Williamsburg is Dead

Williamsburg Weekender

It's the weekend, the glorious, glorious weekend! Join me, o' brothers and sisters of Williamsburg, as we commence our cosmic journey of funmic energy!

Tonight at Nurture Art is the opening of Patterns of Growth, a group show described thusly:

Spanning three generations of female artists, Patterns Of Growth attempts to trace a path of influence that began with pioneering artists like Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, and Alma Thomas, and continues in the work of contemporary artists.

Oh now is the Wintour of our discontent! Yes, it's Williamsburg Fashion Weekend. Also, puns! But seriously, you don't have to be a Voguette to attend, you just need $8. Check out the new line from Mandate of Heaven and a joint show from Treehouse Brooklyn's Sirius* and Sodafine's Erin Weckerle. Plus bands like the Tall Firs and DJs will perform after the fashion shows. All the details on Friday and Saturday's shows here.

Finally, tonight you can venture to the almost-but-not-quite-closed Sound Fix Cafe to see The Forms play a free show at 8pm. 

"In the Flesh" Release Party at Desert Island Comics

Artist Koren Shadmi's new collection of graphic short stories, "In the Flesh," is a delightfully macabre look at love and desire with tales ranging from a date with a headless woman to a misguided attempt at costumed lovemaking. In Shadmi's work, sex and its aftermath always manifests itself in very tangible ways: In one story a man's love for a strong, radioactive woman leads to his physical deterioration, while in another story uncontrollable eating and sexual desire come to a head in very literal way. It's all a bit twisted, but it's beautifully drawn, well-written, funny and dark all at the same time. The release party for his new book (released by Villard Books, a division of Random House) took place last Friday night at my favorite independent comic book store, Desert Island Comics.

 
 

This Weekend's Guide to Fun or Something

Hey, what are you going to do this weekend? Well, tonight you should stop by Peter Fox's new show Moving Target at the Hogar Collection. According to the gallery his "first solo show at the gallery will feature new paintings that expand his obsessive, psychedelic and optical abstract drip series in new and exciting directions." Waaaaaacky!

Also you can watch costumed idiots run with shopping carts at this Saturday's Idiotarod. It's pretty fun, I should know, as I've been quoted in the liberal media (aka Kings County's King of Newspapers aka The Brooklyn Paper) on the topic:

“It’s a spectacle that’s really fun if you’re a part of it — and not so fun if you live in a neighborhood where there are hundreds of carts left behind,” said blogger Keith Wagstaff, whose 2008 team, “Kraftwerking for the Weekend,” dressed like the German Techno pioneers and danced to Krautrock as they pushed the cart around the city.

The starting location is secret so just follow the sounds of eggs being thrown and 20-somethings doing something ironic. Also on Saturday, a free show by Mia Riddle starting at 8pm at Pete's Candy Store.

Tigers - Mia Riddle and her band

Tonight: Know Hope at Ad Hoc Art

Know Hope is a Tel Aviv street artist whose lone, melancholy character has appeared on walls throughout the globe. His show, The Insecurities of Time, kicks off tonight at Ad Hoc Art (7-10pm, 49 Bogart Street in Bushwick). Check out more of his work here.

Williamsburg Weekend Guide

Hello internet people. It is time to party, yes?

Friday
Passion Pit is electrotastic! They play fun, poppy songs that are somewhere between MGMT and the Postal Service and they are playing at Glasslands tonight. 289 Kent Ave, show starts at 10pm.

Saturday
An all-day release party for Kramers Ergot 7 (a giant comics anthology) hits Desert Island (540 Metropolitan, from 4pm-10pm), and oh boy oh boy is it going to be keen. Adrian Tomine, of the amazing series Optic Nerve, will be signing along with underground comics legend Kim Deitch and 12 other cartoonists.

Saturday-Sunday
Have you ever fired a gun in the last act simply because you saw it laying around in the first act?  Then you are probably an Anton Chekhov fan, or perhaps a sociopath. Either way, you should check out "Confronting Chekhov" at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center (135 Broadway), featuring 11 one-act plays inspired by the Russian writer.

Williamsburg Art Bus; Next Stop: Imagination

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is kind of a kooky character, but I have to say his latest idea is pretty cool. The smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop will provide shuttle vans to Brooklyn galleries on Sunday, Dec. 14 from 1pm-6pm. There are four routes, based around Fort Greene, DUMBO, Park Slope and, of course, Williamsburg. The Williamsburg route, known as the "Blue Loop," goes around Greenpoint, Wburg and Bushwick near 26 fine galleries such as Cinders, Ad Hoc Art and Like the Spice. If you've ever tried convincing your Manhattan friends to check out the 'Burg's gallery scene, this would be a good time to do it. More info.

