Memorial Day Editors’ Picks: 7 Art Events to See in New York This Week

The art world is staying busy this week.

Carlos Betancourt.

Through June 5:

Nasreen Mohamedi <em>Untitled</em> (circa 1960s). © Estate of Nasreen Mohamedi, courtesy Talwar Gallery, New York and New Delhi.

Nasreen Mohamedi Untitled (circa 1960s). © Estate of Nasreen Mohamedi, courtesy Talwar Gallery, New York, and New Delhi.

1. “Nasreen Mohamedi” at the Met Breuer
It is your last chance to see Nasreen Mohamedi‘s (1937–1990) minimalist drawings and photographs in this survey exhibition spearheaded by collector and philanthropist Nita Ambani

The exhibition, which spotlights more than 130 works created over three decades by the under-appreciated Indian modernist, was organized in collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi, and first appeared at the Reina Sofia Museum in Spain.

Location: Met Breuer, 945 Madison Avenue
Price: Free
Time: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Wednesday, May 25–Sunday, June 19:

Itziar Barrio, "The Perils of Obedience." Courtesy of Itziar Barrio.

Itziar Barrio, “The Perils of Obedience.” Courtesy of Itziar Barrio.

2. Itziar Barrio, “The Perils of Obedience”  at Participant Inc. 
Bilbao-born and New York-based artist Itziar Barrio’s “multi-year, multi-venue project,” officially launches at Participant Inc. in the Lower East Side on June 1.

The exhibition is based on Stanley Milgram’s infamous 1961 experiments concerning obedience toward authority figures. Local actors will star in boundary-breaking performances in a film directed by Charlotte Brathwaite, which will be screened at the show. “Scripts from the iconic films Basic Instinct and A Street Car Named Desire” will be used during the performances, the press release states, as well as “excerpts from the Accelerate Manifesto, and a narrative about New York City Draft Riots of 1863.”

Location: Participant Inc., 253 E Houston St # 1
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception Wednesday, June 1, 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

—Kathleen Massara

May 26–September 18, 2016:

"Sonic City" at the City Reliquary. Courtesy the City Reliquary.

“Sonic City” at the City Reliquary. Courtesy the City Reliquary.

3. “SONIC CITY” at the City Reliquary
Get to know a different type of artist at the City Reliquary’s summer show, which shines a spotlight on innovative musical instrument makers currently operating in and around New York City.

Rock fusion trio Iced Ink play at the opening of the show, which features everything from handcrafted guitars and instruments played by Nirvana, Pink Floyd, U2, and others, to 19th-century piano manufacturers.

Location: City Reliquary, 370 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn
Price: Free
Time: Opening reception, Saturday, June 4, 7:00 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Wednesday, June 1:

Carlos Betancourt

Carlos Betancourt. Courtesy of Rizzoli.

4. Carlos BetancourtImperfect Utopia Book Party at Rizzoli Bookstore
Art advisor, curator, and designer Maria Brito hosts an evening with art critic Paul Laster celebrating the release of artist Carlos Betancourt’s new book Imperfect Utopia.

The artist and critic will discuss art, memory, and Betancourt’s part in the riotously colorful Miami art scene of the 1980s. The talk and book signing will be followed by an after party featuring the artist’s new installation recreating his Miami Underground hot spot, the Gilded Lily.

Location: Rizzoli Bookstore, 1133 Broadway
Price:
 Free with RSVP
Time: talk 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.; party 8:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m.

—Eileen Kinsella

Friday, June 3:

Anthony van Dyck, Portrait of Charles I of England with his wife, Henrietta Maria (1632). Courtesy of the Frick Collection.

Anthony van Dyck, Portrait of Charles I of England with his wife, Henrietta Maria (1632). Courtesy of the Frick Collection.

5. “Music and Art from the Court of Charles I” by Sonnambula at the Frick Collection
As part of the Frick’s ongoing series of “Salon Evenings,”  the museum welcomes period music ensemble Sonnambula. The evening’s selection of 16th- and 17th-century music has been handpicked to accompany the special exhibition “Van Dyck: The Anatomy of Portraiture,” closing June 5, which examines the master’s work as a portraitist, particularly during his time at the court of King Charles I in London.

Location: The Frick Collection, 1 East 70th Street
Price: $40 ($35 for members)
Time: 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

—Sarah Cascone

Friday, June 3–Friday, July 29:

Eve Ackroyd, <em>Buried head</em> (2016). Courtesy of Kent Fine Art.

Eve Ackroyd, Buried head (2016). Courtesy of Kent Fine Art.

6. “On Painting” at Kent Fine Art 
This invitational group exhibition features a multi-generational posse of contemporary artists exploring the human figure, female equality, anxiety, mythologies, fear, absence, and landscape through painting.

The show is curated by gallery press and media coordinator Katrina Neumann and includes the work of Eve Ackroyd, Jon Campbell, Heidi Hahn, Janice Nowinski, Stefan Pehl, and Kyle Staver. According to the gallery release, “this is the first time that many of these painters have exhibited in Chelsea.”

Location: 210 Eleventh Avenue, between West 24th and West 25th Streets, second floor
Price: Free
Time: 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

—Christian Viveros-Faune

Saturday, June 4:

Hasan and Husain Essop, <em>The Last Supper in Havana</em> (2009). Courtesy the Brooklyn Museum.

Hasan and Husain Essop, The Last Supper in Havana (2009). Courtesy the Brooklyn Museum.

7. “Pride & Agitprop!” at the Brooklyn Museum
In an evening program that jointly celebrates LGBT Pride Month and activist artists, this edition of the Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays will feature a lineup of performances, screenings, and talks.

Until then, spend the day wandering the museum’s current offerings, which range from a group exhibition of global African art to Tom Sachs’s retrospective.

Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway
Price: Free with RSVP
Time: 5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

—Rain Embuscado

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