Week of May 26
Endings, beginnings, and other happenings 🌞
This week, we have notable endings (like the unbelievably good Balé Literal by Laura Lima at Tanya Bonakdar closing Friday, R U Still Painting??? from Falcon NYC closing Sunday) and beginnings (like Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir—back with weekly services at the Quaker House every Sunday in June).
Have you heard of Shakespeare? Either way, you’re going to love this week.
🆓 = costs $0, 🎨 = art, 🎼 = music, 🎬 = film, 📚= books, 🌳 = nature, 🎭 = performance, 🧠 = extra smart people, 🍸 = drinks available, 🦩 = party/friendly vibe, 🗽= extra New Yorky
🔑 Click the venue link under each listing for full event details.
Monday, May 26
Last day to see Neue Sachlichkeit/New Objectivity at the Neue Galerie (Upper East Side), 11a-6p 🎨
25th annual Memorial Day Concert at Green-Wood Cemetery at Green-Wood Cemetery (Green-wood Heights), 2-4p 🆓 🎼 🌳
Tuesday, May 27
R U STILL SPEAKING??? A night of panels and performances
R U Still Painting??? is an extraordinary exhibition of paintings hung around an old midtown office space—curated by Falcon Founders Marco Boggio Sella and Paololuca Barbieri Marchi and produced by RRASP. There are some great pieces, there are some real clunkers, but the magic of the show is its existence. We won’t over explain—make a reservation here, see it, then tell us what you think.
Tonight, participating artists (including the wonderful painter Adrianne Rubenstein and sweater artist Sam Barsky [whose work threatens to steal the show, honestly]) will talk about something, there will be prosecco and some music, plus performances of some kind? The programming isn’t clear but who cares, it should be fun.
520 8th Avenue, Midtown
Tues at 6:30p 🆓 🎨 🎭 🎼 🍸
Other Tuesday events, briefly noted:
Raphael Griswold’s LOADING DOCK opens at Chozick Family Art Gallery (Tribeca), 10a-6p (opening reception Fri May 30 from 6-8p) 🆓 🎨
McNally Jackson’s Preservation of Record fest presents In Criticism, What's Fair Game? with Andrea Long Chu & Parul Sehgal at McNally Jackson (South Street Seaport), 6:30p 📚🍸🧠
Wednesday, May 28
The start of Member Summer Evenings, every Wednesday through September 3 at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Crown Heights), 6-8:30p 🌳 🍸
Opening reception for Allen Berke and Lise Soskolne’s ESTHETIC BOMB SHELTERat Ulrik (Chinatown), 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Launch event: new publication and reading series from the new Further Reading Library. Series editors Andrew Lampert and Christine Burgin talk with bigtime experimental filmmaker Peggy Ahwesh at Aeon Bookstore (Tribeca), 7p 🆓📚🎨🧠
Thursday, May 29
Opening reception for Marley Freeman’s no when at Karma
Delicious.
Karma on 26th, Chelsea
Thurs from 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Shakespeare for the City presents: Mobile Unit's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
In summertime, everybody likes Shakespeare. The Mobile Unit once again pops up across town to present a good performance of a classic. This year, we get Much Ado About Nothing, opening tonight in Astor Place. Tickets are free, but you need to reserve your spot here. Between now and June 29, the Mobile Unit will stage performances across each borough.
