Newest Features
By JACQUELINE HOUTON I sit in relative comfort in the climate-controlled gallery, on the bench so thoughtfully provided for me, and yet I am profoundly uncomfortable. I am watching a body slowly tumble down a flight of stairs, shaking the wooden framework with its terrible rhythm. The body is entirely shrouded, white burial cloth tied at the neck, waist, knees, and ankles, obscuring all details of identity so that the viewer is left only with a sense of its surprisingly insistent weight, with an opportunity to study the way it falls—torso thudding…
A couple of months ago a group of artists got together, dressed up as superheroes and took some pictures. It got a modicum of press around town. We blogged about it back in August. It also sparked a bit of contention. Someone has anonymously created a site that complicates the superhero project. Understandable. Here is the site for the original group. And here is the site for the critique. Being somewhat unfamiliar with the original project other than what I read in the press (Phoenix not Boston Mag) I was a bit…
By JASON DEAN I saw a Christoph Büchel piece in a building in Chinatown once. I have to describe it as a singular piece because the entire building was literally the work, every corridor, every light, every room had his fingerprints all over it. I don’t think there was one original left to work from. It was an impossible architecture of holes in the floor to crawl through, leading to giant spaces. Or I’d find myself suddenly standing on the roof of a house inside the top floor of a warehouse, which…
By MICAH J. MALONE Jessie Rose Vala’s exhibition “The Tortuous Veil” is a new series of work based on four enigmatic mythical archetypes: The Werewolf, Vampire, Shape Shifter, and Zombie. While these entities have pervaded pop culture for much of the past century, Vala’s work seems intent to not sensationalize, or more importantly, transform these characters into kitschy representations. Instead, Vala’s thoughtful mediations on these archetypes place them into a context in which they inhabit a world all of there own, with few distractions of the “real” world infiltrating their interactions. One…
By CHRISTIAN HOLLAND Boston: the Red Sox are going to the World Series, the Revolution are in the finals, and the Patriots can’t seem to lose. The harder I search for relevance in the success of Boston’s sports teams to our current issue, the more I am convinced that I should leave it out of this editorial. I will therefore stop thinking about it, because the RED SOX ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES. I haven’t told everyone yet, but I entered the Journalism Department of Boston University’s <a “href=”http://www.bu.edu/com/index.shtml”” target=”_blank”>College of…
By STEVE AISHMAN The Phantom Zone’s Boston Gallery Map The Phantom Zone’s Boston Gallery Map including a suggested 1 mile walking path. Click here to view the full map so you can plot your own walking path! *Note, this is not intended as a comprehensive map of all of the galleries in Boston. It is just a map of some of the galleries that I regularly visit in Boston. Sometimes I visit more galleries than what are listed and sometimes I visit fewer galleries depending what is being exhibited. If you would…
By CHARLES GIULIANO The exhibition “Painted Visions: Paintings by Award-Winning Massachusetts Artists” brings a lively and largely familiar body of work to the downtown Gallery 51 of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Massachusetts. Since MCLA has greatly expanded its mandate for the fine arts this exhibition is of particular relevance to its students and the expanding community of artists that extends to neighboring Williamstown with its fine arts students and faculty. All of course within the large shadow of Mass MoCA. The exhibition makes a strong and lively…
By KATHLEEN BITETTI Greetings! I have decided to dedicated this column to breaking news, Action Need, and Save the Dates announcements. There are two important warnings and two updates for those Massachusetts Residents who do not have health insurance. Make sure you familiarize yourself with The Guide for Artists Navigating Health Care Reform! The street Musicians and performer need everyone’s support! So please act. And finally – mark your calendars for two great free events in November!! — TWO HEALTH CARE REFORM WARNINGS 1) The Individual Mandate and You. One key component…