here’s no dearth of opinions in
the media. Having a blog has
become as rare and strange as
a Social Security number. On
the Internet, one has access to, quite literally,
millions of subjective directives on what to
wear and what record to buy. Where art is
concerned, most of us are clueless about how
to collect it. As subjectivity is the name of the
game, the problem of assigning value to artwork
is a doozy. At the Irvine Contemporary
Gallery (1412 14th St. NW), viewers are
confronted with piles of
Weimar-era German |
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art and dollar value, holding luxe, gold-dappled party “Luster” in Jensen’s Brake Shop
on 14th Street. Artist Kate Hardy’s tiny, gold,
fetishistic horses, dolls, lipsticks et. al, festooned
one wall in clear glass containers. Partygoers were
instructed to drop currency into these boxes,
thus replacing the objets d’art with cold, hard
simoleons. Smart girl.
It’s got to be meaningful if internationally
known artists Tanja and Graham Carr and
Peter Powning fly in for an opening; Habatat
Gallerie (8020 Towers Crescent Dr.,Tysons
Corner, Va.) offered a cocktail preview – catered
by Chima steakhouse and bevvy’d by Stella |
PICKS PHILIPPA HUGHES FOUNDER OF THE PINK LINE PROJECT |
DECEMBER1 3 SAY WHAAAT!!
Watch the area's best graffiti artists customize toys that will be auctioned to benefit Capital Area Food Bank. 8 to 11 p.m.; Kickballers on 3285 ½ M St. NW. |
Hughes' foundation fosters artistic innovation with special programs and events. (www.pinkline.org)
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DECEMBER 14 THE NEW FUTURE
Curator Kristina Bilonick merges visions
of the future from the past with modern
reality in rad graphics and music. 7 to 9
p.m.; DC Arts Center at 2438 18th St. NW.
JANUARY 12: GALLERY BONANZA
The 14th Street galleries kick off the
new year with coordinated opening
receptions. 6 to 8:30 p.m.; www.pinkline.org.
JANUARY 15: X
Demystifying art through live performance,
projection, electronica and fashion. 6 to
10 p.m.; BeBar at 1318 9th St. NW.
JANUARY 19: NO BORDERS
Guerilla curators present a photo exhibit
of natural beauty by Giacomo Abrusci.
Enjoy culinary and musical art – and
great wine. 8 p.m.; 1435 Girard Ave.
NW; RSVP to 1435girard@gmail.com.
JANUARY 23 – 26 MEAT MARKET
Closing Party for Gallery Performance
Week co-hosted by The Pink Line Project.
Cutting-edge performances.
8 p.m. to
midnight; www.meatmarketgallery.com |
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banknotes in wheelbarrows; a dress fabricated
from the same colorful foldin’ money further
tests the boundary between commodities and
cash in the stunning exhibit, “Eisbergfreistadt”
(“Iceberg Free State”), open through Dec.
8. The artists, Nicholas Kahn and Richard
Selesnick, playfully pair a photo of a historically
noted artist from 1920s Berlin with painted
“works” (by Kahn and Selesnick) “inspired” by
the latter’s photos of the same glacial and serene
landscapes shown in the paintings. An exquisite
deck of tarot-esque playing cards, made in
Columbus-discovers-America-style etching
work by Icelandic “explorers,” was full of such
whimsy (and framed so nicely!) that Irvine had
already sold several at $6,000 a pop.
The folks from Project 4 (903 U St. NW) also addressed the complex relationship between
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quite likely that French
digital photo-manipulator Cédric Delsaux – who
infused his urban landscapes with storm troopers
and other Star Wars figurines at a recent Project 4
exhibit – would agree.
Harvard-educated architect and sculptor
John Dreyfuss opened up his magnificent
Georgetown mansion, Halcyon House, for
Transformer’s silent auction on Nov. 18; it was
quite a sight, watching the new crop of wellto-
do, young collectors weave in and out of his
workspace, cocktails in hand, to view photos of
Chuck Brown at Ben’s Chili Bowl and portraits
of dozing déshabille trannies. Worth the price of
entry? Indubitably.
Hughes’ foundation
fosters artistic
innovation with special
programs and events.
(www.pinkline.org)
Send comments and information about local art
happenings to: columns@washingtonlife.com. |