Conceptual artist Julie Wolfe’s show, “Opposing Forces,” at HEMPHILL in Washington, DC, is rooted in her practice of gathering images and data to explore the world around us and, just as importantly, our interior lives. Her intent is to guide the viewer through richly conceived systems of color, form, and language that often serve as markers of time.
Ideas & Influences
Ideas and influences: Mike Cloud
Rather than parse the differences among us, Mike Cloud�s new paintings address the one experience we all have in common regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, wealth, or nationality: impending death. For his solo show at Thomas Erben, on view through November 2, Cloud has used stretcher bars, belts, fabrics, paint, […]
Fiction (and curatorial statement): THEY’RE MADE OUT OF MEAT
The following short story, “They’re Made Out of Meat,” was written by sci-fi writer Terry Bisson and published in Omni Magazine in 1990. An archly bizarre tale in which two higher-order extraterrestrials marvel at the fact that humans are composed of flesh and blood, it is the inspiration for an exhibition curated by Jennifer Coates at Platform Project […]
The Great War and Modernism
Contributed by Jonathan Stevenson / The First World War � known as the Great War before it became necessary to number them � is one of history�s most celebrated lessons on two subjects in particular: how ominously easily it can be for a major war to arise, and the senseless […]
When art is a virtual token
First virtual gifting and sympathy flowers entered our world, and now Blockchain technology has made collecting expensive virtual art possible. According to Digitach, Forever Rose, a digital file created by Irish photographer Kevin Abosch and GIFTO, a decentralized universal gifting protocol, has been sold to a collective of investors for cryptocurrencies with a value […]
Presidents� Day video: The unveiling of the official Obama portraits
In this video, watch the�unveiling of the magnificent portraits of President Obama and the former First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery. Listen to poignant remarks by President Obama and Mrs. Obama, Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton, National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet and artists Wiley and Sherald.�Make sure […]
Instagram: Evening at Mar-a-Lago
Contributed by Sharon Butler / This weekend, as hundreds of thousands of mad pink-hatters gathered around the world to protest the underhanded, misogynistic, and essentially anti-citizen agenda of the Koch-fueled, Putin-assisted Republicans, a very small segment of humanity who supports the chaotic mafia-style GOP government gathered at Mar-a-Lago to celebrate the completion of Trump’s first, and […]
Ideas and Influences: Erika Ranee
Several years ago, Two Coats of Paint�encountered�Erika Ranee�s paintings during an open studio event at the Marie Sharpe Walsh Foundation. Soaked with vibrant color, her�large-scale abstractions were exuberant�conglomerations of snippets culled from the overlooked�details�of�everyday life. On the occasion of her “Zip-A-Dee-A,” a solo show earlier this year at�the Mazmanian Gallery […]
Ideas and Influences: Adam Simon
Adam Simon could best be described as a conceptual painter. Based in Brooklyn, he has been painting and organizing community projects like Four Walls and the Fine Art Adoption Network for more than 25 years. Lately, though, he’s put community projects aside to work in the studio, where his ironically […]