March Art Guide - Vienna

Recommendations of what to see in the Vienna art scene this month by our local guide, Itai Margula. Discover even more on a private tour.

I.

Exhibition: Recurrence
Artist: Anna Jermolaewa
Venue: Zeller van Almsick Gallery
Dates: Until March 31st, 2018

With the exhibition "Recurrence”, Zeller van Almsick is welcoming Anna Jermolaewa as an artist of the gallery. Born in Petersburg and based in Vienna since 1989, Anna Jermolaewa is an important figure of the Austrian and international art scene. She works primarily in the mediums of photography, video, and installation and her main interest is the analysis of functional structures of society and social systems in everyday life. Jermolewa received the Outstanding Artist Award from the government of Austria in 2011 and last year was part of the MAK Schindler Scholarship Program at the Mackey Apartments, Los Angeles.

Anna Jermolaewa, The Penultimate © Anna Jermolaewa 2017

II.

Exhibition: Current signs
Artists Pablo Chiereghin, Anetta Mona Chişa & Lucia Tkáčová, Johannes Gierlinger, Marina, Gržinić & Aina Šmid, Siggi Hofer and others
Venue: Das Weisse Haus Wien
Dates: February 21 to March 28, 2018

Das Weisse Haus is a non-profit art organization focused on the promotion and presentation of young art. Celebrating their 10 years anniversary in 2017, Das Weisse Haus has changed no less than 6 locations over the years, its nomadic character actively shaping its program Their show, ‘Current Signs’ curated by Enar de Dios Rodriguez addresses concerns related to our current political landscapes and the raise of far-right, xenophobic and racist ideologies. Sixteen contemporary artists (and artist groups) have been invited to produce protest banners having the question in mind of what statements need to be taken to the streets? What needs to be expressed publicly? Printed in editions of 50, the banners can be taken out of the space and brought to the street, having the public as active participant.

Photo: Exhibition View © Lorenz Seidler (esel.at) 2018

III.

Exhibition: Procrustean Flatulence
Artist: Sebastian Jefford
Venue: Gianni Manhattan Gallery
Dates: March 9th to April 8th, 2018

One of the youngest galleries in Vienna, opened last year, Gianni Manhattan’s vision is creating a space of collaboration and experimentation between all actors of the art filed, while showcasing young and relatively unknown artists. Relatively is the word here, as their next show features the young upcoming British artist Sebastian Jefford with his first solo show in Vienna. His work, combining painting, sculpture, photography and digital platforms, deals with visual perceptions, and his installations are often constructing physical and mental environments.

Photo: Vehicular Reliquary House 2017 © Sebastian Jefford

Take an art tour in Vienna to discover more!

March Art Guide - New York

Recommendations of what to see in the New York art scene this month by our local guide, Maya Yadid. Discover even more on a private tour.

I.

Exhibition: SPRING/BREAK Art Show
Artist: Various Artists
Venue: the former James A. Farley Post Office
Dates: March 6th until March 12th, 2018

SPRING/BREAK Art Show is an annual art fair dedicated to emerging artists and independent curators. While the Armory Art Week holds mostly traditional and established galleries, SPRING/BREAK is known as the fresh alternative. The seventh annual fair will be held at the former James A. Farley Post Office, a historic building in Times Square. More than 100 curators have been selected to present shows that draw on this years theme; "Stranger Comes To Town".

II.

Exhibition: The Armory Show
Artist: Various Artists
Venue: Piers 92 & 94
Dates: March 9th until March 11th

New York's premier fair for contemporary art will feature 200 leading international galleries, innovative artist commissions, and public programs. For the second time, The Armory Show will spotlight “Platform”, a curatorial project featuring large-scale artworks, installations and commissions across Piers 92 & 94. Selected projects include Berndnaut Smilde, an Amsterdam based artist who stages a theatrical set as a site for the repeated generation of a cloud (find his work at pier 94). Another interesting work is by Wilmer Wilson IV, who will occupy Pier 92’s Publications Lounge to show a large-scale installation of a carved salt wall.

III.

