On day three of Miami Art Week, all the press previews and openings are over, but the fair perusals don’t stop here. Back when this art extravaganza was first organized, these first three days were key. Folks would flood to the openings and previews (or vernissage for those in the know), see the works at a few fairs, make their art purchases and/or sales, then take the weekend off. Today, it’s a much different game. Not only are there more buyers than ever, but each gallery owner and, in some cases, the artists who accompany them, have to remain present and working until late in the evening Sunday.

First up for us on this third day of holy art fair perusals is one of the longest running art fairs in Miami and the last big Miami Beach art fair we haven’t visited; PULSE.

Katelijne De Backer, the newly anointed director of PULSE, says the fair seeks to create more accessibility around the kind of works being presented at Art Week. “Even for those who cannot collect, the fair offers an opportunity to meet and talk with artists you would never otherwise have access to. I think this kind of generosity is important, especially now,” she told the New York Times.

William Baczek, owner at William Baczek Fine Arts in Northampon Massachusets, agrees that the fair is more accessible not only for folks who aren’t art collectors, but for smaller galleries that are essentially locked out of the larger Art Basel scene. Baczek presented paintings by Jaq Chartier and Jana Burke as well as sculptures by Anne Lilly. By the time we caught up with him, Baczek had already made a few sales.

After leaving PULSE, it was time to see a good Take Magazine pal — one of our 2017 Artists to Watch, Tanja Hollander. We met Hollander in the swanky VIP collectors’ lounge at Art Basel, easily the largest and most talked about fair at Art Week Miami. MGM Resorts Art & Culture presented her work as a participatory installation where attendees, much like at her past Mass MoCA installation, can add to her growing collection of sticky notes where people write their definition of a “true friend.” The folks at MGM Resorts Art & Culture chose to include one of Nick Cave’s sound suites in the suite, making the interactive exhibition felt like a spiritual continuation of her work with Mass MoCA since her installation there was positioned immediately before the entrance to Cave’s sullen yet sparkly meditation Until (both shows curated by Denise Markonish). 

One of two interactive installations by Tanja Hollander at Art Basel | Presented by MGM Resorts Art & Culture

Though most of the fairs are populated by galleries from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco (and all the other art hot spots across the world), there’s still much to explore in terms of New England artists, galleries, and their intimate connections to the broader art world.

Check in with us tomorrow for more coverage of Art Week in Miami when we chat with Auerus Contemporary of Providence Rhode Island and Mary Sky of Hookset, Vermont. 

Top photo interior of the collectors’ lounge at Art Basel featuring Nick Cave’s sound suite and Tanja Hollander’s interactive exhibition entitled Are You Really My Friend presented by MGM Resorts Art & Culture.

The post Miami Art Week Day 3: Tanja Hollander, PULSE & More appeared first on Take Magazine.

As described in our January, 2017 post, Brattleboro’s Joshua Farr has taken the Vermont lifestyle of having multiple jobs at once very seriously. In addition to being the director of the Vermont Center for Photography, Farr works for Good Bear Productions as a web designer, is in charge of event photography for the Brattleboro Art Museum, organizes Pop-Up Brattleboro, teaches at In-Sight Photography Project, and is a professional, documentary-style photographer. In his spare time (how on earth does he have any?) he also likes to repurpose old furniture. Despite having several 12-hour workdays in a row (“This is not humane self-treatment,” he admits), Farr took the time to answer some questions for Take.

Take: Are you a native or transplant? If native: Who was your rival town growing up? Transplant: When did you know you were a NE’er?
Joshua Farr: Born in Maine, went to school in New Hampshire, and now living in Vermont. I always say that I’m moving west one state at a time. Considering the fact that my extended family hasn’t lived outside of Maine for many generations, I often feel like a transplant. But then I remember that both states have the same obsession with moose and maple syrup, and I suddenly feel right at home again.

Take: What one word would you use to describe New Englanders?
JF: Salty.

Take: Who are some of your favorite New England-based artists? (could be music, visual, etc.)
JF: This is a loaded question to ask a gallerist/curator! But if I had to rattle off a few, I’d probably mention folks such as my very own college photo professor Doug Prince, furniture-making mad man Johnny Swing, photographer Tanja Hollander, and of course, the uncategorizable Jonathan Gitelson.

Take: What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen while driving in New England?
JF: Brattleboro has its very own resident world-class competitive exercising enthusiast, “Real Bill Kathan,” who can frequently be seen doing speed-jumping-jacks to music on Main Street, or jogging for miles while balancing a baseball bat on his hand. He knows how to capture folks attention—without a doubt.

