Curating up a storm!

Hello world!

Like The Spice Gallery is happy to announce our participation in CURATE NYC this year!!

Curate NYC has asked Like the Spice Gallery to participate in an amazing exhibition opportunity for New York City artists in December; we will be hosting a gallery show from December 8-18th Curate NYC comprised of work culled from submissions to Curate NYC. Last year, Curate NYC attracted 1,190 entries in three weeks. All entries were reviewed by a panel of judges, and 150 works were reproduced for exhibition as 11 x 6' postcards. The opening, held at Rush Arts Gallery + Resource Center in Chelsea, was hosted by NYC Deputy Mayor Robert Steel, NYCEDC president Seth Pinsky, and entertainment/business mogul Russell Simmons. Cool stuff, no?

The deadline to submit work is November 8th, if you are interested in submitting work (of any medium) make sure to register before it is too late! Just think, you could be one of the 150 artists selected by a panel of judges to have their work printed. Curate NYC will also feature more entries per artist, and online sales of their work. Guest curators will organize online shows, while live exhibitions (that's us) will be held at five galleries, one per borough (go Brooklyn!), featuring works by Curate NYC artists (this could be you!).

What is so great about this AWESOME opportunity is that many of the artists showing work are unrepresented working artists looking for the chance to have their work on view to the general public, online, and in print. Curate NYC is a "juried exhibition and online platform that exists to heighten exposure and opportunities for New York City visual artists. The project also helps promote New York City’s image as a vital cultural hub." This is a really cool project, y'all, get into it!

Additional congratulations to Brian Tate and Danny Simmons of Curate NYC who were both on the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC this morning, Wednesday November 2, as well as written about in The Huffington Post's Art Section, explaining the benefits of Curate NYC for upcoming artists and the art community in New York. You rock!

We are thrilled to be given the opportunity to participate in this event and we can't wait too see some amazing work by our fellow New York artists!! Don't forget to come to the show Dec. 8-18th!

Allie Rex and Brian LaRossa: 1+1=11

November 11th-December 4th, 2011

Opening Reception: November 11th, 6:30-9pm

Like the Spice proudly presents Allie Rex and Brian LaRossa, two artists confronting time with layered processes and site-specific installations. Their individual efforts, which have interacted conceptually and contextually over their thirteen-year relationship, span several mediums. They independently reveal contradictions between momentary awareness and the conceptual understanding of past and future. LaRossa presents multiple allegories within a single moment, utilizing unconscious interjections and his own multitude of digital manipulations to challenge sequential time. Rex’s repetition provokes a transformation of time, expanding upon the illusions of the present. Each artist’s work aims to isolate the present yet allow all indications of time to converge.
LaRossa aggressively challenges the structure of time by reconfiguring its linearity. The first portion of the installation consists of photographs of the gallery taken during a single day. From the photographs he generated drawings to elucidate his own subconscious evaluation. The drawings are then returned to consciousness, vectorized, and integrated back into the original photographs. The dreamy compositions juxtapose the specificity of the photographs and the immediacy of his drawings. LaRossa also presents a selection of portraits, generated through a similar process, that aim to depict "multiple moments of a single facet." Each likeness is simultaneously hyper-real and completely abstracted. LaRossa approaches time as both landscape and portrait, generating an installation of "two bodies of work that are dancing together."
Rex manipulates repetition and abstract language to further enhance and betray the implications of time. Her experiments with color and shape are composed of hand-painted mylar and tiny stick pins. Rex's simple units, such as cubes or grids, are pinned to and project from the wall. The compositions are structured like flat paintings liberated from their two-dimensionality. The work is flexible, concurrently fragile and strong. Rex challenges the truth of her chosen symbols and mediums quite openly: the stable, foundational cube becomes a dainty net; a flat painting oscillates between two and three dimensions. Bygone installations are reworked into updated incarnations regularly, literally integrating the past and a certain anticipation of the future. Her site-specificity, however, links each work to the present and the exclusivity of each construction. Her work is at the mercy of the universe: each paper grid will inevitably droop with time, and her fragile, projected compositions are constantly vulnerable to chance. The future provides an objective adjustment to her work, uncovering a tension between the foresight of planning and the alterations of reality's linear time.
Both artists create installations that capture and ignore time at once. LaRossa's work imparts a monumental energy to his subjects, reinvigorating their present moment while honoring incarnations of the past and future. LaRossa makes "many facets of a single moment" accessible. Rex's compositions, masked in exactitude, surrender to the effects of time. Time imparts adjustments to her work, such as shadows on the wall or sagging compositions, and challenges their meticulous structures. Both artists incorporate illusions that taunt the viewer and challenge them to digest the work outside of reality's linearity.

Come have dinner with us and do NOT mess with Texas!

