ART WALK WITH DEREK WEISBERG
Derek Weisberg studied ceramic sculpture in Oakland, at California College of Arts and Crafts, where he graduated in 2005. Since then, Weisberg has founded and co-owned Boontling Gallery, curated numerous other exhibitions, and worked with highly esteemed artists such as Stephen De Staebler, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and Manuel Neri. In addition, Weisberg has maintained a strong and demanding studio practice, presenting solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally. He has also been invited to participate in residencies in Istanbul, Mexico, and France. Weisberg currently lives and has a studio in NY, as well as being faculty at Greenwich House Pottery and Teachers College at Columbia University.
We asked him to send us his favorite works he saw in January.
ART WALK WITH DEREK WEISBERG | ART WALK WITH DEREK WEISBERG | ART WALK WITH DEREK WEISBERG | ART WALK WITH DEREK WEISBERG
Michael Heizer, Negative Sculpture, at Gagosian, NY, NY
Heizer is best known for monumental, sculptural “Land art” works he began making in the 1960’s. Traditionally he works outside the confines of the traditional art spaces of galleries and museums. Which I think is pertinent here: At first this installation feels novel, exciting and like there is a sense of adventure. However, that quickly fades and becomes pretty boring and limiting. I think I would have preferred to see aerial photographs of tractors performing a choreographed dance in a field.
Ron Nagle, Irrational Discovery, Matthew Marks, NY, NY
From massive to miniature we move to the work of Ron Nagle. The master of the mini and meticulously crafted, Nagle has been doing his thing for decades. These sculptures are somehow otherworldly and familiar. They mix architectural and organic, the absurd and orderly, cheeky and reverent. Fun fact Ron is also a musician and released an album called Bad Rice and did the sound effects for the Exorcist.
Eduard Vuillard, Early Interiors, at Skarstedt, NY, NY
Vuillard is one of those funny figures that slips between Impressionism and Expressionism. I guess historians call that little 10 year window “Post Impressionism”. But it’s as a figure that slips between worlds, spaces, and categories where Vuillard lives. He is the painter of hazy, dream-like transitory worlds and spaces. Figures and grounds blend, and bleed, emerge and disappear, and materialize again. These paintings are gems, and this was a gem of a show.
Selby Warren, The Bush Poet, at Dutton Gallery, NY, NY
In 1963 an already 76 year old Australian bushman decided to pick up paint and with brushes made of his own hair, create a visual record of his life. Without any awareness of it I am sure, these paintings have a similar transitory, gestural looseness, and visionary naiveté as Vuillard. These paintings are fresh and sure and unabashed. They are pure joy.
Chris “Daze” Ellis, Orchid Rain on the Underground, PPOW, NY, NY
Maybe because the Outsider Art Fair was taking place this month that so many self taught artists were showing around NY. “Daze” learned to paint by DIY painting of subways and streets in the 1970’s. He transitioned to painting canvases and showing in galleries in the 1980’s. His current show continues to depict the blurring of inside and outside worlds. The vibrancy of NY is what shines through these works for me.
Francesco Clemente, Travel Diary, at Vito Schnabel Gallery, NY, NY
Although not self taught Francesco Clement implements a similar kind of visionary symbolist narrative in his paintings. And despite being born in Naples in 1952, I think most consider him a NY artist, showing up on the scene in the 1980’s and becoming close friends with Basquiat and Warhol. I have always appreciated his dreamy, spiritual and mystical works.
Elizabeth Peyton, Mountains in My Heart (the death of Sarpedon), at David Zwirner, NY, NY
Elizabeth Peyton is another artist who got her start in NY in the 1980’s. This show was full of sweet and sensitive portraits. They are loose and gestural, washy paintings that sit somewhere between doodles and ghost pulls of mono-prints. I appreciated how intimate this show was, and to my mind, the scale of it all communicated a great feeling of care.
Lior Modan, Bread and Magic, at Hesse Flatow, NY, NY
Running with the idea of care. Lior’s works are meticulously crafted. This image or images online don’t do the work justice, there is a wonderful sense of material in his work; cast resin frames and velvet surfaces. One of the questions I had when looking at his work was how the hell were these pieces made. I may never know, but what I do know is he treats his imagery and image making with the same kind of care as a perfectly performed magic trick..
Lisson Gallery, NY, NY
Ok maybe not magic but a master of illusion, Anish Kapoor warps and bends perception in wild ways with this exhibition. These are more then fun house mirrors, they defy and destabilize all aspects of normal spatial sensibilities. They function best as viewers move in and out of the reflective frame, turning the works into surreal experiences of space and time.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Untitled (go-go dancing platform) at Hauser and Wirth, NY, NY
No magic or illusion here, but there is a stage for performance. Felix Gonzalez-Torres may be in my opinion one of the most underrated artists of the second half of the 20th century. Sometimes I feel his works have a sort of cold feeling and are hyper conceptual which can be a heavy lift for the viewer, but once hooked, one understands FGT’s work changes the entire dynamic of the traditional roles between viewer and art object. In this piece an empty stage sits in the middle of the room, waiting for a dancer to perform on it. When will the dancer come? No one knows. Not the gallery staff, not the viewers, its a complete surprise-welcomed or unwelcome. Its just the way life is./h3>
Sam Gilliam, Stiched, Pace Gallery, NY, NY
When the performance is done, the curtain is drawn. And its time for Sam to get to work. Known for painting on large curtain like, mural sized, loose canvas, he called “Drape paintings”, Gilliams work pushes painting into installation. The works on view in this exhibit where made while on a residency in Ireland. Out of necessity he was forced to cannabalize his own pre-painted canvases and work with a seamstress to stitch them back together making new works.
Galerie Lelong, NY, NY
Ursula von Rydingsvard is known for her monumental sculptures built of detailed parts and intimate gestures. Her works are composed of hundreds of 4”x4” beams of cedar each meticulously marked and cut with a circular saw. She builds the pieces in a highly intuitive and personal approach. She’s been at this work for decades, and being a female sculptor working in the 70’s and 80’s in a heavily male dominated world made her a total bad ass. She once told me “Smile in a professional photograph and your career is over.”
Peter Saul, Peter Saul’s Art History, at Gladstone Gallery, NY, NY
Closing out the art tour for April is Peter Saul’s, satirical take on art history. Using some of the most iconic 20th century masterpieces as starting places, Saul has translated them into his own hyper-colored, cartoony versions. Many of the works have a political urgency to them. Sometimes in a world filled with deep tragedy, darkness and mind staggering politics the move to lighten things up is to have a little fun, make some jokes and add some vivid colors to life.
Corridor 2026