Take: What’s pissing you off today?
JF: The fact that Brattleboro picks up trash every OTHER week. Over the course of the time between pickups, our local rat/raccoon/feral-cat population manages to lock in coordinates for our trash shed and strew stinky trash all over our yard for me to clean up—only to come back inside for dinner smelling like a dumpster. It just makes my day. Every. Single. Time.

Top image: Joshua Farr. Photo by Bob George

The post 5 Questions With … Joshua Farr appeared first on Take Magazine.

Like most other social media platforms meant to showcase a self-curated feed of the visual, Instagram thrives because of the niche communities created by its users. Whether you’re scrolling for memes, pop culture news, NSFW stuffs, or a vintage pin to add to your collection, one thing’s for sure; you can find anything on Instagram right now.

Though Instagram exists today as a kaleidoscopic sea of strange and diverse content, its original intended purpose—assuming it had one—was to share photography. Instagram photographers and professional photographers in general still garner the most likes and reposts on the popular social platform. Sounds suspect until you remember the most liked Instagram photo to date isn’t a selfie shot by The Queen herself, but a meticulously planned photographed event.

So, where do the New England Instagram photographers fit in this equation? They seem to be deep in the woods, hanging with celebrities, skating and going on Pitchfork-perfect vacations through Maine and beyond. Here are some of our hand-picked favorites for you to check out.

Massachusetts Photographers to Follow on Instagram

Greg Gaffney

dual necklaces

A post shared by Greg Gaffney (@gregisonfire) on Sep 6, 2017 at 9:48am PDT

Remember when 2Chainz broke his damn leg and instead of taking a break, he performed in a wheelchair? Greg Gaffney was there to photograph Tity Boi in that moment, elevated leg and all. Head to his feed for more behind-the-scenes and on-stage pics of hip hop’s most dashing and current icons.

Caleb Cole

Just wearing a human suit, trying to fit in. #humansuit #skinsuit #doll #dollmaker #beardeddoll #wrinkles #bosarts #bostonartist #calebcole #imsorryglenn

A post shared by Caleb Cole (@calebxcole) on Aug 30, 2017 at 5:26am PDT

Caleb Cole isn’t joking when he says he’s a “collector of odd things.” The photos of dolls featured on his Insta are quite odd and some might even call creepy, except for the ones that look a little bit like him (those ones are actually super cute).

Courtney Brooke Hall

A few winters back, the stunning @marissa_nadler wearing a gown by @ashleyrosecouture

A post shared by Courtney Brooke (@light_witch) on Jan 9, 2017 at 11:26am PST

Courtney Brooke Hall’s photo feed tops our list with the most followers and, by far, the witchiest output. Her work explores themes of intention and closeness, showcasing womyn amongst the deep wilderness as goddesses, warriors, and/or natural forms as a part of the wooded landscapes. Taken in as individual photographs, or observed as a whole, her feed is simultaneously gorgeous, political, and powerful.

Chris Daniele

we fell in love with this cabin in Ireland check out @cabinfolk as we take over and show you around this perfect pint-sized retreat! ↟ ↟ #wanderireland #artofvisuals #bhghome #airbnb #beautifuldestinations #wicklowmountains #ireland #tinyhouse #tinyhome

A post shared by Chris Daniele ↟ Photographer (@dirtandglass) on Aug 24, 2017 at 12:01pm PDT

From western Mass and Vermont, to Washington and Ireland, Chris Daniele is all over. This perfectly shot photo diary of his travels will inspire deep envy, so maybe don’t follow him. 

Rob Collins
Chubby Boy Productions

@small_paul in LA a few years back

A post shared by Rob Collins (@robcollinsphoto) on Aug 27, 2017 at 11:29am PDT

Even if you can’t tell the difference between a switch tres and a backside heel (or don’t care), these two skating accounts will intrigue and entertain.

@elementmakeitcount @elementbrand if y'all don't choose @devincolon… ??‍ #ElementMakeItCount

A post shared by Chubby Boy Productions (@chubby_boy_productions) on Jul 26, 2017 at 11:07am PDT

Rob Collins brings the sleek, high quality photos you might find in Transworld or Thrasher, while the videos and photos on the Chubby Boy Productions account offer the visceral delights of hard falls and nailed tricks alike.