Various locations throughout the city, Astor Place tonight
Thurs at 6:30 🆓 🎭 (Performances run through June 29)
Other Thursday events, briefly noted:
Boekie Woekie Amsterdam exhibition opens at the Center for Book Arts (Chelsea), 11a-6p 📚 🎨
Opening reception for Rob Pruitt’s ...son...sun...sin...syn...sen...zen...zenith... at Salon 94 (Upper East Side), 5-7p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Sally J. Han’s Wallflower at Salon 94 (Upper East Side), 5-7p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Locatelli Partners | Nullus Locus at Salon 94 D (Upper East Side), 5-7p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Lucia Wilcox: LUCIA at Berry Campbell (Chelsea), 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Robert Janitz’s 1001 Nights [ + 1 ] at Canada on 60 Lispenard (Tribeca), 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Contact Sport organized by Rachel Eulena Williams at Canada on 61 Lispenard (Tribeca), 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Philip Gerald’s Art Mystery at The Hole on Bowery (Bowery), 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Ideas at Ford: Presenting A Handbook of Latinx Art featuring a book talk and conversation with Darren Walker and Teresita Fernández at Center for Social Justice (Midtown East), 6-8p 🆓 🎨🧠
Lecture: Bettina von Arnim and Goethe's Letters at the Grolier Club (Upper East Side), 6-8p 🆓 🧠📚
t i l i n f i n i t i by Trisk’s artist in residence Tushrik Fredericks at Triskelion Arts (Greenpoint), 8p 🎭 (shows run through Saturday)
Kevin Nguyen talks My Documents at Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club (Online), 📚
Author Talks: Miranda July and Elif Batuman in Conversation for the paperback launch of All Fours at Pioneer Works (Red Hook), 7p doors, 7:30p talk 📚
Death of Classical presents Simone Porter performing ad tendo in the Crypt under the Church of the Intercession (Washington Heights), 6-8p and 7:30-9:30p 🎼 🍸
Friday, May 30
Last day to see Laura Lima's Balé Literal at Tanya Bonakdar
The latest installment of the remarkable Balé Literal series is some of the best work we’ve seen all year. Sculptures dance across a clothesline “activated” by a guy on a bike behind the scenes while dance music booms. The artwork looks drunk, happy, glorious. It’s mesmerizing, joyful, brilliant work.
Tanya Bonakdar, Chelsea
Fri from 10a-6p 🆓 🎨 (sculptures are “activated” daily from 1-6p)
Opening reception for Stephen Morrison’s How the Sausage is Made
We don’t totally understand dog people, but we do understand (and love) weirdos. The great artist Stephen Morrison happens to be both, and his sculptures of dogs as food, as TVs, as sad people, as art dealers…they’re just perfect.
Tonight, in collab with the lovely Invisible Dog Gallery, Morrison presents new dog/food sculptures at the community art space Scion Project.
The Scion Project, Carroll Gardens
Fri from 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Other Friday events, briefly noted:
Last day to see The Theatre—installations from Anna Ting Möller, Luca Rekosh, Marianna Rothen, and Miles Scharff at LUmkA (Lower East Side), by appointment 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Raphael Griswold’s LOADING DOCK at Chozick Family Art Gallery (Tribeca), 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Iᑎ ᗷᒪOOᗰ, a group exhibition featuring works by Olga Titus, Tyler Christopher Brown, Clare Doveton, Clara Gesang-Gottowt, Yanqing Pei, and Megan Baker at IRL Gallery (Tribeca), 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for 𝙁_𝙇𝙇 _𝙉 𝙏𝙃_ 𝘽𝙇_𝙉𝙆𝙎 group show at My Pet Ram (Lower East Side), 6-9p 🆓 🎨
Opening reception for Luis Inca Ramos’ 🎡Coney Island Summer Blast 💥 at Whaam! (Chinatown), 6-8p 🆓 🎨 🗽
Godspeed presents: Ugly Painting Contest at Godspeed Arts (Bushwick), 🆓 🎨
IN CONVERSATION: Frances Morris & Yasufumi Nakamori on Atsuko Tanaka & Yayoi Kusama at Paula Cooper Gallery (Chelsea), 6:30-8p 🆓 🎨
Saturday, May 31
In Conversation: David Joselit & Cheyney Thompson on Francis Picabia’s Eternal Beginning at Hauser & Wirth
Francis Picabia: Eternal Beginning is a near perfect show on view at Hauser & Wirth’s 22nd Street location through August 1.
