We Got Almost As Much Press As "Watchmen"

Hey, the Internet knows what it wants! And very clearly, it wants to talk about us. Who are we to stop it? Here's a little recap of all the people who fed our vanity lately. We love you like Matthew Barney loves Vaseline.

The esteemed Hrag Vartanian visited us at Bridge Art Fair and scored a fantastic interview with the force of adorable nature that is Marisa Sage. You can't miss it. You absolutely can't. Just be aware that the same article also covers "Queer Batman" and you may find some of the specific images not safe for work, so save it for when you're back in your cave. Unless your boss is Bruce Wayne or something.

Two Coats of Paint threw us a mention as a highlight of the weekend WGA Event. It was a great night for us, so we hope they had a fun visit!

Of course, if you weren't aware, Artmostfierce had a nice interview with Marisa as well. It's worth checking out, we think. And that's a good lead in to telling you that Marisa's radio interview with WNYU is coming up! We think it is tonight, Wednesday, March 11th, at 7:30pm, but we're not totally sure. The best plan is to just listen constantly until you hear her voice. Just like life.

Finally, we had a visit from Manna From Brooklyn, and we're very happy they liked the show. Always a treat to meet a new blogger!

Remember, Towers & Portals is here for a while yet, so there's plenty of time to visit and then talk about your visit and then visit again.

Like A Bridge Over Troubled Waters, We Had To Lay Us Down

But now we're awake, sort of, and ready to talk about how much fun we had at the Bridge Art Fair last weekend.



Being out amongst our peers is always great, because LtS is all about seeing and being seen. We decided to show off a little by bringing some of our favorite pieces.



Over on this wall, we were rocking Ross, Rachel, Dean and Nicole. It's okay to covet our wall. We understand. Take a closer look.



Ross's digital drawings are always a big hit at the art fairs. You can probably figure out why. Check out his other work too!



Rachel Beach's "Rabbit Hole" got us a lot of attention. And, in case attention is something you haven't been paying, Rachel's solo show, Towers & Portals, is here at the gallery right now. You really need to make time to see it. You know you do.



Making up that arrow-like shape were the cubes of Nicole Stager. We can't get enough of Nicole. She'll also have work on display at the Tribeca 92nd Street Y, starting March 19th, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. If you'd like to see those fantastic little cubes in person, stop in.



There was a different feeling on the other side of the space, but it was no less wonderful, as you can plainly see.





The work of Dean Goelz is really so much better in person, but these photos will give you a rough idea. Dean's been with us for a while now, and we've blogged about him before, so we won't go into too much detail here. Besides, we think the quality of his work can speak for itself.



Another artist we can say that about is Jenny Morgan. Jenny's just finshed a very successful solo show. In fact, we often found ourselves wishing for a bigger gallery, so we could keep her show up forever!



Jenny's collaborations with David Mramor are up to her usual high standards. We noticed this particular piece catching more than a few eyes. Not even counting the staff.



Our lovely and talented assistants (you can decide for yourself which is which) worked so hard keeping the booth together. So many, many people passed through! It was great to see our friends new and old, and we're already looking forward to next year. Thanks to everybody who came out! Oh, wait, you want to know more about that flamingo painting?



Allison Edge will be our next solo show here at Like the Spice. Her new stuff is so new that we don't even have images ready. So keep an eye on our web page. We're pretty sure that once you can see it, you're gonna love it.

And One More Thing...

If you're out and about this Saturday, you'll have plenty of ways to see some great art. We covered all that here, but who says we can't mention it again?

Head over to Artlog and get a ticket to ride the WGA Tour Bus all over Williamsburg this Saturday night, as we show off our Dirty Little Secrets. Tours are departing from various locations and each group offers a great way to see what the Williamsburg art world has to offer. Buses will be leaving at 6:00pm from Armory Pier 94 downstairs, 6:30 and 7:30 from Bridge Art Fair, 8:00pm from Armory Pier 94 downstairs. We'll also be trying to have some people around the L lines to help out with directions, in case you're caught up in the economic crisis. But whatever you do, don't forget to sign up for one of the afterparties. After all our working getting this ready we're gonna be ready to have some fun, and you won't want to miss out!

