Tag Archives: a day at the gallery

A Day at the Gallery: “All Valid” Explores Skate Culture at New York’s Chinatown Soup

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In an unsual fashion, an art show in New York’s Lower East Side invites people to touch the art. In fact, they’re encouraging skaters to bring their boards and ride through the exhibition and pieces on display.

The New York skate culture, which thrived in the 90’s, has changed drastically over the past two and a half decades. Chinatown Soup, the new downtown gallery, aims to make viewers reconsider New York skate culture with “All Valid.”

The exhibit, curated by Leila Samii and Sean Gallagher, features photography, decorated boards, paintings, and two interactive pieces, including a quarter pipe in the backyard inspired by legendary skate spot the “Chinatown Banks.”

“All Valid” will run through Sept. 15 at Chinatown Soup: 16 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002.

 

A Day at the Gallery: “Out of the Box: the Rise of Sneaker Culture”

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If someone ever told you your sneakers look like a work of art, their statement now holds some serious validity. To see an awe-inspiring display of history’s greatest kicks, sneaker enthusiasts flocked to the Brooklyn Museum this week to see the debut of “Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture.”

The exhibition, which is on its first stop of a traveling tour, showcases a complete view of the history of sneakers; from the first running shoe in the 19th century to the global sneaker culture that we know today.

The show includes rare archived originals such as Adidas’ tennis shoes from the 1960’s, which shaped into the Stan Smith in 1971, and a pristine pair of 1982 Air Force Ones. The main attraction of the exhibition takes you through the hip-hop, graffiti, and basketball subcultures that had a great cultural impact which started in the 1980’s. An in-depth perspective of the Air Jordan displays twenty-three signature models–all originals.

Today, a decade and a half into the 2000’s, sneakers have become a staple in the fashion world, thanks to frequent sneaker brand collaborations with designer labels.

The exhibit gives a very interesting perspective for not only sneaker heads, but those interested in design, fashion, or simply history and culture.

“Out of the Box: the Rise of Sneaker Culture” at the Brooklyn Museum in Prospect Heights is on display until October 4th, 2015.

By Joe Ro

Michael Jordan 30th Anniversary Retrospective “Open Air”

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“The idea came out of my head about a year ago. In Paris, there was an outdoor exhibit in 1990 (or) 1991. That’s the first time I had ever seen photography displayed so the masses could see it… I started thinking of Michael (Jordan) and the joy he brought here (to Chicago).” Walter Iooss, the award-winning photographer behind the lens of some of Jordan’s most recognizable images, aims to bring that joy back to the city. In celebration of Jordan’s rookie season’s 30th anniversary Iooss set up “Open Air,” a free outdoor exhibition overlooking the city. Iooss first photographed Jordan in 1987 before Jordan’s first NBA Championship. For twelve years after, Iooss followed Jordan around like a detective, pointing out that “it was almost impossible to take a bad picture of him.” As for Iooss’ work, Jordan once commented “he’s quick and he’s good.” Both reviews are apparent in the thirty on and off the court Jordan photographs showcased in “Open Air.”

Walter Iooss “Open Air” photo exhibit runs until July 31, 2015 and is located outside of the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.

By Adriana Gaspar

A Day at the Gallery: “Andy Warhol: ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ and Other Works,1953-1967″

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Our latest day at the gallery was spent at the Museum of Modern Art in New York for “Andy Warhol: ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ and Other Works, 1953-1967.”

The space welcomes attendees to Warhol’s work dating back to 1953, nearly a decade before his soup cans series. Freshly relocated from Pittsburgh, Warhol spent these years working as a commercial illustrator in New York. The relatively obscure shoe illustrations were used as advertisements for shoe manufacturer I.Miller and show the development of Warhol’s blotting line technique.

Guests are then guided to the centerpiece of the exhibit, thirty-two nearly identical canvases that make up Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans. The MoMA intentionally echoes the 1962 debut of the collection, presented at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, by displaying the canvases side by side as opposed to its typical grid layout. This series of work marked the beginning of Warhol’s transition into repetition style and uniform aesthetic of screen-printing. With Warhol working 9 to 5 as an illustrator, the uniformity offers a witty commentary on the mass produced commodity culture of America.

The final portion of the exhibition showcases Warhol’s pop years from 1962-1967. The works showcased offer the same commentary as the soup cans, except now the subjects are derived from media images, evidently seen on the famed Marilyn Paintings.

“Andy Warhol: ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ and Other Works, 1953-1967″ runs through October 18, 2015 at the Museum of Modern Art, Manhattan.

Words and photography by Joe Ro