slot determined by their results. Arriving in groups of 20 at 20 minute intervals, audience members, who will have different experiences based on their entry times, will be compelled to consider such issues as police brutality, big data, and surveillance. Tickets are sold out, but you can snag one for the Thursday night preview by contributing to the project’s Kickstarter at the $50 or $100 levels. 

Location: Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Ave, Maspeth, Queens
Price: $25
Time: 8:15 p.m.–11:30 p.m., entry 8:15 p.m.–9:45 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Friday, May 20-Friday, July 1:

Courtesy of Kenya (Robinson) and Cindy Rucker Gallery.

Courtesy of Kenya (Robinson) and Cindy Rucker Gallery.

6. Kenya (Robinson), “FUCKYOURCOUCH” at Cindy Rucker Gallery
In 2004, Dave Chappelle’s Show debuted Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories, which introduced the world to two classic lines, delivered from Chappelle-as-Rick James: “Cocaine is a hell of a drug,” and “Fuck your couch.”

A decade later, artist Kenya (Robinson) is channeling this raw comic spirit in her first solo exhibition in New York at Cindy Rucker Gallery. No platform suede shoes are involved this time around, but three couches will be irreparably damaged, and the results will be on display until July 1.

—Kathleen Massara

Saturday, May 21:

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Terence Koh, for the bees and humans too look at, free hugs (2015). Courtesy of Andrew Edlin Gallery.

7. Terence Koh, “Bee Chapel” at Andrew Edlin Gallery
Terence Koh’s art world return manifests in a solo exhibition at Andrew Edlin’s new Lower East Side gallery. From what we can tell based on the show’s press images, Koh is bringing a bit of upstate New York down with him in the form of bees, figs, and other organic materials.

Location: Andrew Edlin Gallery, 212 Bowery
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m

—Rain Embuscado

Sunday, May 15–Sunday, June 19:

Anton van Dalen, Aliens Rescue Animals from Central Park Zoo (1981). Courtesy Sargent's Daughters.

Anton van Dalen, Aliens Rescue Animals from Central Park Zoo (1981). Courtesy Sargent’s Daughters.

8. Anton van Dalen, “Inside Out, Home and Place” at Sargent’s Daughters and “The Devil’s Veil” at Romeo
An East Village resident since immigrating to New York from Holland in 1971, Anton van Dalen has used his work in drawing, painting, collage, and performance, among other mediums, to document the dramatic cultural shifts that have taken place in the neighborhood over the years. Sargent’s Daughters will present a mini-retrospective, from the 1965 film Flowers in My Eye to recent collages, while Romeo will present new work. The dual-venue show is organized in part by PPOW.

Location: Sargent’s Daughters, 179 East Broadway, and Romeo, 90 Ludlow
Price: Free
Time: Sargent’s Daughters’ opening reception is May 18, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Sunday, May 22:

A Cielo Aperto, 2014. Multimedia installation. Courtesy of the artist.

A Cielo Aperto, 2014. Multimedia installation. Courtesy of the artist.

9. AIRspace Open Studios at Abrons Arts Center
The Abrons Arts Center is hosting their annual AIRspace Residency open studios this Sunday, and the event boasts quite a lineup. There’s photographer and performance artist Jaimie Warren, whose mischievous self-portraits made waves back in 2009 with her solo exhibition at Higher Pictures; Doreen Garner, a multimedia artist that drew crowds with her sculptures at Volta this year; and acclaimed Italian video artist Maria D. Rapicavoli.

Location: Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street
Price: Free
Time: 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.; backyard party 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

—Rain Embuscado


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