Art21 New York Close Up

Weekly Roundup

Raymond Pettibon. "No Title (Safe he called…)," 2010. Courtesy the artist, the High Line and David Zwirner, New York/London.

Raymond Pettibon. “No Title (Safe he called…),” 2010. Courtesy the artist, the High Line and David Zwirner, New York/London.

In this week’s roundup Raymond Pettibon quotes rapper Notorious B.I.G., William Kentridge shows experimental prints in the UK, Ai Weiwei pitches 1,000 tents in Germany, Paul McCarthy has multiple exhibitions in New York City, and more:

  • Raymond Pettibon produced a billboard-sized version of his 2010 drawing No Title (Safe he called…) for the High Line (New York, NY). In the drawing Brooklyn Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson is depicted stealing home base. Surrounding texts include “Where Brooklyn At?,” referencing a legendary freestyle by late rapper Notorious B.I.G., and below that, “Moses: Out!,” a play on baseball terminology, but also an allusion to master builder Robert Moses who was largely responsible for the Dodgers’ relocation from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. The billboard is on view through July 1.
  • William Kentridge has a new show opening at QUAD (Derby, UK). A Universal Archive: William Kentridge as Printmaker includes 100 prints in different media, made between 1988 and the present, focusing on experimental and serial works. Central to the show is Portage (2000), an accordion-folded multi-paneled book. The exhibition will run June 15 – August 18.
  • Ai Weiwei is creating a major participatory installation for EMSCHERKUNST.2013 (Ruhr, Germany). Ai Weiwei and 1.000 Tents presents visitors with the opportunity to rent one of a thousand tents for an overnight stay at designated locations along the Emscher River. At the end of the exhibition the tents will be placed in a public lottery. 1.000 Tents is open to the public June 22 – October 6.
  • Weiwei was commissioned to create the striking red cover of TIME magazine’s recent issue, “The World According to China.” The imagery (which accompanies Hannah Beech’s feature story “How China Views the World“) represents the country’s prosperity and questions its future. Watch an interview with the artist below.

  • Paul McCarthy will present his largest work to date at the Park Avenue Armory (New York, NY). Paul McCarthy: WS lampoons the American dream and its cherished icons, bombarding viewers with a sensory overload of sexually-tinged, violent, and even debaucherous imagery. The show runs June 19 – August 4.
  • Works by by Kerry James Marshall will soon be on view at the National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.). In the Tower: Kerry James Marshall includes 10 paintings and more than 20 works on paper that deal with themes such as the Middle Passage of slave ships between West Africa and North America, immigration, class mobility, and the sense of aspiration central to American life. The exhibition runs June 28 – December 7.