Participating galleries will be marked by a red light so you'll know where to go. Help us show off the Dirty Little Secrets of Williamsburg and have some Armory-based fun all night long. We'll see you here!

Dear Armory show we love when you come to town because the events that happen because of your presence are so AWESOME!

Rachel Beach, Bridge Art Fair, and now all of the Galleries in Williamsburg open till 11pm. What more can we give you, what more could you ask for...On Saturday March 7th Like the Spice brings you an Art explosion like nothing you have ever seen. From Chelsea to Williamsburg LTS serves up a pure night of eye titillating experiences.
Here is the order of business:

12:00pm Booth #35 Bridge Art Fair (we gave you a teaser in our last blog post, check it)

3:00pm Family Scavenger Hunt through the Williamsburg check in at Ch"i
6:30pm Rachel Beach's new solo exhibition Towers and Portals opens.
7:30pm Collector Tour #1 leaves from Like the Spice 224 Roebling Street
8:00, 8:30 Collector Tours leave from Slate Gallery and then Jack the Pelican.
11:00pm Rachel Beach and Like the Spice head over to Supreme Trading for the after party!



and coming March 13th, our monthly artist dinner series: Knives And Glasses
dinner served at 8:00pm
RSVP Required

Like the Spice parties at the Tunnel in Bridge Art Fair NYC Booth #35

Like the Spice is thrilled to announce our participation in Bridge Art Fair New York March 5-8 at The Water Front 222 12th Avenue (the old Tunnel night club). Bridge New York is noted as one of the most influential presenters of international emerging contemporary art, and it is a top destination for collectors, curators and arts patrons. Bridge New York '09 will feature over 50 exhibitors, a large percentage of which will be international.

Press From Last Year:
New York Times
The New York Times stopped by The Bridge Art Fair on Friday and took a good hard look around. They seem to have been very pleased, and with good reason! Take a quick look of your own and see what you missed, as well as what's still waiting for you to discover.

James Kalm Report
Here are all the artists we are Bringing with us for the festivities!





Rachel Beach's multifaceted wood veneer and oil paint constructions are derived from details of art, architecture and design history. Her works have been described as " tough, precise and disciplined with a hard edged cheeriness" and "steeped in a pleasant pluralism, bound by a shared material intelligence".

Allison Edge works primarily in oil on canvas and watercolor on paper. Her work captures recurring themes of youth worship and idealized beauty, and are influenced by fashion advertising, boyfriends/friends, Pre-Raphaelites and growing up in the 80’s.

Dean Goelz’s sculptures and drawings depict the slightly odd ways we interact with each other and our environment, and the tenuous grip society and culture have on our gentle animal natures. Using a kind of reverse anthropomorphism, the characters depicted in his work evoke protective instincts usually reserved for cute animals and babies.

Jenny Morgan’s physiological portraiture manipulates the figure to expose an individual's idiosyncrasies. Working with people from her own life as subject matter allows Morgan to hone in on specifics of their character and present their personalities as she experiences them.

Plus a special collaborative piece by Jenny Morgan and David Mramor!

Ross Racine’s digital prints are drawn completely freehand, on the computer. Joined together the pieces reveal familiar opposites of handmade and digital, organic and mechanical, subjective and technological, physical and virtual.

Nicole Stager resin encased photogram cubes "that have spectacular array of saturated color, lightness and movement. While the photograms emanate warmth and openness, their methodology and the uncertainty of their sources gives them air of mystery, too." from
papermag.com

And now a word from our sponsors!!!

We will get back on track with images and blog notes from our enormously successful trip to Scope & Bridge Miami. Lets start off though with
our critical acclaim!
Miami New Times:Doughnuts and Beer at Scope International Contemporary Art
Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 08:00:00 AM
Walking into the Scope tent yesterday was like getting smacked in the face with an art stick. You know, in a good way. Inside, it was a visual sensory overload, with way too much for any normal, methamphetamine-free viewer to see in one trip. Riptide felt like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep, rushing to cram in the best stuff before time ran out.

It didn't matter, though. We were sold before we even saw a single piece of work. How could we be so easy? Umm, because at one point during "the press brunch" we looked over at a group of stylish Frenchmen who were standing at a table, washing doughnuts down with free beer, a la Homer Simpson. (Welcome to America, gentlemen.)

Even with all the food and schmooze, two artists stood out. The first was Brooklyn-based sculptor Dean Goelz, who showed creepy, lifelike molds of duck-human hybrids. Check out New Time's crackerjack blogger Kyle Munzenrieder's compilation of unexplained duck-art occurrences at Basel here. (Seriously, what's up with that?)
Goelz's spokesperson,Lee Doran, explained that "people don't quite know how to take" the waddling creatures, but that kids always try to ride them in New York City. She added something about how humans "go with the flock."


Art and Absinthe:
On to the goodies. Here is a small sampling of what we consider the best galleries and pieces at the Art Basel, Art Asia, and SCOPE fairs. More to come tomorrow from NADA and Pulse!

Nicole Stager pieces at Like the Spice Gallery booth (SCOPE)

Art Info: A Tale of Two Bridges
And on it went: “Con Creatures,” made from the “skins” of stuffed teddy bears and bunnies, filled with cement, the wittiest displayed as trophy heads on plaques: $900. Carvings made out of telephone books: $1,300. Ross Racine’s completely fictitious subdivisions, drawn by hand and then digitally combined: $1,150, from Like the Spice Gallery in Brooklyn. A neon sign that said “Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll” in Arabic. Aboriginal art from Australia.

Art Parties: Miami Photo Roundup with artinfo= Abby Goodman and Marisa Sage!


More press links to come! Along with road oddities and images of our booths!

Miami Or Bust, Day One: Thwarted By a Theremin!

Day One – Thwarted by a Theremin

Bye bye, Brooklyn!

This be the first day of the voyage of good ship “Penske” and after many hard-won battles and salty misadventures we find ourselves adrift in the dark doldrums of New Jersey –bound for SCOPE and Bridge Miami.


The gallery was awash in crates and priceless rolls of bubble wrap. Would it all fit? Would our truck-sharing friends at the Hogar Collection leave us marooned when they saw the sheer volume of art we were taking to Miami? Would the truck buckle on a back road in the middle of South Carolina? Who knew!



Nah. Our good friend Todd helped to load our craft, Then awesome First Mate Marty showed up with an unexpected bounty of socket wrenches and shiny new cordless drills. Sweet.


First Mate Marty fixing a breach in the hull while Captain Marisa tolerates no slackers

At the Hogar Collection, we were boarded and taken hostage by a pirate. He made us walk the plank, but saved us from the sharks that infested the Grand Street Sea’s asphalty waters. We called it even and promised that next time he could drive the ship.

And back to Like the Spice! We readied ourselves for an uncharacteristically early departure, called hands to deck, opened our sodas, and would have been on our way –

But for the theremin.


Theremin!

For reasons that we can’t go into, the better part of an hour was spent waiting for the appearance of a theremin. So much for our early start. By the time it finally, finally got there we were well over our scheduled departure time. The theremin is trapped in the back of the truck now, probably plotting its next move.

But we don't care! We're in beautiful, beautiful New Jersey!

Organic.

And on our way to Baltimore... stay tuned for further adventures!

AND SO IN THE WORDS OF WILL SMITH....again

Party in the city where the heat is on
All night, on the beach till the break of dawn

Oh Will you so crazy... and so are we!

This Friday Two Girls, One Truck - Like the Spice gets going, first stop Baltimore Maryland for a pit stop with a LTS buddy Turned on Tara. Then on to Scope Art Fair, Miami, booth # 473! More pits stops for unloading of others art (mainly Hogar Collection, and to wave lovingly at Greene Contemporary) at Aqua Miami, then the posh Bridge Miami beach Room #209 for LTS and Dylan Peet's co-curation, and then lastly but not least Bridge Wynwood home of the Williamsburg Gallery Association booth...
Stay tuned for road blogging as Like the Spice heads south with one speaker blaring, a learners permit, and a whole bunch of granola bars.

As for Scope (booth #473) lets add some true highlights of that fair:

Abby Goodman:
Zebrafly, Giraffe Fly
digital prints
48" x 60" & 60" x 40"
limited edition of 3 (each)




Allison Edge:
Flamingo Oasis 2008
oil on canvas
36 X 36"


Eric LoPresti:
Hanford Site, Gradient
Diptych. Oil and acrylic on linen, 2008. 80 x 30 inches / 203 x 76 cm (#634)


Rachel Beach:
The Hedge (oooh so pretty)
08 Walnut veneer, plywood, polystyrene, oil paint; 48” x 18” x 6”


Dean Goelz:
Migrant #1, The Queen


And more from:

Jason Bryant
Liz Brown
Anna Druzcz
and Nicole Stager

Hightlights from LTS & Dylan Peet at Bridge Miami Beach (room #209):

Michelle Hinebrook:
Fragment, 4' x 4' 2008, Oil, Enamel on Panel


Ross Racine (who will also be featured in the WGA booth)
Subdivision: Heavenly Heights 2/10 2008 23 5/8 x 31 1/2" (34 1/2 x 26 5/8")


CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!!!!

LTS and Dylan Peet skip over a Bridge into Miami beach!

This year, we are also privileged to be joining Dylan Peet in a co-curation at Bridge Miami. Bridge leads the way for contemporary art fairs worldwide, and South Beach will be filled with art from more than 80 galleries. Come find us in the Catalina Hotel: Room #209.

Like the Spice’s enormous success at last year’s Fountain Miami left us so excited to return to Florida. We’ll be taking the state by storm with an awesome arsenal of new work by up-and-coming artists.

Also as you might know from previous posts!

Like the Spice is thrilled to announce our participation in December’s SCOPE Miami. SCOPE, Miami’s original emerging art fair, is in its seventh year. Its reputation for adventurous alternative art and a museum-quality program of tours, lectures, and special events has made it one of the most respected art fairs currently in operation. LTS will be at booth 473 in the brand new SCOPE Pavilion, located in the famous Wynwood Art District, alongside 84 other exhibitors from 28 different countries.

Here are all the artists we are Bringing with us for the festivities!




Rachel Beach's multifaceted wood veneer and oil paint constructions are derived from details of art, architecture and design history. Her works have been described as " tough, precise and disciplined with a hard edged cheeriness" and "steeped in a pleasant pluralism, bound by a shared material intelligence".

Liz Brown’s subjects are intended to be amusingly romantic, assembled from the ideal world that is delivered by traditional media. Her goal is a work that exists as itself, rather than a revelation of the thoughts other process of the artist.

Jason Bryant's unique approach to popular culture shows in his lavishly detailed, pristinely finished drawings and canvasses, reinvesting their stars with a bit of privacy, a bit of agency.

Anna Druzcz built her current visual methodology using a combination of photographic and digital techniques. Her most recent series features digitally composed photographic landscapes cobbled together from organic and synthetic sources.

Allison Edge works primarily in oil on canvas and watercolor on paper. Her work captures recurring themes of youth worship and idealized beauty, and are influenced by fashion advertising, boyfriends/friends, Pre-Raphaelites and growing up in the 80’s.

Dean Goelz’s sculptures and drawings depict the slightly odd ways we interact with each other and our environment, and the tenuous grip society and culture have on our gentle animal natures. Using a kind of reverse anthropomorphism, the characters depicted in his work evoke protective instincts usually reserved for cute animals and babies.

Abby Goodman combines animal imagery and manufactured products , creating a visual metaphor for the nameless longing for ideal balance between man and nature. Inspired by her own personal experiences, Goodman’s creatures become characters in a fantasy world that parallels the reality of her daily life.

Eric LoPresti paints from photographs using oils, sometimes with an airbrushed acrylic background. His imagery alludes to hidden forces, the world that exists beside us, and beyond our control.

Jenny Morgan’s physiological portraiture manipulates the figure to expose an individual's idiosyncrasies. Working with people from her own life as subject matter allows Morgan to hone in on specifics of their character and present their personalities as she experiences them.

Ross Racine’s digital prints are drawn completely freehand, on the computer. Joined together the pieces reveal familiar opposites of handmade and digital, organic and mechanical, subjective and technological, physical and virtual.

Michelle Hinebrook: More info coming!