Chorale Miles

@ashleyrosecouture – 'My Dearest Dust'. . Model – @___canvas . Makeup by – @kelseyannaf & @paula.pedrosa Hair by – @shearsteph . ? Shot with a @canonusa ? #portraits_mf #Portrait_Vision #PortraitGames #portraitmood #PortraitPage #aovportraits #PortraitVision #portraitheaven #PortraitsLA #MoodyPorts #PortraitsNYC #BravoPortraits @bravoportraits #pursuitofportraits #portraitsfromtheworld #PORTRAITSTREAM #Creative_Portraits #theportraitcentral #kdpeoplegallery#folkportraits #vscoportrait #portraitsvisuals #portraits_vision #MakePortrait #portraitsquad #moodyfilm #thevisualvogue

A post shared by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ChoRAWle Miles? (@choralemiles) on Sep 5, 2017 at 12:44pm PDT

Self-proclaimed “lady photographer” Chorale Miles shoots soft poetic portraits, gets on set and behind-the-scenes for maximalist fashion shoots, and is at lots of hot events across the city. She’ll help you figure out who and what’s cool.

Connecticut Photographers to Follow on Instagram

Adrian Martinez

Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovers out there ?

A post shared by Adrian E Martinez (@adrianxmartinez) on Feb 14, 2017 at 4:09pm PST

Adrian Martinez captures moments between people; closely observing fleeting interactions among his friends, family members and the places he moves through. With a proper mix of point-and-shoot film pics and more immediate uploads from a mobile phone, Martinez’s work also offers a great variety of visual textures and styles.

Ricky Aponte

Nick McCann // Slob Plant // Estacada, OR // #skateboarding #oregon #rickyapontephotography

A post shared by Ricky Aponte. (@rickyapontephoto) on Aug 11, 2017 at 8:29am PDT

Simply put, Ricky Aponte takes impossibly beautiful photographs of skaters. Poetic, spacious and sometimes harrowing (he get VERY close to the skaters in some of these shots), it’s no wonder he has thousands of followers.

Rhode Island Photographers to Follow on Instagram

Jesse Burke

Eclipsed. ??

A post shared by Jesse Burke (@jesse_burke) on Aug 21, 2017 at 5:43pm PDT

Regular Take readers will recognize Jesse Burke as the fine art photographer whose photos often feature his highly photogenic daughter, Clover. His Instagram account is more than re-posts of his work though—it’s an honest and playful look at the visual motifs and characters he establishes in the work.  

Liam Campbell at Elska Magazine

Another self portrait from a reader with his copy of Elska. This one from @r.e.n.a.r.d.o.r Link to order in bio #elskamagazine #hoscos #instagay #indiemagazine #gaydude #printisnotdead #homotography #gayselfie #gaytravel #elska

A post shared by Elska Magazine (@elskamagazine) on Jul 23, 2017 at 4:33pm PDT

Remember Providence’s newest city boy and Elska Magazine? Follow the magazine on Insta for some more-than-half-naked handsome boys-of-all-kinds from around the world. No further description needed.

New Hampshire Photographers to Follow on Instagram

Cait Bourgault

I've followed @adventuresofwinnie_and_anubis for a long time and today I finally got to meet this amazing mountain pup! ? #hikingwithdogs #whitemountains

A post shared by Cait Bourgault (@photocait) on Sep 3, 2017 at 3:02pm PDT

“Hiking & dogs” reads Cait Bourgault’s Insta bio. Can’t sum it up better than that. Suffice to say that if you’re into perfectly composed, HQ snaps of summits and good dogs with cute bandannas (like her 12k+ followers), then go ahead and give her a follow.

Vermont Photographers to Follow on Instagram

Montgomery Sheridan

Izzy

A post shared by Montgomery (@montgomerysheridan) on Sep 7, 2017 at 3:40pm PDT

Hers is an insta feed of variety. Portraits of pets, beautiful people nestled under secret waterfalls and, sort of out of nowhere, a photo of Danny Brown? She’s posting it all.

Shane Lavalette

The story of a highway, a new project with @topicstories. Link in bio.

A post shared by Shane Lavalette (@shanelavalette) on Jul 2, 2017 at 4:56am PDT

Would any list of Instagram photographers be complete without a mostly black and white account? Lavalette fills this role with easy offering black and white portraits, landscapes, cityscapes.

Maine Photographers to Follow on Instagram

Tanja Hollander

RIP, old gal. ? Thanks for letting me finish this crazy project. I you. And of course, the data: 227, 283 miles! 11 years! Adventures! #areyoureallymyfriend #massmoca

A post shared by Tanja Hollander (@tanjahollander) on Jul 6, 2017 at 4:23pm PDT

Tanja Hollander continues her artful quest to make all the friends in all the places. Much as with Burke, Hollander’s shots feel like an open invitation to her one-of-a-kind world of social media preponderance and real time, real-friend-making journey.

Justin Levesque

You said you liked me in your memory.

