Tag: the hole

Quinci Baker in Title IX at The Hole

Boxers, golfers, tennis champs, martial arts practitioners and more sporting characters dominate the walls of The Hole Gallery’s two-gallery exhibition ‘Title XI,’ a reference to the 1972 government policy that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education.  Over fifty years later, the impact on women and girls has been profound with the gallery citing an expansion from 300,000 girls involved in high school sports to 3 million.  Quinci Baker’s video ‘The Hindrance,’ revisits Venus Williams’ 1999 match in which falling hair beads resulted in a penalty, while Represent (I), crafted from collaged from hair beads, pays homage to the tennis great. (On view through August 27th in Tribeca and the Lower East Side).

Quinci Baker, Represent (I), inkjet collage, pony beads, acrylic on cradled wood panel, 24 x 30 x 2 inches, 2023.

Mikey Yates in ‘The Midnight Hour’ at The Hole

Young Kansas City based artist Mikey Yates, whose ‘Summer Walker’ is a standout at The Hole’s current night-themed group exhibition, paints tranquil scenes that include a family making art together at the dining room table and women chatting at night on a rooftop.  Such scenes – whether populated by solitary people or multiple individuals – argue the pleasures and importance of domestic life.  Though the individual in this painting walks alongside a highway in relative isolation, light from the streetlamp, a yellow hydrant and glowing neon sign in the distance create a sense of well-being and purpose.  (On view through Feb 18th).

Mikey Yates, Summer Walker, oil, acrylic and oil stick on canvas, 40 x 30 inches, 2022.

Carolyn Salas at The Hole NYC

A pair of long white legs tiptoe toward a hanging curtain on the right side of Carolyn Salas’ laser-cut aluminum sculpture ‘Gone’ at The Hole as if making a quick and quiet exit.  Behind, assorted disembodied heads, legs and vases suggest a crowded domestic environment from which our protagonist is slipping away to find her own space.  (On view in Tribeca through Dec 31st).

Carolyn Salas, Gone, 2022, powder-coated aluminum 3/8?, 102 x 144 inches.

Ahn Tae Won in Universes 5 at The Hole NYC

Korean artist Ahn Tae Won wanted to take something everyday and make it surreal; he happened upon a cat meme and was inspired to create this quirky in-the-round sculpture titled ‘Hiro is Everywhere,’ a standout in The Hole’s summer group show in Tribeca curated by Sasa Bogojev.  Appearing to be digital yet obviously a 3-D manifestation, this intriguingly odd sculpture speaks to the unknowability of cats. (On view through Aug 5th).

Ahn Tae Won, Hiro is Everywhere, acrylic on resin, 2022.

Misaki Kawai at The Hole

A giant yellow emoji pillow greets visitors to Misaki Kawai’s latest show at The Hole on the Bowery, signaling that the artist’s sense of humor is still lively.  Her bright, fun, faux-naïve style comes across in text paintings and furry sculptures that invite touch (a sign on the wall and a dispenser of hand sanitizer confirm that this is allowed). Citing the notion of ‘heta-uma,’ or ‘bad but good,’ Kawai challenges notions of taste, but all in good fun.  (On view through Feb 14th. Masks and social distancing are required.)

Misaki Kawai, Moko Moko (Pink), faux fur, felt, wood, steel, 60 x 60 x 12 inches, 2020.