Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 2/25-3/2

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers!

This week we’re gearing up for action-packed days full of art events and openings, starting off with a double header photographic exhibit at Emmanuel Fremin Gallery in Chelsea, and the opening reception for Literally Balling, a show featuring stained glass basketball backboards from artist Victor Solomon. With the approaching weekend you can take a trip to Zimbabwe with the opening of ZIG ZAG ZIM, and then follow that up with your perfect excuse to get out of the city: Saturday evening’s opening reception of WORD at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. Also this week, the New School will be hosting a public talk with Isa Genzken, arguably one of the most influential artists of the past four decades. Come Tuesday we’re back in the galleries for the opening of Light: Fixtures and Sculptures, and Beauty Undefined, a group show exploring the idea of female beauty across various cultures.

Super Me – Ole Marius Joergensen and Giuseppe Mastromatteo ↑
Emmanuel Fremin Gallery 547 W 27th St #510
Opening Reception Thursday, February 25th, 6–9 pm

Opening this week, Super Me is a dual exhibition featuring the photographic works from Norwegian photographer Ole Marius Joergensen and Italian surrealist photographer Giuseppe Mastromatteo. Joergensen draws inspiration from his childhood obsession with superheroes and their colorful costumes and adventurous lives. Mastromatteo’s photography by comparison features surrealistic digital imagery of the human form manipulated in impossible ways. Ripped faces, hands with eyes, and other distortions make up the pieces of this artist’s narrative.

Opening Reception – Literally Balling  ↑
Joseph Gross Gallery, 548 W 28th Street
Thursday, February 25th, 6–8 pm

Stained glass has long been used to embody and communicate ideas of religion and royalty. In his new exhibit “Literally Balling,” artist Victor Solomon uses the medium in an unexpected way, juxtaposing the reverent beauty of stained glass with the familiar form of a basketball backboard. Solomon’s art is meant to be a commentary on the religious devotion people apply to sport; the athlete as a modern day “king of court”; and the disparate economic range basketball exhibits from pick-up games to opulent sports arenas.

Opening Reception of Koen van den Broek: The Light We Live ↑
515 West 26th Street
Thursday, February 25th, 6–8 pm

Belgian artist Koen van den Broek’s third solo show in New York is a representation of the artist’s evolution from objective to personal. The collection of works follows the narrative arc of a suspense film toggling between seemingly rational perspectives and entirely subjective points-of-view.

ZIG ZAG ZIM: A Two-Part Exhibition with roots in our Artist Residency Collaboration in Harare, Zimbabwe ↑
250 Broome Street
Opening Reception on Friday, February 26th, 6–8 pm

Following an intense artists Residency in Harare, Zimbabwe, this two part exhibition—part one opening this Friday with the second opening scheduled in Zimbabwe later this spring—features the work and ideas explored and discovered between participating artists. Individual pieces along with several intriguing collaborations were the result of this residency and the exhibit includes work from Virginia Chihota, Admire Kamudzengerere, Rachel Monosov, Terrence Musekiwa, Xavier Robles de Medina, and Justin Orvis Steimer.

WORD – Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art ↑
1701 Main St, Peekskill, NY
Opening Reception on Saturday, February 27th, 5 pm

WORD is the HVCCA’s first open call juried exhibition and it highlights a collection of regional artists whose work features “a word” or “words” as a predominate component. The inclusion of words within various forms of artistic expression was popularized by the likes of Kruger and Holzer and can carry great power. This show explores the various aspects of this concept with visual representations, as well as readings by renowned poets Gerald Stern and Cindy Beer Fouhy. 45 artists from all over the world are being shown.

Isa Genzken in Conversation with Randy Kennedy, Daniel Buchholz and Nicholas Baume sa Genzken ↑
The New School, 66 West 12th Street Auditorium
Monday, February 29th, 6:30 pm

Isa Genzken is considered one of today’s most influential artists. Her work explores various mediums including painting, drawing, collage, photography, drawing film and sculpture. While her diverse ability is recognized as part of her brilliance, it’s her sculpture work that gets the most attention. In her art she investigates intersecting relationships such as the interplay between commercial an urban, or the architectural and ideological. The Art Fund Talk at the New School will be hosting a conversation with the artist about these works with additional insight and opinions provided by New York Times art writer Randy Kennedy, longtime dealer and friend of the artist Daniel Bucholz and Nicholas Baume, the Director and Chief Curator of Public Art Fund.

Light: Fixtures and Sculptures ↑
298 Grand Street
Opening Reception on Tuesday, March 1st, 6–8 pm

This exhibit will feature 3D pieces by Bill Albertini, Doug Johnston, Hitoshi Kuriyama, John Procario and Takashi Kunitani. While the items selected represent varying forms of sculpture and fixtures, they all use light to create visual impact. All artists have employed a different approach to form and context, as well as medium, process and application.

SELECT Presents “Beauty Undefined”: An Empowered Exploration of Women and Beauty ↑
51 Orchard Street
Opening reception on Tuesday, March 2nd, 7–11 pm 

Beauty Undefined is a group show exploring the concept of womanhood and societal ideologies regarding beauty. Curated by artists Monica Watkins and Magda Love, the exhibit includes work from 20 international artists whose images represent ideals of female beauty in every medium, from photography to illustrations, video installations, graffiti art, fine art and sculpture. Exhibiting artists include Tim Okamura, Esteban del Valle, Toto Cullen, Erica Simone, Lina Valentina, Magda Love, Marco Gallotta, Crystal Vinson, Dasha Dare, Allie Olson, Jeana Lindo, Zephy, Sokphalla Ban, Rob Forbes, Alison Brady, Nikola Tamindzic, Loan Chabanol, Shaun Mader, Sajji Lazarus and Ekaterina Kulikova.

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Lori Zimmer is a writer, curator and founder of Art Nerd New York, an off-beat art history guide to the city. Lori also recently released her first book through Rockport Publishers, The Art of Cardboard: Big Ideas for Creativity, Collaboration, Storytelling, and Reuse. Follow her on Twitter @LoriZimmer.