June 2, 2009 · 8:35 PM

ev2bk Art – Columbia M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition 2009

Sheep - entrance to FLCA Near the end of May, we took a (very) belabored subway trip to the Fisher Landau Center for Art in Queens to see the 2009 M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition for Columbia University. According to the literature available as you enter into the former parachute harness factory (past the sheep), the museum is “devoted to the exhibition and study of the contemporary art collection of Emily Fisher Landau,” a collection that is in fact not kidding around, featuring “key works” by such artists as Matthew Barney, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol. She would also like you to be aware that she’s no joke as you enter, where on the far wall from the front desk hangs “Portrait of Emily Fisher Landau,” a 1984 acrylic and silkscreen work on canvas by Mr. Warhol.

Notwithstanding a tiny bit of pomp, the space is very large and does house a varied and interesting collection of more contemporary and recent art. And of course, for most of May it was also home to the Columbia 2009 M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, which spanned the first three floors of the Center:

Postcard with sample pieces from all 26 participants

Postcard with sample pieces from all 26 participants

To start off with a disclaimer: as we arrived they had run out of the “map” indicating which artist had made what, so forgive the lack of specificity from the outset please.

The show, curated by Regine Basha and featuring works from 26 M.F.A. students, surprised me most in the students’ heavy focus on mixed-media installations and huge video works, such as these:

Video installation 1

Video installation 1

Video installation 2

Video installation 2

There were also some more bizarre, conceptual works such as the layers upon layers of images on photopaper that had been meticulously carved so that the varied appearance of the underlying layers in the cut-out areas combined in such a way as to evoke geographical relief maps of mountains or something similar. Or this:

Purple person on floor

Purple person on floor

But of course a number of the artists presented works in traditional media such as oil on canvas, or worked within those boundaries of frame and canvas in new ways, such as incorporating a sort of air-brush aesthetic/graffiti feel:

Airbrush aesthetic

Airbrush aesthetic

Finally, I have to give a big shoutout to my girl Zoe Nelson (whose work I did NOT need the “map” to find), who contributed three large canvases of vibrant color and compositional elegance:

Zoe Nelson - 3 pieces

Zoe Nelson - 3 pieces

Zoe Nelson #1 close up

Zoe Nelson #1 close up

Hopefully we’ll be seeing big things from Zoe and all the others in the future. And here’s some further information on the center in case you ever find yourself in Long Island City (is that possible?) looking for a contemporary art fix:

Fisher Landau Center for Art
38-27 30th Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
Tel.: 718.937.0727
Open Thursday-Monday from 12-5 PM
www.flcart.org

-Drew

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June 2, 2009 · 4:45 PM

Jam of the Day – ButtCrack a Bottle

As you may have seen or heard by now, probably the most talked-about moment of Sunday night’s 2009 MTV Movie Awards was when Sasha Baron Cohen’s character Bruno landed on top of Eminem with his ass-crack right smack in dude’s grill. Since Youtube wants to make you sign in in order to prove you’re over 18 to view it, and other sites seem to keep taking it down, here’s a link to the clip via Gawker.

Watching live, at first I thought that maybe Em has really toned it down and was thinking that a walk-out seemed like a mild reaction to Bruno’s “poopnsack” being thrust inches from your mouth, as opposed to, say, punching Bruno in the face. But then, as Gawker was quick to point out today, you might notice that Eminem has been miked so that his reaction can be heard by the audience, and also that the camera’s had already panned to Eminem even before Bruno started to “fall.”

Indeed, last night one of the writers of the show, Scott Aukerman, revealed on his Tumblr page that the entire stunt was staged, and that Eminem had even participated in a practice run-through prior to the actual performance with Cohen.

So, duh, Cohen’s Bruno is slated to premiere in July, and Eminem’s Relapse came out last month. They both are looking to generate some buzz. And of course, Eminem’s first single from the record, “Crack a Bottle,” is all about generating a “buzz” of a different breed. But what of the new implications with the “crack”??? And did you notice Dr. Dre spitting something ’bout “I’m an itch they can’t scratch” in the second verse? I’m just saying.

Also, this video is mad creepy and weird, so I’m just posting the audio over some fan video.

Eminem – Crack a Bottle (ft. Dr. Dre and 50 Cent):

Oh, and in case you haven’t seen the Bruno trailer yet, do yourself a favor:

-Drew

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June 1, 2009 · 5:32 PM

Jam of the Day – Transatlantic Sadness

Sometimes, it’s got to be a sad JOTD. A flight leaving from Rio de Janeiro and heading to Paris apparently has disappeared over the Atlantic after running into a severe electric storm, and all passengers aboard are feared dead at this time. Air France’s website has a link to more information on its homepage. The plane went missing in an area known as the “horse latitudes.” This “‘area of intertropical convergence close to the Equator [is] particularly susceptible to storms and violent wind changes’ said Julien Gourguechon, who has been an Air France pilot for a decade.” (from The New York Times article).

