Hueless at the Mallick Williams Gallery, NYC

Black and white is the essence of simplicity, and yet has the ability to be stunning and complicated through this very essence. By removing color, we as an audience are forced to look at the outlines of a work, to impart our own color and narrative onto the work. Many varieties of work such as photography and film, were only in black and white until technological advances were made that allowed color to overtake black and white as the expected voice of the work. However, it is often by seeing a photo in black and white that we are forced to truly look at the lines of a subject’s face, the emotion in their eye. This is not to say that color has no meaning, but that by breaking work back down into the skeletal allows the viewer to see and understand the shades of grey in a new way.


This is the premise of the inaugural exhibition of the Mallick Williams gallery. With a theme of Hueless, they sought to break down art to its very bare bones. Commissioning artists, some of whom naturally work only in black and white, and some of whom were stepping outside of their comfort zone by reducing their work to black and white. The media utilized included paint, ballpoint, neon signs, graphite on paper, bronze and more.

It is an ambitious undertaking, to include so many different eyes and so many different media, but by having an overarching theme of simplicity in color, it works and does not clash. While there are many pieces deserving of mention, one of the standout works is by Skullphone, who I was informed I could not meet because “he wants to remain anonymous.”

I have mixed feelings about the new drive of artists to stay forever anonymous. It is both valiant and wonderful, and allows them to remain observant without their egos getting the best of their work, and yet frustrating to an extent as a writer and viewer. Part of artwork is understanding and seeing from the artist’s point of view. To have no ability to evaluate them as a person as well however does force the view back to the work itself.

A skull with somewhat incomprehensible writing underneath (it says “Here’s your nightmare" (crossed out). "Here the nightmare you created."), it reminded me from far away of the childhood game Lite Brite. However, up close one sees the pixels are actually painstakingly painted onto the background, which blew me away. His work, according to gallery director Jeremy Kaplan, “has always been routed in our relationship with technology and our surroundings, man vs. machine in a way.” What looks like such a simple piece from far away is actually quite intense and devoted to challenging one’s eye.



Full disclosure: I was invited to this event by my friend Faust, who is one of the artists shown in the opening. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention him, as I've long been a fan of his eye. His work that stunned me so long ago was a simple building painting, created in a way that echoes that same eerie Edward Hopper quality of loneliness and emptiness in the steel-encased and boxed in world of a city. By completely omitting the populace in his art, the dark emotions and loneliness that can come of being bound in by such a man-made enclosure becomes the focus. Usually painting in color, the hollow feeling is enhanced here by the use of greyscale colors. The solidity of lines and lack of sensuality all contribute to a moody and significant piece.



The final piece I want to highlight is that of Dirk Dzimirsky. Creating hyper-realistic photo-style drawings of faces, even up close one is easily misled into believing that this is a photo of a person and not a drawing! The picture of a child’s face, eyes closed, contains such mastery of the medium that one feels the desire to reach out and brush her hair off her shoulder and to gently put her to bed. It is a perfect example of how easily a piece of work can be deceiving in its simplicity. So too is black and white a much more complicated medium than one is led to believe.

All in all, this showing is a comprehensive yet understated gathering of the complicated relationship that comes about when one goes back to basics.



The Mallick Williams Gallery is located at 150 11th Avenue, New York, New York 10011. The Hueless exhibition will run from March 4th-April 13th. More information can be found at http://www.mallickwilliams.com/.

Priscilla Ahn - Rockwood Music Hall showcase

Photo Credit: Akemi Nakamura

On a rainy Monday night, I trudged down to the newly built portion of Rockwood Music Hall on the Lower East Side to enjoy a showcase by Ms. Priscilla Ahn, a tall yet delicate brunette. This year has been a difficult year weather-wise, between the snow and the biting cold, so the rain was almost welcome, if not quite. What was even more welcome however was what emerged when the singer/guitarist opened her mouth. She possesses a voice that is pure Spring-like delight, a sweet soprano that has a mostly hidden yet unexpected depth and strength.

Ms. Ahn, joined by cellist Oliver Kraus for the first half of the show, showcased six songs. The first song she debuted, Lost Cause, had a slight yet surprising country twang to it, for which she also played harmonica. The second song, The Elf Song, was about “an elf who is feeling out of place with the world she lives in because she is taller than the other elves.” During this song, there was a large crash sound, and Ms. Ahn interrupted her singing to ask if the person who fell was okay. When it came about that yes, the person was okay, she giggled and cutely proclaimed that the sound “scared the shit outta me!” Getting back to the business of singing after the interruption, the song had a slightly sad overtone, but was beautiful nonetheless. In this age of focus on differences and bullying, this song, perhaps a metaphor for the singer’s own feelings and experiences, resonates well.