Exhibition: Triennial 2018: Songs for Sabotage
Artist: Various Artists
Venue: The New Museum
Dates: Until May 27th, 2018

The New Museum Triennial is a recurring exhibition dedicated to emerging artists from around the world. The main concept of the Triennial is to provide exposure for new artists who are shaping the current discourse of contemporary art.  This year will show approximately thirty artists from nineteen countries. 

Take a private art tour in NYC to discover more!
 

72 Hours in Madrid

While the Spanish capital city of Madrid is well known for its football prowess and great food, its thriving art scene should not be overlooked. Oh So Arty decided to travel to Madrid this February for the famed Feria ARCO. Keep reading to learn how we spent an arty 72 hours in Madrid and if you’re planning a trip to Madrid meet our local guides!

Stop one was of course, ARCO. The fair was divided into the main section with national and international leading art galleries and commissioned programs with “Dialogues” which consisted of galleries selected by María de Corral, Lorena Martínez de Corral and Catalina Lozano whose stands presented the works of two artists with a connection conceived especially for ARCOmadrid. We also enjoyed “Opening”, a program which was selected by Steffanie Hessler and Ilaria Gianni that presented younger galleries.

Dvir Gallery at ARCO, Dialogues section

Our favourite project at the fair was “What is going to happen is not “the future”, but what we are going to do”, where the aim of the curators Chus Martínez, Elise Lammer and Rosa Lleó in their selection of galleries was to turn the fair into a “place that allows us to imagine, produce and propose a view of the complexity that awaits us”.  

'What is going to happen is not “the future”, but what we are going to do' at ARCO.

While we initially planned our trip to Madrid around ARCO the city is bursting with other creative options even without the art fair. Which is why on day two we made sure to visit some galleries! Ariel Schlesinger's and Wilfredo Pietro’s show ‘Thank you, gracias’ at Nogueras Blanchard was a highlight of the trip. The two artists first collaborated on an exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Art Tel Aviv in 2014 and it was exciting to see them reunite.

Image: Installation view, Ariel Schlesinger & Wilfredo Prieto at Nogueras Blanchard

After gallery hopping it was time to visit one of the most renowned art institutions in Europe, Museo Reina Sofia. This impressive museum opened in 1999 and has been a destination for 20th and 21st century art ever since. We were lucky to visit the museum during William Kentridge’s exhibition, ‘Enough and more than enough’, curated by Manuel Borja-Villel and Soledad Liaño, a fascinating show which explored his stage work, including theatre, opera and performance. Kentridge, who is originally from South Africa, experiments with a variety of mediums including prints, films, drawings and performances.

William Kentridge exhibition at Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid

We couldn’t miss the Museo del Prado, and a very moving moment during our visit was to see Diego Velasquez “Las Meninas” and Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights”.

Bosch “The Garden of Earthly Delights”. Image courtesy of Museo del Prado.

The next day we stepped outside of the institutional walls to take a street tour with Cool Tours Spain, with whom we’re now collaborating on Oh So Arty. It was amazing to spend time with our guides Javier Garcia and Santi González, who showed us the neighborhood of Lavapiez which hosts beautiful street art pieces

graffiti in the Lavapiez neighborhood

Learn more about Oh So Arty in Madrid guides here!

March Art Guide - Los Angeles

Recommendations of what to see in the LA art scene this month by our local guide, Sharon Zoldan. Discover even more on a private tour.

I.

Exhibition: Vija Celmins
Artist: Vija Celmins
Venue: Matthew Marks Gallery
Dates: Until March 31st, 2018

Vija Celmins creates luminous monochromatic paintings. However simple their content, her depictions of stars in the night sky or an undulating body of water organically give way to existential interpretations of our universe and painting itself. Her sense of depth pulls us into the void of familiar, surreal landscapes.

II.

Exhibition: Paintings + Propaganda Pots
Artists: Jansson Stegner + Bari Ziperstein
Venue: Nino Mier Gallery
Dates: Until March 3rd, 2018

The new series of oil paintings featuring predominantly female athletes by Jansson Stegner sensually draws attention to the elongated bodies of their subjects. Exuding eroticism, strength, and beauty they exist in a psychologically skewed reality playing on the rich history of portraiture. 

