A Positive Climate

What artist has two thumbs and was given an excellent description in The New York Photo Review? Bennett Morris! Okay, fine, the joke doesn't work as well in print. But that's no reason why you shouldn't head over and read all about Bennett's now-completed solo show Climate Untamed. Here's just a taste:



It's short, but it's very, very sweet. Thanks for the visit, NYPR! We're glad you enjoyed the show!

Free Sitting on March 6th!

The camera is held steadily as you pose before it with your family, your father's stern hand lain unnaturally on your shoulder forging a kind of maternal affection for the camera, imaginary ants tickling your body as you try to remain still with a broad smile plastered across your strained face. These unnatural snapshots intended on betraying family life became a point of fascination for our artist Nora Herting as she joins us on March 6th for Nora Herting: Free Sitting.

To delve into the nuts and bolts of the strange psychology and comedy of this long running tradition, she has constructed an interactive instillation in the form of a photo booth. Here, with each photo, she will create imaginary families and initiate momentary ties, as groups of strangers come in off the streets of Williamsburg to pose out of front of Like The Spice.



Come in on March 6th from 6.30pm to 10.00pm as we enjoy our Saturday night Armory party! Plus did we mention a chance for a sneak preview of one of our up and coming group sculpture shows The World We Live In, The Worlds We Create. And of course all are welcome to come to our next Monthly Dinner on March 20th to eat, drink, be merry, and talk to the artists about their art and their life. Join us, won't you?

Dancing the Night Away

A night with Jason Bryant and Enid Ellen...

Tribal paint, alien prose, radical (if not saucy) costume, and a song of praise for the earth mother. Could this be the description of some indigenous tradition of another country? Nope, just another night at Like the Spice. As many of you know, this past Friday night Like the Spice became the stage for some pretty incredible events...

The evening began with a cocktail party featuring an preview of Jason Bryant's newest pieces. When Jason delivered his latest works to us we were incredibly impatient to get them out of their shadow boxes and see for ourselves what had already promised to be breathtaking pieces. With unveiling the last layer of plastic from the canvas there was a slight whiff of varnish and what we saw was just so exciting. If you missed the fabulous preview please please come by soon to see Jason's pieces, they are just too great to have to wait until his Fall 2010 show to see. Patience may be a virtue but not necessarily in this case.

The event began at about six and by 8:15 it appeared that most people had warmed up (with the help of our Pernod fountain), had admired Jason's work, discussed Bennett's current show, and found a new piece in our group show that they may not have seen before. And then it was time for Enid Ellen to take the stage. Before the lights were dimmed the best description of this duo was given to me, "Enid Ellen is like a tribal Ziggy Stardust." This indeed is a perfect way to describe Enid Ellen's music, although at points it is so unique and haunting that there doesn't seem to be any way that it could be related to anything that came before it.

As far as 2nd Fridays go, this past one surely proved to be an excellent model for future events. There was a stimulating and warm feeling in the gallery with so many different people mingling and circulating through the works. If you are familiar with our blog you know that we here at Like the Spice absolutely love it when new and old friends are present and exciting discussions abound. Thank you to all of those who attended and we look forward to see you again soon!

Just Can't Get Enough...

Of Bennett Morris, we mean...

I'm sure by now you all have guessed that we have a very hard time shutting up about Bennett Morris and his show here at Like the Spice. His work has been with us since January 22nd and it still does not fail to excite us; well Ladies and Gentlemen, it appears that this excitement is contagious as Bennett Morris: Climate Untamed at Like the Spice has made it onto Trent Morse's top gallery picks of February 2010!!



All of here at LTS would like to offer our sincerest congratulations to Bennett for creating such wonderful work that creates lasting impressions which permeate throughout the Brooklyn art scene. This is Bennett's first solo show in New York and such an accomplishment should not be overlooked.

Trent begins his review with, "The start of the new decade brings a slew of new art shows to North Brooklyn in which landscape plays a central role. Here are some of our favorites." He then goes on to connect Bennett's displays of ruination with the "idealized splendor of America’s natural wonders" found in the landscape paintings of the Hudson River School. Follow the link to read the rest of the article!

Congratulations again, Bennett!

Bennett Morris: Climate of Hunger

Saturday was our latest installment of the Monthly Dinner Series. Got it? Great. Let's talk about dessert.



