TUESDAY, MAY 5
Reading: Sundogz by Mark von Schlegell at Shoot the Lobster
In the third book in Mark von Schlegell’s System series, we find his characters in a “cybernetic world containing traces of nineteenth-century realism,” according to the teaser from publisher MIT Press. The author will be reading excerpts at book launch at Shoot the Lobster beginning at 7 p.m.
Shoot the Lobster, 138 Eldridge Street, New York, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6
Opening: “Brendan Smith: PaintingID” at Five Eleven
The artist will be on site through the run of the exhibition manning his PaintingID showroom, a site-specific, interactive project that allows collectors to customize artwork for purchase through a special website, inspired by NikeID. Paintings will be available in 10 colors, offered only for the Spring/Summer ‘15 series.
Five Eleven, 511 West 27th Street, New York, 6-8 p.m.
Opening: “Sage Vaughn: Wild Flowers” at Judith Charles Gallery
It’s officially spring, nearly summer, and Los Angeles-based artist Sage Vaughn has a perfectly timed garden-themed exhibition opening at Judith Charles Gallery, along with Blueshift Project, titled “Wild Flowers.” Mr. Vaughn’s paintings are populated by flowers, mushrooms, butterflies, snails, and a veritable cornucopia of greenery and wildlife.
Judith Charles Gallery, 196 Bowery, New York, 6-8 p.m.
Opening: “Hector Bitar: Light in the Absence of Light” at Longhouse Projects
“Light in the Absence of Light” marks the artist’s first solo show in New York. The architect-turned-artist creates thickly layered sculptural paintings made with enamel, lacquer, resin, gold leaf, and found objects. “My pieces emerge at the confluence of two distinct efforts – a defiance of my background in architecture and the quest to depict an expression of emotion rather than an illustration of it,” said the artist in his statement.
Longhouse Projects, 285 Spring Street, New York, 6-9 p.m.
Opening: “Al Held: Particular Paradox” at Van Doren Waxter
The late Al Held completed a residency at the American Academy in Rome in 1981 that greatly influenced all the work he completed in the years after. This exhibition is the first showing of Held’s watercolors at the gallery, and includes pieces he completed at his home in Camerata di Todi , Italy.
Van Doren Waxter, 23 East 73rd Street, New York, 6-8 p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 7
Opening: “China: Through the Looking Glass” at the Met
The Costume Institute’s highly anticipated exhibition is a collaboration with the museum’s Department of Asian Art. Focusing on the influence of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashions, the show features over 100 costumes, paintings, and films in a massive celebration of Chinese design.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue, New York
Opening: “Airan Kang: The Luminous Poem” at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery
For “The Luminous Poem” Korean artist Airan Kang has created an interactive installations where viewers can literally enter a book of classical poetry projected across the gallery. New works in her Digital Lighting Book series will illuminate the gallery texts from colorful scrolls.
Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, 505 West 24th Street, New York, 6-8 p.m.
Opening: “The Saturday Matinee at ABC No Rio 1990-91: A Visual Retrospective” at ABC No Rio
It’s Lower East Side History Month and the 25th anniversary of ABC No Rio’s all-ages punk matinee shows. A special exhibition in the first floor gallery and performance space will spotlight the programs’ first two years with photographs by Chris Boarts, Brett Beach, and Justine DeMetrick, in addition to zines, flyers, and an assortment show ephemera.
ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington Street, New York