Not many comments from me except to say that this is really sad and deserves a fitting “jam,” so here’s a song from Beirut’s Elephant Gun EP (2007). God speed.

Beirut – Transatlantique:

-Drew

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June 1, 2009 · 4:42 PM

ev Restaurant – Table 8

Table 8 2 I recently checked out what all the fuss was about at Table 8, the high-profile restaurant in the newly-opened-boutique Cooper Square Hotel. Head chef Govind Armstrong, who now has five restaurants in three cities – including the original Table 8 in California and another in Miami – designed the “New American” menu around small plates, fish, cured meats, flatbreads, pastas, and salads. The dining room, with its leather-clad wall and bookshelves full of tomes from Housing Works, has little else to adorn it’s simple, sleek interior. The south-facing wall is all glass and offers a view of the patrons on the dining patio and the private garden. There is a central fourteen-seat “salt bar” featuring house-cured meats and fish from which you can order a sampling to start off the meal or you can sit at the bar for a more casual dining experience. For appetizers, the seared Cana de Cabra (goat cheese) with arugula, avocado, red onion, and balsamic was delicious. I also had a piece of Halibut with fava beans, marinated tomatoes, and smoked Halibut toast. The fish was very light and well-complimented by the tomatoes and beans, but the toast with smoked Halibut (in the style of crabmeat) was unnecessary and an overkill of the similar flavors. The grilled baby chicken with short rib hash, cipollini onion jus, and arugula salad was a big hit at my table. Our group also shared a few “small accents” including spinach with grilled watermelon and red onion (so good!), sautéed Hen of the Woods mushrooms, and cauliflower a la plancha (grilled) with dill, capers, and parsley. There’s also the “8 oz.” burger that inspired Armstrong’s burger mini-chain of the same name, plus the short-rib grilled cheese that made it onto Oprah.

Table 8 has two bars, one at ground level and another on the second floor. The second floor bar is surrounded with floor-to-ceiling glass walls which gives the small space an open, airy feel. The doors open onto a 50-seat outdoor patio that offers views of the Bowery when you’re not getting shouted at by noisy neighbors. The second floor bar has a lounge menu from Table 8 as well as a signature cocktail list. A house specialty is the Basil 8, like a vodka mojito with a splash ginger ale and white-grape juice. A Champagne attendant also hovered down a steep flight of stairs near the restrooms offering guests a glass as they exit. A nice thought but a curious setting…

Table 8
25 Cooper Square (On Bowery near 6th Street)
New York, NY
212.475.3400
www.thecoopersquarehotel.com

-Melissa

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May 29, 2009 · 3:31 PM

Jam of the Day – Nothing Wrong With a Little Hug

There are all KINDS of things that strike me as silly about this article about “how rapidly the ritual [of hugging] is spreading” among teenagers as the new basic form of greeting, among friends, acquantances, or even (gasp!) “people you don’t even know.” Seriously?

Well, yes, the article does take itself very seriously, thank you. This new prevelance of hugging-as-greeting is described variously as “a grass-roots phenomenon,” “the ‘hello’ of their generation,” and “a rapidly spreading “ritual.” Some elders, like Dona Eichner, provide a sense of perspective: “I hug people I’m close to. But now you’re hugging people you don’t even know. Hugging used to mean something.” And some others, such as junior high Principal Noreen Hajinlian, think it has gone so far as to necessitate a school-wide ban: “It was needless hugging — they are in the hallways before they go to class. It wasn’t a greeting. It was happening all day.” NEEDLESS HUGGING – The Crack of the Aughts.

Apparently, the writer Sarah Kershaw – along with some of these other hug-haters – has never heard of R. Kelly and his timeless masterpiece from 1994, “Bump N Grind,” which provides a strong counter-argument to the idea that there can be something wrong with a little bumping and grinding, let alone hugging your homegirl in the hallway. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t see nothing wrong with it either Kells. Nothing wrong at all.

R. Kelly – Bump N Grind:

-Drew

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May 28, 2009 · 9:48 PM

Jam of the Day – Lighting Striking

There is a certain charm to New York in the rain. It’s the perfect excuse to stay indoors and cozy up to some new music. The Canadian band, Lightning Dust, will be releasing their sophmore album, Infinite Light, in August on the Jagjaguar label. Their first single, “I Knew”, is available for free download now. Lead singer Amber Webber along with Joshua Wells and their somewhat transitory band toured all over the US and Canada in May and will hopefully announce more dates soon. I can’t think of a better song for a day like today then the creepy, ethereal “Highway” off of their first album.

Prepare yourselves, tomorrow’s lightning storm is supposed to be intense…

Lightning Dust – Highway:

-Melissa

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