🚨 Last Chance

In the Museums

Spike Lee: Creative Sources

📍 Brooklyn Museum

⏰ closing Feb 11

🗓️ personal collection

📏 medium (1 floor)

❓ immersive installation featuring personal items that creatively inspired Film Director Spike Lee throughout his career

🔗 see exhibit details.

➕ check out Copy Machine Manifstos: Artists Who Make Zines, which closes end of March

In the Galleries

RE:Representation

Areena Ang, Amanda Ba, Dominique Fung, Sasha Gordon, Ara Hao, Michael Ho, Kane Huynh, Min Jia, Catalina Ouyang, Oscar yi Hou, Tommy Xie Xin

📍 James Fuentes Gallery | 55 Delancey

⏰ closing Feb 10

❓ 11 young, queer, Asian artists exploring themes of Diaspora and Representation

🔗 see exhibit details.

Books: A Group Exhibition

📍 Paula Cooper Gallery | 521 W 21st

⏰ closing Feb 10

❓ exploring the relationships between contemporary artists and books through photographs, sculptures, and installations that repurpose books

🔗 see exhibit details.

In addition:

• Time Travel: Italian Masters through a Contemporary Lens (Part II) at Petzel (35 E 67th), closing Feb 10

• A Foreigner Called Picasso at Gagosian (W 21th St), closing on Feb 10

• Find and Keep: Janine Iverson and Peter Shear at C L E A R I N G (260 Bowery), closing on Feb 10

🎉 Just In

In the Museums

Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys

📍 Brooklyn Museum

⏰ opening Feb 10

🗓️ personal collection

📏 medium (1 floor)

❓ showcasing prominent Black diasporic artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lorna Simpson, and more, highlighting Beatz’s and Keys’s support of Black creativity

🔗 see exhibit details.

➕ as mentioned above, check out Copy Machine Manifstos: Artists Who Make Zines

In the Galleries

Frank Gehry: Ruminations

📍 Gagosian | 976 Madison Ave

⏰ opening Feb 8

❓ sculptures and works on paper showcasing Gehry’s Fish Lamps series, as well as other works inspired by nature

🔗 see exhibit details.

➕ opening reception on Feb 8, 6-8 pm

➕➕ definitely check out the excellent exhibit Mary Weatherford: Sea and Space at the same location

Maureen Gallace

📍 Gladstone | 515 W 24th

⏰ opening Feb 9

❓ meditative landscape scenes that blend familiar with abstract, focusing on New England coast towns and exploring the temporal aspect of her subjects

🔗 see exhibit details.

➕ opening reception on Feb 9, 6-8pm

📢 Editor’s Updates

Us, New Yorkers, are blessed to have a museum dedicated to Isamu Noguchi right in our corner in Long Island City.

Who is Isamu Noguchi?

Isamu Noguchi (1904 - 1988), a Japanese American artist, is celebrated as a pivotal sculptor of the twentieth century, known for his abstract sculptures, furniture designs, stage sets, and landscape architecture. His work, not confined to any one art movement, consistently reflects a profound respect for nature and dedication to cultural synthesis.

His pieces often present a balance, or perhaps explore tensions of opposites: ruggedness and smoothness, movement and stillness, the solid and the void. The interplay between art and its environment was a central theme of his philosophy:

Noguchi’s multicultural upbringing in Japan and the U.S., and his travels across Europe, Asia, and Mexico early in his career, also heavily influenced his art. Drawing from Japanese aesthetics, European modernism, and more, he was committed to blending diverse artistic traditions seamlessly. Through his innovative approach and multicultural perspective, Noguchi forged a legacy that continues to inspire the fusion of nature, culture, and artistic expression.

What will I find in the museum?

The Noguchi Museum, once the artist’s own studio, was established by Noguchi in 1985. The intimate space houses the world’s largest collection of his works.

Come rain or shine, the museum is one of our favorite places in NYC, harnessing a sense of tranquility, elegance, and immersion. Visitors will explore three main areas: an open-air gallery, indoor galleries, and a serene outdoor garden. It’d be an oversight not mention a fourth space: the stunning gift shop, which feature Noguchi’s timeless Akari lamps.

The museum’s open layout, with works dispersed throughout an expansive, barrier-free space, encourages visitors to engage closely with each piece. The museum is truly a must visit if you haven’t been before.

(FYI: from February 7 through March 17, admission will be half price, as the second floor galleries will be closed for installation!)

A favorite Noguchi piece?

One of the works in the museum that spoke to us is “Bird”, crafted from onyx and supported by stainless steel (1966). The balance of the massive, upright stone atop the steel is instantly impressive. While the steel serves as a support, it actually becomes an integral part of the piece, engaging with the stone. As mentioned earlier, Noguchi believed in sculpture engaging with its environment.

Focusing on the support, the juxtaposition of materials becomes apparent — the natural, textured stone contrasting with the smooth finish of the steel. Noguchi highlights the relationship between the natural and the industrial. That being said, is the stone truly natural? Although the stone appears to have been shaped by the natural erosion process, it is a human-altered object — a testament to Noguchi’s immense skill.

Sources: Noguchi Biography, Noguchi Museum History