A post shared by ONE DYNAMIC SYSTEM (@onedynamicsystem) on Aug 23, 2017 at 4:10am PDT

Since we last chatted with Justin Levesque, he has completed his artist residency aboard a ship from Maine to Iceland and headed out again on a different residency among scientists and other artists to the Arctic Circle. Follow him on Insta to keep track of his photographic documentation of all his work in their wide-ranging iterations iterations.

Top photo – (left to right) photos courtesy Rob Collins’ Instagram, Greg Gaffeny’s Instagram and Adrien Martinez’s Instagram

The post New England Photographers to Follow on Instagram appeared first on Take Magazine.

For the month of June, LGBTQIA* folks and allies across New England come together in thoughtful reflection and celebration of Pride, which highlights progress since the Stonewall Riots. While much progress has been made, it is also an important time to reflect on what work our LGBTQIA* communities need to do in order to promote inclusivity, safety, and basic civil rights in the face of a hostile political system. We at Take want to acknowledge this important month by highlighting the artists whose work engages with LGBTQIA* themes and issues, as well as the creatives who claim these sexuality, minority, and gender non-conforming identities. All the folks featured on this list enlivened our editorial by challenging normative understandings of gender, sexuality, and identity in general through their unique work.

The following stories are about all kinds artists: previously pregnant butch dykes, rural drag queens of color, cis gay Asian-Americans, trans femmes, lesbian separatists, non-binary babes, and many individuals and groups of people whose identities aren’t as easily summarized. This diversity in our editorial exists because that is the diversity of our region. Though it’s true that we live in a society that constantly works to erase and delegitimize the existence of LGBTQIA* people, we’re still finding artists and cultural leaders who boldly embrace this sometimes fraught, yet always beautiful, spectrum of existence.

While we are proud to present our highlighted list of artists we’ve covered since January 2015, we’re not so naive to think that these are the only LGBTQIA* folks we’ve featured. While some artists openly share their identities with our staff and contributors, other artists have asked us to keep their identities off the record, or choose to never disclose for privacy and safety concerns.

Take is proud to feature these artists and our team will work harder to bring you more creative voices from the LGBTQIA* community as we expand our web edition and return to print this fall.

Massachusetts

Car Wash

Wading In

This Ain’t No Game

Comfort & Discomfort

Catastrophe in Provincetown

The Insider’s Take: Eternal Slumber Party

Come Closer

Tender, Forever

Becoming The Gold Dust Orphans

Facebook-to-Face

The Kids Are Alright

Cave and the Art of Community

Connecticut

Women of Abstraction

Gender Bender

Feminine Mystique

BL&D Interview – Arien Wilkerson

From Clay to Catastasis

Life is Gross

Sacred Stones

Crossing Equators with Arien Wilkerson

Maine

Portland’s Cherry Lemonade

Notes from an Expat: Where Are You From

Not-so-Little Women

Take Q&A: Crystal Williams—Writer, Advocate, Advisor

Slow Boat to Iceland

The Simple Power of the Cup

New Hampshire

Manchester’s “Sexy Industrialist”

Hood is Downtown…For Now

Rhode Island

Kitty Eyes & Spandex

Taken: Todd Oldham at RISD

Rachel Blumberg Sees And Hears More Than You

Hustler of Providence

Aurora Catalyzes Variety and Community in Providence

ART/Crush: J.R. Uretsky

Meet Rhode Island’s Newest City Boy

Nine Months in Drag

Vermont

The Rainbow Cattle Co.

Make Some Time for Angus McCullough

What Happened Before Homosexuals?

New England

Artists to Watch 2017

10 New England Tattooers You Need to Follow on Instagram

7 New England Niche Film Festivals You Can’t Miss

The post Take Magazine Pride Month Round-up appeared first on Take Magazine.

Ascending the stairs to the second floor of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, Massachusetts, I see Tanja Hollander on her phone, head tilted in that familiar position while bathed in the glittering light from Nick Cave’s nearby installation Until. I’m accompanied by curator Denise Markonish, one of Hollander’s IRL friends. We arrive at a table in front of one of her self-portraits; Hollander is still on the phone. I’m not offended or annoyed. In fact, as a digital native who’s lived much of my social life through a cell phone for almost eight years, I feel quite content. I’ve always believed that friends should be able to silently sit together while on their personal smart devices without it being an issue.