Vibe So Hot is a deliciously naughty cover of a song written by Benji Hughes, with lyrics such as “You can have me anytime you want/I want you right now”. Sung in the clarion-clear voice of Ms. Ahn, the image of two lovers delighting in each other’s company, and feeding each other on a picnic date with the rest of the world fading into the background comes to mind. The sultry vibe of the song, in her voice, picks up a romantic edge that is utterly adorable.

Continuing on with the love theme, Ms. Ahn cheekily confessed that it had been three years since her last album, in part because “she got married!” The crowd cheered their congratulations. She explained that this next song she co-wrote with singer-songwriter Eleni Mandell. Detailing the fear that comes about when two writers get together to come up with a new song, Ms. Ahn gratefully acknowledged how much she enjoyed the writing process with Ms. Mandell. Ooh La La, the product of that session, is about what happens when you do something as mundane as getting a cup of coffee, but the universe keeps leading you astray, and what if these wrong turns lead you to the right person and, ooh la la, you fall in love?

Ms. Ahn started to sing Torch Song, when the second mishap of the night happened. Her lube machine gave up the ghost shortly into the song, which again brought out a giggle and the proclamation that “shit, weird things keep happening!” Indeed they did, but her reactions only endeared the audience to her even more. Torch Song is a lovely, warm love ballad dedicated to “the only one I learned to love/the only one I want to love/the only one I’m ever going to love.” Indeed, it is a great theme song for a newlywed reveling in finding The One. Perhaps this will be a marriage standard in the future?

Ms. Ahn closed out her set with the seemingly anti-love song I Don’t Have Time To Be In Love, a song which details the enjoyable simple romantic moments of a couple’s life that she fears she has no time for, instead telling her lover that “that’s not true/when I’m with you.”

This album is simply a gorgeous ode to finding true love and the unexpected moments wherein that love shines best. As I dragged myself back out into the rainy night after the show was complete, my head swum with thoughts of picnics in the park and romantic nights cuddling with a beloved much like Ms. Ahn has found for herself.

When You Grow Up is available in stores May 3rd.

Amos Lee - Mission Bell

I first heard of Amos Lee a few years ago when a friend of mine, who had a crush on him, gushed incessantly about him. I listened to some of his songs and liked what I heard, but when my friend and I lost touch, I forgot about Mr. Lee.

I am regretting that very much.

I put Mission Bell into my computer, and sank into my bed on this cool winter eve, which was the perfect choice for listening to this record. Mr. Lee is blessed with a languid, bluesy voice which flows over you like a gentle river. In fact, at the end, it took me a few minutes to realize the music had finished, not because I wasn’t paying attention, but because I was lulled into such a restful state that I simply did not notice.

For anyone who is a fan of Norah Jones’ style of music, Amos Lee will be for you. It therefore should be of no surprise that the two have collaborated together a multitude of times in the past. This album however contains a different group of collaborators, including the inimitable country legends Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams. This collection touches on a variety of different musical styles, from the aforementioned country, as well as jazz to hip hop, blues and rock, all while retaining Mr. Lee’s signature folky soul sound. His is prime music for listeners who like their music soothing like a cup of warm chamomile tea.

The strongest song on the album, Jesus, has an up-tempo beat and the soulful sensibility of a spiritual that allows the listener to feel he or she is in Church right next to Mr. Lee as he prays like a man who has lost everything but his sense of prayer. He is a man on his knees begging for salvation. It then backs into Hello Again, a laconic jazz standard number.

The smooth nature of the music belies the sad and sometimes pained tone of the lyrics such as on Learned A Lot in which the narrator tells his long-gone lover that despite the ending of their relationship, that he appreciates the relationship for what it taught him.

Clear Blue Eyes is a beautiful collaboration with Lucinda Williams, a plaintive paean to a lover who has been abused terribly in the past, breaking the heart of the narrator who wants nothing more than to erase these wrongs and care for the tortured lover. It would be perfectly suited for a soundtrack, if it hasn’t already been chosen as such. The album closes out as it started with a reprise of the song El Camino in a duet between Mr. Lee and Willie Nelson. Their voices have different timbres and one might be tempted to think they come from different genres, but the song is a perfect melding of two very different and yet uniquely gifted voices in a lovely and smooth exit of a wonderful and soothing album.

Amos Lee's Mission Bell is available for purchase starting January 25th, 2011.

Sara - The Film

WARNING - Spoiler alert - don't read below if you don't want to have the plot spoiled!

You know a film has potential when in the first three minutes it has you crying along with the characters. Sara is a complicated look at the relationship between two women from vastly different backgrounds, as their new relationship is rocked by a revelation of volcanic proportions.

