Dallas

April 27, 2018, 1:47pm

A Celebration in Dallas: Nicole Eisenman at One Night Only

Quietly nestled in The Cedar’s neighborhood, just south of downtown Dallas, is a humble shotgun style historic home. Within the past few years this private residence has functioned as a flex space, an arts incubator of sorts, hosting private events with renowned outsider and folk artists and other community focused creatives. The house is operated and managed by a cohort of neighborhood designers and artists, one of which is conscientiously preserving the character of overlooked structures and houses in The Cedar’s, with this shotgun residence being a shining example of his efforts. - Arthur Peña, Dallas Contributor

Photo by Kevin Todora courtesy of Anton Kern Gallery

Listed under: Review

Tagged as: Nicole Eisenman, One Night Only, Dallas, Arthur Pena

April 15, 2017, 9:10am

Dallas Art Fair 2017

Any one of the 90+ national and international galleries that exhibited at the 9^th annual Dallas Art Fair this past weekend will likely agree on one thing: Dallas is serious about building relationships. And of course with those good relationships comes good business. It’s that process that I’ve seen expand and sharpen over the past five years I’ve attended the event. What’s really unique about this fair extends to what is really special about Dallas and that is an accessibility that isn’t easily found within larger cities. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there were plenty of VIP events and high end meet ups but there were also open invite after parties where everyone from Journalists to Dallas based artists danced with international gallerists, collectors, and local graduate students. What happens outside the manageable sized fair allows for visiting galleries and artists to actually spend time in the city further connecting with Dallas as an arts destination and home to a thriving arts community. What was happening inside the fair was a scattering of phenomenal paintings throughout two floors at the F.I.G Building in Downtown Dallas. – Arthur Peña, Dallas Contributor

Katherine Bradford, Prom Swim, Green, 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 in. Courtesy of CANADA Gallery.

Listed under: Art World

Tagged as: Dallas, art fair

April 19, 2016, 8:26am

PAINTING PICKS FROM DALLAS ART FAIR

The 8th Dallas Art Fair wrapped up over the weekend and with it came an exceptional gathering of international galleries and artists. I’m not so interested in picking top booths, name dropping who was in town for the parties or lingering on the Dallas Art Fair Foundation Acquisition Program, which provides the Dallas Museum of Art with $50,000 to acquire work by artists exhibited at the fair. Rather I wanted to give some quick thoughts on a group of selected paintings that stood out from the crowd. Some selections are consistent with what is being seen on the coasts and beyond but there were surprises and discoveries to be had. – Arthur Peña, Dallas Contributor

Tony Delap, Pender, 2016, linen, acrylic, aluminum, 13 x 13 in, Parrasch Heijnen Gallery

Listed under: Art World

Tagged as: Dallas Art Fair, Dallas, Arthur Pena

December 10, 2015, 12:31pm

A Conversation: Joyce Pensato

It seems Joyce Pensato needs no introduction. Her legendary personality and energetic paintings speak for themselves. In fact they scream for themselves. Much has been said in terms of what her absorption of popular culture may reflect. Updated Abstract Expressionism mutated by Warhol and technology? An aggressive reconciliation of our visually saturated world? Ominous portraits signifying a collapsing sense of the role of the image? Sure, but Pensato is quick to sidestep any prolonged reading of the work and simply acknowledge her love for all things Pop. In Pensato there is a sincere engagement with the characters and people that create our unified lexicon of references. This raw sincerity begs us to never turn away from her work as she transforms photographs and cartoon characters into forceful action. Pensato has also been known to show remnants of her studio within exhibitions. This residue which Pensato generously shares can be read as feverish and obsessive while strangely twisting her overwhelming energy into visually formidable objects. Mania made tangible. Pensato is chasing her mind through painting, the medium itself acting as the catalyst and gateway to bring all things into her loving gaze so she can squeeze tight, tighter, tighter until all is consumed by her unrelenting embrace. On the occasion of her current exhibition at the Fort Worth Modern, which presents a body of new photographs and large scale piece, we sat surrounded by Philip Guston paintings and had a conversation. - Arthur Peña, Dallas Contributor

Texas Batman, 2015, Enamel on canvas. 100 x 160 in. Courtesy of the Artist and Petzel, New York.

Listed under: Interview

Tagged as: Fort Worth Modern, Joyce Pensato, Arthur Pena, Dallas, Fort Worth

January 17, 2013, 8:30am

We've Got One Question: Daniel Buren

Since 1965 painter Daniel Buren has been covering whatever he can with his colored vertical stripes. Buren has covered everything from canvas, walls, and stairs and even train cars that could be seen while looking out of a window from the Art Institute of Chicago. Yeah, sweet, I know. Buren does this in the effort of forcing us to take notice of our surroundings. He drags painting into your space to interrupt your vision and possibly your day. Buren=stripes=Buren. It’s a palindrome. He’s traded his identity for a symbol; in this case it is an exact 8.7cm wide vertical stripe in the service of painting.

Listed under: Interview, We've Got One Question

Tagged as: Arthur Pena, Dallas, Daniel Buren

Friends of NAP

Return to Blog