Tanja Hollander, Detail of Grid of 16 Travel Ephemera Still Lifes, 2011-2016, Archival Pigment Print, 44×44 in. | Photo courtesy Mass MoCA

In her exhibit Are you really my friend?, which opens at Mass MoCA on February 18th, it’s not this feeling of momentary kinship that Hollander seeks to unpack so much as the idea of true friendship—and how that’s changing in our digital age. The show features formal portraits of Hollander’s Facebook friends taken in their homes, the Maine artist traveling across the United States and Europe for nearly six years to capture as many of her 626 friends as she could. Adjacent to several of the resulting 430 portraits, Hollander also shows thoughtfully arranged and curated bits of ephemera from those travels: everything from a flattened Plan B box to personal notes left for her.

“My data is relevant, and your data is relevant. . .our data is relevant,” says Hollander, gesturing at the scanned bits of ephemera cropped square and arranged in a grid-like pattern, “and this boarding pass with its beautiful TSA mark is relevant in the same way that a handwritten note from one of my friends left in the morning before I got up is relevant.”

Tanja Hollander, Detail of Four Large Portraits, 2011-2016, Archival pigment print, 42×42 in. | Photo courtesy MASS MoCA

“In the same way that a beautifully staged and composed portrait is relevant,” adds Markonish, who points to an iPhone photo of a landscape shot through curtains.“They’re all relevant and all democratized, where each thing is as important as the next. I’ve done a lot of big shows here, but I think this show involves the most amount of information.”

Markonish’s comment is not an overstatement: Are you really my friend? Features 5,701 images (edited down from over 100,000) displayed on the walls, assembled over giant curtain banners, and framed in quiet concrete corners. It’s the first time that all of Hollander’s Facebook-friend portraits are being shown in one place.

Clip from Are you really my friend? The Movie | Directed by Robin Greenspun.

Hollander’s approach to dissecting and understanding friendship, the data we compile about ourselves over time and travel, is surprising and extremely contemporary. The scanned familiar objects from her travels link to a specific time, location, and, finally, to a Facebook friend portrait shared via a data visualization platform that will be available online and at the show. While the ephemera and notes don’t literally relate to each other, they act as markers of time and place throughout Hollander’s journey. A discarded package of European cigarettes links to a post-it note left for Hollander, which links to one of the 30 large portraits installed at the beginning of the exhibition space. “Everything cross-references everything else,” she explains.

We stroll into a partially walled-off portion of the exhibit, where most of the large portraits hang. For Hollander, it was very important to go to a person, share a meal, and sometimes even stay at their house. This emotional labor and caring connection is present in the portraits, which seems a bit ironic considering so much of social media, particularly Facebook, is about voyeurism and establishing a comfortable distance from certain people. Markonish comments on one of the portraits, a family seated upright in a clean, sunny kitchen. “They’re not uncomfortable, like a stranger is capturing them,” she says. “When I look at this portrait, I don’t feel like I’m spying on them; it feels very authentic.”

Tanja Hollander, Detail of Grid of 16 Travel Ephemera Still Lifes, 2011-2016, Archival Pigment Print, 44×44 in. | Photo courtesy MASS MoCA

“All of these people welcomed you into their homes,” Markonish says to Hollander, “and for so many of them, it wasn’t just ‘come in here, take a picture of me and leave,’ it was ‘share a meal with us, have our guest room.’ It became about welcome and hospitality.” The room of portraits features a wide variety of people in equally varied circumstances. I find myself drawn to a mother and daughter, heads tipped toward each other, sitting in a lovingly disorganized, cluttered kitchen that reminds me of home. The portrait hangs across from another featuring stylish furniture in a large living room, with an abstract painter-turned-meticulous-bird-illustrator sitting perfectly upright, almost regal, her chin up, cheek turned toward the viewer.

I ask Hollander and Markonish why, of all of the 626 friends exhibited, they decided to feature these 30 larger than the rest. “It was really based on image quality,” says Hollander, “while also keeping in mind class, race, age, gay, single parent, single person as opposed to just couples and families. Just trying to get the whole range of what is here, and highlight some of them [by making them] big. Both Denise and I were pretty conscious of not exclusively featuring white, middle-class arty people.”

Detail of Grid of 16 Snapshots, 2011-2016, archival pigment print | Photo courtesy MASS MoCA

Exiting the portrait room, I’m reminded again of how hard it is to avoid peering into the Nick Cave show adjacent to Hollander’s exhibit. “I will not lie, being next to Nick is incredibly intimidating,” Hollander admits. “Maybe I’m not as far away from Nick’s work as I think: he is overwhelming with bedazzle, and I’m doing it with the mundane, the every day. I’m saying, Look, you have these things, I have these things, we are all relevant. That’s what social media does. It’s the greatest historical archive of all time, written and visualized by the people for the people—not the aristocracy, who are usually the history writers and cultural influencers.”

