camminando & vernissages | NYC, May 1st: Space Time and Self

 

I design to speak of the Physical, Metaphysical and Mathematical—of the Material and Spiritual Universe:—of its Essence, its Origin, its Creation, its Present Condition and its Destiny. I shall be so rash, moreover, as to challenge the conclusions, and thus, in effect, to question the sagacity, of many of the greatest and most justly reverenced of men. 

—Edgar Allan Poe, Eureka, 1848

The first day of May already announces a vibrant season with many art and design events on the horizon. Space —architectural and cosmological— is the theme du jour —in the mix with a the self/selfies universe.

Luciano Fabro (Turin, 1946 - Milan, 2007): architecture meets arte povera at Marian Goodman

Lucas Samaras "Album 2" at Pace Gallery, West 25 Street

"Eureka" at Pace Gallery, West 25 Street,

Museums | NYC, Whitney: A Museum With Many Views

Full Moon from the seventh floor terrace

“America Is Hard to See” is the title of first exhibition of the Whitney Museum which opened on May 1st, after four years of construction. America may be hard to see but not New York City. At least from the Whitney new building terraces, where the museum visitors can have a 360-degree view of New York City skyline.
The building, designed by Renzo Piano, is not your mama’s museum: the white box art container whose architectural minimalistic features would render the building as a neutral backdrop for the art. But this is not a new approach: museum buildings have become in competition with the art. The trend has probably started becoming a prominent feature from the Guggenheim, already with the Fifth Avenue building, one of the many signature building by Frank Lloyd Wright. And of course the Bilbao Guggenheim, by the other archistar named Frank (Gehry); the artichoke
The new Whitney building is located at southernmost access of the High Line, in the Meatpacking District, next to the West Side Highway and the Hudson River. I have mixed first impressions about the building: a confused typology, circulation may not ideal; considering the budget and other numbers —120000 square feet, four terraces, eight floors— perhaps a more engaging urban statement could have been made?
Yet it is great place to see large scale works, which is what seems to emerge from the Whitney’s American art collection.  I am not sure if American art is hard to see, considering the size of the artwork; perhaps the meaning behind is hard to find, but this not seem to be the concern of American Art, at least what is shown from the mainstream collections.

Museum entrance, 99 Gansevoort Street

Views from the terraces and outdoor staircase

 

Floor Eight | 1910-1940

Floor Six | 1950-1975: Chuck Close "Phil 1969"

Floor Five | 1965- Present

Floor Five: Mary Heilman "Sunset" outdoor gallery

Stair installation: Felix Gonzalez-Torres

Fairs | Milano, Salone del Mobile

Salone del Mobile, Milan's annual fair showcasing the world's latest in the furnishing sector, took place earlier this month at the fair grounds just outside of the city center. Often more interesting though is Fuorisalone, a series of events and exhibits that take places in various neighborhoods throughout Milan during the week of Salone.

In the Fuorisalone district of Tortona, Moooi was one of the larger and more frequented exhibits. Marcel Wanders, along with the co-founders of WantedDesign, hosted an event to update the press on the opening of Moooi's New York showroom and the programming for WantedDesign, which will take place from May 15 to 18.

Also in Tortona, a ceramic collection designed by Piero Lissoni:

On the opposite side of Milan is Ventura Lambrate, one of the newer and more "alternative" districts of Fuorisalone.

One of the companies that grabbed my attention was Wood-Skin, who collaborated with the MIT Self Assembly Lab to develop products such as the table and bookshelf shown below:

Then of course there was the fair itself: