Arts In The City 021908

Arts In The City WEEKLY PICKS

SPOTLIGHT

Artist Pema Rinzin

STOLEN GOYA RETURNS Courtesy John Connelly Presents

Cautionary tales come in the form of burning Roman cities and scenes of British colonialism in the new exhibition at John Connelly Presents. The new works from Westchester-raised painter Michael Wetzel satirize the America class system through paintings in the style of Imperialist Europe. The quiet paintings speak loudly, like poignant artifacts of a not-to-distant time, and memories of a falling empire. Now through March 17. – H.C.

Michael Wetzel, “Macaque III”

12 • Resident The Week Of February 19, 2007

music theater art

As an art student, Michael Alan hated life drawing classes. It was always uncomfortable, with the nude model coldly posing for a room of quiet students. Now his Draw-a-thon Theater is changing that. Each installment of the theater is a marathon; last week about 100 people came to the Teatro Circulo for an eight-hour life drawing session that lasted until 2 a.m. The bimonthly events started in October 2005, when Alan and friends Matt Brennan and Diana Gurfel staged their first alternative life drawing class. Now, the draw-a-thon is equal parts artists’ salon and performance art. Professional artists and hobbyists alike come to draw the elaborately staged, surreal scenes with distinct characters,

loosely defined scripts and even the occasional original soundtrack. “Some of the ideas that come from the drawa-thon are similar to my art, as far as abstracting the figure and trying to create random environments and distraction and confusion,” said Alan. Along with the salons of the Dadaists and Surrealists, Alan’s past as a graffiti artist inspired the draw-a-thons. “Graffiti artists do something different that other artists don’t – they get together and jam out. It’s kind of what I was missing in art school, a room full of like-minded individuals drawing. I really like that energy – the community of people.” If you missed it this time, the next drawa-thon is planned for April. For more information visit michaelalanart.com. —Heather Corcoran

Stolen on the way to the Guggenheim Museum in November, the 1778 painting “Children with a Cart” has finished its journey to join an exhibit of Spanish paintings. The FBI recovered the million-dollar painting in New Jersey weeks after it was stolen and returned it to the Toledo Museum in Ohio. It will be on display at the Guggenheim through March 28. – H.C.

dance

DRAWING ON THEATER

New Pornographers chanteuse Neko Case plays the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room as part of the American Songbook Series on Feb. 23.

comedy

Michael Alan’s “Tea Party”

Tibetan artist Pema Rinzin thinks Western scholars looking at the art of Tibet miss the big picture. “It’s high time to talk about art and individuals,” said Rinzin. “And New York is the city of art.” Now, at the Rubin Museum, a different approach to looking at Himalayan art is being presented. Through the museum’s artist-in-residence program, visitors to the RMA can watch as Rinzin works on two murals in the traditional tangka style of painting. One, “The Four Guardian Kings” is nearing its colorful completion, while the other, “The Eight Great Bodhisattvas,” shows the earliest charcoal and pencil marks. As Rinzin carefully outlines his figures, museum-goers can try their hand and drawing Tibetan motifs at a low table surrounded by pillows, chatting with the artist as he progresses. Throughout the rest of the dimly lit gallery, examples of Tibetan paintings hang on the wall, with traditional explanations from the curator and more informal responses to the work from Rinzin himself. His quotes comparing a contemporary painting created for tourists and an older, more thoughtful version reveal the work of an artisan versus the work of a true artist. And when it comes to finding the best, “One leaf will tell the whole story,” said Rinzin. —H.C. Evi Abeler, Rubin Museum of Art.

Courtesy Michael Alan

PERFORMANCE PAINT

The new play from Sam Mark, “Nelson,” follows the quirky adventures of a talent agency assistant with a secret after-work life. Through March 3 at the Lion Theater.

The Whitney Museum of American Art revisits the work of Gordon Matta Clark, an artist who used New York City’s abandoned spaces as his canvas. Through June 7.

Choreographer Vicky Shick takes on the Dance Theater Workshop with “Plum House (A Cartoon)”her collaboration with artist Barbara Kilpatrick. The performance also marks the return of the acclaimed duet “Repair.” Feb. 20-24. Take a crash course in speedy cinema at the IFC Center, which is playing each of the 10 Academy Award-nominees for best short film – animated and live action.