015 Roberta Gentry
basketball, Your Friends and Neighbors, late night
But first
Trying to get out a very quick follow up. There’s so many good shows to see out there and I’m behind. Not much has happened in real life since last week, but I did go to an NBA game in a fancy little box (work thing). I’m not a big sports person generally, but I love going to sporting events. Mostly because of the hot dogs. H is officially back in New York, which means I get to stop living like a teenage boy who has the house to himself for the weekend. Has anyone started watching Your Friends and Neighbors yet? I don’t normally get wrapped up in the how of the story telling. But for what is essentially a family drama, the energy of this show is an Aaron Sorkin action movie, which feels insane. Very cutty. But the premise is good. Looking for additional input from others. Realized this week that I accidentally booked a girls weekend during art week in May, oops! Ok, let’s just get into it already, there’s so much!
Roberta Gentry
Upon walking in, I immediately loved Roberta Gentry’s The Walled Garden at Massey Klein Gallery. She uses a really light touch. Precise but without loosing the presence of the artist’s hard. She is organizing the organic shapes of nature over a repeating structure of columns. Vines and branches and shapes referencing those ideas fall in and out of the structure of her columned imagery. Very thin layers of paint, the untreated ground of the cannas always visible though even the deepest, still very thin, paint. She’s working in limited contrasting palettes very beautifully. Vines over arches and bridges blending seamlessly, while also exploring the dichotomy of, architecture and garden. There are a couple of tinys that really get me. (I don’t know what it is with me and small paintings right now.)
These acrylic on canvas beauties are incredibly well priced. With larger pieces in the 5k-7k range and smalls around 1k. She blends the graphic and organic beautifully and I’m obsessed with the very thin layers of paint. This show just closed, but reach out to the gallery if one of these spark your interest, there were still several available when I was there a couple weeks ago. And keep an eye out for Roberta Gentry’s work in future shows.
Other shows seen
Ivan Morley at David Kordansky - I gasped out loud when I realized these were embroidered. Again and again while walking towards another piece I said to myself, Surely, this one can not possibly also be - Yes, yes it is embroidered as well. So beautiful. I didn’t know we could do this. Up though April 26th.
Felix De Clercq at Clearing - Lovely little portraits1 in the downstairs room. Touching, intimate portraits in a small hidden room I happened to have all to myself on the day I went. Last day to catch this one is April 26.
Erotic City at Eric Firestone Gallery - This fire and eggplant emoji of a show is curated by the 93 year old Martha Edelheit, I was obsessed after I saw a show of her work at the same gallery a couple years ago. In this show, you can find Duncan Hannah, Jay Miriam, Louis Fratino, Paul Cadmus, Roslyn Dresler, Tom of Finland, Jenna Gribbons, Mickalane Thomas, GaHee Park to name a few. Don’t miss this one. You have until May 2nd.
Marie Herwald Hermann at Broadway - The Project Room downstairs at Broadway is the most peaceful, darling room. These works are so serene and lovely. Really thoughtful color, texture, composition. Closed after April 19th.
Dustin Emory at Margot Samel - There is a second part to this show at Fredericks and Freiser in Chelsea that I wanted to get to. Black and white, heavily textured, unusual points of view, very narrative and cinematic, imposing, claustrophobic. I don’t know if I could live with one, maybe all the more reason to live with one? Both parts up though April 19th.
Diana Horowitz at Bookstein Projects - Beautiful little postcard sized paintings. Cityscapes can feel a little cheesy to me at times. But there is something about these that really hit. I want one. Gorgeous country side beauties as well. Up though April 18.
PS
I detest late night TV shows. It is absolutely the safest place in the entire world. I understand its appeal for people unwinding before going to bed, but do they all have to be so dumb? How many hours has Jimmy Fallon spent smashing eggs on people’s heads? The stories are so canned. The hosts cannot manage to make the questions sound fresh and guests have clearly told these stories on press circuits for months. Preaching to their choir, with never an awkward moment. Can it just be a little weirder? Why are they all exactly the same?
I really wanted to like John Mulaney’s late night show. I was excited by the unhinged energy of the first season and John looked incredible.2 John Mulaney and I had never meshed before this moment. He was giving too much Musical Theater Energy for me, I guess it was all the coke. People would insist his new comedy special was funny so I would put it on and promptly fall asleep.3 I realized while watching season one I’d missed his whole sobriety thing and I went back and watched Baby J and it was very funny! It felt like a moment when a song you really hated suddenly became a favorite. We’ve met in the middle and I’m here for John Mulany now! Bring on season two.
I was intrigued by his attempt to shake up late night and liked most of what they were doing in season one of Everybody’s in LA. I hoped they would dial it in even more in S2. And so I’ve stuck it out through four boring episodes because I want it to become something it’s just not. I think there is a place, even in our modern times, for regularly scheduled public commentary on culture from a likeable host and celebrities that appeals to a wide audience. And ironically, I think it needs to be less broad.
In contrast there is this one moment that has made its way to me and I will watch the full 10min clip every time it comes across my feed. This aired 10 years ago and is about a story that happened about 10 years before that. Now, Nicole Kidman is obviously an incredible actress, but we know Jimmy Fallon is not, so I think this is real and it’s one of the most genuine moments from this format.
All of the emotions here feel very authentic. The realization on Fallon’s face. How offended Kidman still seems to be. Both of their extreme embarrassment. That they’d had such a different negative experience of this shared moment that’s continued to haunt them. It’s so difficult to watch, they are both having such a visceral reaction to a story that’s like 10 years old. The wheels are off immediately, to be seen by this wagon nevermore. I just watched it again. Twice. Should it come out later that this isn’t real. Do not tell me. I need this.
It is the chaos that’s exciting here, but it’s the chaos of not knowing how these two will react or what happens next, emotional chaos. For Mulaney, the chaos comes from not knowing where his clipboard is or the interruption of a robot or a telephone call, logistical chaos. You can only maintain this genuine frantic energy for so long. Eventually you know how to do the show, you know where you put your clipboard. In a recent episode about HR, there was clearly some animosity between the normie HR woman and the celebrity guests. Don’t worry, it wasn’t explored. The whole guys by height thing? Please end it or end me. Why can’t anyone break out of the confines of this format? In a moment when we have so little shared culture, it would be cool if someone could figure this out.
We had a moment John and I really tried to keep it going.
What did you see this week that you considered putting in your home? (Whether you can afford it yet or not.) Until next time!
I’m obsessed with tiny paintings right now, there are multiple in this issue alone! And I already know several appearing in the next.
I mean, the most innovative, forward looking regular man suiting I’ve ever seen. Kudos to whoever dressed him in season one. Is there a different stylist for this season because that has also regressed to something more boring.
Which is really saying something because I very rarely fall asleep watching TV or movies. 50% of occurrences have been John Mulaney based.