El Mejor Arte Cubano

The work is hung and looks beautiful, and the usual hiccups are mostly out of the way, and the really cool spaces of H&F Fine Arts look great full of work by some of the best known Cuban artists from Cuba and from the Cuban Diaspora.

On the walls are drawings, photographs, paintings and etchings by Magdalena Campos-Pons, Kcho, Sandra Ramos, Cirenaica Moreira, Marta Maria Perez Bravo, Aimee Garcia Marrero and Roberto Acosta Wong.

"Isla" Mixed media collage by Sandra Ramos
As far as I know, these will be the first time that both Kcho (Alexis Leyva Machado) and Magda Campos-Pons have exhibited in the Greater DC area, although they are both in the permanent collection of MoMA and other major museums around the world.

The opening is tomorrow night, Saturday Nov. 8 from 5-8PM at H&F Fine Arts, located at 3311 Rhode Island Avenue, Mount Rainier, Maryland and their gallery phone is 301/887-0080.

See ya there!

Wanna go to an opening tonight in Baltimore

Recent artworks by Dan May, Jason Limon, Michael Page, Benji Williams, Martin Wittfooth, Andy Kehoe, Benjamin Lacombe, Chris Ryniak and Colin Johnson will be on view at Baltimore's Definition Gallery's "Dreamscapes", an exhibition featuring nine national artists that explore surreal landscapes and the creatures that inhabit them. Opens Friday, November 7th from 7-11pm.

This Saturday in DC

While we hold our breath for the photographic orgy coming to DC in Fotoweek, you can get a good vision of what the medium can deliver as Heather Goss' Ten Miles Square opens their second show with Looking Sideways by Cesar Lujan at Big Bear Cafe. Saturday, opening reception 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Opportunity for artists

New deadline: Saturday, November 15, 2008

Details The Arlington Arts Center has extended the deadline for their "Unlimited Edition" juried show. This "is a juried show about the relationship of the art world to reproduction and marketing. They are looking for artists who produce lots of unnumbered multiples of an image or an object...or who incorporate mass-produced products into their work...or who simply explore the commodification and mass-reproduction of art through various means."

Eligibility: Artists living or working in Virginia, DC, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania may submit up to 5 jpegs, along with a statement-max length: 300 words-explaining what they propose to exhibit, and how it addresses the show's theme. Existing works must have been completed after 2005. Proposals for new work that take into account the AAC's exhibition spaces are encouraged.

Details here.

Friday opening in DC

"Visions of Paradise: National Geographic Contemporary Masters" at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Nov 5 - Jan 2 at Smith Farm Center,, 1632 U St NW, DC

Opening Reception with National Geographic Photographer David Doubilet on Friday, Nov 7, 5:30-8:00pm.

This collaboration between Smith Farm Center and National Geographic brings the work of nine photographers to the Healing Arts Gallery in participation with FotoWeek DC.

Asterism at Gallery Four in B'more

Gallery Four's newly renovated 4,000 sq.ft. gallery in Baltimore will feature work by five artists from Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. The show will include site specific painting and recent sculpture by Maggie Michael, new sculpture and installation by Bryan Savitz, Jan Razauskas, Nikki Romanello, and photography by Steve Nyktas.

Opening Reception: November 8th, from 5 - 10 pm.

New DC gallery

Caos on F is a new artist owned, artist operated collective at 923 F St. NW in DC launched last September as part of F St|arts, the suite of art studio spaces in the newly developed Carroll Square building.

On exhibit at Caos on F for its inaugural show will be the work of painters Michael Berman and Quint Marshall, ceramic artist Joe Hicks and furniture by Matthew Falls. The show continues until January 5 and is open to the public every Friday 2-8 pm and by special appointment.

Starting Friday November 7 and continuing every first Friday, Caos on F will host an open studio event featuring Fine Art, Fine Furniture and Fine Friends. Lively and provocative discussions are sure to abound and will feature wine and treats from our neighbors: gourmet cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery and delectible chocolates from CoCo Sala.

Frieze Report

"Two weeks ago, the Death Star that has hovered over the art world for the last two years finally fired its lasers. It was October 15, the day the stock market fell more than 700 points—again—and a month after Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch collapsed and Damien Hirst pawned off $200 million worth of crapola on clueless rubes at Sotheby’s. Against this backdrop, at 11 a.m., the gates of London’s Frieze Art Fair opened, and in streamed the international traveling circus of bigwigs, collectors, curators, advisers, museum directors, trustees, models, movie stars, and critics like moi.

