The Arts in New York City

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Do not be daunted by Baruch as a business-oriented college – it has many artistically talented students as well. One of them is Goseong Choi, whose photography caught my eye as I was looking through the school’s literary magazine, Encounters. Choi’s urban photography shows a more sophisticated side to New York City that I fail to see on a daily basis. I was quite impressed with his “Subway Show” photographs of subway window graffiti. Normally I would find subway windows to be extremely dirty and uninteresting subjects, but he is able to make it visually appealing with silhouettes of passengers waiting on a platform in the background. His panorama of Astor Place gives the street a very hip and yuppie feeling with dimly lit stores. My favorite, though, is the photograph of the 6 train station. I pass by it every day and yet he captured it with such stunning colors like that of a warm, sunny afternoon. Choi’s photography takes the viewer away from preconceptions of a dingy, dull city.

Art serves not only as eye candy but also to make political statements, much like what Dan Perjovschi did with Projects 85. Clearly not focusing on aesthetics, the hand-drawn stick figures were scrawled across the massive wall in the atrium of the Museum of Modern Art. Not only were they amusing, but it reflected American values and issues. For example, in one part, there were pictures of “unsafe things,” including airplanes and envelopes. In another, the perfect flight passenger was naked. There were also references to pop culture so even children can relate, such as a line of people listening to iPods. This just goes to show that art is not just a pretty picture but can be a medium to get news of current events across to the public as well.

When I decided to go to the “Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York” exhibition presented by the Japan Society, I expected to see calligraphy or traditional paintings of bamboos and misty mountains. What I got instead caught me by surprise; contemporary Japanese art was so different – vibrant, bold, and daring. It was a positive change from the same old ink on rice paper formula of past generations. (more…)

Do not be daunted by the small size of Sadie Benning’s “Form of a Waterfall” exhibition; it has many hidden meanings behind the seemingly simple works of art on display. Fortunately, the artist herself was there to explain them, otherwise I never would have guessed the ideas behind the creations. Using audio and visual mediums, Benning depicted the concept of contact in her video and colored-pencil drawings. For example, an eerie black and white video, which reminded me of the movie The Ring at first, showed a pen scribbling lines across and making contact with a surface. Many of the symmetrical figures in the drawings represented a sense of balance and a back-to-basics notion. What looked like basic shapes and colors also symbolized different aspects of genders. They looked like the images one would see when meditating. My favorite part of the exhibition, however, had to be the vinyl record playing in the center of the room. Music accompaniment made viewing more enjoyable and relaxing, going back to the idea of art as meditation. Besides acting as a soundtrack, the reasoning behind choosing a vinyl record over a cassette was also for aesthetic and physicality purposes. I had never actually seen an old record player before, so it gave an interesting vintage feel. While the exhibition was not exactly exciting, it did raise my curiosity. Anyone who enjoys deciphering abstract drawings would appreciate Benning’s work.

If you are into all that is gory, freaky, and downright frightening, be sure to visit the annual Halloween art exhibition at the MF Gallery in the Lower East Side. As I entered the tiny shop, with its loud rock music blaring in the background, I realized that this was no ordinary store. Sure, there was a display case full of funky toys and a rack of stylish print T-shirts on sale, but what was most appealing was definitely the paintings, drawings, and figurines mounted on the walls. Admiring these creepy pieces was almost like taking an exciting tour around a museum, except this exhibition was certainly not suitable for children. (more…)

For the creative art project, does it have to be on something relating to the city or can we choose a subject?

Dance is a lot more weird and complicated than one would think, and what one finds in the Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery at Lincoln Center Plaza will be surprising. Not knowing much about dance, I was baffled by what I saw at the Invention Exhibition by Merce Cunningham & Collaborators. The first thing I noticed a giant, green tripod-looking structure in the center of room. And that wasn’t the only oddity there. The exhibition included numerous strange costumes. For example, there was a whole line of tights by Jasper Johns in the seven colors of the rainbow so it would create a spectrum when the dancers took a bow. Another one by David Hare looked like a character from Star Trek Voyager, with a ring around its head and paddle-like hands. Aluminum pillows and dresses that opened up like fans hung from the ceilings. Along with a modified piano pierced with screws, sticks, rubber, and plastic, I realized there was more to dance than meets the eye. Music sheets, orchestra lists, stage directions, and choreographic notes displayed showed that there were many components to performances and it took a lot of planning. Sure, the sets may look funky, such as in Walkaround Time where dancers were inside plastic-wrap boxes, but while watching Summerspace on the large projection screen or just observing the photographs lined against the walls, one could not help but admire the dancers for their grace, strength, and balance. I was taken by how different dance was from how I had envisioned it. It was more than just someone in a tutu prancing about. Dance had influenced so many other forms of artwork, including music and paintings. Anyone who may or may not be interested in dance should visit this exhibition because I personally find the strange costumes worth the time. Always a fan of the outlandish and puzzling, I think I will start to appreciate dance a lot more. (more…)

On September 8, art enthusiasts (mainly children and parents) from all around New York City gathered at various venues in lower Manhattan for a full day of hands-on activities during the second-annual “The Big Draw” free event. Divided into four different sites (laser tag at the Graffiti Research Lab was cancelled), it lasted from 11AM to 4PM. Participants could pick up a free sketchbook and start drawing right away without registration. Art materials including easels, pencils, and paintbrushes were provided at each location. Free bus services took passengers from one site to another for convenience, though I personally decided to walk. (more…)