Art Felt Support [Brooklyn Paper]

Williamsburg Gallery Show Worthy of Hogwarts

Things - Edith Kollath Creates Books that Breathe from Bre Pettis on Vimeo.

As a child I had more books than friends, although having more than two books really isn't much of an accomplishment. Anywhoo, the point is that sometimes I still think I love books more than I love people. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Edith Kollath's show "Property and Evidence: The Whole Story" at Dam Stuhltrager (38 Marcy Ave, through Dec. 14). Kollath was detained at the Newark Airport (damn you New Jersey!) after The Man grew suspicious of her crazy breathing books. She even had to withdraw from an exhibition in Germany because officials held her artwork for more than four months.

But now it's all gravy because her freaky Harry Potter books are breathing just fine and we haven't died in a whimsical book-propelled Al Qaeda attack.

Weeeeeeee(!)kend Guide

Wooo, Obama aka New Jesus aka Ol' Hopey Bastard is now our president! It is officially time to celebrate.

Friday

Bye Bye CBGB hits Artbreak, which is slowly becoming my favorite Billyburg gallery after English Kills. Photographer Bruno Hadjadj pays tribute to the 70s punk scene he lived and loved with this tribute featuring anonymous individuals posing in the infamous, now sadly defunct rock club. Opening reception (with live music) from 5pm-9pm.

Our friend Rebecca (Mixer Reading Series) plays with her band The New York Times on Friday, along with Holly Golightly at the Mercury Lounge.

Over at Glasslands, Thurston Moore joins harpist Zeena Parkins while violinist C. Spencer Yeh joins experimental trumpet player Greg Kelley for a night of experimental music celebrating the release of Carlos Giffoni's new album.

Saturday

In Williamsburg is Dead's SOLID GOLD PICK OF THE WEEK, it's the Soul Clap Dance-Off and Dance Party at Glasslands. Dance contest! People dancing to soul, R&B and funk! DJ, pie enthusiast and overall superstar Jonathan Toubin spinning all night long! I seriously love nothing more than dancing to old-school soul, so consider me there. Solid. Gold.

Sunday

I once told a white person we were going to a ramen place and she was all like "You mean like Top Ramen?" and then my head exploded and my soul traveled back to Asia and had to wander thousands of miles to eventually rejoin my lifeless body. The point is, please don't insult my ancestors with your skeptical ramen attitude. On that note, Union Pool is hosting a Ramen Cook-Off, to be judged by cook-off expert and femme fatale o' the kitchen Cathy Erway. (All rules are explained here.) Party begins at 7pm.

Beta Spaces takes over Bushwick for a day of down-and-dirty arty goodness. In a space spanning 10 blocks, artists will use studios, living rooms, sidewalks and whatever else they can think of to display all kinds of cool work.

For the chill chaser to your wild weekend, take in a free show at Sound Fix Records at 7pm from longtime Wburg scenesters Longwave, who play shoegazy rock so shoegazy you will gaze at your shoes and feel sad and happy at the same time and possibly get dizzy and pass out. Also open bar, so yeah, awesome.

Workin' For the Weekend

The True Believer, Kelli Miller, video installation

Friday
Tonight, Cinema 16 returns to Bushwick's Starr Space (108 Starr Street) for the captivating and macabre stop-motion animation of the Brothers Quay with a live soundtrack by Darkbloom and free Radeberger Pilsner. Doors open at 8:30pm, $7 cover.

Brooklyn-based band Stars Like Fleas plays Union Pool.

In Chelsea, the New York Art Book Fair returns for an entire weekend, selling all kinds of contemporary art books, zines and more.

Saturday
Wye Oak, Cut Off Your Hands, Laura Gibson and a bunch of other bands play a free daytime show at Glasslands (289 Kent) starting at 1pm.

Noah Loesberg and Kelli Miller open an intriguing gallery show over at Vertexlist (138 Bayard St). Think fantastic interpretations of mundane objects like giant smoke detectors and renderings of computer circuit boards. Opening reception from 7pm-10pm.

Sunday
Indulge in what some say is a magical fruit at the Underground Chili Cook-off at Barcade at 8pm.

Matt Leines Book Signing Tomorrow

Tired of cramped, sweaty CMJ shows? Head over to Desert Island Comics tomorrow and meet Matt Leines, who is having a book release party for "You Are Forgiven." The New Jersey-based artist has been doing some pretty cool stuff ever since he graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, combining themes from non-Western art with modern pop culture, all with an incredibly intricate style.