Ian Cheng: Emissaries

Ian Cheng - The narrative agents and wildlife of Emissaries (2015-2017) (click photo for larger image)American artist Ian Cheng (b. 1984 was born in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2006, with a dual degree in cognitive science and art practice. 

Cheng worked at the special visual effects company of George Lucas (Industrial Light and Magic) and earned his MFA at Columbia University in NY, in 2009. “Cheng coined the art form ‘live simulations’ and popularized the use of simulation as a medium available to artistic practice.”

MoMA PS1 presents Ian Cheng’s first US museum solo presentation, featuring the artist’s complete Emissary Trilogy (2015–17). ‘Ian Cheng: Emissaries’ is a series of live simulation works created using a video game engine. Described by the artist as ‘a video game that plays itself,’ the series is comprised of computer-generated simulations like those used in predictive technologies for complex scenarios such as climate change or elections. Populated by a cast of characters and wildlife that interact, intervene, and recombine in open-ended narratives, Cheng’s simulations evolve endlessly as self-contained ecosystems. The exhibition Emissaries marks the completion of this series of works, which contemplate timeless questions about evolution, the origins of human consciousness, and ways of relating to a chaotic existence.” Cheng worked on the trilogy from 2015-2017. The exhibition is currently at MoMA PS1, through September 25, 2017. It has been organized by Peter Eleey, Chief Curator, MoMA PS1, with Jocelyn Miller, Curatorial Associate, MoMA PS1.

MoMA PS1 is one of the largest art institutions in the United States dedicated solely to contemporary art. The museum is located at 22-25 Jackson Avenue at 46th Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, across the Queensboro Bridge from midtown Manhattan, and is easily accessible by bus and subway. By subway, take either the E or M to Court Square-23 Street; the 7 to Court Square; or the G to Court Sq or 21 St-Van Alst. By bus, take the Q67 to Jackson and 46th Ave or the B62 to 46th Ave.

“Shadows and Light” - The Kinetic Art of Rob Niosi

Zoetrope (click photo for larger image) 

An Opening Reception for “Shadows and Light” will be held this Saturday, May 13th, at the OAC Steamer Firehouse Gallery, 117 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Ossining, NY. Admission is FREE.

Rob Niosi is a filmmaker and artist who works in a broad range of media. In his own words…

From a very young age I have been compelled to draw, paint and… build things. When I was 8-years-old I picked up my father’s home movie camera and began my journey as a filmmaker. I have made a career in nearly ever aspect of film and video production including writing, producing, directing, set design and construction, prop building, special-effects make-up, stop-motion animation, cinematography, and more.”

I recently completed a 12-year project constructing a full scale Time Machine inspired by the 1960 MGM film of the same name. This project has recently been chronicled in a feature length documentary entitled, How To Build A Time Machine. 

Many of my pieces in the “Shadows and Light” exhibit are inspired by the idea of time travel—and my love of vintage mechanical gadgets—which I often repurpose as objects that explore the interplay between shadows and light.

PLEASE DO make it a point to attend the Opening Reception to this amazing exhibit. It will be an afternoon well spent!

Faith Ringgold: A Storyteller…

Faith Ringgold - Street Story Quilt - 1985 - Acrylic, ink marker, dyed fabric, and sequins on canvas, sewn to quilted fabric - Overall: 90 x 144 in. (228.6 x 365.8 cm) - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York (click photo for larger image)American artist Faith Ringgold (born 1930) is a multi-talented, multi-media artist, whose artistic practice has been broad and diverse. She is also an author and educator—who taught in public schools and was a professor at the University of California at San Diego.

Ringgold became famous for her innovative, quilted narratives, which express her political beliefs, and her deep concerns about racism and feminist issues. Perhaps ironically, the artist chose this form of narrative following an unsuccessful attempt to have her autobiography published.

Now eighty-six years old, Ringgold has received countless honors, including a National Endowment for the Arts Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship for painting and an NAACP Image Award. Her contributions as an artist and activist have finally been recognized, and her work continues to be exhibited in major museums around the world.

“In Street Story Quilt, one stylized Harlem facade—a grid of fifteen windows—is depicted three times at different moments in a story that transpires over decades. Handwritten text fills panels above each window.” You can find a complete description of the work on MoMA’s website.

Nancy Spero: Exploring the Experiences of Women

Nancy Spero - Untitled (Dancing Woman) - 1984 - Cut woodcut painted in brown in on Japanese paper - 43.8 x 32.4 cm (sheet) - Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (click photo for larger image)Nancy Spero (1926-2009) was an American artist who produced politically charged, highly symbolic figurative paintings and mixed-media works that reflected her feminist and political consciousness. She sometimes collaborated with her husband, painter Leon Golub (1922-2004). Spero’s works ranges from addressing extreme violence to the celebratory cycles of life—but they always embody social and cultural issues. Her most masterful works explore the experiences of women.

Kenneth Noland: The Dynamics of Color

Kenneth Noland - Untitled - 1978 - Aquatint - 14 1/4 x 15 3/8 in. - The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. (click photo for larger image)American artist Kenneth Noland (born 1924) worked within the Abstract Expressionist school. He was one of the first painters to use the technique of staining the canvas with thinned paints, and of placing his colors in concentric rings and parallels, shaped and proportioned in relation to the shape of the canvas.

“In his art, Noland tends to deal with only a few elements: color, and a singular form within a given structure. He has concentrated on using geometric motifs in a succession of formats: circles, chevrons, and diamonds, as a means of focusing on the way in which color can function dynamically on the two-dimensional surface.” (Phillips Collection)