Two Brothers, 2013, Oil on linen, 48 x 60 in (121.9 x 152.4 cm), JAS13.001

Propaganda Pots is an impressive installation of over twenty-five figurative ceramic sculptures based on 1980’s propaganda posters from former Easter Bloc countries. Ziperstein’s conversation of the imagery into modestly-sized objects addresses themes of domesticity, femininity, and gender roles, driving home her use of “craft” materials and functionality. while simultaneously critiquing those very ideals.

Hello Youth!, 2018, Stoneware, linen, underglaze & glaze, 14 x 29 x 22 1/4 in (35.6 x 73.7 x 56.5 cm), BZ18.003

III.

Exhibition: Temazcal
Artist: Martin Soto Climent
Venue: Michael Benevento
Dates: Until March 17th, 2018

Mexican artist Martin Soto Climent’s new body of work are inspired by the ancient Mesoamerican ritual baths of Temazcal. His experimental and unique uses for burnt wood, stone, metal, tights, and even butterflies pull from the rich spiritual traditions of the culture. His elegant and ephemeral interpretations of these ancient practices leave one questioning the very nature of Climent’s materials.

Flechazos, 2018, Charred wood, thorns, wood plinth, acrylic, 23.5 x 28.25 x 9 inches

Take a tour in LA to disover more!

March Art Guide - Berlin

Recommendations of what to see in the Berlin art scene this month by our local guide, Art Tours Berlin. Discover even more on a private tour.

I.

Exhibition: "My Perversion is the Belief in True Love"
Artist: Ellen Cantor
Venue: Isabella Bortolozzi Gallery
Dates: Until March 24th, 2018

Are we all victims to romantic idealism or normative desires? 

Cantor (1961-2013) was an American artist based in London and New York. She was as part of a young generation of feminist artists exploring new modes of female representation. In her intimate works she is using narratives of iconic films, fictional figures from Disney cartoons, cult horror films, New Wave cinema, and family movies. "My perversion is the belief in true love" is the title to the only survey exhibition of her video works held in her lifetime. 

Photo credit: Ellen Cantor, My perversion is the Belief in True Love, Isabella Bortolozzi.

II.

Exhibition: Salami
Artist: Cameron Platter
Dates: Until April 15th, 2018
Venue: Gnyp Gallery

╭——————╮
┃ SALAMI ┃
╰┳————-╯
┃
—-╯

Salami
Salami
Salami

Photo credit: Installation view of Cameron Platter Salami, Gnyp Gallery.

III.

Exhibition: A Series of Utterly Improbably, Yet Extraordinary Renditions
Artist: Arthur Jafa
Venue: Julia Stoschek Collection Berlin
Dates: Until November 25th, 2018

Arthur Jafa's first exhibition in Germany featuring photographs of Ming Smith, Landy and Child ( From the August Wilson Series), Frida Orupabo and Missslanyus; and video stills of Arthur Jafa APEX. The exhibition was developed by curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and Amira Gad from the Serpentine Gallery London and it now in Berlin. 

Photo Credit: Ming Smith, Lady and Child, Courtesy of the artist and Steven Kasher Gallery New York.

IV.

Exhibition: Pneuma
Artist: Franco Mazzucchelli
Venue: ChertLüdde
Dates: Until April 14th, 2018

Franco Mazzucchelli was born in 1939 and lives in Milan. He created with the "Arte Povera" movement where he created with synthetic materials large-scale inflatable objects, which he placed in public outdoor spaces. "Cono 1 and 2" can even be seen in the unique gallery space of Chert Lüdde. For this show he created inflatable canvas for a pure banal decoration "Bieca Decorazione." An ironic title referring to the mere decorative function of art.

Photo Credit: Franco Mazzucchelli, Pneuma, 2018, Exhibition view at ChertLüdde, photo: Trevor Lloyd.

Take an art tour in Berlin to discover more!