Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 3/10-3/16

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!

Most of us are dead tired from Armory Week, but the show must go on. This week, Times Square Arts delights twice- first with a new #MidnightMoment that invites a moment of relaxation amidst the concert jungle, then a scream fest at the AMC Theater. Herman Bas echoes queer art history at Lehmann Maupin, while Ground Floor Gallery brings ugly and cute side by side. The take of Genesis P’Orridge and Lady Jaye, who spent years getting plastic surgery to look like one another, is told in film at the Rubin Museum, and Jenny Sabin uses 3D technology to weave an epic, illuminated pavilion at the Cooper Hewitt. Experience a massive new installation by Nancy Lupo at the Swiss Institute, then end the week by honing your understanding of color with photographer Bill Armstrong at Aperture.

Mountain Light/Time by Lorna Mills for March’s #MidnightMoment ↑
Times Square
Through March 31, 11:57pm-Midnight
This month’s #MidnightMoment partners with Moving Image, bringing a glorious sunrise over a mountain top to the middle of the concrete jungle. Each sped-up sunrise is meant to coincide with a deep breath, so head to Times Square for an ironic moment of relaxation.

PolyThread knitted textile pavilion, Jenny E. Sabin ↑
Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, 2 East 91st Street
Through August 21, 2016
A stand out of the Cooper Hewitt’s gorgeous Beauty Design Triennial, Sabin’s light-absorbing piece is made from 3D knitted elements, bringing the tactile craft into the futuristic present. The yarn used reflects and absorbs light, creating a truly illuminating experience.

Hernan Bas- Bright Young Things ↑
Lehmann Maupin, 536 West 22nd Street
Thursday, March 10, 6:00-8:00pm
1920s London comes to life in Bas’ new body of timeless paintings, which feel as if they’ve been lifted from art history. Bas is known for addressing queer male themes, exemplifying the recent past when it became a bourgeois privilege—accepted as charming affect rather than criminal act. His deeply art historical pieces are refreshing and contemplative.

KIMO-KAWA (UGLY-CUTE) curated by the SKRL PROJECT ↑
Ground Floor Gallery, 343 5th Street, Brooklyn
Friday, March 11, 6:00-8:00pm
Ugly and cute may seem like opposites, but in Japan they combine to mean something special that may at first seem repulsive, but is then endearing. With a balance between bizarre and alluring, the artists in tonight’s opening give a duality that viewers can’t help but find utterly curious.

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye ↑
Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th Street
Saturday, March 12, 4:00-5:15pm
Punk couple Genesis P-Orridge and Lady Jaye spent the ’90s getting plastic surgery to look like one another–down to Genesis getting breast implants. It’s much more complicated than that, but this film by director Marie Losier explores the couple’s unique relationship, P-Orridges’ music, and the gritty New York City of the 1990s.

Nancy Lupo: Parent and Parroting ↑
Swiss Institute of Contemporary Art, 18 Wooster Street
Saturday, March 12, 6:00-8:00pm
Lupo’s first institutional exhibition in the United States transforms the grandiose Swiss Institute into a large scale installation. Lupo’s piece is a loose structure made from 28 racks meant for under-sink bathroom storage, which she configured into a “U” shaped structure where the 28 racks stand in for teeth in a closed human jaw. The “mouth” serves as the stage for a drama of objects that play out in several acts.

Bill Armstrong: The Secrets of Color in Photography ↑
Aperture Foundation, 547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
Saturday and Sunday, March 12–13, 11:00am–6:00pm, both days
Amateurs and masters are invited to gain a better understanding of color photography with famed photographer Bill Armstrong. This class is especially palatable for artists who understand painting, since, rather than focusing on image, Armstrong focuses on the impact and power of color.

Primal Screams ↑
AMC Empire 25: 234 West 42nd Street
Tuesday, March 15, 7:00-11:00pm
Times Square Arts goes beyond once more with Primal Screams, a partnership event with art innovators Clocktower Productions. The night will include raucous live music by Screaming Females, Guardian Alien, and Priests, which will all be live streamed for those of us who can’t get out on a Tuesday. A DJ Set by Cassie Ramone of the Vivian Girls, as well as Mini Comics, DIY publication and small press round out this party.

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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.