From Bernard James’ Collaboration with USM Modular to an Absurdist Exhibit at the Academy of Arts and Letters, this Month lacks no excitement.
With New York fashion week over and the European shows going strong, it may seem like all there is to think about are runway shows. But should you need a break from scrolling through collection images and feel like freshening up your mind while feeding your soul at the same time, here are ten cultural happenings worth seeing, from art to design.
1. Bernard James Collaborates with USM
Brooklyn-based jewelry designer and one of the coolest people in the borough, Bernard James, has launched a collaboration with modern furniture designer USM alongside new jewelry. The pieces include a USM Maker’s desk (which James used to make his new pieces), leather trays, incense holders, jewelry boxes and a travelling USM store-front.
“[The brand} is near and dear to me not only because of my love of its product but also because of the community behind it. For the team to allow me to explore and manipulate the material in this way pushes me to think about not only my craft but how it is presented and experienced. I love spaces for the same reason I love jewelry. Wearing and living amongst intentionally designed objects elevates the everyday and improves the way we live.” Go see the shop-in-shop at 28-30 Greene Street, running through November 9th.
2. All-Day Restaurant Oberon Extends to Events inside New Museum
Although Oberon, the new restaurant at the New Museum, technically has been open since early summer, it remains the gift that keeps on giving. The concept is an all-day restaurant and bar, open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and it also hosts events ranging from jazz nights to readings. This week, live jazz performances celebrate Arthur Jafa on the 24th, and an eclectic evening of readings, music, and new media on the theme of Antireal follows on the 29th. Backed by the Oberon Group, the team behind Rucola, Rhodora, and more, the space is both a neighborhood hotspot and a gathering place for art lovers.
3. When Fashion Becomes the Fabric of Art
Iman Dabbous, up-and-coming artist and former 10 USA team member living between Cairo, London and New York, will show a collection of her paintings in Paris during fashion week from September 26th to October 1st. Fittingly called Fashion Paintings, the show presented by Stella Berkovsky will include thirteen works inspired by archival fashion from campaigns to runway shows. With her background in fashion, Dabbous has carved a particular interest in fabrics, honing in on the details of specific pieces from collections such as the Miu Miu fall 1997 collection or the Prada fall 2000 collection. Find her exhibit at Au Passage, a converted passageway in the heart of the city, where her work can be seen in window displays.
4. The Trio at Andrew Dubow Gallery
The latest show at Andrew Dubow’s gallery brings together three remarkable artists: Niccolò Debole, Ned Armstrong, and Britt Bogan, in his space on Fifth Avenue, facing the Empire State Building. The three have never met, yet they share a haunting sensibility for the human form. Dubow says it all began with a painting by Armstrong that he bought for his personal collection that features a head in profile, its shape almost alien. Bogan’s oversized busts echo the same exaggerated shape, looking like deep-sea mythical beings. Debole completes the show with eerie portraits that feel distant and abstract, yet so intimate. Dubow has a gift for drawing connections where none seem to exist—until, suddenly, they feel obvious. The show is on view through October 10.
Vally Wieselthier, “Head of a woman, model 511,” 1928. Red pottery, polychrome glaze, height: 9 5/8 in. (24.5 cm). © Galerie bei der Albertina Zetter
5. Women Make the Art Go Round
One of the most inspiring exhibitions in New York this month can be found at the Jewish Museum, which showcases the women behind the Wiener Werkstätte, the Viennese arts and crafts collective. From prints and ceramics to fashion and graphic design, these turn-of-the-century artists influenced an entire generation of consumers. They took on the roles of artist, designer, tastemaker, and patron all at once. Among the movement’s most prominent figures is Vali Wieselthier, whose work reveals an inexhaustible well of creativity and a lasting influence on the craft. The exhibition is on view through November 15.
6. Jessica McCormack Collaborates with L’Objet for a Tableware Collection
The go-to jewelry designer for cool girls, Jessica McCormack, has been growing her emporium at lighting speed, so it comes as no surprise that she’s expanding her world into homeware. McCormack’s Upper East Side townhouse already hinted at a passion for interiors, design, and hosting. Now, from porcelain to silverware, she’s has put together a complete table setting available for her fans at MyTheresa. Inspired by the ocean, the collection is threaded with shell, spiral, and twisted-cord motifs. Summer is never really over, and long weekend lunches deserve to look this good.
7. Alessi and The Mark Hotel Join Forces
On another Upper East Side design note, we’re excited about this fabulous collaboration, a limited-edition corkscrew where Alessi’s design and humour meet The Mark’s hospitality. Reimagined exclusively for the property, Alessandro Mendini’s signature creation is dressed in the hotel’s iconic black-and-white striped motif drawing inspiration from its signature interiors and timeless visual identity.
8. U-HAUL Artfair Presents Dexter Navy
For this year’s U-Haul art fair, one highlight is Kearsey & Gold showing a single sculpture by Dexter Navy. The multi-disciplinary artist, who previously exhibited at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris in 2022, makes reference to his home country Egypt. With this piece, he conjures up a dream place in which Egypt always lingers: The unique work is conceived of stacked shipping crates and a motorized zoetrope (pre-film animation device that creates an illusion of continuous motion by spinning a sequence of still pictures through vertical slits), recalling vivid imagery of his childhood. The UHAUL art fair will take place from September 25th to 27th, at West 22nd Street in Chelsea, New York.
Arakawa and Madeline Gins, Ubiquitous Site X, 1987–91. Photo: Norihiro Ueno. © 2018 Reversible Destiny Foundation. Reproduced with permission of the Reversible Destiny Foundation
9. Absurdity at the American Academy of Arts and Letters
Arakawa and Madeline Gins: The Poetic Jump celebrates two artists who spent their careers laughing in death’s face. When the couple befriended Marcel Duchamp in the early 1960s, he carried a scrap of paper reading “Besides, it’s always other people who die,” a line that later ended up on his grave. That joke echoes through their work in architecture, art, film, and philosophy. Their Reversible Destiny Architecture, with its undulating floors, distorted spaces, and bright colors, was designed to unsettle the senses and revitalize them. Paintings, poetry, film, and an early installation, Ubiquitous Site X (1987-91), invite visitors to step into their absurdist world. The show is on view from September 26 through February 7.
10. Saint Laurent Rive Droite Presents Shingo Francis
Saint Laurent Rive Droite Los Angeles presents an exhibition on the Japanese-American artist Shingo Francis. Curated by Anthony Vaccarello, Liminal Reflections brings a brand-new body of work into the space from September 17 through November 11, marking its world premiere. Working with interference paints that shift with the viewer’s position and the room’s light, Francis channels the Japanese concepts wabi-sabi and yūgen into paintings while reflecting Southern Californian sensibilities. All works presented will be for sale, while those who don’t necessarily have fine art budgets can also pick something up: two exclusive tees featuring work by Francis.
