Shaun Doyle & Mally Mallinson
Cape Disappointment

Here are two images from the dissolute budgies of a budgie “housing project” gone terribly wrong in this sculpture by Shaun Doyle & Mally Mallinson in the current show at Cynthia Broan, titled This Show is Ribbed For Her Pleasure. Luckily, ours is faring a bit better so far.

The exhibition is curated by Andrew Clarkin and Simon Pittuck, the Directors of Keith Talent Gallery in East London. Bonus points for anyone who gets the reference for the title of the gallery.

I also enjoyed the brightly colored ink jet prints by Oran O’Reilly and the sculptures by Adam Gillam, with the installation instructions written all over the works.

ak burns
fountain of salmacis (a heart for Jack)

Rune Olsen
Hear me Roar

You still have a change to see Homomuseum at Exit Art, as the show has been extended until August 19. Each of the artists in the show chose a hero, and their statements are mounted next to their work. I suspect you won’t be surprised to learn that Jack Smith is the hero of ak burns. Rune Olsen chose the Bonobo monkeys, famous for their polysexuality, as a reminder that those who use the word “unnatural” to describe homosexuals are denying the way nature really operates. His sculpture is of two female Bonobos having sex as a younger male looks on.

I didn’t put up an image, but I also loved the black and white photos of the piers by Alvin Baltrop. The photographer died in 2004, but there is a foundation web site with images from the series.

If you’re into Jack Smith, and who isn’t these days, also check out the show Jonathan Berger curated at Grimm Rosenfeld, titled Founders Day.

The bicycle was above the doorway.

Bryan Zimmerman installation view

How many people can say they spent the day looking at art on the west side between 43rd and 29th Streets? We made our first visit to Archibald Arts today to see a group show featuring Bryan Zimmerman, Brandon Ballengée, Daniel Zeller, and Rina Banerjee.

Angela Merkel and her husband arrive at the premier of Tristan und Isolde. dpa photo [source]

It’s hard enough to imagine a Democratic candidate for president attending a performance of Tristan und Isolde. Can you imagine Bush doing that?

Merkel is chair of the conservative party in Germany, the Christian Democratic Union. At least they’re honest with the titles of political parties.

We spotted this near Pierogi on Sunday.

Lynn Talbot
Coalesce, 2004
Oil on linen
18 × 18 inches

I apologize for writing about a show that just closed, but it’s been hard to stay on the mailing list of Pierogi for some reason. We saw a great group show there, Reconfigure, on Sunday. In addition to great work from some people we own (James Esber and Reed Anderson), we also saw some work by people new to us. I really loved the enamel-esque paintings of Lynn Talbot, and two funny, brilliant paintings by Andrew Moszynski.

Julian LaVerdiere
Continuous Profile (of George W. Bush)
– after Renato Bertelli’s 1933 Continuous Profile of Mussolini

Also, don’t miss the current show at Jack the Pelican, titled No Apology for Breathing. It’s curated by Matthew Lusk, who curated last year’s Some Exhaust show at Lehmann Maupin. It’s a great political show with an ambitious installation meant to evoke McCarren Park Pool. The pool was a WPA project that has been allowed to deteriorate and is no longer usable. The city was proposing to refurbish it for the Olympics bid. Can’t afford to maintain it now, but we might find the money if it’s part of the Olympics! Typical.

I am fucking terrified amuses me, in a silly way.