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Next week, I’ll be leaving London for the states. As much as I’m looking forward to starting college in August, right now I’m probably more interested in the first place I’ll be visiting once I get back home to the USA: New York City. There will be so much to check out in just few short days. Of course, I’ll have to spend time wandering aimlessly and discovering work outdoors, but there will also some amazing shows on at galleries.
July 8th, the night I arrive, I’ll have to run over to Factory Fresh for their group-show inspired by Dante’sInferno. This isn’t why I usually go to galleries, but I have to be honest and say that I’ll be at Factory Fresh as much for the art as for the amazing crowd of New York street art personalities that the gallery attracts.
Of course, that’s not all the art in Brooklyn. I’m also going to check out Chris RWK, Veng, Cake, Luna Park and Becki Fuller’s show about death at the Fresthetic store and the new 99% Gallery, which has a solo show on with Vahge, a very cool collage artist that I’ve just found out about.
Conveniently, the next three galleries I want to check out are all just a few minutes away from each other. Leo Kesting Gallery’s Dead Letter Playground group show sounds like a must-see with artists including Gaia, Sweet Toof, Elbow-toe and Chris Stain. Then Jonathan LeVine Gallery has two solo shows on right now with two talented artists: street artist Jeff Soto and comic book artist Dave Cooper (and yes, I’m aware that both of those artists have far outgrown those labels). Finally, it will be off to Perry Rubenstein Gallery for Shred, a group-show of collage-based works from artists like Dash Snow, Faile, Elbow-toe and Shepard Fairey. Sounds like Shred is pretty much guaranteed to be interesting, if not fantastic.
For the show I’m most interested in though, it’s a bit of a trek from the city, but it should be, by all accounts, entirely worth it: Kaws’ solo show at The Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, CT. I’ve heard Kaws be desribed as “The next great pop artist” (though I’m but entirely convinced) and this is probably his biggest and most comprehensive event yet. The show brings together old and new paintings and drawings, as well as a variety of toys, clothing and other design projects.
There’s a lot going on in New York right now, I’m not sure I’ll be able to fit it all in, but hopefully somebody will be able to see all of that. If you have any other suggestions, let me know.
Michael "RJ" Rushmore