Melissa Smith

For Charles Clough, a solo show that raises the question: What was the 'Pictures Generation' really?:

"There were so many dogmas involved," Clough told me at Saturday's opening. "There was [Clement] Greenberg’s dogma and then there was Michael Fried’s dogma, and then there was the conceptual artist with their rules. Everybody’s got their rules and my critical position is more of affirmation and inclusion. And so I’ve always retained a painterly approach—throughout storms of dogma and various points of view."

Bio: Melissa Smith is a writer living in Brooklyn. She received her graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University and works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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For Charles Clough, a solo show that raises the question: What was the 'Pictures Generation' really?

charles-clough-solo-show-raises-question-what-was-pictures-generatio

"There were so many dogmas involved," Clough told me at Saturday's opening. "There was [Clement] Greenberg’s dogma and then there was Michael Fried’s dogma, and then there was the conceptual artist with their rules. Everybody’s got their rules and my critical position is more of affirmation and inclusion. And so I’ve always retained a painterly approach—throughout storms of dogma and various points of view." More

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By Melissa Smith

on February 6th, 2013 11:50am

 
Article

Steven Soderbergh describes his last good shot

steven-soderbergh-describes-his-last-good-shot

Look for the first scene in Side Effects where Rooney Mara visits her psychologist. That's the capstone of a career. What next? “Well, someone is going to take my place,” Soderbergh said. More

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By Melissa Smith

on January 31st, 2013 2:14pm

 
Article

Ben Stiller, Jonathan Demme, Soledad O'Brien, and more gather to honor a Haitian film school

ben-stiller-jonathan-demme-soledad-obrien-and-more-gather-honor-hait

Ben Stiller and director Jonathan Demme, benefactors to the institute, along with journalist Michèle Montas—widow of Jean Dominique, a vocal opponent of the Duvalier dictatorships who started an independently funded radio station in support of Haitian rights (chronicled in the film The Agronomist, directed by Demme)—held a discussion after the screenings. “Ciné Institute proves that the ability to make films, to create cinema is something that’s in our DNA,” Demme said, “A big dream of Jean Dominique was a Haitian cinema. His thinking was that a place like Haiti deserves its own culture.” More

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By Melissa Smith

on January 25th, 2013 2:35pm

 
Article

Nick Flynn talks about the book about the movie about the book of his life

nick-flynn-talks-about-book-about-movie-about-book-his-life

Asked by Farley about the most harrowing day to be on set, Nick had an answer ready. “It was the Julianne Moore scene. We had her for four days. The first two days into the shooting it was a very eerie experience. My mother’s dead, as you all may know, and there was a node in my consciousness where I knew I would see Julianne Moore play this role, but also there was another part of me who thought I’d see my mother again.” More

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By Melissa Smith

on January 9th, 2013 1:45pm

 
Article

Ann Hamilton's Armory show takes flight on swings

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Forty-two swings are attached with chains to the incredibly high ceiling of the armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall; each is also rigged by wire and pulley to a lightweight, silk curtain at the center of the hall, which oscillates as participants thrust themselves higher and higher on the swings. Overhead lights punctuate all the action. Situated above each swing, they create dramatic shadows below. Even though Hamilton’s installation defies strict genre-casting, it’s clear that the work is concerned with the ephemeral moment, and with the work of art being put into motion—made real—only with the participation of the visitor who mounts a swing and pushes off. More

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By Melissa Smith

on December 11th, 2012 12:06pm

 
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Author Sapphire describes the joy and pain of 'Push,' and her latest, 'The Kid'

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"It is a sequel in that we’re looking at the life of Precious’s child, Abdul Jones, who is now an AIDS orphan," the author Sapphire said. "And it is a sequel in a sense that it continues to look at the profound and devastating effect of AIDS on the African-American community." More

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By Melissa Smith

on December 10th, 2012 12:46pm

 
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'An experimental moment': performance as music, film, poetry, and pickle-lighting at the Whitney

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The next few performances were a bit of a blur, either incredibly short or incredibly subtle, which meant coming across like background noise amid the din of the crowd. At one point, in a strikingly good imitation of Ben Stein, actor Elliot Brown read some comedic poetry composed by Zach Steinman and Ben Tear. There was a lot of talking as he did so. “Some people listened,” he said to me later. “It’s a tough crowd. Poetry is tough.” More

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By Melissa Smith

on December 4th, 2012 11:22am

 
Article

The Studio Museum in Harlem's 'Fore' takes a look at emerging black artists

studio-museum-harlems-fore-takes-look-emerging-black-artists

Employing such a loose curatorial approach, any similarities in artist styles emerged on their own. And the curatorial mission sought not so much to identify trends in contemporary black art practice as to find possible through-lines from prior emerging-artist shows. Fore is the fourth such exhibition presented by the Studio Museum, following Freestyle (2001), Frequency (2005–06) and Flow (2008). Not many of the works in Fore are tied to black culture or even to Harlem, a cultural touchstone for the museum, but if they were, assistant curator Naima J. Keith felt the expressions were complicated or reoriented in some way. More

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By Melissa Smith

on November 15th, 2012 3:47pm

 
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A Reagan-era Ed Kienholz installation is mounted again with a different president, and the same political message

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Across the eyes of each of the large figures were blindfolds with the word ‘NO’ scrawled across them. It’s part of the piece’s operational rules. The country in which it’s displayed determines the color of the flashing lights and the flag held by the vice president, while a poll determines if the blindfolds read “YES” or “NO.” Pace had held a poll in the weeks leading up to the show asking art “Are you satisfied with your government?” I asked Kienholz how she felt about politics today. “Same as I felt about it then,” she replied swiftly.  More

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By Melissa Smith

on November 8th, 2012 4:50pm

 
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The curator and the fashion magazine icon discuss what it means to dream.

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One of the questions that I ask an artist is ‘what is your product?’” Biesenbach continued. “You're not a baker. You’re not baking bread, so what is your product?” “I think my product is; I think I'm a dreamer,” Roitfeld replied. “I don't know if this is a real job. I have many different projects, but it always starts with a dream. Is a dream an occupation?” More

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By Melissa Smith

on November 7th, 2012 11:00am