Now showing at New York’s Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery: Walls, Diaries, and Paintings, a solo exhibition of Brooklyn-based artist José Parlá‘s latest work. Featuring fifteen new paintings (see below!), the show traces Parlá‘s ongoing exploration and documentation of the world’s cities and cultures – mirroring the colors and textures of alleyways and neighborhoods from Istanbul to Tokyo, from Havana to New York.

Parlá’s paintings – with their vibrant strokes, crumbling signs, and fragmented words – are revelations, proof of the history of these neighborhoods, multi-layered markers of the passage of time and the evolution of a place’s identity.

Born and raised in Miami, Mr. Parlá’s practice began in the graffiti culture of the 1980s, and has since grown to reflect his identification with the work of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Cy Twombly. He attended Savannah College of Art and Design, and now lives and works in Brooklyn.

In coordination with the exhibition, Hatje Cantz is publishing a new monograph – also called Walls, Diaries, and Paintings – which is available for pre-order now at Amazon.

Walls, Diaries, and Paintings runs through April 16th at:
Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery
505 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011
www.brycewolkowitz.com

*above: Your History

*above: The Struggle Continues

*above: If I was Water

*above: Order, Pattern, Organization, Form and Relationship

*above: Victory

*above: the artist, José Parlá

*Images courtesy of Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery

Opening today at Boston’s Howard Yezerski Gallery, the exhibit “Better Not Tell You Now” presents new paintings and works on paper by Emily Eveleth. Revealing intimate scenes with figures, childhood objects and un-peopled spaces, Eveleth pays particular attention to the placement of figures and objects within their environment, creating poignant tableaux of an event that has perhaps just occurred or is about to occur.

Through tight cropping (reminiscent of cinematic close-ups), we catch glimpses of dramatically lit lone figures, hands, and familiar childhood toys, drawing our attention as they recede in and out of darkness. In several of the images we see the hands of a lone adult figure playing out a curious game of magic eight-ball.

By not giving any details as to surroundings, time, or place, the images remain anonymous; yet, the close-up nature of the scenes in these works creates a feeling of intimacy, as if the viewer has stepped into a private moment.

The exhibit runs through May 26th.

Howard Yezerski Gallery
460 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 262-0550

*above: Chew Toy 3, 2010, graphite and alkyd on mylar, 8 x 10″

*above: Hands with 8 Ball, 2010, oil on board , 5″ x 10″

*above: Hands with Dice, 2010, graphite and alkyd on mylar, 8″ x 11 1/2″

*above: Shepherdess, 2010, graphite and alkyd on mylar, 9″ x 8″

*above: Waiting, 2010, graphite and alkyd on mylar, 7″ x 9 1/2″

above: Dinosaur by the Window, 2010, graphite and alkyd on mylar, 7″ x 10″

*Images courtesy of the gallery.

Debuting next month, Kim Gordon’s new monograph- Kim Gordon Performing/Guzzling - presents the Sonic Youth founder’s energetic watercolor series, mixed-media collages and personal lyrics. Inspired by on-stage performances where faces in the audience become dreamy, ethereal blurs of color, Gordon uses newspapers, words and photos as canvases for stains and slashes of color.

Reflections about Gordon and her work from artist Jutta Koether and writer Hilton Als add to the personal tone of the book. In one offering, Hilton writes, “…one is struck, again and again, by the depth of feeling behind her brushwork.”

The first printing of the book will be limited to 3,000 copies, each containing a signed print by Kim Gordon. Kim Gordon Performing/Guzzling comes out next month, and is available for pre-order at Amazon.

KIM GORDON PERFORMING/GUZZLING
By Kim Gordon
Contributions by Jutta Koether and Hilton Als
Published by Rizzoli and Nieves.
Hardcover / 8 ¾” x 11 ¾” / 144 pages / 140 color and b&w illustrations
US $60.00 / Can $73.00 / UK £40.00

*Images courtesy of Rizzoli. © Kim Gordon from Kim Gordon Performing/Guzzling by Kim Gordon, Rizzoli New York, 2010.

Dutch artist Irene Vlak‘s latest series, “Passionately Yours,” began when she decided to experiment with roses as paintbrushes. As she worked, she quickly realized the flowers themselves were works of art, and, wonderfully, captured them in these beautiful photographs.

Describing “Passionately Yours”, the New York-based Vlak says: “In our society, roses represent love. My intent was to create a more personal, individual expression out of this generic representation of love. Each rose represents a different and personal type of love. I started this project by using the roses as paint brushes, each creating a different texture and pattern. However, as I progressed, it became evident that the roses themselves were both the tools as well as the canvases I meant to portray.”

Over the last several years, Vlak has developed a uniquely signature style of contemporary printed art. In addition to stunning photographs, she makes large scale prints which transform specific photographic images into abstract representations of color and texture.
To see more of Vlak’s work, visit irenevlak.com.

*Images courtesy of Irene Vlak.

Combining fashion and fine art, “Flying Soles and Paintings,” is a collaborative exhibit by a pair of New York artists – fine artist Mitchell Schorr and Lincoln Brown, the shoe and accessories designer behind the brand Lincoln’s NY. First opening in Rome late 2009, it’s now gone on to London, opening most recently in the East End at 127 Brick Lane.

For “Flying Soles and Paintings,” a selection of Brown’s handmade shoes – those directly inspired by Schorr’s artwork – hang side by side with Schorr’s paintings. It’s art inspired by art.

“Flying Soles and Paintings” runs through February 14th at 127 Brick Lane, London.

*All images courtesy of Mitchell Schorr.

"Seasick Yet Still Docked" by Mark Joshua Epstein

"Untitled" work on paper by Mark Joshua Epstein

"Untitled" work on paper by Mark Joshua Epstein

Describing his work, architecturally-inspired, Brooklyn-based artist Mark Joshua Epstein says: “I am interested in the binary of authentic and artificial. The distinction between the two presents itself most interestingly in the built environment. In my work I look to what can broadly be called recreations; period rooms, hobbyist models, architectural drawings. References are a starting point, but I am as interested in art-making materials as I am in conceptual investigation. I am an intuitive image-maker; once visual material is collected, making work becomes an improvisational act. My work swings between the poles of representation and abstraction, and in constantly changing camps, I try and stay loyal to both.”

According to Epstein, his newest painting, called Seasick Yet Still Docked (top), presents a significant shift in his work, one moving towards a looser pictorial construction that references models he has built. The painting uses fictional structures as a starting point (including a children’s book illustration of an imagined cathedral and models Epstein constructed himself – with alterations – from various hobby kits). It marks a departure from referencing actual buildings, which, he says, “has allowed me the freedom to reinvent my visual language and to experiment with the idea of narrative in a new way.”

For the works on paper, the setting was inspired by the Thorne Miniature Rooms at The Art Institute of Chicago. Small, unrelated structures float through the rooms, “posing questions about authenticity and scale.” An inorganic ivy invades the period rooms, and “the addition of this geometric element brings the pieces further toward the realm of surrealism. The works are larger then the referents on which they are based, presenting an interesting inversion—rooms have been miniaturized and subsequently blown up again.”

For more information on Mark Joshua Epstein, visit:
Drawing Center: http://www.drawingcenter.org/viewingprogram/portfolio.cfm

“Drawing the Line” review: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Arts/51526-Sketch-artists/

Uncommon Ground” group show at Vane Gallery, Newcastle, UK, February 2009: http://www.vane.org.uk/exhibitions/ExhibitionDetail.php?exhibID=46&page=exhib1&archive=true