Category Archives: Reviews

orig. published May 2, 2011 The New York Press by Melissa Stern At the end of the 19th Century, Coney Island was the center of a particularly American world of entertainment. Everything from freak shows to amusement-park rides to scientific … Continue reading →

orig. published March 8, 2011 CityArts By Melissa Stern “Where a thing is, is more important than what it is.” This undated quote by the artist Frederick Sommer sums up neatly his lifelong aesthetic. A man of restless artistic energies … Continue reading →

February 8, 2011 · View Comments By Melissa Stern Bigger really is better. This was my thought as I left the Causey Contemporary Gallery after watching John Clement and crew erect an 18-foot-tall welded steel sculpture titled Oiler. Clement, already … Continue reading →

orig. published December 15, 2010 by CityArts I can only assume that the title of Kristen Morgin’s New York debut exhibition, New York Be Nice, is a plea for a kind review, because it bears no relation to the work … Continue reading →

Originally published November 10, 2010 by CityArts Wangechi Mutu makes some of the most unsettling and potent drawings in recent memory. Her debut New York show at Barbara Gladstone Gallery is both haunting and disturbing—and I mean that as a … Continue reading →

Originally published October 28, 2010 by CityArts Money, money everywhere, but not a buck to spend. That was one of the thoughts running through my mind as I viewed Tender by C.K. Wilde at Pavel Zoubeck Gallery. The exhibition is … Continue reading →

Originally published October 28, 2010 by CityArts Willie Cole is one of the most innovative artists working today. And what makes his work so special is that he chooses to focus at any given time on a highly limited range of … Continue reading →

Originally published September 28, 2010 by CityArts In my years of reviewing art, I have seen an extraordinary range of exhibitions from the utterly pretentious to the drop-dead gorgeous. I’ve heard more absurd justifications for shallow art than I care … Continue reading →

orig. published September 28, 20010 by CityArts Throughout the weekend of Oct. 9, Creative Time will mount its second two-day seminar that attempts to address the gigantic issue of the relationship between Art and Society. Over 40 artists, curators, critics, … Continue reading →