camminando | Rockaway and the Poetics of Places: Bunkers and Dunes

This is the fourth time in a week I am drawn to the somehow estranged beauty of the Rockaway beach, where urban hip meets surf culture and recent ruins stand in the untouched ocean beach. I am particularly attracted by Fort Tilden, which together with the larger Rockaway area is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. Fort Tilden is home to the "Rockaway!" exhibition, organized by MoMA PS1, curated by Klaus Biesenbach in collaboration with Patti Smith, a Rockaway resident herself. A large part of the work is site specific, merging within the vine and graffiti covered bunkers and other ruins from the Fort: grass covered dunes and surf complement the almost surreal atmosphere of the Rockaway...and, of course, the dark Atlantic Ocean, celebrated by Walt Whitman; an installation dedicated to his poetry is also included in the exhibition.

Vernissages | NYC, Patti Smith and Steven Sebring: Objects of Life

One of the very first vernissages of 2010: Patti Smith and Steven Sebring: Objects of Life opened today at Robert Miller Gallery.

The exhibition includes a broad range of work and media, relating to Smith's personal and artistic life. The exhibition is also related to the filmmaker Steven Sebring 's episode of the PBS series POV, titled Patti Smith: Dream of Life.

Vernissages | NYC, Patti Smith: Veil

Patti Smith's reception for the exhibition Veil at Robert Miller Gallery.