Talk of financial doom filled the air. Karl Schweizer, UBS’s head of art banking, told one reporter, “We are in a liquidity crisis.” Money manager Randy Slifka added, “There is blood on the streets on Wall Street.” Collectors talked about “sewing up our pockets.” Yet much of the art world was playing on as if nothing had happened. A German dealer told Artforum.com, “This economic mess will all be over by January.” Christie’s Amy Cappellazzo spun her house’s recent sales: “If you bought something, you bought something real.” In truth, most of the speculators are buying something real bad or badly overpriced.

In fact, though, things were different. Those of us who have frequented Frieze could see that something was off. Dealers and assistants who in recent years were always busy with clients now stood or sat quietly. Sales were happening, but slowly, one at a time. The claim of “It’s sold” was replaced by “I have it on several holds.” Although the megagalleries like Gagosian and White Cube teemed with moneyed types and very tall women in very high heels, many younger dealers looked perplexed. A gallerist who entered the field in the go-go aughts and who had sold only two pieces by 5 p.m. that first day asked, 'What’s going on?'"

Read Saltz on Frieze here.

Congrats A few minutes ago CNN projected that Obama wins Pennsylvania, and so let me be the first visual arts blog on the planet to congratulate President-elect Obama. Are CNN holograms cool or what? I predicted this a few years ago, but I bet that a whole new wave or ism or genre in art will be art holograms, and some poor, unknown artist somewhere in the world is toiling away right now building them from scratch, but some rich artist will be the one that pops out as the innovator once he/she buys the technology and starts showing them in a NYC gallery.

Here's a litho of the soon-to-be new Prez that I did a couple of years ago when he was a young Senator from Illinois.

Senator Barack Obama
2007 by F. Lennox Campello

History

Stop reading blogs and go vote and make history today.

Opening at Loyola in Baltimore

Julio Fine Arts Gallery at Loyola College will have "Amanda Burnham: Denominator" starting on November 3 – December 10, 2008 with an Opening Reception on Thursday, November 6, 5 – 7 pm.

The new exhibition features the artist’s newest work on paper as well as an installation drawing on site at the Gallery.

Julio Fine Arts Gallery is located on the Loyola College campus at 4501 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21210.

Vote Tomorrow

By Tuesday night, you should have voted; if you didn't vote, then until 2012, shut the fuck up.

By Wednesday morning when we wake up, regardless of who wins, history will have been made.

By Wednesday, one of two good Americans will be President-elect of this great nation.

Vote tomorrow... or you could be the guy being discussed below...

Airborne



Airborne today and heading home after a wonderful visit to Beantown and a quick studio visit to Magdalena Campos-Pons.

Move that fucking umbrella!

Remember that I told you that Obama came to Widener University a few days ago?

My wife teaches there and is a hardcore Obamista and she braved the cold rain and went to the rally and she video'd Obama.

Problem is that there were a couple of rows of people in front of her, and because it was raining, they had umbrellas. But the people behind her couldn't see Obama and so they kept asking for the umbrellas to be moved, politely at first, and then finally the F-bomb is shouted.

Tim Taunton Opening in C'ville


Migration: A Gallery will be opening an exhibit of Tim Taunton’s new oil paintings. The exhibit, Through the Looking Glass, will open with a reception on Friday, November 7th from 5:30 – 8pm and will continue through November 26th.

Migration is really setting a new course for Charlottesville's galleries with their super exhibition program and aggressive art fairs presence. They are located at 119 5th St., SE, Charlottesville. More information is available at 434-293-2200 and info@migrationgallery.com.

Wanna go to a Philly Opening Tonight?

Airborne



Airborne today and heading to Beantown for a fund raiser function and a studio visit to Magdalena Campos-Pons.

Wanna go to a Halloween Show in Alexandria tonite?


ARTery 717 in Alexandria, VA is having a Halloween show today Friday entitled “EARTH Beings on Exhibit,” with live music, bodypainting, fire dancers, etc. Their last show “Voces de la Tierra” is still up in the front galleries and I hear that it is quite remarkable. Artery 717 is at 717 N. St. Asaph St., Alexandria, VA. 22314. From 8-12PM tonite!

Project 4

DC's Project 4 gallery has a new abode at 1353 U Street NW, 3rd floor and their next show and first there will be a solo exhibition of work by Los Angeles-based artist Thomas Müller.

The Opening Reception is Saturday, November 8, 6:00 - 9:00 pm and there's an Artist talk earlier on Saturday, November 8, at 4:00 pm.

At Studio 4903