Well, hello brisk fall weather, what a pleasure it is to see you again! And yes, it is also nice to see all of you blog readers as well (sorry, the first statement was purely driven by my love of layers and sweaters, forgive me for putting you all second;). We have some great Like the Spice news to share; our current show, "Re/Deconstructing History" is open and is just gorgeous and everyone loves it, and also, Marisa and Dylan are LOVING it in Houston at the Texas Contemporary art fair. Check out Like the Spice's gorgeous booth:

S'nice, right? Is it just me, or do things in Texas seem bigger? Or maybe people are just smaller there? Hmmmm, we'll try to keep you posted on these important questions as well as what's happening at the show.

Haven't seen "Re/Deconstructing History" yet? Well then stop by anytime this weekend, or next week, or even better, come to the artist dinner for the show next Friday, October 28th at 8pm (RSVP required). The local artists from the show will be in attendance and we will be feasting on some delicious seasonal fare, you should probably join us. But seriously, the work of these five artists (Jessica Stoller, Joseph Heidecker, William Immer, Matthew Craven, and Eric Beltz) is really quite beautiful and certainly worth seeing in person. Plus, since Marisa is in Texas at the fair if you want to come by maybe we can throw a party or something...JUST KIDDING MARISA:)

Anyway folks, come on by to see "Re/Deconstructing History", the show is open until November 6th; don't even try using the 'it's Halloween and I don't have time to do anything but eat candy and make my costume' excuse, I ain't buying it this year...

Reconstructing Last Nights Opening!

Last night marked the opening of Re/Deconstructing History, a group show featuring the works of Jessica Stoller, Matthew Craven, Joseph Heidecker, Eric Beltz, and William P. Immer. In addition to our extravaganza, Williamsburg Every 2:ND Friday had their monthly event highlighting over 10 gallery openings (including ours!) Thanks to our amazing partners over at AT&T ‘Learn to Collect’, yesterday evening was extremely successful and will be remembered by many!

“The artists in Re/Deconstructing History reinvent techniques, materials, symbols, and representations from the past. Each work similarly challenges moments in world history, from the tumultuous history of the American continent to ancient myths and cultural traditions, and allows for a reassessment of historical ‘facts’.”

Featuring the alluring porcelain sculptures of Jessica Stoller, Joseph Heidecker’s innovative embellishments, William P. Immer’s hilarious take on Renaissance portraiture, Eric Beltz’s stunning graphite drawings, and the culturally influenced work of Matthew Craven, Re/Deconstructing History generated a responsive crowd that circulated throughout the gallery from 6:30-9pm. With great company and amazing drinks provided by Pernod (just ask those who tried the Green Beast!), the show had positive reviews and a remarkable turn out. For anyone that couldn’t join us last night, the show will be on display until November 6th!

Joining forces with Williamsburg Every 2:ND Friday, Like the Spice was one of many galleries that hosted openings and special events last night. Including an amazing guided art crawl led by New York Optimist Editor Stephan Fowlkes, yesterday evening can be chronicled as another magical installment of Williamsburg Every 2:ND Friday! Special thanks to our friends at the Art & Absolute Guide to Brooklyn and Wagmag for making last night great!

And now for an update on future events!:

Next week, Marisa will be in Houston for the Texas Contemporary Art Fair (October 20-23)! If you are in the area, we would love for you to visit us, so shoot over an email and we will get you a pass! If Houston isn’t in your foreseeable future, Olivia will be holding down the fort at Like the Spice during our regular hours!

In addition to the art fair, our monthly artist dinner is coming up on October 28th! If you would like to dine with some of the Re/Deconstructing artists, head over to Likethespice.com and RSVP. Tickets cost $45 and will get you a bottomless glass of wine, a tasty dinner catered by one of NYC’s finest, and an evening filled with good times! Hope to see you soon!

Life is uncertain, eat dessert first!

Though I wholeheartedly agree with the sage words in the title of this post, last night's artist dinner here at Like the Spice with guest of honor, Reuben Negron, did not quite start that way (though once you hear about the actual dessert you might end up agreeing that it should have). Even without dessert first the dinner last night was a spectacular event; fine food, an amazing show ("This House of Glass"), and wonderful company!

Despite the humidity and the torrential downpours we had lovely crew here to enjoy an intimate discussion with Reuben Negron about his most recent body of work, "This House of Glass," on view at Like the Spice through October 9th. Reuben spoke eloquently about the origins and process of each piece and I must say his technique blows me away whenever he describes it. Each subject is a volunteer, drawn to Negron's project by his desire to unravel a particular knot in their recent memory. He adopts the role of confidant and digests innumerable morsels of honesty over several weeks or months. These conversations turn into visual collaborations between Negron and his model, conceived as a collective narrative told on their terms. In person, these visual stories really do seem to come to life; the intense layering of watercolor over a graphite sketch is so expertly done that the figures' skin seems like it would be warm to the touch.
So, not only were we blown away by the work and words of Reuben, but the food certainly deserves mention as well. Our three course meal was created by the lovely and talented, Neilie Meyer, the owner and executive chef of The Starving Artist Bakery. Our taste buds were tantalized by the first course of a mixed greens salad with a pear, mushroom, and brie strudel. The second course featured home-made butternut squash ravioli (HAND ROLLED AND STUFFED) nestled perfectly under a layer of roasted garlic cream sauce. And then last, but certainly not least, was the salted caramel mousse sprinkled with chocolate-covered pretzel shards and served in its very own chocolate bowl, see above. I die.