Cautiously trying to avoid a Full House moment, I don’t ask Markonish and Hollander what they each have learned about friendship during the process of traveling, gathering information, and curating the show. But as I leave, Hollander, in her straightforward yet highly endearing way, offers one up herself. “One of the most important things that I learned is that I have a really close, tight group of friends that are my family,” she says. “They don’t all live in Maine; they live all across the world.”

Tanja Hollander, Detail of Grid of 16 Post-it Notes, 2012-2016, Archival Pigment Print, 44×44 in.

Tanja Hollander – photographer
Auburn, Maine
Website
Tumblr
Instagram

Top photo Tanja Hollander, Detail of Grid of 16 Post-it Notes, 2012-2016, Archival Pigment Print, 44×44 | Photo courtesy MASS MoCA

The post Facebook-to-Face appeared first on Take Magazine.

Recently, it’s been the cultural trend to rope off the beginning of the year to catch up on all the moments, movies, music, and writings we missed last year. So, once you’ve caught up with Moonlight and/or finally get around to listening to the newest And The Kids album (released summer ’16), consider looking ahead to our Artists to Watch for 2017.

Though we do have favorites of our own, we could not adequately survey the region for artists to watch without consulting a few of our many trusted curators and friends: Abigail Ogilvy, Owner of Abigail Ogilvy Gallery in Boston’s South End; Randi Hopkins, Director of Visual Arts at Boston Center for the Arts; and Ian Alden Russell, Curator at Brown University’s David Winton Bell Gallery.

All of these artists sculpt, paint, record, and perform works worth following, especially considering our current social and political climate. Since we’ve recently been reminded that we cannot rely on the centralized leadership of our democracy to defend our integrity as human beings, or the integrity of thought through the defense of facts and mutual respect, we look to artists like these as our true cultural gatekeepers. The artists on our list are people we can trust to use bold expression, tenderness, and knowing imagery to question the status quo. Sometimes they hold up a mirror to our culture. Other times, they hold up a loudspeaker or a puppet mask, a paintbrush, a bouncy ball, or a digital camera.

These cathartic, sarcastic, pointed, paradoxical, and, most of all, inimitable artists are who we’re watching in 2017.

Nabeela Vega, Visiting Thahab (series, ongoing) | Photo courtesy Robin Allen LaPlante

Nabeela Vega | Boston, MA

Using photography, performance, and video, Boston-based artist Nabeela Vega creates immersive works that examine elements of our individual experiences of the social world as it intersects with identity, personal politics, and queerness. Oftentimes, the work calls into question our taken-for-granted notions about bodies, media, and gender. As Hopkins points out, “Vega’s rich exploration of the contemporary presence and experience of the Muslim femme takes forms that are performative, collaborative, generous, vulnerable, and exquisitely beautiful. The artist takes risks with their own body to think about our greater body as citizens and humans, work that feels vital and particularly brave today.”

Tanja Hollander | Auburn, ME

“This month sees the premiere of the entirety of Tanja Hollander‘s Are you really my friend? at MASS MoCA, the Maine-based photographer’s epic endeavor to photograph all 626 of her Facebook friends,” says Russell. “Bringing her across the nation and around the globe, the work probes the issue of friendship and connection in our digitally mediated age. Questioning the boundaries between personal, public, and online life, the project presents us with intimate portraits she took of the personal spaces and environments of the people she is connected to via social media.”

Teatime, 2016, Acrylic and mixed media on steel 18 x 12 in. | Photo courtesy Abigail Ogilvy

Katie Wild | Pawtucket, RI

“Wild’s striking, cinematic paintings transform the tradition of figure and portraiture to achieve a contemporary understanding of the human condition,” says Ogilvy. “In her most recent series, Steampunk, Wild references photographs she took of real people at a steampunk festivals. In 2016 she was a recipient of the Fay Chandler Emerging Artist Award in Boston, MA.”

Kai Franz | Providence, RI

“Originally from Cologne, Germany, Kai Franz makes sculptures and drawings that confront and complicate the relationships between process and artifact,” says Russell. “Testing and questioning the potential of computer-aided design while appearing as formal aesthetic statements in their own rights, Franz’s works and projects are strong examples of the tradition of critically and technologically-engaged art making in Providence.”

Mutsu Crispin, Mapping the Day, 2015, bouncy balls, plexiglass, stainless steel, 41″h x 41″w x 2.25″d | Photo courtesy Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts

Mutsu Crispin | Brattleboro, VT

Atlanta, Georgia transplant turned Southern Vermonter mutsu crispin (aka John DiGeorge) is a performance artist, filmmaker and. . .bouncy-ball sculptor? Last year, DiGeorge found a way to make those familiar, seemingly childish forms simultaneously fun and subversive. We’re sure we can find some comfort in these delightfully bright pieces as the year turns potentially darker. “. . . the balls float forward and back within their designs or wanderings, rhyming with their cast shadows, ghostly glows, nearby hardware and reflections,” says the artist. “These dear objects from our childhood are animated and transmogrified, speaking in a chorus at once lighthearted, humorous, mysterious, and ecstatic.

