Ai Weiwei: Wonderful dissident, terrible artist

My sense, at least on the weekday when I visited the show, was that visitors welcomed the opportunity to focus on the hardships of life in contemporary China as well as on Ai's extraordinary courage as a social activist. Although some museumgoers may be surprised to discover that Ai often favors a chaste minimalist style as he spotlights some of the horrors visited upon the Chinese people by the country's authoritarian regime, others will take the style in stride, regarding it as a generic documentary approach perfectly appropriate for Ai's torn-from-the-headlines subject matter.

Read Jed Perl's review in the New Republic here.

East of the River Distinguished Artist Award

ARCH Development Corporation (ADC) announces the second annual East of the River Distinguished Artist Award (EotRDAA); an award with a $5,000 prize presented by Honfleur Gallery with funding from the Gautier family. This annual award recognizes an artist living East of the Anacostia River for creative excellence as well as for having had a significant impact on the cultural landscape of Washington, DC.

The main purpose of this award is to celebrate the achievements and contributions of East of the River (EotR) artists who, individually and collectively, have enriched the arts in Washington, DC. In recognizing them, it will help document the EotR cultural history and continue the long tradition of outstanding artists. The first annual EotRDAA was awarded to artist BK ADAMS*I AM ART last summer.

To be eligible, applicants must be artists who currently live in neighborhoods East of the Anacostia River and whose careers have made a substantial impact on the arts in Washington, DC. Individuals working in all disciplines-including dance, film, literature, music, theater, photography and visual arts-will be considered.

ADC is proud to formally establish this award as an annual prize as it helps to fulfill the organization's effort toward creating a home for the creative economy, artists, arts and cultural organizations in Ward 8. The establishment of this award carries on the mission of revitalization and sustainable economic development in Historic Anacostia that ADC has pledged since 1991. A few of ADC's current projects include: Honfleur Gallery, The Gallery at Vivid Solutions, The HIVE, The HIVE 2.0, and the Storefront Improvement Program.

Artists will be assessed by an esteemed panel of judges that will be announced after the deadline of submissions. The panel will then recommend a selection of candidates to ADC's board of directors, who in turn will choose the final artist. The award ceremony will take place July 25, 2013.

Applications are due by June 7, 2013. The East of the River Distinguished Artist Award will include an awards ceremony currently planned for July 25, 2013. The artist must be present to accept this award. Interested parties can find complete information about the contest and learn how to apply online at www.archdevelopment.org and www.honfleurgallery.com or in person at ADC project locations.

Art and Social Justice

George Mason University’s 

sixth annual Vision Series  feature Mason faculty in lively, accessible talks on matters of current interest in their fields.

The Series is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and includes events at all three Mason campuses.

Our next speaker Chawky Frenn, Associate Professor of Art, will present 

Art and Social Justice 

Monday, February 4th @ 7:00 p.m.

Center for the Arts, Fairfax Campus

Tickets are not required for these free events. For more information, please visit

http://cfa.gmu.edu/vision/

Each lecture is followed by an informal reception with the speaker.

Light refreshments are offered. Free parking in lot K

Judith with the head of Holofernes

"Judith with the head of Holofernes" is a charcoal drawing with an embedded digital presentation.

The "heads" of Holofernes rotate inside Judith's sack, showing the heads of the hateful leaders of some of the contemporary nations of the ancient Assyrian Empire, who a few thousand years later still want to destroy Israel... we see Ahmadinejad, Khamenei, Muqtada al-Sadr, Assad, Morsi, Rafsanjani, etc.

The piece measures 16.75 x 12 inches and will be matted and framed to a larger size and (unless some savvy collector buys it between now and then) it will make its exhibition debut at Scope New York next March, where it is sure to piss off a lot of anti-Semites.

Judith with the head of Holofernes

This a "teaser"...

It is the verso of "Judith with the Head of Holofernes" - my first piece of 2013! 

A drawing with embedded digital presentation and which is sure to piss off a lot of anti-Semites when it is shown in NYC next March.

The piece is a contemporary interpretation of the story of Judith.

 In this piece, the severed head of Holofernes rotates every five seconds to change and display a digital image of some of the bad guys around the current countries which were part of the ancient Assyrian Empire and which (a few millennia later) still want to wipe out Israel, as Holofernes once tried until Judith whacked him.

Image of the piece coming soon...

Nolan at Touchstone

UNFILTEREDPaintings by Leslie M. Nolan

Opening Reception, Wine and Live Music:
Friday, February 1, 6-8:30

Touchstone Gallery
Music by Tom Rohde, Classical, Brazilian and Spanish Guitar

Preview: January 30 and 31, 11-6
3rd Thursday Event: February 21, 6-8:30

New Gallery in the DMV

Artful Grand Opening

Reception: 2/16/2013 5-8 pm Location: Color Wheel Gallery 65 703-356-6345 1374 Chain Bridge Road McLean Virginia 22101 Save the Date! Join them as this new gallery celebrates an Artful Grand Opening on Saturday, February 16, from 5 to 8 pm. Visit the inaugural exhibition of Sculpture, Abstract, Figurative, Realism, and Impressionistic Art, meet the artists, and enjoy the festivities. RSVP Requested

About Color Wheel

Home Décor, Paint and Picture Framing

"Color Wheel’s 6,400-square-foot McLean location is three stores rolled into one, featuring decorating services and products, custom framing and a fine art gallery, as well as paint and specialty finishes. Our store professionals are trained specialists whose knowledgeable experience and helpful advice will ensure the success of every project."