So that was that folks, I hope that you are jealous enough to make it to our next dinner on November 4th!!!!

Fall food and Reuben Negron!

Hey guys,

It's that time again! September is finally here and the weather is beautiful! What better way to celebrate the approaching fall than to join Like The Spice Gallery at our monthly artist dinner with current showing artist Rueben Negron on Friday the 23rd at 8pm. There will be fantastic company and delicious food catered by Starving Artist Bakery. The dinner will be an intimate setting at which you will get to know Negron as he will be speaking about his work, inspirations, process, and answering questions.

The menu will consist of delightful dishes like pear, mushroom, and brie strudel served on a bed of baby greens, home-made roasted butternut squash ravioli with sweet Italian sausage in a garlic cream sauce, and for dessert a salted caramel mousse in a chocolate bowl. Yum, If that doesn't get your mouth watering I don't know what will.
Tickets for this fantastic event are $45 per person. Please RESERVE spots because they are going fast!

Reuben Negron's current show This House Of Glass, showing September 9th to October 9th, has been quiet a hit. The opening was jam packed, full of people sipping absinthe and admiring the beautifully technical photo realistic watercolors on display. Negron's watercolor mastery is amazing and obvious in every piece. Most people had to have a second look because they were convinced the pieces were photographs. Pure Talent.



This House of Glass is a journey for the viewer into the private world of each subject. Negron depicts several collaged moments captured over weeks and months, creating one final intimate narrative of his nude subject living every day life in the comfort of their "glass house". The viewer is given the opportunity to view each subject in their personal environment which leads to a sense of untouchable intimacy within each piece. Watercolor as the medium of choice also adds to the delicate and intimate feel of each piece.

A personal favorite piece is entitled "Mick". The viewer gets to peek in on Mick in his living room, smoking a cigarette with a cowboy hat on in the nude. His tattoos are visible as is his waist length hair and South Park doll on the bookcase.... and you have to think to yourself, who is this guy? I want to meet him.

So come on out to Williamsburg and meet good people, eat some ravioli, and rub elbows with your fellow art admirers and, of course, artist Reuben Negron.
See you there!
Reservations Required!
Make your reservations before Wednesday, September 21st, 2011.
Dinner is Friday, September 23rd, 2011 at 8pm at Like The Spice Gallery.
CLICK HERE FOR RESERVATIONS
Reservations required!
For those of you who are interested in owning a Reuben Negron piece, there are still limited edition prints of "Tia" available for SALE. Framed editions are $480, unframed $280.

Don't forget to join us at our next opening on October 14th, 2011 sponsored by AT&T and Williamsburg Every 2:nd Friday. It'll be a good time so don't miss it!

"Reuben Negron: This House of..." OMG so many people!!

So, last night was momentous for many reasons; for one, it was the opening reception for Reuben Negron's spectacular solo exhibition, "This House of Glass," and in conjunction with the opening, last night marked the first Williamsburg Every 2:nd Friday of this fall season! Ten fantastic Williamsburg galleries along with the incredible sponsorship of AT&T hosted special events, Art Crawls, and a great after party. Don't believe it? Well then, read on...

That's right y'all, THOUSANDS of art enthusiasts were out and about celebrating Williamsburg Every 2:nd Friday with us, it was truly an amazing experience to see so many people coming together to support and explore our neighborhood's art hub (click here for the full article). In the words of Marisa Sage herself, "With the sponsorship of Every 2:nd Friday by AT&T, we are able to showcase the re-transformation of this burgeoning cultural arts scene to a whole new group of art enthusiasts, collectors and young artists alike, making Williamsburg the art mecca it has always had the potential of being". WORD!

Reuben's breathtaking (and in my opinion jaw-droppingly gorgeous) watercolors had a wonderful and receptive audience last night. In this new series, each subject is a volunteer, drawn to Negron's project by his desire to unravel a particular knot in their recent memory. He adopts the role of confidant and digests innumerable morsels of honesty over several weeks or months. These conversations turn into visual collaborations between Negron and his model, conceived as a collective narrative told on their terms."This House of Glass" has definitely started our season off with a bang and I hope that you come by to see it soon (it will be on view until October 9th). The artist dinner for the show will be on Friday, September 23rd at 8pm; Reuben Negron will be our guest of honor and he will speak about the show, his process and recent inspirations. Our monthly artist dinners are always brimming with delicious food, interesting discussions, and beautiful art! Click here to reserve your seat today!

Hope to see you all soon, and while you are calling all of your friends to let them know about "This House of Glass" and our dinner with Reuben Negron, make sure to mark your calendar for Friday, October 14th as it is the next installation of Williamsburg Every 2:nd Friday and there will be plenty more awesome events, openings, and performances to check out!