Each week, we search New York City for the most exciting, and thought-provoking, shows, screenings, and events. See them below.
Monday, November 21
Lawrence Abu Hamdan at the 2015 Armory Party at the Museum of Modern Art. ©Patrick McMullan; courtesy of Clint Spaulding/patrickmcmullan.com.
1. An Evening with Lawrence Abu Hamdan at the Museum of Modern Art
The Beirut-based artist comes to New York for the US premiere of his “audio essay,” where he worked with Amnesty International and Forensic Architecture to expose the inner workings of the notorious Saydnaya prison in Syria, which the Guardian called “the worst place on earth”. Ana Janevski, Associate Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art, will be on deck to discuss Hamdan’s sobering findings.
Location: Theater 2, 11 West 53 Street
Price: $12 adult, or free for members
Time: 7:00 p.m.
—Kathleen Massara
Tuesday, November 22
Alain Badiou in 2008. Courtesy of PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP/Getty Images.
2. “Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work” at Miguel Abreu Gallery
“Against the confused understanding of our high-tech world by both the right and the left, Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams assert that the emancipatory and future-oriented possibilities of our society can be reclaimed,” according to the release. The evening will feature Srnicek and Williams in conversation with philopher Alain Badiou; the topic is, of course, a timely one.
Location: 88 Eldridge Street
Price: Free
Time: 7:00 p.m.
—Kathleen Massara
Until Wednesday, November 30
Mitchell Silver, Harlem Meer, Central Park, Manhattan (2016) and Irwin Silver, November Morn (circa 1950). Courtesy of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
3. “My Father’s Son: Photographs by Irwin Silver and Mitchell Silver” at the Arsenal Gallery
If you’ve never checked out the small art space run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation out of their offices in the historic Arsenal building in Central Park, now is the time. It’s your last chance to see an exhibition of New York photographs by the father/son duo of the late Irwin Silver, a professional photographer, and Mitchell Silver, who has served as New York’s Parks Commissioner since 2014.
“My father inspired me to love the art of photography. His passion for capturing moments in time was contagious,” said Silver in a statement. “As an urban planner and parks commissioner photography allows me to express my creativity and capture memorable moments of the most photogenic city in the world—New York City.”
Location: Arsenal Gallery, Arsenal Building, third floor, at 64th Street and Fifth Avenue inside Central Park
Price: Free
Time: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Extended until Saturday, December 10
Installation view of Roy Fowler, “New Wave” at Fort Gansevoort Gallery. Courtesy the artist and Fort Gansevoort.
4. Roy Fowler, “New Wave” at Fort Gansevoort
Gallery owner Adam Shopkorn was first introduced to the artist’s work by his good friend, artist Mary Heilmann, who has one of Fowler’s paintings hanging in her home in Bridgehampton on Eastern Long Island.
Shopkorn, who described the work as “mesmerizing,” immediately invited Fowler to show at the beautiful three-story historic townhouse that was home to an upscale restaurant a few years ago. The artist himself was born in Santa Barbara, but moved to New York in 1976. In this new series, the color and structure of the imagery reflect the artist’s interest in breaking down a wave. Having been a lifelong surfer since the age of 8, he talks about how surfing magazines were a huge source of inspiration for him. “I thought maybe I could get some of that excitement in a painting as well,” he said in a statement.
Location: 5 Ninth Avenue, New York NY 10014
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Saturday, 11:00 a.m. –6:00 p.m.
—Eileen Kinsella
Until Saturday, December 17
5. “Matthias Bitzer: a different sort of gravity” at Marianne Boesky Gallery
Geometric work from German artist Matthias Bitzer draws on literary and historical imagery, as well as the artist’s own dreams. Next door, the gallery presents “Whatever, a Vibrant Holiday,” an exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Dashiell Manley.
Location: Marianne Boesky Gallery East, 507 West 24th Street
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone
Until Sunday, December 18
Liu Wei, Transparent Land (2016). Courtesy of Lehmann Maupin.
6. “Liu Wei” at Lehmann Maupin
Both of Lehmann Maupin’s New York venues have been given over to Chinese artist Liu Wei, who is presenting two very different bodies of work at the two locations. In Chelsea, Liu has responded to the Jorge Luis Borges poem “Mirrors,” creating a monumental mirrored sculptural installation, “intended to provoke a phenomenological experience of space that can be only activated by the viewer.”
Down at Chrystie Street, the artist has paired colorful, irregularly-shaped paintings on steel with sculptures made from military canvas, metal, and wood.
Location: Lehmann Maupin, 536 West 22nd Street and 201 Chrystie Street
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
—Sarah Cascone