Jessica Clark plays Lexus, a 3rd year PHd candidate who has decided to take some time off to pursue work while figuring out what she wants to do. Earlier in the summer, while out at a bar, Lexus met a playfully sexy young woman named Sara, played by Julissa Bermudez. Sara is very candid about her profession – prostitute. Sara clearly enjoys her ability to seduce and of course seduces Lexus the first night they met. Lexus, bothered that she might be another “John”, is taken when Sara both figuratively and literally lowers her guard in the form of removing her escort character’s bobbed wig.

Jessica Clark, a former model and vlogger, is obviously comfortable in front of the camera, but is still gaining her feet as an actress. She has real potential, and for a first role, she is quite competent. Julissa Bermudez, who plays the title role of Sara has a bit more experience under her belt, and is truly a standout. Her Sara is sensual, emotional and natural. The chemistry between the two actresses is believable however and they play well against each other.

The revelation of their differing HIV status comes three months in, and causes Lexus to wonder how to react. She asks the advice of her heterosexual, married, and expecting friends, who then play over the question in terms of their own relationship. Does the amount of time one has spent investing in a relationship make a difference as to how one would or should react to such heavy news? The question is never really settled, but one thing is agreed upon – all you can do is be there for the other person and decide as time goes on. Lexus agrees, and the audience then gets to see more of Sara the woman, as opposed to Sara the cartoon-like sex character, as she opens up about her past, and shares her secret relaxation spot with Lexus. The audience is meant to see that what was originally a sexy and fun encounter has slowly become fleshed out as the characters build an actual relationship and friendship.

AIDS amongst lesbians is a topic that is rarely discussed popularly, despite the AIDS-caused death of supermodel Gia in the 80s, as the general sex education sentiment is that woman to woman sexual contact is the lowest form of risk for passing HIV. However, that notion dismisses the reality that many women who have sex with other women also have or have had sex with men in their past (and/or engaged in other risky behaviors). It is not impossible for diseases to be passed between women, just less likely.

It is an ambitious undertaking, and the story piques the audience's interest in this topic, as well as the other layers brought to the surface in this story. Although the editing is occasionally choppy and the camera work occasionally less than stellar, the film really suffers from an issue that plagues many short films – a need to expand to better showcase the story. It felt like a sketch of what could be. I do eagerly look forward to seeing what the full 28-minute version of this story would bring, or perhaps an even longer version.

To watch: http://www.sarathefilm.com/

Director:

Stan

Cast:

Julissa Bermudez ... Sara
Jessica Clark ... Lexus
Harvey Gardner Moore ... Marcus
Phyllis Johnson ... Jae

Charlotte Church at The Eldridge

Photo Credit: Dara Avenius

I’ve long been a fan of The Charlotte Church Show, Youtubing it and enjoying both the sense of humor of the host and the duets she often performed with her songbird guests. So of course when I found out that Ms. Church had an upcoming listening party at The Eldridge, an intimate and exclusive venue on the Lower East Side, I jumped at the chance to attend!

Shortly after midnight, a polite but appreciative group were treated to a listening party by Ms. Church, a singer who has dazzled the Pope and countless millions of people in the past. In the low lit venue, the young woman with the angelic voice stood and sang, simply accompanied by her guitarist and co-writer, Jonathon Powell.

Giving the audience an insight into her heart, the first group of songs were noted for their melancholic tone. Let me put it this way – if you are going through a breakup, and you live in the UK, buy her album "Back to Scratch" immediately and wallow along with Ms. Church. If you are not going through a breakup, then buy it anyway, just because the songs will break your heart. They have a very pop yet folksy sensibility, the kind of thing one could see Joni Mitchell writing and singing if she were making her name today.

In between each song however, Ms. Church lightened the tone with her noted sense of bawdy humor, appealing to the audience to play along with her. This included, when there were some technical difficulties, mock-interviewing an audience member and perfectly mimicking her “Lawn Guyland” accent.

She debuted a new song, “Only Bruises”, which hopefully will be on a future album. She continued the heavyhearted tone with “Unravelling”, from her recent album “Back to Scratch.” The next song, “The Story of Us” was just a gorgeous song. I hate to use the writer cliché of “haunting”, but if the word fits, use it, and so use it I must. In this song, one could hear the soprano voice that made her famous as a child, but couched in the heartbreak of an adult who has been through a bit more of life, that voice takes on another level.

Photo Credit: Aurora Pfeiffer

“Snow”, a song written solely by Mr. Powell was a sweet tune that plays well on the ears. Taking the party to a more upbeat tone, next came “Cold California” which isn’t about actually about California at all, but camping – in Wales! After a quick riff about the difference between Wales and England, and a brief questioning on sports rivalries to explain this difference, she introduced a song written by neither a Welshman nor a Brit, but an Irishman. Her newest single “Don’t Think About It” is a pop tune best described as groovy. Yes, groovy!

