The year is almost over, however the art and culture scene is still bustling with inspiring and creative talent.
It’s no secret that New York City is chock-full of amazing art exhibits this time of year.
Plus, now that we’ve set our clocks back one hour --- we have more than enough time to explore and expand our worldview.
That’s right, you can chill on Netflix for a while --- and fuel your imagination instead with some wealth of art and culture.
We’ve even put together a list, so you can get up off your couch, and catch some of the best gallery openings and exhibits throughout November and beyond!
1. “Cenizas y Origen” - Diego Anaya (through November 12th)
Mexican-born artist Diego Anaya’s “Cenizas + Origen” (Ashes and Origin) focuses on cycles of life, death, migration, and identity. This compelling exhibit is dedicated to all the people that are far from their motherland – those who dream of going back home, those who stay behind, and those who died along the way.
Anaya’s body of work opens up a dialogue about identity, our roots, tradition and history. Focusing on the theme of ancestry for this series, Anaya uses burnt corn ash to create original pigments and textures in his paintings.
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Interested in attending? “Cenizas y Origen” will run until November 12th at the Brooklyn Arts Fellowship from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
You can also check our recap on the opening reception here.
2. “Pixel Forest” - Pipilotti Rist (through November 15th)
Occupying the three main floors of the New Museum, Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist’s “Pixel Forest” showcases her most extensive work in NY to date. Much of the exhibit reveals connections between the development of Rist’s art and the evolution of technology.
“Pixel Forest” includes work spanning the artist’s entire career, from her early single-channel videos of the 1980s that explore popular culture, as well as her recent video installations that evoke massive dreamlike environments enhanced by hypnotic musical scores.
Overall, by including an array of mediums, Rist’s work intertwines the natural with the electronic in the ecstasy of communication.
3. “The Black Madonna Project” - CROWN & RUCKUS (November 19th & 20th)
Organized by CROWN & RUCKUS, a creative production agency, “The Black Madonna Project” is 2-day event series dedicated to the empowerment of women. This inspirational series artistically narrates the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of Black Matriarchy.
Experience a night of live body art, performing artists and culinary arts along with music by DJ Rubadub and an open buffet from Professional Chef Mu.
Interested? Snag your tickets here.
4. “The Trophy Room” - CJ Hendry (through November 20th)
Known for her hyperrealistic pen on paper drawings and cult social media following, Australian artist CJ Hendry unveils her latest series, “The Trophy Room,” situated at 79 Greene Street in Soho.
Hendry first burst into the international art scene after presenting Kanye West with a work entitled “Kash Kurrency,” a drawing of West’s face on a crumpled $100 dollar bill. Since then, Hendry has continued to create works centered around luxury and consumer goods.
In fact, “The Trophy Room” is a lesson in icon worship that reveals the highly-coveted consumerist goods that bring us joy. Hendry places her meticulously drawn renderings of brand name objects on literal pedestals, where they are represented as trophies and presented to viewers as items of worship.
The Greene Street pop-up space features everyday items such as: Barbie dolls, converse sneakers, a Playstation video game controller ― all raised up on pedestals. Even an 18-foot silver model of Mr. Potato Head dominates the back of the room.
Overall, this series achieves to display the increasing prominence of today’s cult of consumerism and the often deep, and emotional connections or attachments that draw us to certain items.
5. “Walking With My Mother’s Shadow” - Anila Agha (through November 26th)
Aicon Gallery presents “Walking with My Mother’s Shadow,” the first major NY solo exhibition by artist Anila Agha. Her art is deeply inspired and influenced by the continual sense of alienation and transience that comes with the migrant experience.
Anga cuts steel and other materials into delicate patterns and uses a bright light to refract light onto its surroundings. Through the use of various media, she explores the deeply entwined political relationships between gender, culture, religion, labor and social codes.
Her current work in this exhibition reflects on the complexities of love, loss and gains that she has experienced over the past year including her son’s wedding and her mother’s passing. The personal loss of her mother for example, is connected closely with the communal loss - of loved ones, identities, homes and countries.
6. "#Draper Font Bold" - Ronald Draper (December 5th)
Mixed medium artist Ronald Draper, hailing from Harlem will be unveiling “#Draper Font Bold” next month. Draper is known for his messages of social change and empowerment. He uses different mediums, such as glass, spray paint, disco balls, and even lipstick in certain instances.
In collaboration with The Culture LP, “#Draper Font Bold,” is a celebration of progressive artwork and years of partnership. Bringing his creative flair to life, much of his work will consist of large scale wooden-cut outs and mixed media creations with his bold and signature typography.
Don’t miss out! RSVP here to witness his creative and compelling artwork.
7. “Mute Paradise” - Ivan Navarro (through December 23rd)
Chilean-born artist Ivan Navarro’s second solo show “Mute Paradise” is being displayed at the Paul Kasmin Gallery.
Navarro is known internationally for his sculptures of neon, fluorescent and incandescent light. “Mute Paradise” reveals Navarro’s ongoing use of light, sound, and language to evoke the issues of power, migration, and propaganda.
The artist also grew up under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. His experiences under the regime continue to fuel him to make socio-politically artwork.
8. “Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art” (through February 5th, 2017)
“Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art” at the Whitney Museum conveys the way artists have dismantled and reassembled the traditions of cinema including screen, projection and darkness.
The exhibition’s title refers to the science fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft’s alternate fictional dimension, an underworld which could possibly only be visited through dreams. Similarly, the spaces in “Dreamlands” will connect different historical moments of cinematic experimentation, creating a story that unfolds across a series of immersive spaces.
“Dreamlands” generates the use of color, touch, music, spectacle, light, and darkness to create the heightening illusion of three dimensions.
9. “Pretty/Dirty” Marilyn Minter (through April 2nd, 2017)
Marilyn Minter’s “Pretty/Dirty” at the Brooklyn Museum showcases her earlier artworks to date, including rare photographs and paintings. Minter’s critical eye on the power of desire questions the notion of beauty and the feminine body in American culture.
Much of her work includes sensual paintings, photographs, and videos of food and sex that vividly explore the contradictory and complex emotions of desire.
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Overall, the exhibition culminates in Minter’s ongoing investigation with the fashion industry’s commercialization of sex and the body.
10. “Made By Google” - 96 Spring Street
Techie lovers you’re in luck. Have you heard about the “Made By Google” pop up store? Google has opened a pop-up store in SoHo to show off its latest products.
The only problem? You can't actually buy any of their latest gadgets here, but you can experience the technology. That includes the new Pixel phones, the Google Home speaker, Google WiFi and its Daydream View virtual-reality headset, plus much more.
Have a cool and trippy experience, come on at least do it for the gram. Besides, how ironic would it be taking a selfie with a non-Google phone?
[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]