Matt Neckers, Crash Site, 2015, 72 H x 24 W x 24 in | Photo courtesy the artist

Matt Neckers | Eden, VT

“Neckers’ Portals hidden in forests, a rocket in a tree, a parachute caught in branches—Matt Neckers’ installations interrupt the serenity of the woods,” says Russell. “Fascinated by the impact of mechanization on our imagination, Neckers opens up earnest, generous, and sustained conversations about the world we inhabit, the others that may exist, and the precarious journeys between.”

Arien Wilkerson | Hartford, CT

“I am Arien aka TNMOT AZTRO aka ARI AZTRO.”

Wilkerson is one of Hartford’s many young Renaissance Men. His list of current projects is too long to add here; suffice it to say that Wilkerson, at age 25, is an uber-accomplished dancer, film artist, activist, artistic director, and overall creative mastermind. In the words of our dear friends at Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, “He’s too black, too vocal, and too flagrant. He’s also one of the few indispensable figures in Hartford’s ever-continuous push to art and cultural prominence. Say hello to the city’s new brash monarch.”

Toby Sisson, 2015 Black Tears, Ink and beeswax on paper 7″x5.5″ each, approx. 6.5’x16′ overall | Photo courtesy the artist

Toby Sisson | Providence, RI

“Toby Sisson‘s encaustic paintings and drawings rigorously explore the metaphoric potential of abstract form,” points out Russell. “Often contrasting shades of black with shades of white, Sisson’s works are informed by personal narrative and her mixed race heritage. Her images and forms offer open-ended prompts for poetic reflection on the assumed oppositions and conflicts with which we struggle—personally, emotionally, and socially.”

Michael Stasiuk, Marco the Magician, 2012, 25″ x 24″ x 10″ metal crumber pan, darning egg, rhythm stick fragments, assorted wood fragments | Photo courtesy Abigail Ogilvy

Michael Stasiuk | Portsmouth, NH

“His multimedia sculptures assemble found objects into playfully illustrated characters,” says Ogilvy, “each with a unique personality. His choice of material imparts a sense of nostalgia and memory, imaginatively re-purposing everyday objects that accompany us throughout our lives.”

J.R. Uretsky and Scott the cat | Photo courtesy the artist

J.R. Uretsky | Providence, RI

If you read Take, you already know we’ve had a crush on J.R.’s awkwardly signature brand of brave, big-feeling, truth-telling performance for a long time. Yet it’s not only her magically strange, emo-queer performances to watch out for in 2017. Specifically, it’s J.R.’s puppets that will lend you space to emote and bring us all solace as 2017’s social and political climate sags and twists. “The characters that emerge through her performances are relatable yet also alien and non-specific,” says Hopkins, “forging an ambiguous space where emotion is the remaining constant.”

Titus Kaphar, Space to Forget, 2014, oil on canvas, 64 x 64 x 2 3/4 inches | Photo courtesy Jack Shainman Gallery

Titus Kaphar | New Haven, CT

Kaphar creates new histories with each work he paints and sculpts. It’s through his careful reinterpretation of the past, mixed with artful exclusion and deconstruction of specific images that makes his work powerful, “In my work I explore the materiality of reconstructive history. I paint and I sculpt, often borrowing from the historical canon, and then alter the work in some way.” says Kaphar “I cut, crumple, shroud, shred, stitch, tar, twist, bind, erase, break, tear, and turn the paintings and sculptures I create, reconfiguring them into works that nod to hidden narratives and begin to reveal unspoken truths about the nature of history.”

Inside shot of Love Shack instillation featuring video loop of “Waking Up And Getting Up Has Never Been Easy”, instillation and video by Coe Lapossy | Photo courtesy the artist’s website

Coe Lapossy | Boston, MA

Ever wonder what it’d be like to wake up in a super-cozy, literally endless bed? Well, Lapossy has theorized it, and has many more other immersive, speculative works ready for the upcoming year. “Lapossy brings feminist sass and romantic charm to smart sculptural and installation work,” says Hopkins. “Pop culture seeps into her artistic vocabulary with ease, for example weaving 20th-century art history together with early 90s romantic-fantasy film in a setting that evokes the vaudeville vibe of the magician’s trick.”

