Summers in New York mean spending time in the outer, outer boroughs, and by that I mean the Hamptons.
Summers in New York mean spending time in the outer, outer boroughs, and by that I mean the Hamptons. The Hamptons have long been the destination of wealthy socialites and the destitute, ala the Great Gatsby and Grey Gardens. But it was also home to artists and writers looking to escape the frazzle of the city. Famously painters Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner had a modest cottage (sans indoor plumbing) and shanty-style barn where Pollock made his ground-breaking drip paintings.
Its in front of this storied back drop that QF Gallery opened their first summer show, “Picnic and Smokes,” this past weekend. Founded just last summer by Chantel Foretich (also an artist) and her partners, Foretich’s summer long series of shows features a guest curator ever two weeks. Keep an eye on their roster there’s much more to come including works by Nan Goldin and artist-cum-curator, Mickalene Thomas. (Visit gallery website qfgallery.com for schedule and details.)
For “Picnic”, curator Kipton Conronkite (of at60inches) assembled a playful group of painters and photographers whose work with with color and concept evoke what one hope for in a summer, fun, albeit with a bit of introspection. Featured artists included; Brad Fisher, Joe Nanashe, Joyce Lee, Marc Dimov, Matthew Satz and Andrew Werner, Miriam Cabessa, Paul Gallegos, Rachel Barrett, and Rotem Reshef.
A few stand outs for me were Joe Nahashe’s bright phallic-spangled popsicle:
Marc Dimov’s eerie yet beautifully evocative silhouetted fish:
And the color-scapes of painter Miriam Cabessa.
We were first introduced to Cabessa’s work at the GO Brooklyn open studios this past fall. And what a great happenstance to run into her work again. While the paintings themselves are beautiful renderings, any artist would wonder, just what technique is she using to get these results? One of the more divine aspects of art is actually getting to see an artist at work. Here’s Miriam from a recent performance at the Tel Aviv Museum.