This afternoon, to celebrate the launch of the gorgeous book of the same name, art historian David Joselit and artist Cheyney Thompson will “discuss Picabia’s late-career reinvention, questions of humor, satire and abstraction as well as always new beginnings.” Be sure to go to the right spot: the book event is at H&W on 18th Street, the show is on 22nd Street. Must be nice to have all that real estate.
Hauser & Wirth on 18th St, Chelsea
Sat at 2p 🆓 🧠 🎨
Opening reception for Samantha Rosenwald’s Sam’s at The Hole
We love a good colored pencil drawing. This show serves up a full body of work made with ‘em. Inspired by pinball machines and dive bars, these pieces from Samantha Rosenwald present a vibey, lonely landscape that honestly looks like our Friday night.
The Hole on Walker, Tribeca
Sat from 6-8p 🆓 🎨
Other Saturday events, briefly noted:
Powerhouse Arts Community Day at Powerhouse (Gowanus), 11a-5p 🆓 🎨 🦩
The new Michael C. Rockefeller Wing opens at the Metropolitan Museum (Upper East Side), 12-5p 🎨
Artist Space presents a launch event for Basie Allen’s poetry collection Palm-Lined with Potience (2nd Edition) with a reading at 11 Cortlandt Alley (Tribeca), 5-8p 🆓 📚 🎨
Celebrating the New Michael C. Rockefeller Wing—A Conversation with Architect Kulapat Yantrasast and Met Director Max Hollein at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Upper East Side), 6-7p 🎨
Last call for these art shows closing Saturday:
Mary Heilmann’s Breaking Waves at the Project Room in 303 Gallery (Chelsea), 10a-6p 🆓 🎨
Jeppe Hein’s Expect A Miracle at 303 Gallery (Chelsea), 10a-6p 🆓 🎨
Malick Sidibé’s Regardez-moi at Jack Shainman (Chelsea), 10a-6p 🆓 🎨
Lucas Foglia’s Constant Bloom at Fredericks & Freiser (Chelsea), 10a-6p 🆓 🎨
Elena Redmond’s Sitting Ducks at DIMIN (Tribeca), 11a-6p 🆓 🎨
The late Harold Stevenson’s great show at Andrew Kreps (Tribeca), 11a-6p 🆓 🎨
Sunday, June 1
Rent’s due, plus:
Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir present La la la Liberate Sundays in June
Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir topped our list of Best New Yorkers last year, and it’s hardly a contest: their brand of performance art and activism tackles climate catastrophe, human rights abuses, the city’s housing crisis, and much more. They do so much tangible good for New York and its inhabitants (including humans, animals, and plants.) You might see Reverend Billy earnestly hugging trees in Prospect Park, which makes him a hero in our book.
Every Sunday in June, the gang assembles at the Quaker Meeting House for their weekly version of Church—expect music, news from the natural world, and a brief sermon from Reverend Billy.
Quaker Meeting House, East Village
Sun at 6p 🆓 🎭🦩🗽 (and every Sunday in June)
Taylor Mac’s Prosperous Fools opens at the Theatre for a New Audience
Theater and drag legend Taylor Mac is best known for his 24-Decade History of Popular Music (HBO made a great doc about it recently) and is the most “duh” winner of the MacArthur Genius Grant. He wrote and stars in a new play “inspired by Moliere’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme…a brilliant and courageous exploration of philanthropy and its hypocrisies; a retooled comedy of manners for an age with no manners.” You would be a fool to miss this.
Theatre for a New Audience, Downtown Brooklyn
Sun at 7:30p 🎭 🎨 🎼 (Performances run through June 29)
Other Sunday events, briefly noted:
Last day to see R U Still Painting??? at 520 8th Avenue (Midtown), 12-6p 🆓 (RSVP required) 🎨 UPDATE: now on view through June 10
Kate Berlant Live at the Bell House (Gowanus), 7:30p (every night through June 8) 🎭 🍸
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