Because this chocolate pretzel pie basically stands as a symbol of exactly what we thought about Friday night's dinner. The whole night was sweet, delicious, mouth-wateringly enjoyable, and when it finally ended, we wanted a second helping. If you weren't there, you missed a chance to enjoy the -dare we say genius?- of Bennett Morris, the well-spoken artist behind our current show, Climate Untamed.



If you've ever heard Bennett speak, you know what we mean when we say he's informative without being boring. If you haven't had that pleasure, check out our very latest podcast and find out for yourself! It's just too bad that specific recording won't include the dinner guests.



That's right, our guests! As always, the company makes the meal. These Monthly Dinners are well established now, so besides the always-fantastic food (this time provided by caterer Neilie Meyer), we've got regulars and newcomers alike, all ready to hear what the guest of honor has to say. And this time, no one felt shy about sharing their ideas or criticisms, and Bennett sure was ready with the answers! By the time we made it to dessert, everyone was grinning and laughing, and we all felt like something special was happening.



This could be why, when the dinner was over, THEY DIDN'T EVER GO HOME! Seriously, the dinner just KEPT ON GOING! Even when the food was gone, Bennett and our guests still had plenty of questions, opinions, anecdotes, or general chit-chat in them. We just cleaned the plates, locked the doors, and opened a bottle of wine, because how could we tell our new friends to leave? The conversation rolled on and on... and don't think for a second we didn't participate ourselves.



We're not gonna say how long it finally lasted, we're just gonna hint that some of us might have seen the sun. We honestly think it's going to be quite some time before a dinner manages to top the exquisite Climate of Hunger... but you know what? We've been surprised before. So if you haven't joined us for a dinner in a while, or even if you have, start planning now to join us in March, because you never know when that lightning's gonna strike. Just ask any of our guests from Friday night... but not until Monday, okay? They might still be in bed.

Oooo, Baby, Baby, It's A Wild World

We're proud of our artists. We support them in all their creative endeavors. So when LtS artist Eric LoPresti stopped in and told us about his upcoming shows elsewhere, we were thrilled for him! And so we're showing you what he's got on his schedule, just in case you want to be thrilled too. First up: Connecticut!



Land(e)scape: Environmental Impacts
Greenwich Academy, Greenwich CT
Exhibition dates: January 14, 2010 - March 4, 2010

land(e)scape features two painters, Kysa Johnson and Eric LoPresti,
and photographer J Henry Fair, New York-based artists who explore
consumption, industrialization, and human impact on the
environment. What appear to be idyllic landscapes or beautiful
abstractions from afar reveal a deeper meaning upon further
reflection.

Then, almost exactly at the same time, a second show in Colorado!

Group Show at Rule Gallery
In association with Nathan Abels' show "Natural Causes"
227 Broadway, Denver, CO, 80203
Exhibition dates: February 5, 2010 - March 20, 2010

Isn't that great? Aren't you interested? Of course, you can see more of Eric's work at the Like the Spice webpage as well. And, naturally, we'll let you know when he's ready to return home. In the meantime, keep in mind that, if you're in the area, Eric would love to welcome you to either or both of these shows. We know from experience, his work is worth the trip.

Good luck out there, Eric! Hurry back!

An Explosion from Maine!

Hello our super-handsome slash super-beautiful friends! Hope you were able to catch Bennett Morris last night. We at Like the Spice had the pleasure to host his first solo show in New York, Bennett Morris: Climate Untamed. We packed the house with friends and visitors of Like the Spice Gallery.


Artists and friends of Skowhegan also appeared to support Bennett in conjunction with the curated Skowhegan Alumni Exhibition that opened at the 92Y:Tribeca this past week. (Up until March 7th!).


Bennett's work is a spectacle built on both beauty and dread. He creates worlds through dioramas that audiences both want to see and would be terrified to actually experience. His ethereal colors envelope and illuminate these exploding and corroded structures to creating a stunning image.

Everyone was asking questions about Bennett's process and how he has been able to achieve the amazing catastrophic and painterly effects in his work. Find out for yourself and join us for our monthly artist Dinner Series this time with Bennett Morris! RSVP for Climate of Hunger on Feb 5th and catch Bennett before he starts his arduous walk back to Maine. For those who missed the opening, swing by the gallery and check out his work which will be on display until Feb 14th.