The final song was introduced as a pseudo-encore song, but in the cozy venue, it would have been silly to exit and re-enter, as noted by Ms. Church. Therefore, she launched into her most well-known song, “Pie Jesu”, dazzling the audience easily. The voice has more than retained the innocent beauty of the child, but has also grown into that of a young woman who has had to abandon the blind faith of childhood through heartbreak and loss.

The Glass House - Theatre review

Dara Avenius | June 15, 2010 1:16 PM
http://www.citizenyc.com/news/2010/06/theatre-review-the-glass-house.html

Theatre Review: The Glass House

People in glass houses shouldn't throw their weight around; they might destroy something beautiful. A glass house lets outside viewers see all that is going on inside. Naked to the world, the creation of this glass house shed transparency and light upon a complicated and true relationship between a wealthy and accomplished single doctor, Dr. Edith Farnsworth, and her rumored relationship with the renowned architect Mies Van Der Rohe, played brilliantly by Harris Yulin.

Based upon the true story of the creation of the Farnsworth House outside of Chicago, this story brings to light the tensions between architect and commissioner, man and woman, competitors in the same field and the sexual relationships of the time. Set in the early World War Two years, we come to meet Dr. Edith Farnsworth, a prominent doctor in the 1940s, seeks to build as her weekend house a glass house in the plains outside of Chicago, so she may get away to nature.

Playing guide, catalyst and enemy to this story is Phillip Johnson, a soon-to-be renowned architect in his own right, who suggests his mentor Mies would be the right person to build the house she seeks. A recalcitrant figure, Mies embodies a man not seen as much in current times. Stubborn, willful, brilliant, private, he has a wall up that no contractor can knock down, and certainly not a woman who can go toe to toe with him in accomplishments. Although they enter into what is perceived as a mutual and loving relationship, a former lover of his enlightens Edith on his true nature and story as tensions between them only rose in regards to the cost of the house.

A closet - what every woman wants and needs plenty of causes the break in their relationship. Casually and callously suggesting she only bring one dress with her and stick it on a hook over the bathroom door, he refuses to build a closet. It would ruin the aesthetics of the place. He also argues over the furniture she seeks to put in the house.

"People say I'm a fool to build this house," Edith Farnsworth says in the play.
"You said you wanted to advance the art of architecture," Mies responds.
"I did, but I thought you were building a house for me," Farnsworth says. "My house is a monument to Mies van der Rohe, and I am paying for it."
"When you hire a great artist, you are supposed to be thrilled with what you get," Philip Johnson tells Farnsworth. "Would you tell Picasso what to paint?"

It is a perfect storm of ambition, desire, creativity and money, mixing professional and personal roles, and the roles of men and women, especially in a previous era, that all meet to form this story. Devolving into a very bitter legal fight over the house, as it lays unfinished for awhile, Phillip Johnson is then able to scoop the idea for the house and his own glass house in Connecticut, and start his own storied career.

This play sheds light on the hidden turmoil that went into creating an historic new form of architecture in the form of a glass house.

cast list
David Bishins, Gina Nagy Burns, Harris Yulin, Janet Zarish

directed by
Evan Bergman

Film Review - 'Unaccompanied Minors'

Currently published at: http://skuawk.com/film/669/a-modern-fight-for-christmas

A Modern Fight for Christmas
By Dara Avenius
Friday, December 8, 2006

In this modern tale of ‘Scrooge’ and the Spirit of Christmas, ‘Unaccompanied Minors’ manages to be both hilarious and heartwarming, something adults can enjoy unashamedly, even if they are not accompanying minors to the show. When five kids are stranded in a Chicago airport after a major storm grounds all flights, they are put in a room with all of the ‘Unaccompanied Minors’ in the airport. There, chaos reigns as all of them have an epic food fight the likes of which most kids would dream of.

The kids come from different backgrounds: rich girl Grace Conrad, played by Gina Mantegna , tough tomboy Donna Malone, played by the wonderful Quinn Shephard, geeky Charlie, played by the hilarious Tyler James Williams from Everybody Hates Chris, awkward 14 year old Spencer Davenport (Dyllan Christopher) and the sweet fat boy Timothy Wellington, played by Brett Kelly. However different from one another they are united by the fact that they all are children of divorce, stuck in a miserable airport on Christmas. When Spencer and his seven-year old sister Katherine (played marvelously by Dominique Saldana in her feature film acting debut) get separated, they all band together to help him bring Christmas to her so she will not be disappointed.

The audience will clearly relate the story to other films before it such as ‘The Breakfast Club', 'Home Alone’ and ‘Scrooge.’ However, the cast here manages to make what could have easily been a trite tale adorable, fun and consistently funny. The manager is played by Lewis Black, the acerbic commentator on The Daily Show. Here he manages to be acerbic but veers away from cruel. His long suffering assistant is played by Wilmer Valderamma, who is perhaps the only miscast as the tiresome comedic foil. But he melts into the background enough to allow the story and the rest of the cast to shine. And shine they do.