Nabeela Vega – Boston, Massachusetts
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Tanja Hollander – Auburn, Maine
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Katie Wild – Pawtucket, Rhode Island
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Kai Franz – Providence, Rhode Island
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Mutsu Crispin – Brattleboro, Vermont
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Matt Neckers – Eden, Vermont
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Arien Wilkerson – Hartford, Connecticut
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Toby Sisson – Providence, Rhode Island
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Michael Stasiuk – Portsmouth, New Hampshire
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J.R. Uretsky – Providence, Rhode Island
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Titus Kaphar – New Haven, Connecticut
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Coe Lapossy – Boston, Massachusetts
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VISITING THAHAB AT SUPERNOVA PERFORMANCE ART FESTIVAL | PHOTO COURTESY THE ARTIST

The post Artists to Watch 2017 appeared first on Take Magazine.

I’m a little biased towards this sculpture park and museum – it was a quick drive from where grew up and walking the grounds as a teen was a budget-friendly free. Originally a summer house for visual art enthusiast and merchant Julian de Cordova (1851-1945), it was built in 1910 and made to resemble a European castle. After his death, the house was left to the town on the condition that it be turned into a museum. It appears the first group of trustees took one look at Mr. de Cordova’s own collection and decided to go in another direction, luckily for us. This initial board made a unique and bold decision to become the only museum in the northeast to focus entirely on modern, contemporary, living, New England artists. They opened in 1950 and have been a major collector and exhibitor ever since, officially becoming the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in 2009.

The deCordova’s 4th iteration of it’s biennial this fall is a mix of inside and outside works, taking full advantage of the acres of grounds. This year’s invited artists will be installing work in two locations outside and on two floors of the museum itself, in the Joyce & Edward Linde and Dewey Family Galleries, respectively.

Mike, Fanny, Martin + Maya Ladd, Paris, France, 2014 | Tanja Hollander | archival pigment print | Collection of deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum | Gift of Mary, Bill, Elizabeth and Claudia Koch in memory of Cathy England

Take Magazine was excited to see our good friend Tanja Hollander’s name among this year’s invitees. If you haven’t been following along with her ‘Are you really my friend?‘ adventures on social media, you are missing out. This ambitious project has sent our intrepid photographer around the world capturing images of all her facebook friends in their home environments, she’s occupying her digital world. We reached out to see what sort of work she’ll be contributing, “I tried to pull a group that was diverse, class, race, location. But really the best part of being in the show was the great studio visit I had with (Chief Curator) Jennifer Gross.” A perfect way to get a peek of the installation she’ll be ‘posting’ in its entirety at MASS MoCa in spring 2017.

Formwork for Hill House, 2013 | Fritz Horstman | pine, 7x10x2 inches | Courtesy of the Artist

Outside, visitors will have a chance to socialize with Fritz Horstman’s wooden Formwork for a Spiral Movement and Tobias Putrih’s interactive, blocks installation Double Exchange. Both pieces embrace the deCordova’s touch-me criteria and allow guests to become more than just viewers. Putrih himself will host a drop-in workshop on Sept 17th to activate his sculpture.

Artists are displaying works in a variety of mediums inside the galleries. Theresa Ganz and Heather Leigh McPherson will be using both digital and manual techniques, writer Ashley Bryan will be displaying original collages from one of his most celebrated books, All Things Bright and Beautiful, in addition to holding a reading, and Carly Glovinski will be showing her sculptures and facilitating a series of art-making workshops throughout the event. “I’m honored to have been selected for the 2016 Biennial and excited to have the opportunity to be showing new work at this world-class institution. The museum curators and staff have been supportive throughout- from the first studio visits through the installation.”, affirmed Glovinski. Biennials allow a venue to hold multi-faceted exhibits celebrating and restating their focus and purpose and the deCordova is mining its wealth of New England talent with this show. We’ve included a list of all the participating artists below.

The Female Dollar, 2015 | Heather Leigh McPherson | painted chiffon, cast epoxy, drawing pad, lighter | Courtesy of the artist

The Biennial artists are: Academy Records, Ashley Bryan, Lois Dodd, Theresa Ganz, Carly Glovinski, Tanja Hollander, Timothy Horn, Fritz Horstman, Susan Howe, Heather Leigh McPherson, Youjin Moon, Kelly Nipper, Jason Noushin, Tobias Putrih, Cary Smith, and Craig Stockwell.

deCordova New England Biennial 2016
October 7, 2016–March 26, 2017
Lincoln, MA

Top image: Callisto 2014 | Youjin Moon | video, sound | Courtesy of the artist and DM Contemporary, New York, NY

The post deCordova Biennial 2016 appeared first on Take Magazine.